AJ Bell Favourite funds

Funds can make investing easier. No picking individual stocks and shares, no spending hours researching individual companies. But there are thousands of funds to choose from – spread across multiple sectors, regions, asset classes, and investment strategies. How do you begin to know which to choose?

That’s where the AJ Bell Favourite funds list comes in. We’ve surveyed the markets and picked out the funds we think are likeliest to provide your portfolio with an income, or with medium- to long-term growth. The list is chosen by our investment specialists, is regularly updated, and features only funds that offer a combination of the following:

Low-cost – and great value
Proven management record versus benchmark and peers
Achievable investment objective

With the help of our handy filter tool, you can find the right fund to meet your criteria – whether that’s fund type, fund sector, or investment goal. But before you go ahead and invest, make sure you do your own research too. That includes reading factsheets and reports, as well as Key Information Documents (KIDs and KIIDs).

Ryan Hughes, Head of Active Portfolios introduces the AJ Bell Favourite funds list

The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to help you choose your investments, but isn’t a personal recommendation. You may own funds not included on the list – this doesn’t mean we recommend that you sell them. If you’re not confident about making your own financial decisions, or are looking for advice, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial adviser. Remember that the value of investments can change, and you could lose money as well as make it. You can also view our complete list of funds by using our Fund screener tool.

How do you choose funds for the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
The Favourite funds list includes both active funds (where a fund manager is paid to choose investments that outperform a benchmark) and tracker funds (which simply track an index or benchmark). We choose funds for their performance potential only, and don't receive any payments or commission from managers for choosing their funds. To understand more about different types of funds, read our investing in funds page.

When choosing active funds for the list, we look at many factors including:
- The fund manager, their team and the wider organisation
- The investment philosophy underpinning the investment process
- The fund’s objective and suitability to meet the fund’s strategy
- The way the fund portfolio is constructed and whether it’s suitably diversified
- The performance of the fund and its ability to meet its objectives
- The cost of the fund and the value added by the fund manager
When choosing the tracker funds on the list, we researched the following:
- The fund manager and their ability to successfully track the chosen index
- The investment approach to index replication – we've only selected funds which physically replicate the index they track
- The cost of the fund or ETF
- The size of the fund and whether it's large enough to ensure liquidity
- How the fund compares with its peer groups. Learn how we choose peer groups

Select the fund(s) that match your investment criteria and then click Add to basket. Then use the Checkout button to buy the fund(s).

