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Shepherds Friendly review
Investing with Shepherds Friendly is a relatively easy process and only takes a few minutes to set up.
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Established almost 200 years ago, Shepherds Friendly is a mutual organisation that offers its members a range of products, including savings, income protection plans and over-50s life insurance.
Shepherds Friendly’s main features:
- Members can have a say in how they want the society run, at annual general meetings and through feedback surveys
- Simple, jargon-free products
- No shareholders, so all profits go back to the membership
Shepherds Friendly investment products
- Stocks and shares individual savings accounts (ISAs)
- Junior stocks and shares ISAs (JISAs)
- Junior Money Maker long-term investment plan for children
- Bonus Plan long-term investment plan for adults
Adult ISAs
The Shepherds Friendly stocks and shares ISA is a personal account where you can invest up to £20,000 alongside other ISAs, including help to buy, lifetime and cash ISAs in the tax year 2023/2024. This means that you can invest up to £20,000 without being taxed on the profits you make.
You can open an ISA with the Shepherds Friendly app. You can save from £30 per month or make single lump sum payments.
You’ve got a couple of different options for your ISA:
- Standard. Invest in a ready-made option and have Shepherds Friendly professionals manage the portfolio for you.
- Sustainable. The same as the standard ISA, except it’s an ethical option that invests in companies that are driving social and economic development.
Junior ISAs
You can also save into junior versions of adult ISAs for your children. They’re virtually the same, except the annual allowance is £9,000 in the 2023/2024 tax year. The money you save up is locked away until your child turns 18, when they’re able to access it.
Junior Money Maker investment plan
Pay between £100 and £200 a month into an account for your child. You can save an extra £2,400 per year without paying tax on profits, on top of the annual JISA allowance.
The plan includes sickness benefits of up to £200 a week if your child falls ill and can’t attend school.
When you want to start cashing out, you can either give the child a lump sum or stagger payments.
Bonus Plan investment plan
This is an investment plan for a minimum of 10 years (or there’s an early repayment charge). You can save between £10 and £25 each month tax free, on top of your annual ISA allowance.
How to set up a Shepherds Friendly account
You can apply to Shepherds Friendly on its website. You’ll then be able to download the app, where you’ll need to provide:
- Plan number
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Mobile phone number
Is Shepherds Friendly safe?
Shepherds Friendly is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority. It’s also covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which means that if Shepherds Friendly were to go bust, your investments are covered for up to £85,000.
Shepherds Friendly customer reviews
Overall, the reviews posted on Trustpilot are positive. Current and previous members have reported receiving a good level of customer service from Shepherds Friendly’s staff.
Members of Shepherds Friendly said that the website was easy to navigate, and their accounts were straightforward to set up. However, members frequently mentioned that they received reductions – commonly 10% – when withdrawing their investment. The policy and reasoning behind the reduction were well and clearly explained by the Shepherds Friendly customer service advisors.
On Trustpilot, Shepherds Friendly has 4.2 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Great”, based on more than 200 reviews. The organisation has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Reviews.io, based on 2,490 reviews (last updated: August 2021).
Pros and cons of Shepherds Friendly
Pros
- Long-established brand. Shepherds Friendly has been going for nearly 200 years.
- Online banking. This gives you instant access to your accounts.
- A range of child accounts. The range includes JISAs and investment accounts.
- Insurance. A few of the products include life or sickness cover.
- Gift voucher. You might get a Love2Shop gift voucher of up to £30 when you open certain accounts.
Cons
- Little choice for adult savers. You will get a more comprehensive selection of savings accounts elsewhere. If you’re after a fixed-rate saver or an easy access account, then maybe look at other providers.
- No high-street presence. It might not be suited to those who prefer face-to-face banking. However, you can contact Shepherds Friendly over the phone, online, and by post and email.
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