Portfolio and platform review

[Arborbridge]

I would agree with TJH - trade not every month in small amounts but every few months to keep the percentage of broker fees down. Also look at brokers that have cheap dealing days such as Halifax.

I'd also consider an "all world" ETF which has low fees and drip into that - eg Vanguard funds such as VWRP or VEVE( Developed econonies only).

I haven't lost the drip feeding habit - I've been doing it since 1986!

Arb.

Thanks, Arb. Why developed economies only? Is it not worth having a small exposure to emerging markets?

Personal choice: there's not right or wrong known until well after the event, by which time it is too late.

As regards the Vanguard funds mentioned, some people elect to go with developed economies because they perceive them to be safer. The "All world" type funds will include emerging markets but in amounts in proportion to the size of their stockmarkets, so very small - which you might like. Most of the all world ones have something like 50 to 65% invested in the USA as that is the biggest stockmarket. Some like that idea, some think it risky because you get a big dollop of the American tech giants.

That's why people also invest in ITs because they trust a manger to worry about these things on their behalf. A favourite round here is FCIT (Foreign and Colonial IT) which is the oldest investment trust. It invests in companies around the globe and has been a pretty steady investment and suitable for a dependable "core".

I recommended my daughter to invest in a mixture of a Vanguard All World ETF (VWRP) and the FCIT mentioned about. In her case, she isn't interested in too much decision making and just wants something to stick money in when she can and know that it is likely to do well over decades.
She was sorely tested last year when prices were looking bad and I was urging her to keep on investing every month or two!

Arb.

[kempiejon]

is it reasonable to stick or should I consider any changes? Appreciate this is not financial advice!

Details:

Baillie Gifford INV BG Positive Change B ACC - 20%
Fidelity Invst FSD Fidelity Index UK P ACC - 35%
Fidelity Invst FSD Fidelity Index US P ACC - 25%
JPMorgan Fund ICVC JPM EMG MKTS C Net ACC - 10%
Vanguard Lifestrat Vanguard Lifest 100% EQ ACC - 10%

Value approx £24k (tax cost £19k)

I am using Charles Stanley Direct and have no issues with them and a monthly cost of about £6.40.

My monthly investments would probably be around £250. So, in theory, fifty quid a month into each fund.
...

Those are quite interesting choices a bit of overlap within the underlying holdings. I compared them to the VWRL/P Vanguard global tracker and you have been clever/lucky to have picked some out performers. How did you do that and could you do it again?
Now, I know I can't know if they'll be next years winners. I buy a global ETF portfolio because I believe that longer term most investors, particularly me, don't beat the market so that's good. Even when I did beat the market it was difficult and I couldn't be sure it wasn't just dumb luck.
I've rarely sold any holdings except for tax planning. In your position I'd keep those holdings to look back at with whatever your new direction. With your new money accumulating for a couple of months and buying in £500 chunks or more would be my style.

[mc2fool]

The "gotcha" with respect to moving ISA's is to attempt to do it yourself. What you do is speak to your new provider and they do it all for you.

I believe that you can move partial amounts but you can also move the entire amount.

Currently you are only allowed to move partial amounts of previous years' contributions but you must move the whole of the current year's. (Otherwise you could get round the current only-add-new-money-to-one-ISA rule by doing so to one and then transferring half of it to another).

It all gets simpler in two weeks 'cos as of next tax year you will be able to add new money to as many ISAs as you like (up to the £20K limit in total) and do partial transfers of both old and new money willy nilly.

[richfool]

My daughter invests £50pm into: JGGI, BUT and ATST, using the HL monthly investment plan.

My wife pays amounts usually of £150 - £200 per month into an ISA with X-O, which we then invest c every 3 months. Her holdings include: JGGI, BUT, ATST, MYI, LWDB, VHVG and VEVE.

(The SP of VEVE is a bit too large for daughter to pay into monthly, though point taken, as mentioned up thread, she could cut the number of monthly investments and concentrate on just one or two at a time.)

[smokey01]

CSD can work out very cheaply.

Don't buy funds, buy ITs and stocks and trade once a month for 11.95 and there's no further charges. Iweb would be 5 so still cheaper. But you can get a free SIPP from CSD as well in this scenario.

I’m new to CSD. For the trade once per month to avoid the monthly charge, can the trade be on the last trading day of the month or do you need to do it a bit earlier to ensure you don’t get charged the monthly fee?

I’m getting ready to sell one share to buy another. So the last trading day of March is Thursday 28th and first trading day of April is Tuesday 2nd. So is leaving it until the 28th to do my sale ok or should I do it earlier to ensure they don’t charge me?

[doug2500]

CSD can work out very cheaply.

Don't buy funds, buy ITs and stocks and trade once a month for 11.95 and there's no further charges. Iweb would be 5 so still cheaper. But you can get a free SIPP from CSD as well in this scenario.