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Name	Sector	Fund mgrs' charge	3 yr return	Yield	Goal	Fund type	Income freq	OCF range	Fund size range
Aberdeen Standard Investments Global Smaller Companies Acc	Global	0.95	18.11	-	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Allianz Gilt Yield Inc	UK government bonds	0.32	3.25	0.54	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Allianz Strategic Bond Inc	Strategic bonds	0.42	11.81	2.00	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Artemis Corporate Bond Inc	UK corporate bonds	0.39	-	2.62	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	ltpt5	lt1bn	-1
Artemis Strategic Bond Acc	Strategic bonds	0.57	3.99	2.29	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Artemis Strategic Bond Inc	Strategic bonds	0.57	3.99	2.32	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Artemis US Select Acc	North America	0.85	17.99	0.01	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Artemis US Smaller Companies Acc	North America	0.89	19.49	-	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Baillie Gifford Global Alpha Growth Acc	Global	0.59	22.21	0.19	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Baillie Gifford High Yield Bond Inc	High yield bonds	0.37	4.77	4.18	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	ltpt5	lt1bn	-1
Baillie Gifford Japanese Acc	Japan	0.61	8.34	0.89	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Baring Europe Select Trust Inc	Europe (ex UK)	0.81	12.44	1.25	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
BlackRock Continental European Income Inc	Europe (ex UK)	0.93	12.40	3.13	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Blackrock European Dynamic Acc	Europe (ex UK)	0.92	23.33	-	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
BlackRock Gold and General Acc	Specialist	1.17	17.20	0.47	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1pt5	gt1bn	-1
BMO Responsible Sterling Corporate Bond Inc	UK corporate bonds	0.56	3.85	1.53	Income,Growth,Responsible	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
Fidelity Asia Acc	Asia (ex Japan)	0.93	13.52	0.46	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Fidelity Emerging Markets Acc	Emerging markets	0.95	16.75	0.71	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Fidelity Global Special Sits Acc	Global	0.92	14.13	0.33	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Fidelity Index World Fund Acc	Global	0.12	15.10	1.28	Growth	Tracker	Annually	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Fidelity Strategic Bond Acc	Strategic bonds	0.66	5.42	2.26	Income,Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Fidelity Strategic Bond Inc	Strategic bonds	0.66	5.42	2.54	Income,Growth	Active	Monthly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
First Sentier Global Listed Infrastructure	Specialist	0.80	6.91	2.59	Income,Growth	Active		lt1	gt1bn	-1
Franklin UK Mid Cap Acc	UK equity	0.82	10.16	0.50	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Franklin UK Smaller Companies Acc	UK smaller companies	0.83	16.78	0.19	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
Invesco Asian Acc	Asia (ex Japan)	0.90	11.95	1.41	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
iShares Automation & Robotics ETF	Specialist	0.4	24.33	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
iShares Core FTSE 100 Dist ETF	UK equity	0.07	4.48	3.72	Growth	Tracker	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
iShares Core Global Aggregate Bond ETF	Global bonds	0.1	2.22	1.32	Income,Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5		-1
iShares Core MSCI EM IMI Acc ETF	Emerging markets	0.18	10.21	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Acc	North America	0.07	17.39	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
iShares GBP Corporate Bond ETF Dist	UK corporate bonds	0.2	4.63	2.12	Income,Growth	Tracker	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
iShares Japan Equity Index Fund Acc	Japan	0.08	6.27	1.70	Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
iShares UK Equity Index Fund Acc	UK equity	0.05	5.59	3.04	Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
J O Hambro Capital Management UK Dynamic Acc	UK equity	0.66	3.56	2.27	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Janus Henderson Absolute Return Acc	Absolute return	1.05	3.20	-	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1pt5	gt1bn	-1
JP Morgan Emerging Markets Income Inc	Emerging markets	0.90	11.93	2.94	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	lt1bn	-1
JP Morgan US Equity Income Inc	North America	0.78	12.12	1.86	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Jupiter Asian Income Inc	Asia (ex Japan)	0.98	10.99	3.23	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Jupiter Japan Income Inc	Japan	0.98	11.14	2.03	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Jupiter UK Special Situations Acc	UK equity	0.76	3.80	1.84	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Lazard Emerging Markets Acc	Emerging markets	0.97	6.29	1.72	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
