How to buy Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) shares

By   |   Verified by Andrew Boyd   |   Updated 16 Oct 2023

Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (LSE: SMT) is a publicly traded investment trust. It is headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, but invests in diverse markets across the globe.

The focus of the trust is on long-term investment in a diverse portfolio of companies that offer stronger-than-average returns. Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is a constituent of the FTSE 100.

Read on for more information on how you can buy shares in Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust.

Unsure about what share dealer to use?

Where to buy Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust shares

eToro

On website

eToro is a multi-asset investment platform. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk

eToro

Highlights

  • Trade and invest in top financial instruments, including a wide selection of stocks.
  • eToro is regulated by CySec, FCA and ASIC
  • Your funds are protected by industry-leading security protocols.
Hargreaves Lansdown

On website

Hargreaves Lansdown

Highlights

  • Offers easy-to-use trading platforms.
  • Invest across 20 international exchanges in shares, funds, bonds and investment trusts.
  • Dealing charges depend on how many trades you make each month.
Lightyear

On website

When you invest, your capital is at risk.

Lightyear

Highlights

  • Invest in over 3,000 international ETFs and stocks in the EU, UK, US, and more.
  • Simple and easy-to-understand pricing. Per order, Lightyear will charge 0.1% (up to $1 max) on US shares, £1 on UK shares, and €1 on EU shares.
  • Earn interest* on uninvested cash, USD (4.50%), EUR (3.25%), GBP (4.5%), and HUF (8.25%)  p.a. gross.
  • No account-keeping fees.


*The interest rates are true as of 12.06.2023
* Finty will be paid a referral fee, including financial promotion if you open an account and deposit funds through some of the links on this page.


Pros

  • No withdrawal fees.
  • US Fractional Shares are available.
  • A low 0.35% foreign exchange fee.

Cons

  • Limited investment products.
Saxo Markets

On website

Saxo Markets

Highlights

  • It only takes five minutes to open your account online.
  • Get ultra-competitive spreads and commissions across all asset classes.
  • Get news, commentary and actionable trade ideas from their team of expert analysts.
Pepperstone

On website

80.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs

Pepperstone

Highlights

  • Trade gold, silver, oil, and more.
  • Enjoy industry-leading low spreads from 0.0 pips.
  • Regulated by ASIC, BaFin, CMA, CySEC, DFSA, FCA, and SCB.
Freetrade

On website

Freetrade

Highlights

  • With fractional shares, you can start investing from only £2.
  • Choose from thousands of stocks from the London Stock Exchange, NYSE and NASDAQ.
  • Access to a wide range of ETFs and Investment trusts.

Compare investing platforms on Finty. Make a more informed decision about where to trade.

First time buying?

How to buy Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust shares

Step 1: Get a share broker

Shares of Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust are listed on the London Stock Exchange. The procedure for buying their shares is the same as for any other company.

When comparing options, check what commission and foreign exchange fee the broker charges as well as features like market access, tradable instruments, and whether the broker has fractional share investment, etc.

Some brokers have demo accounts you can use with no obligation. These are a good way to test out a platform before taking the next step and transferring money to invest with.

Step 2: Fund your account

You must have cleared funds in your account before you can invest.

You can add funds to your account using a bank transfer or debit card. Some brokers accept deposits via credit cards, although this is less common than those that accept debit cards. Check that there isn’t a processing fee if you want to deposit funds from your credit card.

If you want to make a time-sensitive investment, don’t forget that it may take a while for funds to be deposited into your account.

Step 3: Decide on your investment budget

It can be risky to invest in something you don't know much about. Avoid investing more than you can afford, especially if it is likely you will experience financial difficulty should your investment go south.

It is possible to reduce price volatility through periodic investments, which have the added benefit of pound cost averaging over time.

Step 4: Set up your order

If you know the price you want to buy or sell your shares at, you can configure an order so that it executes at a specific price. You can also set up a recurring order to buy more shares automatically, for example, monthly.

Otherwise, a market order is the easiest way to buy shares online, requiring very little configuration.

Step 5: Buy shares

With your account funded and order configured, place your order to buy shares.

After you buy

What moves Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust's share price

Keep abreast of what is happening in the market. Apart from tracking the share price, read announcements that Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust make and study their company results.

Keep an eye out for press stories about Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, their competitors, and the investment trust industry. Press articles can have a significant impact on the price of your shares. Bear in mind that despite the name, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is not a mortgage lender.

On the whole, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust is a highly diversified investment across industries, geographies, and instruments.

For the sake of comparison, monitor what other investment firms are doing. Examples include Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.B), Alliance Trust (LON: ATSE), Caledonia Investments (LON: CLDN), and Personal Assets Trust (LON: PNL).

Disclaimer: We put our customer’s needs first. The views expressed in this article are those of the writer’s alone and do not constitute financial advice. Advertisers cannot influence editorial content. However, Finty and/or the writer may have a financial interest in the companies mentioned. Finty is committed to providing factual, honest, and accurate information that is compliant with governing laws and regulations. Do your own due diligence and seek professional advice before deciding to invest in one of the products mentioned. For more information, see Finty’s editorial guidelines and terms and conditions.