UK colleagues: brokerage advice
 

Hi there:

My daughter is just entering the investment world. Can anyone recommend a UK-based firm where she could buy a few ETFs from time to time with minimal trading and custodial costs? Barclays looks ok on the surface.

Try iweb-sharedealing.co.uk

It's an offshoot from the halifax bank platform. £5 a trade, no custodial fees. ISA option for UK residents.

I use Barclays Smart Investor and also Interactive Investor (www.ii.co.uk). Barclays are inexpensive but have at times been shambolic although they appear to have got their act together recently. Interactive are a bit more expensive but you get the quarterly fee back in trading credits. They have tended to be more reliable than Barclays.