Your turn now.
Someone opened an account for you when you were small and put money into it every month. It has been growing ever since. Now it is yours.
Should you take the money out?
You can. It is yours, and nobody can tell you what to do with it.
But before you decide, look at one number. Pick a moment in your life and see what the account could be worth if you leave it until then. Then try adding even a small monthly amount and see what changes.
Optional. Even a small amount makes a bigger difference than you might expect.
How is that possible?
The account earns a return each year. Then it earns a return on the return. That is compound interest. Slowly at first, then faster and faster. By the time you are in your 50s, the account is growing by more each year than the person who set it up ever put in.
The money has already had 18 years to build up momentum. That is the hard part. You did not have to do anything to get here.
What if you need some of it?
Use it for something worth it. The account is a Stocks and Shares ISA. Once you take money out, you cannot put it back in under the same tax-free wrapper -- so what leaves the account loses the compounding advantage permanently.
That is not a reason to never touch it. Worth knowing before you do.
Where to go from here
You can add to this account directly -- up to £20,000 a year, tax-free. You do not need to open anything new. The account that was started for you is already set up and running.
Put in what you can, when you can. The person who opened this for you started with whatever they could afford at the time. That is all it takes.
The best time to start was when you were born. Someone did that for you. The second best time is now.