Investments

[NoCarbsForMe]

Online. Where do you start?

Pick a provider (Hargreaves lansdowne, interactive investor, vanguard etc) - MSE has good advice on costs & value

Pick a tracker fund with low fees - S&P 500, FTSE all share etc

Set up a direct debit

Look at it again in a year.

@TiramisuThief has it in a nutshell.

I would just add if you haven't used your £20K ISA allowance, then look into utilising a Stocks & Shares ISA for your investments for the tax advantages. All of the providers should offer one.

And if you aged under 40 and saving for your first house or for retirement consider a Lifetime ISA (LISA) where the government tops up contributions with a bonus.

This is good advice. Ditto the advice to max out your ISA allowance first.

When considering your tracker fund, I'd advise not restricting it to the UK, since we're a relatively small market. What you want to avoid is putting all your eggs in one basket.

You could also consider an ESG screened fund. ESG stands for "environmental, social and governance", and a fund with this label will not invest in certain companies - e.g. arms dealers, big polluters, etc. But do check the list of what they restrict because every fund is different. It just depends on where you feel comfortable with your money going.

Also, many of the big providers (Fidelity, Hargreaves L, etc) offer tailor-made mixes of funds that are designed for beginners. So if you want a somewhat safer option, you could choose a pre-made fund that is, say, 40% bonds (lower risk, lower return) and 60% equity (=stocks, higher risk, potentially higher return).