Stocks & Shares ISA

[bobbarley]

Do any of you guys partake in a spot of trading?  If so, just curious who you use to carry our your investments?  I'm opening up a stocks & shares ISA and am trying to decide who to use.  I've had Halifax and Hargreaves Lansdown recommended to me so far.

[Seanl]

Don't know much about it all tbh, but I'd imagine Halifax are selling pretty low at the moment, what with all thats gone on the last couple of years with banking in general, and Halifax in particular. Hargreaves Lansdown is a Bristol based firm (Steve Lansdown is the owner of Bristol City Football Club, and Bristol Rugby too!) of who I'm a fan! They are the biggest independent Stocks and Shares company in Europe outside of London, and aside from the football (£14.4M lost this year), are doing amazingly well! They will never be on the scale of Halifax, so you'll never gain a massive amount unless you put a huge amount to begin with, but that said you'll never loose much either. 

[Thom89]

I use my bank, Lloyds TSB, they offer a great service to customers, as do most banks afaik

Thom

[MS1COYS]

Don't use Smith and Williamson, 25 Moorgate.

Lost enough in one year to buy a car..... Almost glad those days are over!

 

[bobbarley]

I can't touch Lloyds TSB any more, they allowed someone to steal my identity (Didn't check signatures etc) and did sweet FA to help me out afterwards.

Just to clear it up, I will be making all my own investment decisions.  Im pretty clued up on it all working in an Investment Bank.  Just looking for a good company to carry out the transactions for me, for an ISA. 

Quite keen on HL, they have a good reputation and I love the idea of trading via my iPhone.

[clipperjay]

My advice is to read up on balanced funds and see how all the ratings work its a mine field at best, but you can see trends and spot good investments in specific sectors, seasonal, energy, light industry etc.
I would find a good model or virtual portfolio to start and start seeing if you like Curency trading, commodities, Equities, Fixed income or if you are clued up try spread betting or Derivatives!
I worked in banking for 13 years I'm retired now 
Question why now?   

[BuckieGTI]

I use Hargreaves Lansdown, very easy to use on web and on iphone app.

[Len]

What amount of money can you start up with on that scheme?

[boneybradley]

As an ex Halifax staff that dealt with the stocks and shares ISA's..... The new products are no where near as good as the one's I dealt with! (run by Scottish Widows)

my own shares are held with Hargreaves Lansdown and they are very active in keeping you upto date with the markets and also give trading offers each month. Plus they offer a whole of market fund range if you want funds and not individual company shares (I have both but I prefer funds as you don't need to rely on 1 companies fortunes to earn ££)


(remember most fund based isa's have around 5% initial fee's on top of management charges and selling fee's, so check the small print and see how much it will cost you)

[bobbarley]

A lot of praise for HL, I think I'll set up an account with them.  Going to make regular £50 investments 

The plan is to select funds with no initial charge, HL get a full discount on some of them.  They also get discount on some AMC's as well.  Going to start off with one fund, then add over time.  Looking to start with Majedie UK Equity, then have a little play with emerging markets, just a little I'm prepared to gamble with.

I'm lucky in that the Bank I work for actually prices a lot of the funds.  I drink with the person who prices Majedie funds, and I actually value Blackrock funds myself