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 experts, is regularly updated, and features only funds that offer a combination of the following:
- Low-cost and great value
- Proven track record compared to benchmark and peers
- Quality fund management team
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, analysts’ ratings and reports, as well as Key Information Documents (KIDs and KIIDs).
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. To view our full range of funds, please use our Fund screener tool.
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How do you choose funds for the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
How funds are chosen
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). To understand more about different types of funds, read our investing in funds page.
When choosing the active funds on the list, we considered:
- 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
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| Name | Sector | Fund mgrs' charge? | 3 yr return? | Yield? | Goal | Fund type | Income freq | OCF range | Fund size range | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allianz Gilt Yield Inc | UK government bonds | 0.32 | 3.94 | 1.27 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Artemis Strategic Bond Inc | Strategic bonds | 0.57 | 5.53 | 3.97 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Artemis US Select Acc | North America | 0.84 | 22.67 | 0.07 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Artemis US Smaller Companies Acc | North America | 0.87 | 26.57 | - | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Baillie Gifford Global Alpha Growth Acc | Global | 0.61 | 21.16 | 0.39 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Baillie Gifford High Yield Bond Inc | High yield bonds | 0.38 | 6.47 | 3.86 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | ltpt5 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Baillie Gifford Japanese Acc | Japan | 0.63 | 23.42 | 0.82 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Baring Europe Select Trust Inc | Europe (ex UK) | 0.79 | 19.88 | 1.27 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Blackrock European Dynamic Acc | Europe (ex UK) | 0.92 | 16.34 | 1.08 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| BlackRock Gold and General Acc | Specialist | 1.17 | 10.82 | 0.01 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1pt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Fidelity Asia Acc | Asia (ex Japan) | 0.94 | 20.65 | 0.74 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Fidelity Emerging Markets Acc | Emerging markets | 0.98 | 14.08 | 1.08 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Fidelity Global Special Sits Acc | Global | 0.92 | 20.11 | 0.60 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Fidelity Index World Fund Acc | Global | 0.12 | 18.64 | 1.66 | Growth | Tracker | Annually | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Fidelity Strategic Bond Inc | Strategic bonds | 0.66 | 2.45 | 2.05 | Income,Growth | Active | Monthly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| First State Global Listed Infrastructure Inc | Specialist | 0.81 | 15.33 | 3.46 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| FP Crux European Special Situations Acc | Europe (ex UK) | 0.88 | 16.23 | 1.28 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Franklin UK Mid Cap Acc | UK equity | 0.82 | 8.71 | 1.94 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Franklin UK Smaller Companies Acc | UK smaller companies | 0.83 | 11.88 | 1.00 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Invesco Perpetual Asian Acc | Asia (ex Japan) | 0.9 | 23.64 | 1.29 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Invesco Perpetual Corporate Bond Inc | UK corporate bonds | 0.61 | 4.09 | 3.18 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Investec UK Alpha Acc | UK equity | 0.73 | 9.51 | 2.24 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares Core FTSE 100 Dist ETF | UK equity | 0.07 | 9.89 | 3.97 | Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares Core MSCI EM IMI Acc ETF | Emerging markets | 0.18 | 15.83 | - | Growth | Tracker | None | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| iShares Core MSCI Pacific ex-Japan ETF Acc | Asia (ex Japan) | 0.2 | 16.85 | - | Growth | Tracker | None | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| iShares Core MSCI World ETF | Global | 0.2 | 18.88 | - | Growth | Tracker | None | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF Acc | North America | 0.07 | 21.68 | - | Growth | Tracker | None | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| iShares GBP Corporate Bond ETF Dist | UK corporate bonds | 0.2 | 5.50 | 2.73 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares Global Government Bond ETF | Global bonds | 0.2 | 7.21 | 1.08 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| iShares Global High Yield Corp Bond ETF | High yield bonds | 0.5 | 11.64 | 4.73 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | lt1 | 0 | ||
| iShares Japan Equity Index Fund Acc | Japan | 0.16 | 16.19 | 1.52 | Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares Overseas Govt Bond Index Fund Acc | Global bonds | 0.16 | 7.79 | 1.03 | Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares UK Equity Index Fund Acc | UK equity | 0.06 | 10.27 | 3.20 | Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares UK Property ETF | Property | 0.4 | -0.70 | 3.20 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| iShares £ Index-Linked Gilts Dist ETF | UK government bonds | 0.25 | 6.31 | 1.88 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Janus Henderson UK Absolute Return Acc | Absolute return | 1.06 | 2.68 | 0.09 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1pt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Janus Henderson UK Property PAIF Inc | Property | 0.84 | 3.11 | 2.18 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| JOHCM UK Dynamic Acc | UK equity | 0.69 | 13.01 | 3.47 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| JP Morgan Emerging Markets Income Inc | Emerging markets | 0.75 | 14.69 | 4.17 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| JP Morgan US Equity Income Inc | North America | 0.9 | 20.19 | 1.78 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Jupiter Asian Income Inc | Asia (ex