LF Lightman European R Acc	Europe (ex UK)	0.80	-	0.50	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
LF Tellworth UK Smaller Companies Acc	UK smaller companies	0.93	-	0.07	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
Liontrust Special Situations Inc	UK equity	0.82	10.74	1.02	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Liontrust Sustainable Future Global Growth Acc	Global	0.88	24.47	-	Growth,Responsible	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Liontrust Sustainable Future UK Growth Acc	UK equity	0.87	12.63	0.75	Growth,Responsible	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Lyxor Core Morningstar UK ETF	UK equity	0.04	4.73	3.38	Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	lt500m	-1
Lyxor Core MSCI Japan ETF	Japan	0.12	6.45	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
Lyxor Core MSCI World ETF	Global	0.12	14.87	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts 0-5yr ETF	UK government bonds	0.07	0.32	1.86	Income,Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	lt500m	-1
Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts ETF	UK government bonds	0.07	2.73	2.02	Income,Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	lt1bn	-1
Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts Inflation-Linked ETF	UK government bonds	0.07	7.79	0.28	Income,Growth	Tracker	Semi-annually	ltpt5	lt100m	-1
M&G Emerging Markets Bond Inc	Emerging market bonds	0.70	4.33	5.43	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1		-1
M&G Global Macro Bond Inc	Global bonds	0.63	3.83	1.31	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1		-1
Man GLG Income Professional Inc	UK equity income	0.90	4.44	4.78	Income,Growth	Active	Monthly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Man GLG Undervalued Assets Acc	UK equity	0.90	2.54	2.26	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Montanaro UK Income Inc	UK equity income	0.84	13.06	2.13	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Ninety One UK Alpha Acc	UK equity	0.73	4.85	1.69	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Polar Capital Global Insurance Acc	Specialist	0.84	8.79	-	Growth	Active	None	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Polar Capital Global Technology Inc	Specialist	1.09	28.47	-	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1pt5		-1
Royal London Corporate Bond Inc	UK corporate bonds	0.41	5.87	3.39	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Royal London Sustainable Leaders Acc	UK equity	0.61	15.93	1.33	Growth,Responsible	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Schroder European Acc	Europe (ex UK)	0.78	10.63	1.24	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Schroder Global Equity Income Inc	Global	0.87	5.75	2.91	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	lt500m	-1
Schroder Global Recovery Acc	Global	0.86	9.25	1.11	Growth	Active	Annually	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders Acc	Asia (ex Japan)	0.84	14.33	0.26	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Stewart Investors Worldwide Sustainability Acc	Global	0.67	16.40	0.14	Growth,Responsible	Active		lt1	lt1bn	-1
TB Amati UK Smaller Companies Acc	UK smaller companies	0.89	15.30	0.39	Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
TB Evenlode Global Income Inc	Global	0.85	12.61	2.02	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
TB Evenlode Income Inc	UK equity income	0.87	7.98	2.44	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Threadneedle UK Equity Income Inc	UK equity income	0.82	6.60	3.00	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	gt1bn	-1
Trojan Global Income Acc	Global	0.91	9.22	2.77	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Trojan Global Income Inc	Global	0.91	9.22	2.82	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	lt1	lt1bn	-1
Trojan Income Inc	UK equity income	0.86	4.09	2.52	Income,Growth	Active	Semi-annually	lt1	gt1bn	-1
TwentyFour Corporate Bond Acc	UK corporate bonds	0.33	4.61	2.78	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
TwentyFour Corporate Bond Inc	UK corporate bonds	0.34	3.84	1.43	Income,Growth	Active	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Vanguard FTSE 250 ETF	UK equity	0.1	9.04	2.40	Growth	Tracker	Quarterly	ltpt5	gt1bn	-1
Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan ETF	Asia (ex Japan)	0.15	-	-	Growth	Tracker	None	ltpt5		-1
Vanguard FTSE Developed Europe ex UK ETF	Europe (ex UK)	0.1	12.32	2.13	Growth	Tracker	Quarterly	ltpt5		-1
Vanguard USD Emerging Market Government Bond ETF	Emerging market bonds	0.25	3.59	3.83	Income,Growth	Tracker	Monthly	ltpt5		-1

