Frequently Asked Questions

Question 1

What's an ETF?

Accepted Answer

An ETF, or exchange-traded fund, is a collection of investments that's listed on a stock exchange. We have a whole guide on ETFs if you'd like to learn more.

Question 2

What types of ETFs are on InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

The ETF range available covers a variety of markets and regions with a collection that includes:

Global indices
Thematic options
ESG-focused ETFs
Money market funds
Dividend ETFs
Emerging markets

Question 3

What should I know about InvestEngine and ETFs

Accepted Answer

If you're looking through InvestEngine's website you're going to read a lot about investing in ETFs. InvestEngine prefers to use exchange-traded funds (ETFs) when building portfolios. In short, this is because ETFs are usually cheap, easy to trade, and track the movement of markets with a good level of accuracy. ETFs hold a basket of assets and usually track a benchmark or index like the FTSE 100 or the S&P 500, but they can also do so much more - exploring all corners of the investing universe.

Question 4

What are the InvestEngine LifePlans?

Accepted Answer

The latest edition to InvestEngine's investment roster is the newly added "LifePlans". There are 5 LifePlans to choose from and each one bundles together a range of ETFs into a single, actively-managed portfolio investment, and you get to select your split between bonds and equities:

LifePlan 20% equity
LifePlan 40% equity
LifePlan 60% equity
LifePlan 80% equity
LifePlan 100% equity

Typically, a higher equity allocation can allow better growth, but a higher bond allocation can reduce your volatility (but likely lower growth). So, the lower equity percentages have a lower risk rating as they should be more stable in terms of price movements. You can hold an InvestEngine LifePlan portfolio in any of the accounts and each comes with a 0.25% management fee plus an ongoing Total Expense Ratio (TER) of between 0.11% and 0.15%. Essentially, LifePlans are an alternative to a fully-managed portfolio as you get a certain level of control without having to pick all the individual ETFs yourself. So they sit somewhere inbetween DIY and managed.

Question 5

Can you withdraw from InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can withdraw funds from your portfolio or account any time you like.

Question 6

What is the InvestEngine GIA?

Accepted Answer

You can start with an initial £100 investment and there's no limit on how much you can invest. Either by choosing your own portfolio or selecting a managed one for a 0.25% annual fee.With this account you might have to pay dividend or capital gains tax (CGT) on your profits. You only really want to use this if you've already paid into an ISA elsewhere or have used up your yearly allowance.

Question 7

What is the InvestEngine stocks and shares ISA?

Accepted Answer

With the InvestEngine ISA, you can use your annual ISA allowance to invest and shield returns from tax. The allowance for the 2024/2025 tax year is £20,000.InvestEngine's stocks and shares ISA is great value – it costs nothing extra. So, it's well worth using your ISA allowance before you invest with the GIA.Again, you can opt for the DIY portfolio or managed option using the ISA and you get access to the full range of ETF options.InvestEngine also offers a free ISA transfer service if you want to switch over to them.Keep in mind, tax treatement depends on personal circumstances and may be subject to change.

Question 8

What is the InvestEngine SIPP?

Accepted Answer

The latest edition to the InvestEngine account line up is a self-invested personal pension (SIPP). True to character, InvestEngine has released one of the cheapest SIPPs available to UK retirement savers (if not the cheapest). This SIPP has no account fee and, like with the other InvestEngine accounts, you can choose to make your own DIY ETF portfolio or opt for a managed portfolio. If you want to use the managed portfolio option, where the InvestEngine experts will control your retirement investments for you, there's an additional 0.25% fee - which is still pretty cheap compared to most other platforms. With the InvestEngine SIPP, you get access to all the same great features as the other accounts, including the large library of ETFs to choose from, but you also get the benefit of tax relief from the UK government. So, anything you contribute will be topped up based on your income tax bracket. Standard pension rules apply and tax rules are subject to change.

Question 9

What is the InvestEngine business account?

Accepted Answer

This account is quite unique and not something offered by most providers. It's designed to be used for businesses that have some surplus money that they'd like to invest.It's a potential way to earn better returns on the money sitting in your bank account. The money can be accessed whenever you want, but any tax advantages depend on your business circumstances.The concept for this account made more sense when we were in an environment of rock-bottom rates. Now that you can get a decent return on cash in the bank, this account may not be so appealing.

Question 10

What are the InvestEngine ready-made portfolios?

Accepted Answer

InvestEngine's ready-made portfolios are fully managed. As with other robo-advisors, your portfolio depends on your risk appetite. It asks you a set of questions that helps the platform understand how you feel about risk to suggest a portfolio for you. InvestEngine automatically rebalances your portfolio to ensure it stays aligned with your investment goals. The main benefit is that the investment team keeps an eye on your portfolio to make sure it remains well-positioned for the latest market conditions. Previously, you could choose between growth or income portfolios – but now InvestEngine only offers growth options (which is what many of us want from our investments).

