New to investing?

Here’s where to start

Entering the world of investing can be exciting – but also intimidating. There's a lot to take in. Where do you even begin?

The answer is: right here. Follow the three simple steps below, and you can start your investing journey in just a few minutes.

We’ll suggest the accounts that suit your financial goal. You decide how much to put in. And from there, you can choose to go it alone, or get some help from our experts.

Learn the basics before you begin

Don’t feel ready to take the plunge? Dive into our First-time investor guide instead, which explores everything a beginner needs to know, including:

  • Why people choose investing over saving

  • Are you ready to invest?

  • The different types of investment

Download our free guide

Remember, with investing there are no guarantees. Investments change in value, and you could lose money as well as make it. So before you pick an investment, it's important to research it thoroughly. We have a wealth of information on our website to help. And don't forget, it’s easy to get in touch with us – we want to make your investing journey go as smoothly as possible.

1. What’s your financial goal?

I’m saving for a rainy day
 

I want to save tax-free into an ISA

I want to save
 for retirement

I want to save regularly
 

I’m saving to buy a house
 

I’m investing for my child
 

To help you hit your financial goal, these accounts could be right for you:

Can't decide? Compare our accounts. Already a customer? View our investment ideas

2. How much do you want to invest?

How much you invest is up to you. Generally, it should depend on your financial goal and when you hope to hit it. Remember that investing should be a long-term pursuit, so it’s not usually a good idea put in money you think you might need in the next five years.

You don't have to put in a lump sum – you can invest as little as £25 a month using our regular investing service.

We have charges for buying and selling investments, and holding them in your account. See our charges.

or

You can also fund your new account by transferring in an account you have elsewhere. That includes cash accounts – such as cash ISAs cash Lifetime ISAs.

3. How much help would you like?

Choosing where to invest can be tricky, even for more experienced investors. But don’t worry: we can make life easier by giving you a little bit of help – or a lot. Choose the approach that suits you from the three below.

Let us do the hard work

Simply choose a fund, and leave the day-to-day investing decisions to us.

Get a head start

Hit the ground running with a pre-built portfolio, and manage it yourself.

Go it alone

Build your own portfolio from our rigorously researched list of funds.

AJ Bell funds

The ‘no-hassle’ option – just choose a fund and how much to invest. We do the rest.

  • Is it right for me?

    If you're a complete investing beginner – or haven't got time to build and manage your portfolio yourself – the AJ Bell funds let you leave the hard work to our experts.

    Because each AJ Bell fund is fully diversified (i.e. spread across a range of assets), you don't need to worry about choosing other investments – each one is designed to stand alone.

    What do I need to do?

    Simply choose a fund, then how much to invest in it. There are eight funds overall, including funds for long-term growth, and funds for regular income. Which is right for you depends on how you feel about the market's ups and downs.

    What do you do to help me?

    Everything else. Once you've chosen your fund, we'll monitor it and rebalance it whenever we think it's necessary.

Charges

Our dealing charge
Buy: nil
Sell: £1.50 Buy: £1.50 per fund
Sell: £1.50 per fund Buy/sell: £1.50 per fund
Buy/sell: £9.95 per ETF

Annual fund charge
Growth funds capped at 0.35%
Income funds 0.88% - 0.92% 0.6-0.8% pa Varies by fund

Our custody charge
0.25% pa

View our charges and rates

AJ Bell Ready-made portfolios

Need help getting started? Pick one of our pre-built portfolios – then manage it yourself.

  • Is it right for me?

    The AJ Bell Ready-made portfolios are designed for the more intermediate investor. They give you a head start – after that, you'll need to be confident going it alone.

    What do you do to help me?

    We’ve prepared four portfolios, each targeting a different investing goal. To ensure each is the highest quality, they’re made up of six or seven funds that have made the cut for our rigorously researched AJ Bell Favourite funds list.

    What do I need to do?

    Once you’ve chosen your portfolio, you can adjust it before you buy, or keep it as it is. After that, you’ll be responsible for managing the portfolio yourself.

AJ Bell Favourite funds list

Want to choose your own investments? Our searchable shortlist of standout funds makes it easy.

  • Is it right for me?

    If you’re a confident investor happy to build your portfolio yourself, the AJ Bell Favourite funds list can lighten your workload.

    What do you do to help me?

    We’ve done the research for you, surveying the markets at home and abroad to draw up a shortlist of funds we think offer excellent value and exciting growth potential. It’s a comprehensive list, taking in active and passive funds and a wide sweep of sectors.

    What do I need to do?

    Browse the list to find the one for you. The search function lets you finetune the criteria to find exactly the right fund for your portfolio.

    Or pick from our full investment range

    Want to go it completely alone? We’ve a vast variety of investments for you to choose from, including shares across 25 markets and more than 2,000 funds. See our full range of investments