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Ready-made Investments

A straight-forward way to invest

What are Ready-made Investments?

If you’re ready to invest but are short on time or need some inspiration, you might want to consider one of our five ready-made investment funds. You don’t need to be an expert – our team of professionals create and monitor our funds. Check if you’re ready to invest.

1. Select fund

Read about our five funds, their characteristics and choose the one that matches the level of risk you’re comfortable with

2. Open account

Follow a few simple steps to open and fund your account, then you’ll be ready to buy your Ready-made Investment

3. Sit back and relax

Let our experts take care of the rest – they’ll ensure the fund continues to perform in line with its characteristics

Remember, the value of investments can fall as well as rise and you might not get back what you invest. On this page you’ll find information about our Ready-made Investments to help you decide if they’re right for you and tips on how to get started. Investing is not for everyone. If you’re unsure about investing, seek independent financial advice.

Finding your investment match – the Ready-made funds at a glance

We like to keep investing simple. We created the following five funds to do exactly that. Each behaves in a different way, so choose one that matches your individual needs and attitude to risk.

When you invest, you’re looking to boost the return on your money. It’s important to understand that alongside the chance of a bigger reward, comes the potential for bigger losses and a bumpier ride along the way – that’s “risk”. So bear this in mind when choosing your fund. In general, cash is the least risky and shares are the riskiest, with bonds sitting in between.

Choose your risk appetite
  • Defensive

    Defensive - Barclays Global Markets 1

    • Risk level: Our lowest risk fund, but there’s no such thing as risk free
    • It contains: 66% cash and short-term bonds, 16% bonds and 18% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of short-term opportunities.
    Image of portfolio chart - please see the accessible table version further down the page.
    Discrete 5 year performance (%)

    Year from 31 January

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Global Markets 1

    4.30%

    4.37%

    1.37%

    -6.68%

    4.34%

    Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.

    Looking for the nuts and bolts? We’ve put together these documents that you should read before you invest.

    KIID [PDF, 211KB], Factsheet [PDF, 303KB], you can also read the Value Assessment here [PDF, 3.1MB]

    They’ll tell you about the fund, explain how our experts have created it and its associated risks.

    You can sell your fund and access your cash at any time, but remember your investment should be for the long term (at least five years) as you could get back less than you invested if you sell at any time. This is particularly likely if you sell after only a short term of investment.

    Why choose Ready-made Investments?

    Watch our short video with Barclays’ Clare Francis to learn more about the ready-made fund choices.

    At Barclays, we understand that when it comes to investing, often the hardest part is knowing where to start. That’s why we offer five Ready-made Investment funds to help you take that first step. They offer a convenient one-stop solution which can be ideal if you’re not sure about making your own investment decisions, or are short on time.

    These funds take the work out of investing because they’re looked after by Barclays’ investment experts who do all of the hard stuff so you don't have to. They’ll make changes to where your money’s invested depending on what’s going on in the stock markets, and keep you regularly updated with how your investment's performing. It’s worth mentioning though, that you can check how your investment's doing at any time either online or via the Barclays app.

    There’s always risk involved with investing because obviously stock markets can fall as well as rise, so there’s a chance you could lose money. However, there are ways to reduce that risk and this is how the funds differ. They all invest in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash, which gives you instant diversification which is really important when it comes to investing because it can help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs.

    So to get started all you need to do is choose which fund to go for. Whether you’re more comfortable taking a lower risk approach or are happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns, hopefully there'll be a fund to match your needs.

    I hope you found that helpful – but there is a lot more information about Ready-made Investments on our website.

    How have our Ready-made Investment funds been performing?

    Here’s our latest update on how our five Ready-made Investment funds have been performing over the past three months, including what's been happening across stock markets and recent changes we've made.

    How much will your Ready-made Investment cost?

    There’s no charge to buy or sell these funds.

    The funds all have an ongoing charge of 0.45% per year. This is taken from within the fund and reflected in the price you see when you look at your investments.

    There is no additional charge if the fund outperforms it’s targets.

    If you hold these funds within the Investment ISA or Investment Account the annual customer fee for the accounts will apply. The annual customer fee on those accounts is 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.
     

