Good time to start investing in shares?

[Legacywr]

I’m guessing with fall in share prices, it might be a good idea to buy some?

Is a platform like T212 the best place to do it?

[Truckosaurus]

In theory, it could be.

Whatever you do, make sure it is inside of an ISA so your gains are tax free.

[Legacywr]

My ISA is always maxed out.

[LooneyTunes]

Legacywr said:

Is a platform like T212 the best place to do it?

You're drawn to the no commission etc?

Read the small print and understand how fees and commission can be hidden elsewhere (FX charges, wider bid/offer spreads, etc).

[Legacywr]

LooneyTunes said:

Legacywr said:

Is a platform like T212 the best place to do it?

You're drawn to the no commission etc?

Read the small print and understand how fees and commission can be hidden elsewhere (FX charges, wider bid/offer spreads, etc).

I was… the rest of that went over my head

[greengreenwood7]

Legacywr said:

I’m guessing with fall in share prices, it might be a good idea to buy some?

Is a platform like T212 the best place to do it?

depends what you want to do - buy/hold or trade. i know a few folks who have GIA's with IBKR, mine's via Tradestation plus an old IBKR, but both offer accounts that can hold USD which was key when i opened them both.
also depends i guess on whether you'll trade anything beyond pure stocks ( options etc )....

i haven't heard great things about 212 due to spread/fx....but that may not be a factor if you're into buy & hold.

[johnnyBv8]

I’ve used Freetrade for the past few years and found it quite good. As to whether now is a good time to start buying shares, it’s anyone’s guess….but it’s a very volatile time so it depends how much risk you’re comfortable with, as well as how long you’re willing to have the cash tied up if your portfolio is down.

Edited by johnnyBv8 on Monday 7th April 22:26

[Turtle Shed]

johnnyBv8 said:

I’ve used Freetrade for the past few years and found it quite good. As to whether now is a good time to start buying shares, it’s anyone’s guess….but it’s a very volatile time so it depends how much risk you’re comfortable with, as well as how long you’re willing to have the cash tied up if your portfolio is down.

Edited by johnnyBv8 on Monday 7th April 22:26

Yes I use Freetrade as well. Seems fine, app is decent enough too.

[LooneyTunes]

Legacywr said:

I was… the rest of that went over my head

In very simple terms:

When you see a share price quoted on the news that isn’t the price you’ll actually transact at. The prices move constantly and a broker will “offer” to sell you shares a given price or “bid” to buy them from you at another (lower) price. The difference between the bid and offer price is known as the “spread”. By widening the spread (making the bid price a bit lower and/or the offer price a bit higher) a broker can make more money off the trade…

Similarly, if you’re buying shares that aren’t issued in GBP but are say USD denominated, then there’s foreign exchange needed as part of the transaction. By offering a worse deal on that element of the trade, a broker can again make more money off the trade…

Some platforms will do this sort of thing more than others, but especially those who lure people in with the likes of commission free trading. In some cases the investor might well be better off paying commission and having a bette deal on the other elements that affect the trade.

Remember that there’s no such thing as a free lunch where finance is concerned, so be especially cautious of anything that seems too good to be true: there is always someone trying to make money from your trading.

[Legacywr]

LooneyTunes said:

Legacywr said:

I was… the rest of that went over my head

In very simple terms:

When you see a share price quoted on the news that isn’t the price you’ll actually transact at. The prices move constantly and a broker will “offer” to sell you shares a given price or “bid” to buy them from you at another (lower) price. The difference between the bid and offer price is known as the “spread”. By widening the spread (making the bid price a bit lower and/or the offer price a bit higher) a broker can make more money off the trade…

Similarly, if you’re buying shares that aren’t issued in GBP but are say USD denominated, then there’s foreign exchange needed as part of the transaction. By offering a worse deal on that element of the trade, a broker can again make more money off the trade…

Some platforms will do this sort of thing more than others, but especially those who lure people in with the likes of commission free trading. In some cases the investor might well be better off paying commission and having a bette deal on the other elements that affect the trade.

Remember that there’s no such thing as a free lunch where finance is concerned, so be especially cautious of anything that seems too good to be true: there is always someone trying to make money from your trading.

Thank you

[AndyC_123]

Wait until they're at the absolute bottom, just before a massive increase.

If you could let me know when that is, it would be much appreciated.

[Hoofy]

AndyC_123 said:

Wait until they're at the absolute bottom, just before a massive increase.

If you could let me know when that is, it would be much appreciated.

[Steve H]

It was the day before you posted that advice .

Although the orange manbaby will probably change his mind again any day now so there’s always time to catch the next dip with this administration .

[fido]

AndyC_123 said:

If you could let me know when that is, it would be much appreciated.

I topped up funds yesterday - wish I had bought a load more now. Apple was tempting but despite a potential full-on trade-war with China it was still above where Warren Buffett sold his shares! Still you can't win them all.

[caduceus]

I am using T212 and like it's ease of use and low costs. Just about to dump open another S&S ISA but I haven't decided on the platform yet, maybe Etoro (Moneyfarm), Freetrade or something similar. I don't want too much in one platform as FSCS only protects up to 85k.

Edited by caduceus on Thursday 10th April 20:25

[thepeoplespal]

Apparently it is almost impossible to beat the passive indexes versus an active fund over a 10 year period. Us punters are also even worse as we take fright and liquidate at totally the wrong time.

So what I'm trying to say is, time in the market is key and if you are regularly dripping money in to the market, when the price goes down you get more shares and it does a bit of compounding when the prices go up.

If car related it would be:

• The best gains are like the perfect shift — blink and you’ll miss it."

• Be cautious at the car meets, be greedy at the barn finds.

[Hoofy]

thepeoplespal said:

Apparently it is almost impossible to beat the passive indexes versus an active fund over a 10 year period. Us punters are also even worse as we take fright and liquidate at totally the wrong time.

So what I'm trying to say is, time in the market is key and if you are regularly dripping money in to the market, when the price goes down you get more shares and it does a bit of compounding when the prices go up.

What's the difference between this investment strategy and the average punter who averages down on a losing trade to increase their losses before having to take a bath on a massive loss and admit to their wife that they've been a bit silly with their savings?

[Happy Jim]

caduceus said:

I am using T212 and like it's ease of use and low costs. Just about to dump open another S&S ISA but I haven't decided on the platform yet, maybe Etoro (Moneyfarm), Freetrade or something similar. I don't want too much in one platform as FSCS only protects up to 85k.

Edited by caduceus on Thursday 10th April 20:25

FSCS safety net only really applies to cash held in an ISA, S&S are “yours” not the platform providers.

Jim