Before You Invest Checklist

Who this is for

Check the ground before you put money into an investment. The list runs from your own finances to the money itself and then the product, with questions for the provider and a date to decide on, so the choice is made calmly and with the facts written down.

Anyone thinking of putting savings into shares, funds, a pension top-up or an investment product for the first time, or being offered one by a bank, an adviser or someone they have only just met.

What this helps you track

• Whether your budget, debts and emergency fund are where you want them
• How much you are investing, what for, and when you might need it back
• What the product is in your own words, and every fee it carries
• Whether the provider is on the regulator's register
• The answers to your questions, and a date to decide no sooner than

How to use it

1. Write what you are considering and the provider, then the amount, the earliest date you might need the money and your own emergency fund target.
2. Work through your finances first; an unticked line there is worth sorting before you look at any product.
3. For the product, write a one-line description in your own words in the notes. If you cannot, ask more questions before going any further.
4. Look the provider up on your financial regulator's own website, not through a link you were sent.
5. Ask the questions in the last section, note the answers beside them and set a decision date so nobody can hurry you.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Is this financial advice?

No. It is a set of checks drawn from consumer guidance, with space for your own figures. Whether an investment suits you depends on your circumstances, and a regulated adviser can help with that decision.

Why set a decision date?

Pressure to decide quickly is a common sign of a scam and a poor reason to commit money in any case. A date you will decide on, and no sooner, gives you time to read the documents and ask questions.

What emergency fund target should I write?

Your own. People set a figure from their spending, their job and their household, and the sheet suggests none. The line is there so you can see whether that cushion is in place before money is tied up.

How do I check a provider is genuine?

Search the register kept by the financial regulator where you live, on the regulator's own website, and check the name, address and phone number match the firm you are dealing with. Clone firms copy real firms' details.