S&S ISA to replace cash savings

[Brave Fart]

Little bit of background: Mrs BF and I have over £250k of cash savings, largely because we have sold an inherited property. We are fit and well, earning around £30k p.a. between us in part time employment, and in our mid fifties. We have £500k plus in DC pension pots. No drawdown yet. No debts.
So, it appears we have too much cash sat doing not much. Well, it's earning 1.5% ish with Santander, Kent Reliance and Metro.

Specifically, we have around £40k in cash ISA's, as part of the sum mentioned above.
My question is this: what is the best home for our cash ISA's if we were to convert them into S&S ISA's? I am not interested in managing a portfolio, I just want to move the money into equities and incur the lowest costs possible going forward.

What about Vanguard - I see this recommended a lot as a low cost platform?
On this section of PH, I see lots of mentions of IM and lots of posts by Julian. Who or what is IM?

[CAPP0]

IM is Intelligent Money, sticky at the top of this section. I haven't really paid much attention yet to it myself.

[bogie]

https://www.intelligentmoney.com/

could be a good option for S&S ISA is you want a bit of hand holding (sounds like you may do if you have never done this before)

Vanguard is huge US investment company, they are one of the cheapest and popular www.vanguardinvestor.co.uk

You cant go wrong with either. Im not directly with either (yet) although do hold Vanguard funds in my S&S ISA on another platform.

[JulianPH]

Thanks for the mentions guys.

OP - Please feel free to have a chat with us (on the Intelligent Money sticky).

Vanguard is also an excellent choice (check out thier LifeStrategy funds).

You won't go wrong with either option, but obviously all investments carry a degree of risk (that is how you are able to get the returns!).

[Brave Fart]

Thank you gents. Julian, look out for a further question from me on the sticky. Need to discuss with Mrs BF first.
I'm a qualified accountant so I do have a pretty good grasp of this stuff, however I am also very lazy. Hence wanting a platform to manage things for me, much as my pension provider (Aviva) already does.

[Sticks.]

I'd really need persuading to have another S&S ISA. The first, a few years back, lost @ 1/3; I reluctantly agreed to try again and in 18 months on £10k made £50. To be fair, that does make them very tax efficient

[sociopath]

Sticks. said:

I'd really need persuading to have another S&S ISA. The first, a few years back, lost @ 1/3; I reluctantly agreed to try again and in 18 months on £10k made £50. To be fair, that does make them very tax efficient

S&S ISAs aren't for short term saving.

[Sticks.]

sociopath said:

Sticks. said:

I'd really need persuading to have another S&S ISA. The first, a few years back, lost @ 1/3; I reluctantly agreed to try again and in 18 months on £10k made £50. To be fair, that does make them very tax efficient

S&S ISAs aren't for short term saving.

I had the first one a few years. And other investments, some of which I've had for 12 years or more, all have done better. Tax efficient doesn't always = good investment imho.

[JulianPH]

Brave Fart said:

I'm a qualified accountant so I do have a pretty good grasp of this stuff, however I am also very lazy.

You sound exactly the same as my accountant!

Platforms don't manage things for you, BTW, they enable you to manage things for yourself.

Happy to help and/or point you in the right direction.

[Mazinbrum]

Sticks. said:

sociopath said:

Sticks. said:

I'd really need persuading to have another S&S ISA. The first, a few years back, lost @ 1/3; I reluctantly agreed to try again and in 18 months on £10k made £50. To be fair, that does make them very tax efficient

S&S ISAs aren't for short term saving.

I had the first one a few years. And other investments, some of which I've had for 12 years or more, all have done better. Tax efficient doesn't always = good investment imho.

What sort of investments made the better return if not stocks and shares?

[anonymous-user]

Brave Fart said:

over £250k of cash savings - around £40k in cash ISA's

We have £500k plus in DC pension pots.

I'd want a single investment strategy applied right across the whole £750k. After deciding on an overall strategy you'd then work out which sort of investments should be held in each environment to maximise the benefits of tax free cumulation and get risk assets where you want them. Keep that comfort blanket (cash) as small as you dare.