Investments & ISAs
Invest with a purpose, not simply because money is available to invest.
Your investments should reflect what the money is for, when you may need it, the level of investment risk you are comfortable taking and your financial capacity to withstand losses.
You may get back less than you invest. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and tax rules can change.
What are you investing for?
Different goals can require different approaches.
Building long-term wealth
Investing surplus capital for future objectives while balancing growth potential, risk and access to the money.
Using tax-efficient allowances
Considering wrappers such as Stocks & Shares ISAs where they are appropriate to your circumstances and objectives.
Reviewing existing investments
Understanding whether current holdings, costs, risk and diversification remain aligned with what you are trying to achieve.
Stocks & Shares ISAs
A tax-efficient home for investments.
Investments held within an ISA can grow without UK Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax on the income and gains generated inside the ISA. The wrapper does not remove investment risk.
The £20,000 allowance can currently be split across eligible ISA types, subject to the specific rules for each account.
Our investment approach
Start with suitability. Then build the portfolio.
Current FCA suitability rules require investment advice to take account of relevant information about your objectives, risk tolerance, financial situation and ability to bear losses. Those principles sit at the centre of our process.
Portfolio principles
A portfolio should make sense as a whole.
Diversification
Spreading exposure across suitable investments can reduce reliance on the fortunes of a single company, market or asset type, although it cannot remove investment risk.
Risk & return
Greater potential returns generally involve accepting greater uncertainty and the possibility of larger losses.
Costs
Charges reduce investment returns, so product, fund and advice costs need to be understood alongside expected benefits.
Review
Your circumstances, objectives and portfolio can change. Where ongoing reviews form part of your service, we assess whether the arrangements remain suitable.
Our process
Advice built around your financial plan.
Understand
Establish your objectives, finances, existing investments, experience, timescale and access needs.
Assess risk
Consider your attitude to risk alongside your financial capacity to withstand losses.
Research
Assess appropriate investment solutions, wrappers, diversification, costs and relevant tax considerations.
Recommend & review
Explain the recommendation clearly and, where an ongoing service applies, keep the plan under review.
ISA change from 6 April 2027: the annual Cash ISA subscription limit for investors under age 65 will be £12,000 within the overall £20,000 annual ISA limit. Investors aged 65 or over will retain a £20,000 Cash ISA limit. This change takes effect from 6 April 2027 and does not alter the current 2026/27 £20,000 overall ISA allowance.
Frequently asked questions
Investment questions, explained clearly.
What is a Stocks & Shares ISA?
It is an ISA wrapper that can hold eligible investments. Income and capital gains generated within the ISA are free from UK Income Tax and Capital Gains Tax, subject to the ISA rules.
How much can I invest in ISAs this tax year?
The overall ISA subscription limit is £20,000 for the 2026/27 tax year. How you use that allowance depends on the ISA types and rules that apply to you.
Is an ISA risk free?
No. A Cash ISA and a Stocks & Shares ISA are very different. Investments inside a Stocks & Shares ISA can rise and fall in value, and you may get back less than you invested.
How much investment risk should I take?
There is no universal answer. Suitable investment risk depends on factors including your objectives, investment term, attitude to risk and financial ability to withstand losses.
Should I move my existing investments?
Not automatically. Where advice involves switching investments, the benefits and costs of the proposed change need to be considered. Existing arrangements may contain features or advantages worth retaining.
Do investments need reviewing?
They can. Your circumstances and objectives can change and portfolios can move away from their intended allocation. Where periodic reviews form part of your agreed service, suitability is reassessed accordingly.
The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the amount originally invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change in the future.
Invest with a plan
Make the investment decision fit the objective.
We can review what you already hold, what you want the money to achieve and the level of investment risk appropriate to your circumstances.