Investment ISAs

With stocks and shares ISAs you can now shelter up to £10,680 a year (less any investment made into a cash ISA) with no further income or capital gains tax to be pay on the return. Meaning a couple can save as much as £21,360. (Please remember tax rules can change)

Choose a type of savings account to compare from the list below

Self select investment ISAs

Aimed at experienced investors, self-select ISAs are a type of stocks and shares ISA that put you in control of your own investment portfolio - allowing you to invest in various shares, funds and other investment products without having to pay capital gains or income tax on any interest that you earn.

AccountProduct Information
Barclays
Investment ISA
  • Barclays Investment ISA gives you complete control over your investments allowing you to structure a portfolio which meets your objectives and risk profile
  • Gives you acces to a wide range of products including shares, exchange traded funds, gifts and bonds, exchange traded commodities, funds and structured products
MORE INFO
Virgin
Climate Change ISA
  • Aims to deliver market leading investment returns by investing in companies that are environmental leaders in their industry
  • Gives you access to the kind of investment expertise only previously available to the very wealthy
  • Take your money out whenever you need to - there are no notice periods
MORE INFO
Alliance Trust
Savings Stocks & Shares ISA
  • First trade free for all new ISAs - worth up to £12.50
  • Voted What Investment Best Stocks & Shares ISA 2011
  • Open and trade online in minutes from as little as £6.25
  • Online monthly dealing from only £1.50 per trade
  • Choose from over 4,000 UK equities, gilts, bonds, ETFs and 21,000 International equities
  • Over 1,400 investment funds from over 40 UK Fund Managers
  • 100% of all fund manager commissions rebated back to customers
MORE INFO
Hargreaves Lansdown
Self-select Stocks & Shares ISA
  • Choose to invest in over 3,000 funds, shares, exchange traded funds, corporate bonds, gilts and much more
  • Pick and mix funds from Invesco Perpetual, Fidelity, Jupiter, Artemis and hundreds more fund managers
  • Market leading discounts of up to 5.5% on more than 2,200 funds, potentially saving you as much as £587 on a £10,680 investment in your ISA
MORE INFO
Selftrade
Self-select Shares ISA
  • Win back your ISA subscription up to £10,680 when you open and subscribe to a Shares ISA (terms apply)
  • A Selftrade self-select Shares ISA puts you in control so you can tailor your portfolio to meet your investment needs
  • You decide where, when and how your money is invested and manage your investments
  • Select from shares, unit trusts/OEICs, exchange traded funds, gilts, bonds and exchange traded commodities
  • Choose from over 1,200 ISA eligible funds on our platform
MORE INFO
Legal & General
Index Tracker ISA
  • Allow you to follow the performance of a particular stock market - in the UK or abroad - with low management fees
  • The choice to invest in geographic regions, such as the UK, Europe, US, Pacific or Japan and the choice to follow the performance of a single sector, such as technology or health
  • The option to manage your investments online
  • Access to invest in some of the largest companies in the world
MORE INFO
Virgin Money
FTSE Tracker ISA
  • Spread your investment across every one of the 600+ companies listed on the London Stock Exchange
  • Invest up to £10,680 this tax year either in lump sums or regular monthly amounts from as little as £1
  • Take your money out whenever it is needed with no notice periods on the account and transfer your existing ISA without any hassle.
MORE INFO
Legal & General
Ethical ISA
  • Allows you to invest in socially responsible companies
  • Low charges - this fund is an index-tracker and needs less management, so more of your money remains invested
  • The option to manage your investments online
  • The option to transfer your existing cash or stocks and shares ISA
MORE INFO
Legal & General
Global Emerging Markets Index Tracking ISA
  • Follow the performance of some of the fastest growing emerging economies
  • Emerging markets offer potential returns ahead of those in the developed world
  • Gain exposure to economies such as Brazil, Russia, India and China in one ISA
  • Invest up to £10,200 tax-efficiently as an ISA or more in a unit trust
  • Invest from as little as £500 lump sum or £50 monthly
MORE INFO
Foresters
Stocks & Shares ISA
  • Save the way that suits you with the Foresters Stocks and Shares ISA
  • Pay in as little as £30 a month by Direct Debit or invest a one-off lump sum (a minimum of £250). Or you can do both, as long as you don't go over the limit in any one financial year, which is currently £10,200
  • Future legislation changes could affect the tax status of your ISA.
MORE INFO

More about investment ISAs

ISAs are Independent Savings Accounts. You can save up to £5,340 per year - the current maximum limit - into one cash ISA and one investment ISA per year without paying any tax on the interest you earn.

The cash ISA works like a normal savings account. The investment ISA, however, sees your money invested into the stock market, with the return based on the performance of the shares that your bank has put your money up against. Hence, these are known as stocks and shares ISAs in some areas of the market.

Available from most high street banks and building societies as well as specialists, investment ISAs carry the same risk as any other investment in the stock market - your money is liable to go down as well as up.

You can usually choose differing levels of risk that your money is subject to, with the bank spending your money on a portfolio of different stocks and shares accordingly. With most banks you can also decide yourself which stocks and shares to invest in - though this is only recommended for seasoned investors.

Investment plans usually work for a set period of time - for instance one, three, or five years.

As with the cash ISA, you can have multiple different investment ISAs open, from multiple different banks if you so choose, but you can only pay into one, up to the maximum amount, in any one tax year (April 4th to April 5th).

Read our cash and investment ISAs guide.

Important risk information

This website contains information only and does not constitute advice or a personal recommendation in any way whatsoever. The value of investments and income from them can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the full amount invested. The tax efficiency of ISAs is based on current tax law and there is no guarantee that tax rules will stay the same in the future.

Different types of investment carry different levels of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Please ensure that you read the Important Risk Information for further details. Prior to making any decision to invest, you should ensure that you are familiar with the risks associated with a particular investment and should read the product literature. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of a particular investment, both in respect of its objectives and its risk profile, you should seek independent financial advice.

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ISA Guide

 

Read our ISA Guide to learn about your 2011/12 allowance.

What is an ISA?

Simply put, an ISA (Individual Savings Account) gives you tax advantages on your savings. There are two types of ISA: a cash ISA and an investment ISA.

Eligibility for tax relief within an ISA depends on your circumstances, and the rules could change in the future.

Cash ISA

A cash ISA. is like a normal savings account, but you don't have to pay UK income tax on your interest provided all ISA conditions are met.

See our cash ISA rates

ISA Allowance

This tax year, the maximum ISA allowance for 2011/2012 is £10,680, of which £5,340 can be put into a cash ISA. All of your allowance or the remainder of it can be saved in an investment ISA.

Remember you can lose money while investing.

Investment ISA

An investment ISA (also known as a stocks and shares ISA) allows you to take full advantage of your annual £10,200 ISA allowance.

Remember you can lose money while investing.