what should I do with 300k?

[CharlieRight]

We have around 300k GBP sitting doing very little (saving account, current account, fixed term saving account etc). What should I do to maximise the growth/income from this sum?

For background I am 40yo, have secure job with monthly income after tax of around 11k GBP and I am a British expat in a "low-cost" country. Have DW and DS4. We generally manage to live off DW's salary and only dip into my earnings for large items and holidays etc.

I was wondering about buying a property in the UK, but it would probably make more sense to mortgage that right?

Anyway, looking for ideas. Thanks

Get a good financial investor!

consult a financial advisor??

Are you planning on returning to the UK at some point? Buying property as an investment is a long term option and due to the costs involved isn't necessarily financially smarter than investing it elsewhere. Particularly if the property you buy is not one that you plan to live in if you return, because you have to pay all the purchase costs again.

You earn 11,000 GBP monthly?
And you live on DHs earnings?
Have I misunderstood something?
Fwiw UK property market is fickle atm.
I hear mansions have reduced in price drastically though.

Yes, she earns equivalent of 2k GBP per month and that is enough for our requirements, but I'm not stashing my salary away from her by any means it goes into a combination of joint and individual accounts in both our names. Maybe I should have said our HH income is around13,000 pcm and of that we can save or invest 11k.

@OrderOfTheKookaburra I am not sure whether we will return to UK. I think we will be here for another 5-10 years.

Capital gains tax would apply to any sale of a property which is not your primary residence, so you may want to look into more tax efficient investments

Do you have pensions?

Id max them out then look into a vanguard managed fund or two

Have a look at managed investment funds like Vanguard. They have a very good reputation and low fees. They have different to ones so you could have 4 (or whatever number you choose) and distribute among them, and add to them. You will get investment income that you can add to the total, and the unit values can obviously go up it down, but over time generally goes up.

I spread mine out and have 2 local (Australian) and 2 international. Shares, infrastructure, high yield.

Depending on my circumstances I take a break from adding to the portfolio or add more.

General advice is if you're planning on using the money to buy a home in the next 5 years to NOT put it in shares, so as you're not planning to return for 10 years it might be a good option.

You earn 11k per month but are living off your wife's income of 2k per month, is that what you're saying?

They're married so it's a HH income, their money is pooled? Wife's 2k goes on the living costs, husband's 11k is put into their account.

Not sure why you're throwing shade at OP.

it would make sense to buy a property in this market. However you would find that mortgages are both very expensive at the moment and extremely difficult to get when you dont live in the country.

So your best bet is possibly via investment supermakets to invest in property funds or other stocks.

Why are you having trouble understanding this? It is clearly written out in the OP's post.

I struggle to understand why someone earning £11k per month is asking randoms on the internet financial advice tbh.

With interest rates so high unless you can buy outright, taking out a mortgage doesn’t make sense. Capital growth can also be expected to be negative.

Uk govt bonds are a good investment now as the rates are so high. If you buy some of the ones issued when interest rates were low, e.g. https://www.hl.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/t/treasury-0.25-31012025-gilt

the return comes from the increase in the bond price which is not taxed, so you get over 5% return p.a. guaranteed and tax-free.

[ x ] Clears £10k+ a month
[ x ] Asks Mumsnet for sound financial advice
[ x ] 😫

What would you be doing with this property? Renting it out? You won't make much income from it by the time you factor in all the costs but will cover the mortgage plus it gives you a "base" to start from when you get home. If you put it with a managed investment account you will likely get 6 - 8%. Suggest you need to speak to a good financial investor in the UK.

@WallaceinAnderland you’re not the only one who didn’t “get it” so maybe it’s an odd concept: when we were younger we decided that we would try to live off one of our salaries (back then it was mine) and then we’d kind of pretend that the other salary didn’t exist, just a sustainable budgeting thing really. Sorry for the confusion.

Yes, surely you'd see a few financial advisors.

I'd love to know what you do for a living OP. Not to use it as a stick to beat you with but to push DC towards a lucrative career!

I wouldn't put it in property at the moment, I'd a) max out pensions and b) invest in S&S. How exactly to do that is best discussed with a financial advisor.

I’d max out pensions and then I’d go on some really lovely holidays.

@KPops22 @summerpain
I have read the UK house market is a bit depressed right now so perhaps it’s a good time to buy.
Our dream forever home would: a) clear out our capital and b) be a pain to rent.
I think we could get a mortgage from our local bank at better rates than UK lenders will probably look into that. But it’s not using the money that we’ve saved, I will look into the uk bonds that @Flammkuchen mentioned

@dottypencilcase I’m a metallurgist but I discovered that I am also quite good at getting manufacturing systems and processes to work and also lucky to be in the right place at the right time.

I was just thinking the same!
'I have £300k just sitting in my account...hhmmm, let me ask Mumsnet how I should spend it'. 😂😂