First-time investors

1. Learning
   
   It's much easier to choose the right investment products if you spend a little time learning the basics. Our guide section contains much of the information you need. It explains what a fund is and how shares are different from bonds. And you’ll be able to find out about the tax benefits of ISAs. We can also send you a free copy of our Smart guide to investing.
   
   
2. Planning
   
   Different investments suit different goals. For example, choosing funds that will give you an income is not the same as saving to help your children through university. Our Planning section will help you think about your goals. A useful tool is the Market Chronicle, which compares the performance of shares, bonds, property and cash. You’ll see that shares tend to do well over periods of ten years or more, so you may want to think about a stockmarket fund for your longer-term goals.
   
   
3. Choosing
   
   An ISA is usually a good choice for a first investment, because you don’t have to pay income or capital gains tax on your returns. It isn't an investment itself, but simply an account you hold investments in. 
   
   The good thing about an ISA from Fidelity is that you can combine funds from a number of different companies in your account. Our investment supermarket FundsNetwork offers over 1,100 funds from more than 60 companies. 
   
   If you find this amount of choice a bit daunting, you might prefer one of our instant ISA options. Our MultiManager Portfolios are a ready made selection of funds that we keep under constant review and change the selection of funds whenever we think we need to. 
   
   Alternatively, you could look at Fidelity’s low-cost MoneyBuilder range, which has options for most types of investor. For example, if you’re looking for long-term growth and you’re prepared for the risks involved in stockmarket investing, MoneyBuilder UK Index might be a good choice – it tracks the UK market and has the lowest annual charge of any fund of its kind. More cautious investors might want to consider dividing their ISA allowance between MoneyBuilder Cash and our corporate bond fund MoneyBuilder Income.
   
   
4. Investing
   
   Many people find that a monthly savings plan is a good way to start investing.
   
   To get started, our online account opening process is quick, easy-to-use and highly secure. Just as important, the investment charges on most funds are significantly lower than if you invest over the phone or by post.
   
   
5. Monitoring
   
   After you have made your investment, follow its progress through our online Account Management service. There's a great range of tools to help compare funds and plan how to adapt or extend your portfolio in future. And you can read the latest news from the fund management industry in our free weekly newsletter.