Some schemes, particularly those suitable for children, have investment limits as low as £25, but generally the minimum is £50.

Regular saving can help you to ride out the ups and downs of share prices. By investing every month, you should hit both the market highs and lows, rather than risking all of your money when the market might be high.

You also benefit from the effects of pound-cost-averaging. By investing the same amount each month, you will buy more share or units in a fund when prices are low, and less when prices are high. In this way, the average price you pay for your shares or units will be less than the average price over that period.