    Wake up your money

    You could win £20,000 and give your investments a boost

    Set up a new monthly Direct Debit, from as little as £50, to your Investment ISA or Investment Account by 5 April and you could win £20,000.

    Terms and conditions apply. Capital at risk

    Ready to buy?

    Open a new Smart Investor account

    You can choose from two types of account. Once your account is open, you can buy your chosen Ready-made Investment.

    Investment ISA

    The most popular account people chose when they start to invest.

    You can pay in up to £20,000 per tax year

    Any returns you make are tax-free.

    Tax rules can change in future and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

    Investment Account

    A flexible account which you might want to consider if you’ve already used your ISA allowance for the current tax year OR you’re already paying into an ISA with another provider.

    No limits on the amount you can invest.

    The return you make on your investments will be taxable but there are allowances that may mean you don’t pay tax, or it is reduced.

    Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents aged 18 or over. The service is not available to US persons, even if they are resident in the UK.

    Already have a Smart Investor account?

    You can buy this Ready-made Investment using an existing account.

  • Cautious

    Cautious - Barclays Global Markets 2

    • Risk level: Slightly higher than Defensive, but still at the lower end of the spectrum
    • It contains: 33% cash and short-term bonds, 29% bonds1 and 38% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of short-term opportunities.
    Image of portfolio chart - please see the accessible table version further down the page.
    Discrete 5 year performance (%)

    Year from 31 January

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Global Markets 2

    7.86%

    6.33%

    3.17%

    -5.71%

    5.12%

    Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.

    Looking for the nuts and bolts? We’ve put together these documents that you should read before you invest.

    KIID [PDF, 211KB], Factsheet [PDF, 303KB], you can also read the Value Assessment here [PDF, 3.1MB]

    They’ll tell you about the fund, explain how our experts have created it and its associated risks.

    You can sell your fund and access your cash at any time, but remember your investment should be for the long term (at least five years) as you could get back less than you invested if you sell at any time. This is particularly likely if you sell after only a short term of investment.

    Why choose Ready-made Investments?

    Watch our short video with Barclays’ Clare Francis to learn more about the ready-made fund choices.

    At Barclays, we understand that when it comes to investing, often the hardest part is knowing where to start. That’s why we offer five Ready-made Investment funds to help you take that first step. They offer a convenient one-stop solution which can be ideal if you’re not sure about making your own investment decisions, or are short on time.

    These funds take the work out of investing because they’re looked after by Barclays’ investment experts who do all of the hard stuff so you don't have to. They’ll make changes to where your money’s invested depending on what’s going on in the stock markets, and keep you regularly updated with how your investment's performing. It’s worth mentioning though, that you can check how your investment's doing at any time either online or via the Barclays app.

    There’s always risk involved with investing because obviously stock markets can fall as well as rise, so there’s a chance you could lose money. However, there are ways to reduce that risk and this is how the funds differ. They all invest in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash, which gives you instant diversification which is really important when it comes to investing because it can help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs.

    So to get started all you need to do is choose which fund to go for. Whether you’re more comfortable taking a lower risk approach or are happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns, hopefully there'll be a fund to match your needs.

    I hope you found that helpful – but there is a lot more information about Ready-made Investments on our website.

    How have our Ready-made Investment funds been performing?

    Here’s our latest update on how our five Ready-made Investment funds have been performing over the past three months, including what's been happening across stock markets and recent changes we've made.

    How much will your Ready-made Investment cost?

    There’s no charge to buy or sell these funds.

    The funds all have an ongoing charge of 0.45% per year. This is taken from within the fund and reflected in the price you see when you look at your investments.

    There is no additional charge if the fund outperforms it’s targets.

    If you hold these funds within the Investment ISA or Investment Account the annual customer fee for the accounts will apply. The annual customer fee on those accounts is 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.

    Wake up your money

    You could win £20,000 and give your investments a boost

    Set up a new monthly Direct Debit, from as little as £50, to your Investment ISA or Investment Account by 5 April and you could win £20,000.

    Terms and conditions apply. Capital at risk

    Ready to buy?

    Open a new Smart Investor account

    You can choose from two types of account. Once your account is open, you can buy your chosen Ready-made Investment.

