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One of the most common things new investors wonder about when it 
comes to getting started, is whether or not it’s a good time.

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As the saying goes – there’s 
no time like the present.

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Stock markets don’t move in a straight line 
and without the help of a crystal ball,  

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there’s no way of choosing the best day to 
invest your money. Even the professionals  

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don’t have the answer. What’s important is 
whether it’s the right time for you to invest,  

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rather than worrying about what’s 
happening in the wider economy.

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And the right time will be different 
for everybody. But as a rule of thumb,  

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if you don’t have credit cards debts or 
loans and you’ve got rainy-day savings to  

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cover unexpected costs, and short-term goals 
– like holidays – and then you’ve got some money  

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you can afford to put away for a few years 
– we suggest at least five – investing is  

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worth considering. Because the sooner you 
start, the longer your money has to grow.

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Naturally, there will be ups and downs along the 
way and sometimes the value of your investments 

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will fall. But this only matters if you 
want to sell your investments – otherwise,  

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it’s just a loss on paper. And 
even if you do need to sell,  

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you will only lose money if the value 
is lower than the amount you’d invested.

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If you’ve been investing for a while and 
the value has gone up before it's fallen,  

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you might still get back more than you’d put in.

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Also, try and avoid knee-jerk reactions 
if stock markets start to fall. Some of  

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the worst performing days have been 
followed by some of the best. So if  

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you panic and sell because share prices 
have fallen, you risk missing out on the  

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recovery. It’s time in the market that 
matters, and not timing the market.

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Historically, over the long-term stock markets 
tend to produce better returns than cash,  

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though there are of course no guarantees .

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By keeping your money invested and 
riding out difficult market cycles,  

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it should have time to recover from any 
market downturns so you reap the longer-term benefits.

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Once you feel you’re ready to start investing, 
we offer lots of different ways to help you get  

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started, allowing you to be as hands-on or 
hands-off as you like. But whichever option  

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you choose, you can be confident knowing you’re 
with an experienced provider. So,  

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however involved you want to be, there’s a way to 
start making your money work harder with Barclays.