General Investment Account
You don’t have to worry about the headache of picking individual investments – we do that for you.
- Invest as much as you like – no maximum limits
- No upfront costs
- Globally diversified, actively managed portfolios to meet your goals
With investments, your capital is at risk
What is a General Investment Account
If you’ve used your ISA allowance for the current tax year and have more to invest, then this could be the account for you. You can invest as much as you like – there’s no upper investment limit.
A General Account doesn’t have the same tax benefits as a Stocks and Shares ISA. So, although there’s no limit to how much you can invest, you may pay income tax and capital gains tax on your returns.
Flexibility
Simplicity
Accessible
Why choose our General Investment Account
It is a low-cost way for you to invest your capital, or make regular savings, taking into account your investment objectives and the risk you are willing and prepared to take. You don’t have to worry about the headache of picking individual investments – we do that for you. You benefit from our investment expertise to meet your financial goals in line with your ethical values.
Sharia compliant & socially responsible
Active investment management
24/7 secure online access
How does it work
Discover your investor profile
We ask you a number of questions to understand your investment objectives and risk profile
Choose your account
You will decide what account is suitable for you
View your recommended portfolio
We will recommend a globally diversified investment portfolio that best fits your needs and objectives
Complete your online application
You will be requested to share necessary details, including details of existing accounts you are transferring
Fund your account & let us manage your investments
Log in to your account to transfer lumpsum or setup regular contributions. Once your account is funded, our Investment Manager will buy investments and actively manage your investment portfolio
Keep your investments on track
Log in to your account to complete the risk assessment after 180 days to ensure your investments are on track
Our online advice service provides simplified investment advice which means it is limited to the specific amount of money you are investing through this service. This service may be suitable if you have a minimum of £1,000 available to invest over a minimum period of 3+ years. For those investing £50,000+ or those who wish to receive professional financial advice on existing investment arrangements should consider our comprehensive personal advice service.
Portfolio and performance
At Simply Ethical we aim to help clients make their wealth work for them. We are keen to see the value of your investments go up in the long term so that you meet your life objectives that are important to you – Whether that’s saving for a deposit on your first home, paying kids university fees or provision for your retirement years.
Our online advice service consist of seven investment portfolios with Defensive being the least risky portfolio and Progressive Growth being the highest risk portfolio. The 5-year average annual investment return for the period of October 16, 2018 to October 16, 2023 range from 1.3% to 7.6%, depending on the portfolio.
Average annual investment return over 5 year period
Note: Back-tested data used for performance before 30 May, 2019. Actual performance data shown from this date onwards. Performance as at 31 December, 2023. Performance figures are shown in Pound sterling (GBP). The above figures are annualised returns (CAGR). Total return performance figures are calculated on a closing price with net income (dividends) reinvested net of investment charges based on a hypothetical amount of £100,000. The returns do not account for the effects of inflation or tax or adviser charges. Please remember past performance is not a guide to future returns.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Oasis Crescent Global Income
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
HSBC Global Sukuk Index Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You tend to prefer investment portfolio with low risk of a decline in value. You are prepared to accept only a limited risk of loss to your capital. As a result, you will mostly invest your money in short term money market instruments and bonds. You are prepared to take very small level of risk with your capital for the prospect of modest growth than that obtainable from cash in bank account and short term money market instruments. A small proportion of portfolio may be invested in growth assets like property, equities and commodities. This adds an element of risk to your investment but aims to provide some investment returns in the long term. You would like to maintain the real value of your investments against inflation. However, you accept that inflation may erode purchasing power of your capital overtime, particularly if inflation is high.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Oasis Crescent Global Income
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
HSBC Global Sukuk Index Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You are conservative with your investments. However, you do recognise that in order to achieve higher returns, some risk must be incurred and you are prepared to tolerate some fluctuation and volatility in your investment. You are likely to be concerned about the possibility of losing money on your investments, but you do not want to completely ignore the possibility of making higher returns than are offered by bonds and short term money market instruments. You will have your money invested mostly in bonds and short term money market instruments. Your portfolio may have a sizable proportion invested in growth assets like property, equities and commodities.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Oasis Crescent Global Income
