Having covered the basic types of ISA investments, this week we will have a quick recap on what information you may want to look at when making those investments.
When researching any potential ISA investments, it is important that you have access to sources of information and advice that are independent and can be used in conjunction with the detailed information each ISA provider can give you.
Whether you are saving into a Cash ISA or a fund, you are buying a product and as with any product purchase you want to be able to compare the key features and pros and cons of a range of alternatives before deciding which one is suitable for you.
When it comes to doing this you have a simple choice:
- Gather the information yourself
- Get some professional advice (from an Independent Financial Adviser or IFA)
Doing your own research - DYOR
Whether you are looking to buy a fund, open a Cash ISA account, set up a stock trading account in an ISA wrapper, or start investing in funds, there is a wealth of independent information available online.
What should I look for?
Cash ISAs
Most websites that give information on Cash ISAs allow you to compare:
- Interest rates
- Tie-in periods
- Frequency of interest payments
- Special features and restrictions
It can be useful to look at a few websites as any single site may not have an absolutely comprehensive coverage of accounts.
Stocks
Most sites that provide information on stocks will give the following information for free:
- Simplified company accounts
- An overview of how a given stock has performed recently
- Any relevant company news
- Advice and articles from investment professionals
Funds
If you are looking to include funds as part of your ISA investments, most of the sites available on line will provide the following information:
- The performance of the funds over various time periods – the funds are often displayed in categories or peer groups of similar funds to make performance comparisons easier. Remember that past performance is not a guide to the future!
- Details on charges and fees associated with the fund
- Contact details for the fund provider
- Details of how much money you will need to invest initially and how much money can be invested regularly
- A summary of what the fund is currently investing in
Morningstar.co.uk offers access to and objective information on more than 9,000 funds and, via its Hemscott.com site, more than 19,500 companies available to individual investors in the UK. Together the two provide investors with decades of data history, up-to-the-minute equities and funds news, independent editorial content produced by analysts and journalists, and management and director information.
The links below provide some simple examples of the information available from Morningstar across a range of equities and funds.
Links to other articles that may be of interest:
Don’t make these three investment mistakes
Hedge fund managers fail to deliver in 2008
Bear market roils asset managers