    Investment ISA

    The most popular account people chose when they start to invest.

    You can pay in up to £20,000 per tax year

    Any returns you make are tax-free.

    Tax rules can change in future and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

    Investment Account

    A flexible account which you might want to consider if you’ve already used your ISA allowance for the current tax year OR you’re already paying into an ISA with another provider.

    No limits on the amount you can invest.

    The return you make on your investments will be taxable but there are allowances that may mean you don’t pay tax, or it is reduced.

    Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents aged 18 or over. The service is not available to US persons, even if they are resident in the UK.

    Already have a Smart Investor account?

    You can buy this Ready-made Investment using an existing account.

  • Balanced

    Balanced - Barclays Global Markets 3

    • Risk level: Medium. Some uncertainty, but within your comfort zone.
    • It contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 42% bonds1 and 56% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of short-term opportunities.
    Image of portfolio chart - please see the accessible table version further down the page.
    Discrete 5 year performance (%)

    Year from 31 January

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Global Markets 3

    10.35%

    7.80%

    6.50%

    -3.71%

    6.72%

    Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.

    Looking for the nuts and bolts? We’ve put together these documents that you should read before you invest

    KIID [PDF, 211KB], Factsheet [PDF, 303KB], you can also read the Value Assessment here [PDF, 3.1MB]

    They’ll tell you about the fund, explain how our experts have created it and its associated risks.

    You can sell your fund and access your cash at any time, but remember your investment should be for the long term (at least five years) as you could get back less than you invested if you sell at any time. This is particularly likely if you sell after only a short term of investment.

    Why choose Ready-made Investments?

    Watch our short video with Barclays’ Clare Francis to learn more about the ready-made fund choices.

    At Barclays, we understand that when it comes to investing, often the hardest part is knowing where to start. That’s why we offer five Ready-made Investment funds to help you take that first step. They offer a convenient one-stop solution which can be ideal if you’re not sure about making your own investment decisions, or are short on time.

    These funds take the work out of investing because they’re looked after by Barclays’ investment experts who do all of the hard stuff so you don't have to. They’ll make changes to where your money’s invested depending on what’s going on in the stock markets, and keep you regularly updated with how your investment's performing. It’s worth mentioning though, that you can check how your investment's doing at any time either online or via the Barclays app.

    There’s always risk involved with investing because obviously stock markets can fall as well as rise, so there’s a chance you could lose money. However, there are ways to reduce that risk and this is how the funds differ. They all invest in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash, which gives you instant diversification which is really important when it comes to investing because it can help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs.

    So to get started all you need to do is choose which fund to go for. Whether you’re more comfortable taking a lower risk approach or are happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns, hopefully there'll be a fund to match your needs.

    I hope you found that helpful – but there is a lot more information about Ready-made Investments on our website.

    How have our Ready-made Investment funds been performing?

    Here’s our latest update on how our five Ready-made Investment funds have been performing over the past three months, including what's been happening across stock markets and recent changes we've made.

    How much will your Ready-made Investment cost?

    There’s no charge to buy or sell these funds.

    The funds all have an ongoing charge of 0.45% per year. This is taken from within the fund and reflected in the price you see when you look at your investments.

    There is no additional charge if the fund outperforms it’s targets.

    If you hold these funds within the Investment ISA or Investment Account the annual customer fee for the accounts will apply. The annual customer fee on those accounts is 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.

    Wake up your money

    You could win £20,000 and give your investments a boost

    Set up a new monthly Direct Debit, from as little as £50, to your Investment ISA or Investment Account by 5 April and you could win £20,000.

    Terms and conditions apply. Capital at risk

    Ready to buy?

    Open a new Smart Investor account

    You can choose from two types of account. Once your account is open, you can buy your chosen Ready-made Investment.

    Investment ISA

    The most popular account people chose when they start to invest.

    You can pay in up to £20,000 per tax year

    Any returns you make are tax-free.

    Tax rules can change in future and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

    Investment Account

    A flexible account which you might want to consider if you’ve already used your ISA allowance for the current tax year OR you’re already paying into an ISA with another provider.

    No limits on the amount you can invest.

