Is buying us index funds good for beginners?

Yes, buying US index funds (S&P500, Nasdaq-100) are one of the most recommended strategies suggested for beginners, which is also known as index or passive investing. US index funds (specifically the S&P500) are known to have done well in the past, returning more than 9.8% p.a. over the last 90 years! An alternative (or addition) to this strategy would be the addition of a global index fund to your portfolio (such as VXUS).

However, if you are able to, many would recommend the Irish-domiciled (on the LSE) variants due to tax savings on withholding tax on dividends. One good example would be CSPX for the S&P500 and VWRD for global index.

With that said, brokerwise, most low cost brokers don't have access to the LSE which is why many end up buying US domiciled ones and just accepting the small downside on withholding tax on dividends. My recommendation would be Tiger Brokers as a good starting broker. Low comms, no platform fee, decent FX and super fast approval.

You can use my Tiger link if you're interested in setting up an account with them: https://www.tigersecurities.com/accounts?invite...

Alternatively, check out this post I wrote here to find out more about other brokers available!​​​