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Why choose Smart Investor?

Here's our rundown of the benefits

The best bits of Smart Investor

So you’re ready to start investing, or perhaps you’ve been investing for a while and are looking for an award-winning service that can give you the tools you need to grow your money. Look no further.

There are lots of reasons why over 300,000 people choose us, so we've pulled out what we think are some of the best ones below.

I’m now investing monthly to build up my investments going forward

Alison, 56, Lancashire

Thousands of customers are signing up to invest through us.

Ready-made Investments

Ready-made investment funds are ideal if you’re new to investing, short on time, or would prefer an expert to manage your investments for you.

  • Managed for you – these funds are managed for you by our investment experts
  • Decide your risk – our five funds have a different risk and reward level which allows you to choose what’s right for you
  • Low-cost – we keep our fees low to help your money grow
  • Start from £50 – make a one-off payment or set up a regular monthly Direct Debit from just £50.

Barclays Funds List

With thousands of funds to choose from, knowing where to start can be daunting. Let us narrow down the options for you.

Our experts have selected a range of funds from each of the investment sectors we believe are key for building a diversified portfolio. As well as including funds from different sectors, our list includes different types of funds – active, trackers, and our own Barclays Multi-Manager funds. We continue to monitor the list and make adjustments to the selection as and when we believe it's required.

Barclays Price Improver™

When you place an order, we go the extra mile to make sure you’re getting the best available price from our selected Retail Service Providers and trading venues. We’ll do this automatically, every time you buy or sell shares, Exchange Traded Funds, investment trusts or Real Estate Investment Trusts listed on the London Stock Exchange.

Through Barclays Price Improver™, 91.19% of qualifying deals1 placed between January 2024 and December 2024 got a better price than the quoted price on the London Stock Exchange.

Our online tools and support

From tools to videos and informative articles – we’ve got everything you need to help you make informed decisions and stay up to date with what’s going on. In our Research Centre you’ll find:

  • Real time pricing
  • In-depth company info
  • The latest market movements
  • Advanced comparison tools.

Transaction fees

Activity Cost
Buying and selling shares online* £6 per trade**
Buying and selling funds online No charge**
Regular investments (including shares) No charge
Dividend reinvestment No charge
Holding cash No charge
Transferring investments No charge
Cash withdrawal and account closure No charge

*Including ETFs, investment trusts, bonds and gilts 

**£25 per trade by telephone. Taxes may apply when buying shares. A foreign exchange and an international brokerage fee will be charged when trading international shares.

The transaction fee is charged at the time of the transaction and is taken directly from cash you have in your investment account. Before placing a trade, you’ll always be shown the fees that apply. For trading international equities, please also refer to the foreign exchange fees.

Ready to get started?

If you’re ready to open an account, it’s easy to get started.

Remember that investments can go down as well as up in value, so you could get back less than you put in. Smart Investor doesn’t offer personal advice, so if you’re unsure about investing, speak to a financial adviser. Tax rules can change in the future and their effects on you will depend on your own circumstances. Smart Investor is an investment service for UK residents. Our service is not available to US persons, even where resident in the UK.