Free checklist
New-investor setup checklist (UK)
Setup is 90% of safe investing, and it is mostly one-time work. Do these in order; each step protects the next.
- 1
Emergency fund first, always
Three to six months of essentials in an easy-access saver paying a real rate. This is the foundation everything else stands on.
- 2
Kill expensive debt
Anything above roughly 8 to 10% APR gets cleared before investing. It is the best guaranteed return you will ever get.
- 3
Take the employer pension match
If your workplace matches contributions, take every penny of the match before anything else. It is an instant, guaranteed 100% return.
- 4
Open a stocks and shares ISA
The default home for UK investing: £20,000 a year (2026/27), no tax on gains or dividends, withdraw any time. Pick a platform whose fee model suits your balance (see the brokerage cheat sheet).
- 5
Consider a SIPP for money you will not touch until 55+
Tax relief on the way in (£60,000 annual allowance) in exchange for locking it away. Powerful for higher-rate taxpayers; inflexible by design.
- 6
Set a monthly direct debit, not a lump-sum ambition
Automation beats willpower. A standing order the day after payday makes investing the default instead of a decision.
- 7
Start with a global index fund
One cheap, diversified fund is a complete strategy. Individual stocks are optional extras once the base exists.
- 8
Check the total cost, once
Platform fee plus fund fee. Under 0.5% all-in is good; over 1% compounds into a fortune given decades. Run the fee-impact calculator to see it.
- 9
Write your rules while calm
Two lines: what you buy monthly, and what you will do in a crash (answer: keep buying). You are writing instructions to a future, panicking you.
- 10
Ignore your account for a month at a time
Checking daily makes you feel every wobble and act on noise. Monthly is enough. The graph you care about is measured in years.
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Educational information, not financial advice. Figures current as of July 2026 where dated; allowances and rates change, so check the source before acting.