Choosing the company you invest your money with should not be an add-on to the whole process. After all, they could be looking after your money for the next 20 years. You wouldn’t lend money for 20 years to someone you’d only just met – so don’t take that approach with your investments either:

• Firstly narrow down the choices by choosing the products you’re interested in and finding companies that offer them.
• If you’re going it alone, look up information on the Internet and in newspapers. Check the company’s track record; how long has it been around, how it is rated by others in the industry?
• If an adviser is recommending the company and provider to you, ask them why they are recommending that particular company.

Once you’ve decided which company to go with there are a number of ways to buy. Either direct; over the phone, on the internet, or in store (with a bank or building society) or through a financial adviser.