Looking to set up a monthly standing order into a Vanguard Stocks & Shares ISA, am in my late twenties but for long standing mental health reasons have only gotten around to properly looking into it.
What sort of market allocation should I prioritise in my first fund(s) given that I have no prior investing experience? Some US, some UK, some ex-US, or maybe just a cheap global tracker fund?
I have some cash savings that I can transfer via lump sum too.
You can check out the UK Personal Finance subreddit where you may be able to get wider views.
You can also have a look At this Wiki
Welcome @plaguedbyfoibles
Good to be thinking carefully about your savings strategy. Independent financial advice is out there and you’d be well advised to tread carefully and minimise risk.
You may get a variety of suggestions on this and other similar forums, but please don’t make any hard & fast decisions on any of them.
I have found monevator to be a useful website for information around investing, particularly their stuff about passive investing. They have some template portfolio suggestions for various risk appetites if you look about.
If you want something easy and don’t want to spend much time researching on how to build a portfolio yourself, their article on multi-asset funds, and since you have opened a Vanguard account their Vanguard LifeStrategy specific one might be interesting for you.
Also worth bearing in mind what @Graham has said about seeking independent financial advice, particularly if you’re talking significant sums.
I wish I’d started in my late twenties! For long term investing, I’d probably start out with funds that track the FTSE100 or S&P500.
There is no single answer that suits everyone. Read a book written for the layperson that includes discussion of asset allocation. You’ll become more confident in recognising what is right for you.
I’d suggest Investing Demystified by Lars Kroijer and/or Smarter Investing by Tim Hale.
The simplest way to get started with Vanguard may be to work out the year you’re going to hit 65 and pick the “Target Retirement” fund nearest to that. They tend to start out quite aggressive with a long time horizon, before gradually switching to lower risk the nearer to that date you get.
You can always add additional funds or switch later on when you get more of a feel for what you are doing. The sooner you get started the better though.
Retirement date funds are only appropriate if you’re intending to buy an annuity when you retire. Relatively few people do that these days.