Types of investing

How to start investing

So, by now you should have an understanding of why you want to invest and what type of investments you want to make. Now, you will want to think about where to invest.

Below, I have listed a summary of the top UK investment brokers. There is a long list here but I would strongly urge you to look at all of them before jumping into making any decisions, as this is a big decision to make.

DIY Investment Providers in the UK

Trading 212

Open a Stocks & Shares ISA or a General Investment Account for free. Buy stocks and ETFs with 0% commissions and only 0.15% foreign exchange fees. This is where I will be keeping my 2021/22 Stocks & Shares ISA.

You can also get a free share worth up to £100 when you sign up through my link. Capital at risk when investing.

Freetrade

Open a General Investment Account for free or an ISA for £3 per month. Purchase stocks & ETFs with 0% commissions and 0% foreign exchange fees. I keep a General Investment Account with them.

Vanguard

Probably the most common investment platform for those who just want to invest in strategy funds and leave their money to do the work for them. Low fees and a well-trusted investment provider. I am using Vanguard for my 2021/22 Stocks & Shares ISA.

Robo-Advisors

Nutmeg

A great selection of ISA and investment products for anyone who doesn’t have the time to manage their own portfolios. Low management fees and regularly re-balanced portfolios based on your risk appetite. See my review here.

I kept my 2019/20 and my 2020/21 Stocks & Shares ISAs with them. 6 months fee free available.*

I have had my Lifetime ISA with them for the last three tax years as well, and plan to use them for my 2024/25 LISA too!

Moneybox

Similar to Nutmeg, for a low fee you can invest based on your risk appetite and your money will be put into a specific mix of funds to meet your requirements. I have my Lifetime ISA with Moneybox and even bought shares in the company at their last crowdfunding round.

Thoughts

There are hundreds of investment platform providers, but we believe that the ones above deserve your attention. We will update this page if we find any others who meet our strict criteria but these are our top picks.

It’s important that you explore all of their sites in turn and make an opinion based on your goals and what you want to gain from investing, align your investment platform with your personality!

Opening an account

*The Bank Engine may earn a commission in the process of you following the links marked with an asterisk. All commissions received go back into the running of The Bank Engine. Thank you for your support.