I’m new to CSD. For the trade once per month to avoid the monthly charge, can the trade be on the last trading day of the month or do you need to do it a bit earlier to ensure you don’t get charged the monthly fee?

I’m getting ready to sell one share to buy another. So the last trading day of March is Thursday 28th and first trading day of April is Tuesday 2nd. So is leaving it until the 28th to do my sale ok or should I do it earlier to ensure they don’t charge me?

I'm pretty sure I've left it to the last day and it's fine.

[Arborbridge]

My daughter invests £50pm into: JGGI, BUT and ATST, using the HL monthly investment plan.

My wife pays amounts usually of £150 - £200 per month into an ISA with X-O, which we then invest c every 3 months. Her holdings include: JGGI, BUT, ATST, MYI, LWDB, VHVG and VEVE.

(The SP of VEVE is a bit too large for daughter to pay into monthly, though point taken, as mentioned up thread, she could cut the number of monthly investments and concentrate on just one or two at a time.)

One can go on and on discovering Vanguard funds one had never noticed! VHVG is another, new to me. But I still like to see some dividend income, however slight

[richfool]

My daughter invests £50pm into: JGGI, BUT and ATST, using the HL monthly investment plan.

My wife pays amounts usually of £150 - £200 per month into an ISA with X-O, which we then invest c every 3 months. Her holdings include: JGGI, BUT, ATST, MYI, LWDB, VHVG and VEVE.

(The SP of VEVE is a bit too large for daughter to pay into monthly, though point taken, as mentioned up thread, she could cut the number of monthly investments and concentrate on just one or two at a time.)

One can go on and on discovering Vanguard funds one had never noticed! VHVG is another, new to me. But I still like to see some dividend income, however slight

VHVG is the accumulation version of VEVE. My wife holds both partly for a learning purposes. I hold VEVE partly as a benchmark to compare my various IT holdings against, and for the dividends.

[kempiejon]

One can go on and on discovering Vanguard funds one had never noticed! VHVG is another, new to me. But I still like to see some dividend income, however slight

I speculate Vanguard are launching more funds now they have traction in the UK? VEVE the distributing option goes back to 2015 VHVG the acc version only 2020ish. For sheltered accounts the acc versions are handy if one is a while away from drawdown.
When I noticed ETFs I was very taken by ishares UK FTSE100. Then was turned on to Vanguard with their FTSE100, I bought the 250 version as a comparator to my 250 portfolio experiment.
Globally that's where I should be - VWRL, it's in my ISA and I add occasionally through the year until I get to allowance max.
I realised I can shave costs buying a bit of Asia, Emerging markets, USA, Europe etc. I do that in my SIPP.
Or there's the developed world supplemented with Emerging markets. a 2 stock version.
Then I compared VWRL inc to VWRP acc and realised I am out of the market as dividends sit in the account. So preferred VWRP, having dallied with the yieldy global VHYL. Buying ETFs was an idea to ease away from picking individual shares and I have gradually accumulated around a dozen ETFs.

[Karacticus]

Thanks for all the advice on this thread. I have now set up an iWeb account and set in motion moving across my holdings. Appreciate there have been different views and there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to this stuff - well, there may be some - but I have sold my previous holdings and have now purchased:

HSBC FTSE All-World Index Fund C - 30%
JP Morgan Global Growth and Income - 40%
Foreign and Colonial IT - 30%

Gives me the familiarity of an index fund and a medium dive into ITs for long-term monthly investments over the next 10+ years, hopefully!

K

[Arborbridge]

One can go on and on discovering Vanguard funds one had never noticed! VHVG is another, new to me. But I still like to see some dividend income, however slight

I speculate Vanguard are launching more funds now they have traction in the UK? VEVE the distributing option goes back to 2015 VHVG the acc version only 2020ish. For sheltered accounts the acc versions are handy if one is a while away from drawdown.
When I noticed ETFs I was very taken by ishares UK FTSE100. Then was turned on to Vanguard with their FTSE100, I bought the 250 version as a comparator to my 250 portfolio experiment.
Globally that's where I should be - VWRL, it's in my ISA and I add occasionally through the year until I get to allowance max.
I realised I can shave costs buying a bit of Asia, Emerging markets, USA, Europe etc. I do that in my SIPP.
Or there's the developed world supplemented with Emerging markets. a 2 stock version.
Then I compared VWRL inc to VWRP acc and realised I am out of the market as dividends sit in the account. So preferred VWRP, having dallied with the yieldy global VHYL. Buying ETFs was an idea to ease away from picking individual shares and I have gradually accumulated around a dozen ETFs.

We are both groping towards similar solutions! I had VHYL initially to pair with VUKE. The latter was really to see if it could replace my HYP (it probably won't). Then I added VWRP which was saving towards a particular target expenditure, and VEVE more recently having realised in my "end game" I really just need some growth to pass on to the children.