Shares in fashion and jewellery

What is it? With some help from a broker you can put together your own portfolio of shares in individual fashion and gem companies. Options already include Burberry, Gucci and Tiffany & Co. Prada will also start selling shares in May. Investing will give you a slice of the company’s profits. Get a broker at unbiased.co.uk, who will charge around £20 for each group of shares you buy or sell.

How much could you make? There isn’t an average return for fashion and gem shares, but if you’d invested £1,000 in Mulberry a year ago you would have made around £270. Tiffany & Co grew by 38% last year, which would have given you approximately £380.

What’s the risk? High – individual companies can go bust or suffer other unexpected bad news, which can wipe millions off the share price. You either need to monitor your portfolio regularly or delegate your broker to trade on your behalf (known as a discretionary broking service).

What to invest in: £350 or more per month