US ETF - S & P 500 - A rookie mistake

Discussion in 'ETFs' started by Olive1989, Apr 17, 2020.

  1. Olive1989

    Olive1989

    Hi all,

    My first post here - I'm an absolute newbie to investing, my aim was to invest in the S & P 500 over a long term period - as simple as that.

    I opened an account with IB assuming that there would be no issues in executing my plan, I did not raise that it is no longer do able.

    So, my question is what is the best alternative or tracker to invest in from the UK. I notice that there are numerous options that track the S & P 500 I am just unsure which would be the best bet in terms of its credentials.

    Many thanks for any help
     
    Sekiyo likes this.
  2. Robert Morse

    Robert Morse Sponsor

    Are you just looking to buy a block of SPY and hold for years?
     
    murray t turtle likes this.
  3. Olive1989

    Olive1989

    Hi Robert - yes, pretty much exactly that.

    FroggerMan, appreciate that, I was looking at the Ishares ucits - any reason for that one in particular?

    Thanks a lot
     
    murray t turtle likes this.
  4. Robert Morse

    Robert Morse Sponsor

    Olive1989-Feel free to give me a call at my work number below, I expect I can offer a solution for you. Or, you can email me your phone# and I can call you.
     
    murray t turtle likes this.
  5. Low expense ratio, very liquid, reputable issuer (BlackRock).

    S&P 500 etfs are pretty straight forward so there isn't much to worry about. If you want, put half your investment in the BlackRock's S&P 500 etf and half in Vanguard's.

    Your initial post wasn't clear. What is the problem with IB? You should be able to trade LSE listed stocks without issue with them.
     
    cruisecontrol and jys78 like this.
  6. Buy QQQ instead. Nasdaq outperforms S&P
     
  7. Olive1989

    Olive1989

    Apologies, there isn't a problem at all with IB, it was my naivety in assuming I could buy US based ETFs. I didn't realise I would then have to trade through LSE listed stocks to track the S & P.

    Thank you for your advice though, really appreciate it.
     
  8. Olive1989

    Olive1989

    Thanks a lot

    I'll check it out, cheers
     
  9. Olive1989

    Olive1989

    Again, apologies for my naivety, but when typing CSPX into IB i get nothing - I get CSSPX STK coming up - I am unable to click on this to get trade info/ price etc.

    The alternative is the GSPX GBP hedged (distributing) as opposed to the CSPX USD (Accumulating)

    Which one is the right one for what I am trying to achieve?

    Again, thanks so much for your help
     
    #10     Apr 18, 2020