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
HSBC Global Sukuk Index Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
WisdomTree Physical Silver
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You are relatively cautious with your investments. You realise that risky investments are likely to be better for longer term returns. You want to try to achieve a reasonable return, and are prepared to accept some risk in doing so. You may have over half of the portfolio invested in bonds and short term money market instruments. The rest of the portfolio may be invested in growth assets like property, equities and commodities. You are prepared to tolerate relatively modest yet frequent fluctuations in value.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Oasis Crescent Global Income
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
HSBC Global Sukuk Index Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC Islamic Global Equity Index Fund
WisdomTree Physical Silver
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You are balanced in your attitude towards risk. You don’t seek risky investments but you don’t avoid them either. You understand that you have to take investment risk in order to be able to meet your long term goals. You are likely to be willing to take risk with part of your assets. You are prepared to accept fluctuations in the value of your investments to try and achieve better long term returns. You are prepared to accept small losses, particularly in the short term, to gain higher returns than simply investing in low or medium risk investments. You may have around half of your portfolio invested in a balanced mix of lower and medium-risk investments such as bonds and the other half invested in higher-risk investments such as property, equities and commodities. You are prepared to tolerate frequent and at times significant fluctuations in value.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC Islamic Global Equity Index Fund
WisdomTree Physical Silver
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You have above average tolerance to risk. You are relatively comfortable with investment risk. You aim for higher long term returns and understand that this can also mean some sustained periods of poorer performance. You are willing to place reasonable emphasis on growth investments like property, equities and commodities and you are aware that these are liable to fluctuate in value. Typically, equities may compose over half of your investment portfolio. You are prepared to accept large fluctuation in value to try and achieve better long term returns.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC Islamic Global Equity Index Fund
WisdomTree Physical Silver
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You have higher tolerance to risk. You are relatively comfortable with investment risk and willing to take risk with a large proportion of your assets. You aim for higher long term returns and understand that this can also mean some sustained periods of poorer performance. You are willing to place emphasis on growth assets like property, equities and commodities and are aware that these are liable to fluctuate in value. Your portfolio will have higher weighting towards growth assets and very low levels towards bond. Typically, equities and commodities may compose over two thirds of your investment portfolio. You are prepared to accept significant fluctuation in value to try and achieve better long term returns.
Cash is the amount of money that you need to leave in the account to deal with transactions and management fees.
Franklin Global Sukuk Fund
Schroder Islamic Global Equity Fund
HSBC MSCI World Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC MSCI Emerging Markets Islamic ESG UCITS ETF
HSBC Islamic Global Equity Index Fund
WisdomTree Physical Silver
The Royal Mint Physical Gold ETC Securities
Risk profile: You are very comfortable with investment risk. You aim for high long term investment returns and do not overly worry about periods of poorer performance in the short to medium term. Your portfolio is likely to have high market volatility and carries higher risk of potential loss of capital. You would like to take advantage of growth assets like bonds, equities and commodities with the prospect of good long term returns. As a result, your portfolio will exclusively invest in growth assets. Your portfolio can be subject to the full extent and frequency of stock market fluctuations.
Our fees
We only charge an annual fee that is tiered within bands as follows:
For the first £50,999
0.75%
per year
Between £51,000 and £100,999
0.70%
per year
Between £101,000 and £250,999
0.65%
per year
Between £251,000 and £1,000,000
0.40%
per year
Over £1,000,000
0.25%
per year
- No set-up fees
- No trading or dealing fees/costs
- No transfers or withdrawal fees/ Free transfers in and out
- No exit fees
Fees and charges will be deducted from your account at the end of each month in arrears.
Each investment portfolio consists of collectives investments including funds and ETFs, which have their own annual management charges. On average, for a given portfolio the overall underlying fund fees are estimated to be approximately between 0.54% and 0.70% per annum. The underlying charges for a portfolio may change from time to time, depending on the underlying investments. Before you sign up, our online application will share all the charges so that it’s crystal clear.