Question 11

How do you invest in a ready-made portfolio with InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

Choose what sort of portfolio you want. You can choose a growth option based on your risk tolerance.
Choose an account. You can invest in an ISA, SIPP, GIA, or a business account.
Answer some questions. These are mainly about your investment goals and how much risk you're comfortable with.
Look at the portfolio InvestEngine matches to you. This will be made up from a selection of ETFs matched to your needs.
Fund your account. You can start with just £100 and invest from £1 after that.
InvestEngine manages your portfolio for you. It's as easy as that. InvestEngine will constantly adapt your portfolio to keep you on track.

Question 12

What are the InvestEngine DIY portfolios?

Accepted Answer

InvestEngine's DIY option lets you choose which ETFs you want to be invested in. There's more than 700 available on the platform, including ESG options. Once you've chosen which ones you want to invest in, you can choose how they're weighted, so you don't have to be invested equally in each fund.There's more information about choosing which ETFs you want to invest in with InvestEngine's screener below.Once you've created your portfolio, you simply need to make your first deposit. InvestEngine has a one-click "Rebalance Portfolio" feature, which means that as the markets rise and fall, your portfolio stays consistently balanced to the weights you have chosen.You also don't need to set up ETF trades — you can buy and sell based on your portfolio weights, so all future top ups can be automatically organised.

Question 13

Does InvestEngine charge a fee for withdrawal?

Accepted Answer

Nope! It's completely free to withdraw and deposit money with InvestEngine (whether you use the DIY or ready-made portfolios).

Question 14

Are there more details about InvestEngine's features?

Accepted Answer

The notable standout features include:

Savings Plans. The ability to schedule your ETF investments on a monthly, fortnightly or weekly schedule.
AutoInvest. Ensures any spare cash in your account is put to work to keep you fully invested.
One-click rebalancing. As your portfolio shifts over time, you can rebalance everything to your desired allocations with just a single click.
Beta. This is an indication of the market risk that the stock faces. It assesses how exposed a company is to factors that are impacting the whole market.
Portfolio and fund look-through. ETFs contain whole baskets of investments and the look-through feature means you can see at a glance what's held in the funds (or your portfolio).

InvestEngine also offers some decent guides and articles to help you learn more about investing and there's an active community forum for a social aspect.

Question 15

Who is the CEO of InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

Andrey Dobrynin is the co-founder and managing director of InvestEngine.

Question 16

How does InvestEngine make money?

Accepted Answer

Mostly through the 0.25% management fee for the ready-made portfolios and interest on cash in accounts.

Question 17

Is InvestEngine an ISA?

Accepted Answer

InvestEngine lets you invest in an ISA, so you're able to make use of your annual ISA allowance, which is £20,000 in the 2026/2027 tax year.

Question 18

How do you choose ETFs with InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

One of the things we really like about InvestEngine is its ETF screener. It's really easy to use and explains key terms, something a lot of providers fail to do. You can filter the list of ETFs by their asset classes, whether they accumulate or distribute dividends, ESG scores and whether they are currency hedged.When you've chosen a few ETFs, you can see a pie chart with your breakdown based on assets, regions and sectors. This can help you create a well diversified portfolio. Plus, you can keep tweaking even after you've started investing, which we like.

Question 19

Can you invest on a mobile app and desktop platform?

Accepted Answer

InvestEngine can be accessed on its website as well as with a mobile app. You can top-up within the app and see your dashboard to manage your account. It lets you see what you're invested in and a percentage of how much of your portfolio is in each investment.When choosing investments, you can see the full holdings of each ETF, giving you great control over your individual investments.For those investing in ready-made portfolios, it's also got some handy in-app calculators to help you understand how your savings could grow based on one-off investments, how much you plan to invest each month, your risk profile and timeline.

Question 20

What's the InvestEngine referral programme?

Accepted Answer

InvestEngine has an excellent referral programme that can kickstart your portfolio with a bonus of between £10 and £50 when you invest at least £100. When you sign up, you can qualify for a randomly generated bonus. You need to remain invested for 12 months to keep it (check the full T&Cs on the website. Capital at risk.). What's even better is that you can refer up to 25 of your friends and family, with the chance of earning an extra £50 each time! Get started by visiting InvestEngine and opening an account. Still not sure? Compare other share trading platforms with our comparison table.

Question 21

Can I buy shares with InvestEngine?

Accepted Answer

You can't buy shares with InvestEngine, however you can access company shares through exchange-traded funds. If you'd prefer to invest in individual shares, check out our comparison table.

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