Got savings? Get investing.
Help your money grow over five years or more by investing
Our Ready-made Investments are a low cost and easy way to invest from £50. Simply choose your level of reward and risk and leave the rest to us. Capital at risk.
Got Savings?
Before you get investing it’s worth having enough savings to cover three to six months of living expenses. Explore our Savings accounts.
Get investing
Once you’ve got savings then investing is a great way to help grow your money. This is because it tends to perform better than savings and could help protect your money from inflation over the long-term. Get investing?
Why choose a Ready-made investment
Our Ready-made Investment funds have different reward and risk levels which allow you to choose what’s right for you. You can invest from £50 and withdraw your cash at any time. It’s an ideal choice if you want your money to grow but you’re new to investing or short on time.
Simply choose one or more of our five funds, which range from low to higher risk and potential reward and let us handle the rest. Our experts will then manage the funds to maximise returns.
Start from £50
Make a one-off contribution or set-up a monthly Direct Debit from £50, you can also invest more if you want.
Decide your risk
Our five funds have a different reward and risk level which allows you to choose what’s right for you.
Managed for you
Once you’ve selected a fund, they are managed for you by our investment experts.
Low-cost
We keep our fees low to help your money grow.
Investments can fall as well as rise so you might not get back what you invest. If you’re unsure which investments are right for you, please seek independent advice. Tax rules can change and any benefits depend on your circumstances.
Ready to start investing?
If you’re a Barclays customer with the app
The app is the easiest way to get investing with Ready-made Investments. You can find out more information and apply from your mobile
If you’re new to Barclays or don’t have the Barclays app
To start investing, you need to open an account. Choose from an Investment ISA (also known as a Stocks and Shares ISA), an Investment Account (also known as a general investment account) or a Self-invested Personal Pension (SIPP).
Investment (Stocks and Shares) ISA
An Investment ISA is the most popular account. It’s tax-efficient so you won’t pay UK income or capital gains tax on any returns you make. You can invest up to £20,000 per tax year and withdraw your money at any time.
Investment Account
An Investment Account is ideal if you’ve already used your ISA allowance. It has no upper limit. You’ll earn interest on any cash held in this account and can withdraw your money at any time.
Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP)
A SIPP helps you prepare for retirement. You can access your pot from 55 (going up to 57 from 2028) and you may be eligible for tax relief on the money you pay in.
Choose your Ready-made Investment
Defensive: Lower risk
Fund name: Barclays Global Markets Defensive Fund
The fund name is what to look for if you invest on Smart Investor.
- Contains: 66% cash, 16% bonds and 18% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of new opportunities.
- About this fund: Aiming for modest growth in the medium to long term, while seeking to protect your capital. This fund invests worldwide mostly in cash and bonds, with some exposure to shares, mainly in developed markets.
- This fund is available in income and accumulation units. Income units distribute any interest or dividend income from the fund directly to you. An accumulation unit offers growth in the fund, so any income is reinvested, raising the investment’s value. The income is paid quarterly, the dates for qualifying for the income and when the income is paid along with the current yield are on the factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
5 year performance (%)
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
For more information on the fund please read the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) [PDF, 211KB] and the fund factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
Cautious: Medium-low risk
Fund name: Barclays Global Markets Cautious Fund
The fund name is what to look for if you invest on Smart Investor.
- Contains: 33% cash and short-term bonds, 29% bonds and 38% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of new opportunities.
- About this fund: This fund is focused on growth and income over the longer term. The fund can hold 20-60% in shares making it riskier than Defensive, but still at the lower end of the risk spectrum. The majority of the fund is currently held in bonds and cash.
- This fund is available in income and accumulation units. Income units distribute any interest or dividend income from the fund directly to you. An accumulation unit offers growth in the fund, so any income is reinvested, raising the investment’s value. The income is paid quarterly, the dates for qualifying for the income and when the income is paid along with the current yield are on the factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
5 year performance (%)
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
For more information on the fund please read the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) [PDF, 211KB] and the fund factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
Balanced: Medium risk
Fund name: Barclays Global Markets Balanced Fund
The fund name is what to look for if you invest on Smart Investor.
- Contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 42% bonds and 56% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of new opportunities.
- About this fund: Balancing the risk and growth potential of shares with the stability of bonds and cash. This fund is right in the middle of the risk spectrum and includes exposure to both emerging markets and developing market’s shares.
- This fund is available in income and accumulation units. Income units distribute any interest or dividend income from the fund directly to you. An accumulation unit offers growth in the fund, so any income is reinvested, raising the investment’s value. The income is paid quarterly, the dates for qualifying for the income and when the income is paid along with the current yield are on the factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
5 year performance (%)
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
For more information on the fund please read the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) [PDF, 211KB] and the fund factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
Growth: Medium-high risk
Fund name: Barclays Global Markets Growth Fund
The fund name is what to look for if you invest on Smart Investor.
- Contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 25% bonds and 73% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of new opportunities.
- About this fund: A higher risk fund, designed for those who’ll take chances if the potential pay-outs are worth it. This fund holds some bonds, but the majority of the portfolio is shares, including some from emerging economies.
- This fund is available in accumulation units which reinvest rather than pay out any income.
