The Student Room Group

Best type of investment for my time/budget?

I am a university student who, after expenditure, gets around £30 a week to play around with. I think it is better to invest this rather than have it sitting in my bank account. I don't need huge profits or need to be one of those 'Turn your £100 in to £100,000 by using this method!' people, I just want to know what type of trading/investment would be best for my budget. Also please keep in mind that I am a student so I'm not free 9-5 every day - the income would be passive.
Thank you
Reply 1
I'm no financial expert, but I can offer some advice. You can save up that money and invest in a hobby. You shouldn't forget money is made to satisfy you, and there's nothing more satisfying from a productive hobby that can earn you more income. If you like painting, buy materials. If you like photography, buy Photoshop and a camera. Or even making YouTube videos

However, a small course in Forex trading might not hurt too, plus that can give you some preliminaries before you begin to invest in shares.
Reply 2
Original post by Nyimane
I'm no financial expert, but I can offer some advice. You can save up that money and invest in a hobby. You shouldn't forget money is made to satisfy you, and there's nothing more satisfying from a productive hobby that can earn you more income. If you like painting, buy materials. If you like photography, buy Photoshop and a camera. Or even making YouTube videos

However, a small course in Forex trading might not hurt too, plus that can give you some preliminaries before you begin to invest in shares.

i have quite a few hobbies. I love sport and going to the gym but also going out with friends. I wouldn't let this get in the way of my personal life.

Forex does look interesting but from what I've heard, you're more likely to lose money than earn it
Reply 3
What's your investment time frame? 3 years? 5 years?

I wouldn't advise forex as that money you receive isn't money you can afford to lose nor do you seem to have much knowledge in the domain. If it's for a short time frame then it's probably better to just save it up. However, Inflation is higher than any sort of interest you'll get from a high street bank/cash ISA right now so if you're investing for 3-5+ years then consider something like nutmeg. It's fully managed so you don't need to pick the funds yourself, is very transparent and you can choose the level of risk. You can pay in £120 a month towards your investment which will get invested for you on a weekly basis. As obvious as it sounds, the trick is to put away money and forgetting about spending it. With a direct debit set-up, you can guarantee you will consistently save £120 a month that gets reinvested on top of your existing capital.
Reply 4
At £120 per month i would stick it in the highest interest savings account that you can.
I think personally I'd invest with a robo-advisor - someone like Moneyfarm where you can start your portfolio from just £1, and then can just top it up each month! Worth taking a look at - or someone a bit more established - like Nutmeg
(edited 6 years ago)
Reply 6
Original post by dakofsta
I am a university student who, after expenditure, gets around £30 a week to play around with. I think it is better to invest this rather than have it sitting in my bank account. I don't need huge profits or need to be one of those 'Turn your £100 in to £100,000 by using this method!' people, I just want to know what type of trading/investment would be best for my budget. Also please keep in mind that I am a student so I'm not free 9-5 every day - the income would be passive.
Thank you


On that budget a savings account.

Or possibly a LISA.
Reply 7
Original post by dakofsta
I am a university student who, after expenditure, gets around £30 a week to play around with. I think it is better to invest this rather than have it sitting in my bank account. I don't need huge profits or need to be one of those 'Turn your £100 in to £100,000 by using this method!' people, I just want to know what type of trading/investment would be best for my budget. Also please keep in mind that I am a student so I'm not free 9-5 every day - the income would be passive.
Thank you

Well investing in ICOs seem like the popular thing to do now. However i'm no expert so i'd suggest researching simple projects. Came across a project called FluzFluz - a cashback network for consumers, aka every time you or people you have added to your network shop you earn reward points that turn into money. It has an already successful product and partnerships with brands like Nike, Amazon, Uber so it wouldn't fail. Also it doesn't cost much to invest in their project so it's not a huge risk.
You'll be going down one of two routes; investing or saving your money.

its important to choose which of these is suitable for your circumstances, and your goals for the money you put aside.

I had the same dialemma during my undergrad but im glad i chose to save rather than invest. The savings i made during my undergrad went towards postgrad funding. i had a 3 year saving plan which now means i dont have to work during my post grad which takes some pressure off my workload. If you're struggling to decide what to do based on your timeframe useful article here

good luck with your savings or investment hopefully it pays off.
(edited 6 years ago)

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