RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

I am looking to invest a small sum of cash (say - £5000) & was wondering if anyone can advise on the best short term investments (ie 3-5 years)
Best returns / where I should be putting it etc etc.

Any help appreciated.

Thanks

Ro.

devils_ad69

Have you got a mortgage? If so, pay a chunk off it.

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

No mortgage. Paid it all off recently.

Ro.

devils_ad69

Any other debts, then? (You know what I am going to say next, though, don't you?

Might be worth seeing if you can get into one of the mutual building societies that doesn't have a signaway clause. Have a look at www.carpetbaggers.co.uk (I think)

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

No other debts.
Recently managed to pay off all debts (store cards/credit cards etc) & have a bit left over that I wanted to invest.

Ro.

fast bloke

no debts

My best advice would be to blow it. Not like you are likely to have a rainy day in the near future.

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

First time in my life I am debt free - want to now make some money work for me !

Ro.

LanCat

It's going to depend on what level of risk you are happy with.
Seeing as you are reasonable set up, I'd say stock market. Long-term in some blue chip's probably.

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

Plan on getting a bigger house in a few years - should be able to save a big chunk plus thought I could also invest some & reep rewards in a few years to also go towards the house.

Ro.

camk

buy Cisco shares and sit back, 5 years.....easy double. No I don;t work for them, when its beaten down thats the best time to buy. If your going to stick it in a savings account then spend it. The other possibility is bang it into your pension, if you pay 40% tax you get that added on top right away.....

carl

I reckon a grand into some Energis shares (3p each!) has got to be worth a go. Either they'll recover or someone will buy them out. Surely their assets have to be worth more than (3p*no_of_shares).

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

CamK: Two years ago I sold some Cisco shares and bought a new Impreza. Today, that car is worth about half its original cost, whereas the shares today would be worth little more than a quarter of their value then.

The moral of the story?

Ro should spend the money on the car, and enjoy it!

Andy.

carl

Yes, but if you kept the Cisco shares for 25 years surely they'd be worth a lot more than you paid.

OTOH the Impreza is more of a gamble. 25 years later it could be worth a fortune as a classic, or it could be worth 500 quid

PJS774T

Shares in Tesco.
Track their performance back over the last 7 years or so....rock solid.
Tesco Personal Finance is now running at a profit.
The investments in non EU countries are expected to be returning heavy profits within the next 2 years.
There are high hopes for when they enter the car market also.

Paul

Maxwell Straker

I think you should invest tax free in an ISA. You can determine what type you want dependent upon your attitude to risk, i.e. nice small guaranteed return with little risk or maybe a big return but plenty of market risk.

The best bit about it is that it is a tax free return which you would have to pay if you bought and sold shares yourself.

Bajie

What about Premium bonds.
Couple of friends put some money in for approx 17mths while saving for a house, got a very good return which was jolly helpful.
They didn't want to risk the stock exchange and knew it wouldn't be there long enough to get an ISA. Each month they were getting cheques which were always better than the interest rates.

camk

its possible to get a 'TAX Free' return on any investment if you hold it long enough in the UK. Not sure of the details but your certainly allowed over 6KPA capital gains.

On the CSCO front, thats exactly why today they are a better buy than a year ago, they are worth 25% of what they were wen you bought your new Scoob. They are certainly not going out of business, if he's got 5 years then he's on a winner.

Cheers
Cammy