5 year performance (%)
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
For more information on the fund please read the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) [PDF, 211KB] and the fund factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
Adventurous: High risk
Fund name: Barclays Global Markets Adventurous Fund
The fund name is what to look for if you invest on Smart Investor.
- Contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 9% bonds and 89% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of new opportunities.
- About this fund: Our highest risk fund offering the largest potential for higher returns on your money. The fund can invest in any country (including emerging markets), region, currency, and sector. A small amount of the portfolio is in cash and bonds, but the majority is shares in emerging and developed economies.
- This fund is available in accumulation units which reinvest rather than pay out any income.
5 year performance (%)
Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.
For more information on the fund please read the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) [PDF, 211KB] and the fund factsheet. [PDF, 304KB]
Thousands of customers are signing up to invest through Smart Investor
“I’m now investing monthly to build up my investments going forward”
Alison, 56, Lancashire.
We were voted Best for Customer Service 2025 and Consumer Rated Value for Money 2025 from Boring Money, and Best Stockbroker 2023 and Best SIPP Provider 2024 at The Online Money awards(1)
A simple, low-cost fee structure
Customer fee
0.25% p.a.
up to £200,000
and 0.05% on investments over £200,000
Ongoing fund charge
0.45% per year
Free to invest in funds online
Buying and selling shares online* – £6 per trade.**
|
Activity |
Cost |
|---|---|
|
Buying and selling funds online |
No charge** |
|
Regular investments (including shares) |
No charge |
|
Dividend reinvestment |
No charge |
|
Holding cash |
No charge |
|
Transferring investments |
No charge |
|
Cash withdrawal and account closure |
No charge |
*Including ETFs, investment trusts, bonds and gilts
**£25 per trade by telephone. Taxes may apply when buying shares. A foreign exchange and an international brokerage fee will be charged when trading international shares.
Learn more about our fees and Interest rates on cash.
You can also use our simple cost calculator to understand the charges that would apply.
Get started in 3 steps
1. Choose your account
Whether you’re looking to invest in a tax-free ISA, build a retirement pot or just want a general investment account, we have a solution for you.
2. Decide how much to invest
Choose how much you want to invest and how often. You can start from £50 by setting-up a monthly regular investment instruction or through a one-off lump sum investment which you can top-up further at any time.
3. Pick your fund
Our five funds have a different risk and reward level which allows you to choose what’s right for you.
Ready-made Investment FAQs
No, Ready-made Investments can be suitable for anyone lacking the time or expertise to pick individual stocks or those who are looking for instant diversification.
Within these diversified funds investments are spread across a range of assets, countries and companies which helps smooth returns and hopefully provides a better opportunity for growth.
Some may view Ready-made Investments as a great first investment as you can buy a completely diversified portfolio managed by an expert, in just a few steps.
Your Ready-made Investments can be bought and sold just like other funds. Simply log in to your account and click ‘sell’ next to the fund you no longer wish to hold. Funds deal daily and your holding will be sold at the next available dealing point.
The proceeds from your sale will be available to reinvest on your Smart Investor account as soon as the details of your sale are confirmed, or after four working days the money will be available for you to withdraw to your current account.
There are two types of fund units. Income units distribute any interest or dividend income from the fund directly to you. An accumulation unit is designed to offer you growth in the fund, so any income will be kept in the fund and reinvested, raising the value of your investment.
The funds lower down the risk scale (Defensive, Cautious and Balanced) offer both income and accumulation units. If you purchase income units and would like income to be paid directly to your bank account, you can arrange this through your Smart Investor account by logging in to your account and changing your preferences within your investment settings.
The higher risk portfolios (Growth and Adventurous) are focused on generating capital growth and are only available as accumulation units.
All the Ready-made investments put your money in a mixture of shares, bonds, and cash, which gives you instant diversification to help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs between the funds.
To decide which of the five options is most suitable for you, you will need to consider your attitude to risk. Are you more comfortable taking a lower risk approach? Or are you happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns?
The timescale for your financial goals is also important. Most investors are happy to take on more risk when they are investing for longer time frames, usually five years or longer.
There is no need to choose just one of the Ready-made investments. You can divide your portfolio between as many as you wish and add other funds, shares, and bonds to create a portfolio that’s just right for you and your goals.
Yes, you can buy as many as you wish.
You may have different goals for each of your accounts and therefore different attitudes to risk for each. For example, you may be willing to accept more risk with your self-invested personal pension (SIPP) if retirement is many decades away than within your ISA which could be used for shorter term goals such as a house purchase in five years’ time.
These different goals may mean different Ready-made Investments are more suited to different accounts.
Alternatively, you may find more than one of the Ready-made Investments is a good fit for your plans and so a combination would provide the best portfolio for you.
Important information
We are one of multiple platforms to win Boring Money's value for money award which was based on a survey of investment platform customers from December 2023 to December 2024. Please note this does not guarantee profits or necessarily mean we are the cheapest platform available.(Return to reference)
Lines are open from 7:30am to 7:00pm Monday to Thursday, 7:30am to 6:00pm on Friday, and closed during weekends and public holidays. To maintain a quality service, we may monitor or record phone calls. (Return to reference)