Japan) | 0.98 | - | 3.95 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Jupiter Global Emerging Markets Acc | Emerging markets | 1.38 | 13.21 | 1.23 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1pt5 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Jupiter UK Special Situations Acc | UK equity | 0.76 | 10.95 | 2.22 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Kames Ethical Cautious Managed Acc | Ethical | 0.79 | 4.28 | 2.00 | Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Lazard Emerging Markets Acc | Emerging markets | 1.08 | 14.16 | 1.96 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1pt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Liontrust Special Situations Inc | UK equity | 0.87 | 15.95 | 1.81 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts 0-5yr ETF | UK government bonds | 0.07 | - | 2.99 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Annually | ltpt5 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Lyxor FTSE Actuaries UK Gilts ETF | UK government bonds | 0.07 | 3.33 | 2.74 | Income,Growth | Tracker | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | lt500m | 0 | |
| M&G Emerging Markets Bond Inc | Emerging market bonds | 0.78 | 11.89 | 6.36 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| M&G Global Macro Bond Inc | Global bonds | 0.81 | 7.67 | 2.75 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | 0 | ||
| Man GLG Japan Core Alpha Acc | Japan | 0.9 | 15.90 | 1.65 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Man GLG UK Income Professional Inc | UK equity income | 0.9 | 11.72 | 6.30 | Income,Growth | Active | Monthly | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Man GLG Undervalued Assets Acc | UK equity | 0.9 | 11.43 | 1.91 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Montanaro UK Income Inc | UK equity income | 0.85 | - | 2.90 | Income,Growth | Active | None | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Newton Global Dynamic Bond Inc | Absolute return | 0.67 | 1.61 | 2.93 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Newton Global Income Inc | Global | 0.79 | 17.83 | 3.10 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Old Mutual UK Smaller Companies Acc | UK smaller companies | 0.94 | 18.49 | 0.59 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Polar Capital Global Insurance Acc | Specialist | 0.88 | 17.92 | - | Growth | Active | None | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Polar Capital Global Technology Inc | Specialist | 1.16 | 35.18 | - | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1pt5 | 0 | ||
| Royal London Corporate Bond Inc | UK corporate bonds | 0.37 | 5.74 | 3.76 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Schroder European Acc | Europe (ex UK) | 0.77 | 15.02 | 1.51 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Schroder Global Recovery Acc | Global | 0.88 | - | 1.51 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Schroder Tokyo Acc | Japan | 0.91 | 15.88 | 0.98 | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| SPDR ® FTSE UK All Share ETF | UK equity | 0.2 | 9.55 | - | Growth | Tracker | None | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Standard Life Investments Global Smaller Companies Acc | Global | 1.06 | 25.71 | - | Growth | Active | Annually | lt1pt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders Acc | Asia (ex Japan) | 0.89 | 15.21 | 1.15 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Stewart Investors Worldwide Sustainability Acc | Ethical | 0.99 | 18.07 | 0.55 | Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| TB Evenlode Income Inc | UK equity income | 0.9 | 14.88 | 2.44 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| TB Saracen Global Income & Growth Dis | Global | 0.99 | 15.49 | 2.72 | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt500m | 0 | |
| Threadneedle UK Equity Income Inc | UK equity income | 0.82 | 9.80 | 3.79 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| Troy Trojan Income Inc | UK equity income | 0.87 | - | - | Income,Growth | Active | Semi-annually | lt1 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| TwentyFour Corporate Bond Inc | UK corporate bonds | 0.39 | 4.93 | 3.86 | Income,Growth | Active | Quarterly | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Vanguard FTSE 250 ETF | UK equity | 0.1 | 9.10 | 2.98 | Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | lt1bn | 0 | |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed Europe ex UK ETF | Europe (ex UK) | 0.12 | 12.89 | 2.83 | Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| Vanguard FTSE Japan ETF | Japan | 0.19 | 15.73 | 1.60 | Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | 0 | ||
| Vanguard UK Inflation-Linked Gilt Index Fund Acc | UK government bonds | 0.15 | 6.32 | - | Income,Growth | Tracker | Quarterly | ltpt5 | gt1bn | 0 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Adventurous fund | Multi-asset | 0.45 | - | 1.65 | Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | lt100m | 4 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Balanced fund | Multi-asset | 0.42 | - | 1.78 | Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | lt100m | 2 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Cautious fund | Multi-asset | 0.5 | - | 1.37 | Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt100m | 0 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Global Growth fund | Multi-asset | 0.5 | - | - | Income,Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt100m | 9 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Moderately Adventurous fund | Multi-asset | 0.47 | - | 1.73 | Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | ltpt5 | lt100m | 3 | |
| VT AJ Bell Passive Moderately Cautious fund | Multi-asset | 0.5 | - | 1.76 | Growth | ajbell | Semi-annually | lt1 | lt100m | 1 |
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Find out moreChanges to the Favourite funds list
The Favourite funds list is continually reviewed by our experts and the following changes have recently been made. The removal and additional of funds from the list are not a personal recommendation to buy or sell the fund and the updates are provided for information only.
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
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Previous changes to the list
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
