A quick poll of London's city dwellers revealed this week that a surprise windfall of £100,000 would be spent by most on a combination of travel, property, investment in a small business or the stock market.
Few of those quizzed in the streets around Morningstar's London office, however, had a clear idea of how they would go about creating an investment plan or starting their family businesses. Indeed, the most attractive option appeared to be international travel--both during one's working years and in retirement.
As expected, none of the members of the public that we spoke to were aware that investing £100,000 in a diversified portfolio of equity and bond funds could potentially be worth five times that--£500,000--in 20 years' time, with no additional investment. This is thanks to more favourable long-term returns from the stock market compared to cash savings or Gilts, combined with the benefits of compound interest.
See the Related Articles section on the right for five quick lessons in investing your money to secure a comfortable retirement.