helpful a lot of it quite frankly goes over my head. I have today decided to buy 2k of tesco and 2k of BP. Other shares I am interested in are Vod, GKN. Unilever and maybe Aviva. The problem I have is that my Isa allowance only amounts to 11200 so have to be careful which I chose. Is 2k the right amount to spend on each share? Any opinions or views would be gratefully looked at and of course, I will do my own research. Thank you. With markets having almost doubled off the 2008/9 lows, and the uptrend having run for over three years (bull markets average 3-4 years), I think there's a significant chance that summer 2012 will be the high-water-mark for stockmarket prices for the next few years. Be careful out there.....there's a significant chance that a bear market may be heading our way for 2013-14 and the situation needs careful monitoring. The topping process may already be underway, having possibly completed the first top of a multi-top pattern. Hi Fifi I too am with Hargreaves Lansdown - like you I started out with unit trusts - however having learnt more about costs I have switched to Investment Trusts such as Temple Bar TMPL and City of London CTY for UK diversified funds and Scottish Mortagage SMT and Murray International MYI for overseas. The savings on cost are significant and performance equal or better. It's true HL charge 0.5% to hold Investment Trusts, ETFs, or Shares