    The return you make on your investments will be taxable but there are allowances that may mean you don’t pay tax, or it is reduced.

    Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents aged 18 or over. The service is not available to US persons, even if they are resident in the UK.

    Already have a Smart Investor account?

    You can buy this Ready-made Investment using an existing account.

  • Growth

    Growth - Barclays Global Markets 4

    • Risk level: Higher risk, designed for those who’ll take chances if the potential pay-outs are worth it
    • It contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 25% bonds1 and 73% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of short-term opportunities.
    Image of portfolio chart - please see the accessible table version further down the page
    Discrete 5 year performance (%)

    Year from 31 January

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Global Markets 4

    11.99%

    8.71%

    9.96%

    -1.77%

    7.32%

    Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.

    Looking for the nuts and bolts? We’ve put together these documents that you should read before you invest.

    KIID [PDF, 211KB], Factsheet [PDF, 303KB], you can also read the Value Assessment here [PDF, 3.1MB]

    They’ll tell you about the fund, explain how our experts have created it and its associated risks.

    You can sell your fund and access your cash at any time, but remember your investment should be for the long term (at least five years) as you could get back less than you invested if you sell at any time. This is particularly likely if you sell after only a short term of investment.

    Why choose Ready-made Investments?

    Watch our short video with Barclays’ Clare Francis to learn more about the ready-made fund choices.

    At Barclays, we understand that when it comes to investing, often the hardest part is knowing where to start. That’s why we offer five Ready-made Investment funds to help you take that first step. They offer a convenient one-stop solution which can be ideal if you’re not sure about making your own investment decisions, or are short on time.

    These funds take the work out of investing because they’re looked after by Barclays’ investment experts who do all of the hard stuff so you don't have to. They’ll make changes to where your money’s invested depending on what’s going on in the stock markets, and keep you regularly updated with how your investment's performing. It’s worth mentioning though, that you can check how your investment's doing at any time either online or via the Barclays app.

    There’s always risk involved with investing because obviously stock markets can fall as well as rise, so there’s a chance you could lose money. However, there are ways to reduce that risk and this is how the funds differ. They all invest in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash, which gives you instant diversification which is really important when it comes to investing because it can help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs.

    So to get started all you need to do is choose which fund to go for. Whether you’re more comfortable taking a lower risk approach or are happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns, hopefully there'll be a fund to match your needs.

    I hope you found that helpful – but there is a lot more information about Ready-made Investments on our website.

    How have our Ready-made Investment funds been performing?

    Here’s our latest update on how our five Ready-made Investment funds have been performing over the past three months, including what's been happening across stock markets and recent changes we've made.

    How much will your Ready-made Investment cost?

    There’s no charge to buy or sell these funds.

    The funds all have an ongoing charge of 0.45% per year. This is taken from within the fund and reflected in the price you see when you look at your investments.

    There is no additional charge if the fund outperforms it’s targets.

    If you hold these funds within the Investment ISA or Investment Account the annual customer fee for the accounts will apply. The annual customer fee on those accounts is 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.
     

    Wake up your money

    You could win £20,000 and give your investments a boost

    Set up a new monthly Direct Debit, from as little as £50, to your Investment ISA or Investment Account by 5 April and you could win £20,000.

    Terms and conditions apply. Capital at risk

    Ready to buy?

    Open a new Smart Investor account

    You can choose from two types of account. Once your account is open, you can buy your chosen Ready-made Investment.

    Investment ISA

    The most popular account people chose when they start to invest.

    You can pay in up to £20,000 per tax year

    Any returns you make are tax-free.

    Tax rules can change in future and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

    Investment Account

    A flexible account which you might want to consider if you’ve already used your ISA allowance for the current tax year OR you’re already paying into an ISA with another provider.

    No limits on the amount you can invest.

    The return you make on your investments will be taxable but there are allowances that may mean you don’t pay tax, or it is reduced.

    Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents aged 18 or over. The service is not available to US persons, even if they are resident in the UK.

    Already have a Smart Investor account?

    You can buy this Ready-made Investment using an existing account.