Select the fund(s) that match your investment criteria and then click Add to basket. Then use the Checkout button to buy the fund(s).

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What changes have we made to the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
We regularly review the Favourite funds list to keep it up to date. Below are the funds we’ve recently decided to add or remove. Please keep in mind this list of changes is information only, and not a personal recommendation to buy or sell these funds.

June 2021
- Lightman European added to the list to offer additional choice in the Europe (ex UK) sector.
- Previous changes to the list
  
  January 2021
  
  Schroder Global Equity Income added to the list to offer additional choice in the Global sector.
  
  December 2020
  
  TB Amati UK Smaller Companies fund added to offer additional complementary choice in the UK Smaller Companies sector.
  
  October 2020
  
  Man GLG Japan Core Alpha removed due to the announcement of the upcoming retirement of two experienced fund managers.
  
  September 2020
  
  We have removed the TM Crux European Special Situations fund from the Favourite Funds list, due to a lack of conviction in the fund managing to achieve its stated investment objective from here on.
  
  July 2020
  
  Invesco Corporate Bond fund removed due to a lack of conviction in its ability to achieve its stated objective.
  
  Artemis Corporate Bond fund added to offer additional complementary choice in the Corporate Bond sector.
  
  The BMO Responsible Sterling Corporate Bond, Liontrust Sustainable Future Global Growth, Liontrust Sustainable Future UK Growth & Royal London Sustainable Leaders added to offer additional choice in the Ethical/Sustainable sector
  
  Following a review of the tracker funds on the list, we’ve added:
  
  Lyxor Core Morningstar UK ETF – it offers a broad coverage of the UK share market with a low ongoing charge
  
  Lyxor Core MSCI Japan ETF – covering the large and mid-cap Japanese equity market, with one of the lowest charges in that market
  
  Vanguard FTSE Developed Asia Pacific ex Japan ETF – includes Korea within its fund, allowing for a greater number of holdings in the fund compared to other trackers covering this region
  
  Lyxor Core Actuaries UK Gilts Inflation-Linked ETF – a low cost ETF in the UK offering investors exposure to government inflation-linked bonds
  
  iShares Global Aggregate Bond ETF – offers a mix of global government and corporate bonds, giving investors broad global bond exposure with a single ETF
  
  iShares MSCI Target UK Real Estate ETF – an innovative fund that carries less volatility than traditional property funds by mixing property shares with inflation linked bonds
  
  iShares Automation & Robotics ETF – a relevant theme for investors seeking high-growth, high-risk technology focused investments
  
  We’ve removed these funds to ensure we offer a focused choice within each asset type. It’s important to note that we don’t see any issues with how these tracker funds are run, instead we prefer a different way of accessing the asset type:
  
  SPDR FTSE UK All Share ETF
  
  Vanguard FTSE Japan ETF
  
  iShares Core MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF
  
  Vanguard UK Inflation-linked Gilt Index Fund
  
  iShares Global Government Bond ETF
  
  iShares Overseas Government Bond Index Fund
  
  iShares UK Property ETF
  
  June 2020
  
  Jupiter Japan Income added to offer additional complementary choice in the Japan sector
  
  Kames Ethical Cautious Managed fund removed from the Favourite Funds list, due to the lack of conviction in its ability to achieve its objective
  
  March 2020
  
  BNY Mellon Global Income removed from the list as the lead fund managers announced they are leaving the fund
  
  Trojan Global Income added to the list to offer additional complementary choice in the Global sector
  
  TB Saracen Global Income & Growth removed from the list due to a falling fund size
  
  TB Evenlode Global Income and LF Tellworth UK Smaller Companies added to the list, providing additional complementary choice in the Global and UK smaller companies sectors
  
  February 2020
  
  Merian UK Smaller Companies has been removed from the list due to the corporate uncertainty created by the news of an agreed acquisition of Merian Global Investors by Jupiter Fund Management plc.
  
  January 2020
  
  BlackRock Continental European Income and Allianz Strategic Bond added to the list, providing additional complementary choice in the European equities and Strategic Bond sectors
  
  BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond removed from the list following a fall in confidence that it could consistently achieve its stated investment objective
  
  November 2019
  
  BMO Barclays Global High Yield Bond (GBPH) ETF removed from the list following the announcement of the closure of the ETF from January 2020
  
  Troy Trojan Income Inc changed its name to Trojan Income Inc
  
  FP Crux European Special Situations Acc changed its name to TM Crux European Special Situations Acc
  
  August 2019
  
  Standard Life Global Smaller Companies changed its name to Aberdeen Standard Investments Global Smaller Companies.
  
