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In this InvestEngine review we take a closer look at the company to see what they offer as both a robo advisor and for those looking to invest on a DIY basis.
A lack of financial knowledge stops many people from making the most of their money.
A survey called the Great British Financial Literacy Test was carried out by Freetrader earlier this year. They discovered that half of the respondents didn’t understand basic financial terms.
As worrying as this is, not everyone needs the same level of help with their investing. It’s easy to see why the new generation of smart investing sites offer options right for different types of people. How does InvestEngine fit into this and are they worth a try?
LIMITED TIME ONLY – Top-up or transfer to InvestEngine* by 30/04/24 and receive a bonus of up to £2,500 (Capital at risk, Ts&Cs apply)
Who Are InvestEngine?
InvestEngine are a new low cost investment platform established by Simon Crookall – the co-founder of Gumtree.
The company offer robo-advice with a single low management fee of just 0.25{e6a1e97ec1a15155ca0ed8c3e87721e561c99ed6e52274045963a20278fc2089}. They also offer a DIY portfolio service which is free – meaning there are no set-up, dealing or annual charges. The only costs for the DIY option come from the ETFs that you invest in and any associated financial spreads.
The minimum investment amount is just £100 and you can also invest on a regular monthly basis.
InvestEngine have an app and you can invest through a personal account, a tax-free ISA, SIPP (self-invested personal pension) or a Business Account.
What Do InvestEngine Offer?
Now you know who the company are, let’s move on with our InvestEngine Review and see what they have to offer!
InvestEngine are an interesting platform as they operate as both a robo-advisor and also as a DIY investment platform. InvestEngine uses the latest technology to offer smart investing where most of the processes are automated and algorithms are used to make decisions. There are two basic options to choose from here. You can either do it yourself by managing your own investments, or choose a managed portfolio.
The DIY option lets you choose from a range of ETFs that are easy – and free – to buy and sell. You can get started from £100 and the process has clearly been designed to make it as simple as possible.
You don’t need to be a financial wizard to take the DIY option but you do need to make decisions about which of the 610+ ETFs to choose. The process is still easier than going it alone on the stock market, but you will need to have a degree of financial confidence to do this.
The other approach involves letting InvestEngine manage your money for you. The system uses smart technology to make the decisions for you, based on your stated financial goals. Overall, the idea is to maximise the return you get while staying at a risk level you feel comfortable with.
How to Get Started
You can get started easily on the InvestEngine website*. You will be asked to confirm if it is an individual or business account. After that, you are prompted to enter your personal details.
Click to add a new portfolio and you are immediately faced with the DIY or Managed options. If you opt to go it alone, you are led through a series of choices that determine the type of account and the elements that make it up. You then get asked about investment goals and risk levels.
Assuming that you choose the managed portfolio, you will get taken through a similar set of questions but without the need to pick specific investments. All you’re doing in this case is picking the type of investment approach you want.
InvestEngine Fees and Costs
No InvestEngine review would be complete without examining the fees and cost involved.
If you choose a DIY investment, there are no portfolio fee charges. On the other hand, the managed portfolio option has a 0.25{e6a1e97ec1a15155ca0ed8c3e87721e561c99ed6e52274045963a20278fc2089} annual fee attached to it
It’s worth bearing in mind that each of the ETFs in your managed or DIY portfolio has its own charges. These include annual charges and market spreads, that don’t go to InvestEngine.
The overall cost for a managed portfolio, therefore, seems to work out at an average of about 0.5{e6a1e97ec1a15155ca0ed8c3e87721e561c99ed6e52274045963a20278fc2089} to 0.6{e6a1e97ec1a15155ca0ed8c3e87721e561c99ed6e52274045963a20278fc2089}. This takes everything into account, although it will vary depending upon the choices you make.
There are no charges for opening, closing or running your account with InvestEngine.
How can they offer this service free for the DIY model and so cheaply for the managed investments? Their site says that they can offer such low rates because so much of their process is automated.
InvestEngine Reviews
A look at some InvestEngine reviews suggests that it is seen as a fast, easy way to invest. The low cost and ease of use have certainly helped to win over the majority of reviewers to date.
There are now more InvestEngine reviews available on sites like TrustPilot. Most of those posted so far are highly positive. Most customers seem to be happy with the customer service on offer. The few negative comments are usually about the lack of information such as historical performance data.
Who is InvestEngine For?
As we saw at the beginning, a lot of people lack the knowledge needed to make good investments. Could the InvestEngine process be right for some of them? It is certainly a simple way to choose ETFs that anyone can try regardless of their experience.
Someone who has a bit more confidence in making the right decision could try the DIY option. However, a relative lack of options and information mean that it may not attract serious investors. The DIY portfolio seems more likely to appeal to someone who wants to keep it simple but also likes to feel some degree of control over what they do with their money.
Is Your Money Safe?
In terms of protection, the company is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Your investment with them may be covered up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
How Do They Compare to Others?
We hope the information contained in this InvestEngine Review has given you a good overview of the company. How do InvestEngine compare with similar companies, though?
The cost of using the service is where InvestEngine really do come into their own compared to similar companies. This is true when it comes to both robo-advice and do it yourself investing.
Here is a chart to show how InvestEngine’s fees compare with that of Moneyfarm, Nutmeg and Wealthify for their managed portfolio service…
And here’s another one to show how their fees stack up compared with companies like Interactive Investor, Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell for their do it yourself ETF investment platform…
Conclusion
Anyone who is interested in making their money work for them but lacks the experience to confidently make decisions might find that this is just what they are after.
The DIY option maybe feels a bit light, which makes me think that they might add some premium features in the future. InvestEngine also suggest that they will be offering pensions soon. This is sure to bring InvestEngine to the attention of even more investors.
While InvestEngine might not be the right investment option for everyone, it is certainly an attractive option for those who are interested in investing but who don’t have the time to look into the subject fully. It could also act as part of a broader portfolio of investments for other investors too.
We hope this InvestEngine Review helped you to decide if they are the right investment platform for you. If you think they are then you can sign up with InvestEngine here*
Don’t Forget – Top-up or transfer to InvestEngine by 30/04/24 and receive a bonus of up to £2,500 (Capital at risk, Ts&Cs apply)
With investing, your capital is at risk. Investengine (UK) Limited is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority FRN [801128]