  • Adventurous

    Adventurous - Barclays Global Markets 5

    • Risk level: Our highest risk fund – it’s for those who can afford to take the biggest risk of loss for the chance of getting the biggest reward
    • It contains: 2% cash and short-term bonds, 9% bonds1 and 89% shares. These numbers may change as our experts make the most of short-term opportunities.
    Image of portfolio chart - please see the accessible table version further down the page.
    Discrete 5 year performance (%)

    Year from 31 January

    2019-20

    2020-21

    2021-22

    2022-23

    2023-24

    Global Markets 5

    12.46%

    10.20%

    12.20%

    -0.84%

    7.65%

    Past performance isn’t a reliable indicator of future performance.

    Looking for the nuts and bolts? We’ve put together these documents that you should read before you invest.

    KIID [PDF, 211KB], Factsheet [PDF, 303KB], you can also read the Value Assessment here [PDF, 3.1MB]

    They’ll tell you about the fund, explain how our experts have created it and its associated risks.

    You can sell your fund and access your cash at any time, but remember your investment should be for the long term (at least five years) as you could get back less than you invested if you sell at any time. This is particularly likely if you sell after only a short term of investment.

    Why choose Ready-made Investments?

    Watch our short video with Barclays’ Clare Francis to learn more about the ready-made fund choices.

    At Barclays, we understand that when it comes to investing, often the hardest part is knowing where to start. That’s why we offer five Ready-made Investment funds to help you take that first step. They offer a convenient one-stop solution which can be ideal if you’re not sure about making your own investment decisions, or are short on time.

    These funds take the work out of investing because they’re looked after by Barclays’ investment experts who do all of the hard stuff so you don't have to. They’ll make changes to where your money’s invested depending on what’s going on in the stock markets, and keep you regularly updated with how your investment's performing. It’s worth mentioning though, that you can check how your investment's doing at any time either online or via the Barclays app.

    There’s always risk involved with investing because obviously stock markets can fall as well as rise, so there’s a chance you could lose money. However, there are ways to reduce that risk and this is how the funds differ. They all invest in a mixture of shares, bonds and cash, which gives you instant diversification which is really important when it comes to investing because it can help protect against stock market falls, but the proportion they hold in each differs.

    So to get started all you need to do is choose which fund to go for. Whether you’re more comfortable taking a lower risk approach or are happy to take a bit more risk in the hope of potentially higher returns, hopefully there'll be a fund to match your needs.

    I hope you found that helpful – but there is a lot more information about Ready-made Investments on our website.

    How have our Ready-made Investment funds been performing?

    Here’s our latest update on how our five Ready-made Investment funds have been performing over the past three months, including what's been happening across stock markets and recent changes we've made.

    How much will your Ready-made Investment cost?

    There’s no charge to buy or sell these funds.

    The funds all have an ongoing charge of 0.45% per year. This is taken from within the fund and reflected in the price you see when you look at your investments.

    There is no additional charge if the fund outperforms it’s targets.

    If you hold these funds within the Investment ISA or Investment Account the annual customer fee for the accounts will apply. The annual customer fee on those accounts is 0.25% on investments up to £200,000 and 0.05% on investments above £200,000.
     

    Wake up your money

    You could win £20,000 and give your investments a boost

    Set up a new monthly Direct Debit, from as little as £50, to your Investment ISA or Investment Account by 5 April and you could win £20,000.

    Terms and conditions apply. Capital at risk

    Ready to buy?

    Open a new Smart Investor account

    You can choose from two types of account. Once your account is open, you can buy your chosen Ready-made Investment.

    Investment ISA

    The most popular account people chose when they start to invest.

    You can pay in up to £20,000 per tax year

    Any returns you make are tax-free.

    Tax rules can change in future and their effects on you will depend on your individual circumstances.

    Investment Account

    A flexible account which you might want to consider if you’ve already used your ISA allowance for the current tax year OR you’re already paying into an ISA with another provider.

    No limits on the amount you can invest.

    The return you make on your investments will be taxable but there are allowances that may mean you don’t pay tax, or it is reduced.

    Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents aged 18 or over. The service is not available to US persons, even if they are resident in the UK.

    Already have a Smart Investor account?

    You can buy this Ready-made Investment using an existing account.

View the accessible version of our charts

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If you have any questions, you can give us a call on 0800 279 36672