  July 2019
  
  Janus Henderson UK Property PAIF Inc removed from the list due to continued outflows over a prolonged period of time
  
  Jupiter Global Emerging Markets Acc removed from the list due to a falling fund size and increasing fund costs
  
  June 2019
  
  Newton Global Income changed its name to BNY Mellon Global Income
  
  Newton Global Dynamic Bond changed its name to BNY Mellon Global Dynamic Bond
  
  April 2019
  
  Schroder Tokyo Acc removed from the list following the announcement that the fund manager is due to retire
  
  Lyxor Core MSCI World ETF added to the list due to its low cost and ability to track the index tightly
  
  Vanguard USD Emerging Markets Government Bond ETF added to the list to provide a high-calibre passive offering to complement our active offering in this area
  
  iShares Core MSCI World ETF and iShares £ Index-Linked Gilts ETF removed from the list as lower cost, better alternatives have been identified
  
  BMO Barclays Global High Yield Bond (GBP Hedged) ETF replaced iShares Global High Yield Corporate Bond ETF as it removes the impact of currency fluctuations
  
  September 2018
  
  We have undertaken an in depth review of the Favourite Funds list which has resulted in a number of changes being made. This has seen 11 new funds added to the list that we judge to be amongst the high quality in their field, while 10 have been removed due to us having higher conviction in alternative managers.
  
  The following funds have been removed:
  
  Artemis European Opportunities Acc
  
  Fidelity Enhanced Income Inc
  
  Janus Henderson Fixed Interest Monthly Income Inc
  
  JP Morgan Multi Asset Income Inc
  
  Kames Investment Grade Bond Inc
  
  LF Woodford Equity Income Inc
  
  Majedie UK Equity Acc
  
  River & Mercantile UK Equity Income Inc
  
  Threadneedle Dynamic Real Return Acc
  
  Unicorn UK Income Inc
  
  The following funds have been added:
  
  Allianz Gilt Yield Inc
  
  Franklin UK Smaller Companies Acc
  
  Janus Henderson UK Absolute Return Acc
  
  JO Hambro UK Dynamic Acc
  
  Jupiter Global Emerging Markets Acc
  
  M&G Emerging Market Bond Inc
  
  M&G Global Macro Inc
  
  Montanaro UK Income Inc
  
  Schroder European Acc
  
  Schroder Global Recovery Acc
  
  Troy Trojan Income Inc
  
  August 2018
  
  Man GLG UK Income Professional Inc, TwentyFour Corporate Bond Inc, Royal London Corporate Bond Inc and Fidelity Global Special Sits Acc added to the list
  
  June 2018
  
  VT AJ Bell Passive Global Growth fund added to the list following launch.
  
  May 2018
  
  Vanguard UK Gilt ETF, iShares Core UK Gilt ETF and iShares UK Gilts 0-5yr ETF removed from the list as lower cost, better alternatives have been identified
  
  Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts ETF and Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts 0-5yr ETF have both been added to the list
  
  March 2018
  
  Invesco Perpetual Global Financial Capital removed from the list following a change in rating
  
  Artemis Strategic Bond Quarterly Inc added to the list
  
  February 2018
  
  River & Mercantile UK Equity Smaller Companies removed from the list following the departure of the fund manager
  
  Franklin UK Mid Cap fund added to the list
  
  First State Global Resources removed from the list following the announcement that First State intends to close its Global Resources capability
  
  BlackRock Gold and General fund added to the list
  
  January 2018
  
  BlackRock Japan Equity Tracker Fund Acc changed its name to iShares Japan Equity Index Fund Acc
  
  BlackRock Overseas Govt Bond Tracker Fund Acc changed its name to iShares Overseas Govt Bond Index Fund Acc
  
  BlackRock UK Equity Tracker Fund Acc changed its name to iShares UK Equity Index Fund Acc
  
  August 2017
  
  Schroder Tokyo fund downgraded from AAA to A
  
  June 2017
  
  Schroder UK Dynamic Smaller Companies removed from the list following the departure of the fund managers
  
  Unicorn UK Income fund added to the list
  
  April 2017
  
  Invesco Perpetual Asian fund downgraded from AA to A following a change in the fund manager
  
  GS Emerging Markets Equity portfolio removed from list following the departure of the fund manager
  
  Fidelity Emerging Markets fund added to the list

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