Transfer to us
Complete application
This should take no more than 15 minutes if you have all of your information to hand*
We’ll contact your current provider
Upon receipt of your application we will contact your current provider and make neccessary arrangements. The process normally takes up to 30 days but can take up to 6 weeks depending on your current provider.
Access your account
Once your money has been transferred to your Simply Ethical account, we will let you know by email.
Login to your personal dashboard
Once you are logged in, please click on ‘Deposit & Withdraw’, then choose the ‘Account Transfer’ section and complete the form with transfer details.
We’ll contact your current provider
Upon receipt of your application we will contact your current provider and make neccessary arrangements. The process normally takes up to 30 days but can take up to 6 weeks depending on your current provider.
Access your account
Once your money has been transferred to your Simply Ethical account, we will let you know by email.
*What you’ll need to hand:
- Your existing plan number(s)
- Details of your existing investment or pension provider(s), including provider name and address
- Your bank details
- Your National Insurance Number
Should you need any help, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our online investment advice service simply asks you a number of questions to understand your investment objectives and risk profile to then allocate you to a suitable portfolio of investments that are managed by us on an ongoing basis as your appointed Discretionary Investment Manager. We simply provide electronic investment portfolio recommendations using the information you have provided us. It is therefore extremely important that you provide us with accurate information about your personal circumstances.
This service provides simplified investment advice which means it is limited to the specific amount of money you are investing through this service. The service does not advise on suitable account type (GIA, ISA, JISA, Pensions) to hold your investment portfolio. Moreover, the online advice service does not offer a full or broad assessment of your financial circumstances or consider any existing arrangements (investments, ISAs or pensions) you may have. The service may suit those who wish to self serve and have decided that they do not want a full advice service.
This online service may be suitable if you have a minimum of £1,000 available to invest over a minimum period of 3+ years. For those investing £50,000+ or those who wish to receive professional financial advice on existing investment arrangements should consider our comprehensive personal advice service.
This account does not carry the tax reliefs of investing as is the case with an Individual Savings Account (ISA) or a Junior ISA. If appropriate, investors and savers may therefore look to maximise their ISA allowance or Junior ISA allowance (in terms of saving for children) for any given tax year, before they use General Investment Account.
The General Investment Account could be right for you if you:
- Have used your £20,000 ISA allowance this tax year (2023/24) and you are interested in investing more
- You do not want to lock your money away in a pension until the age of 55
- Want to invest without annual or lifetime limits
- Understand that investment growth is not guaranteed
- Are willing to accept that your money is at greater risk and are prepared to invest for at least five years
You can set up General Investment Account, if you are resident in the UK and are aged 18 or over.
The minimum investment to open an account is £1000, along with £50 per month. There is no maximum limit to the amount you can invest.
Fundment is the platform provider selected by Simply Ethical to deliver its Online Advice service. Fundment will hold your money as Client Money in accordance with the FCA Rules which, among other things, require Fundment to hold your money in a designated client bank account, in compliance with the FCA Rules. This means, amongst other things, that the Client Money Bank will hold your money in a designated client bank account which is an account kept separate from Fundment’s own funds.
No interest is paid on cash.
Once you have completed the account signup process, you can make a deposit through your secure personal dashboard.
Step 1: Please log into your personal dashboard and then click ‘Deposit & Withdraw’.
Step 2: Choose ‘Your goal’ to pick the goal you want contributions to go to.
Step 3: Then, choose ‘Deposit’ for one-off payment or choose ‘Recurring deposit’ for regular contributions.
For one-off or initial contributions, you can make a bank transfer. The relevant bank details and a reference number will be provided, so that you can make payments by instructing your bank.
For regular payments, you can set up a direct debit.
Upon successful payment, the funds will be added to your balance and be available for investment.
You are free to withdraw some or all your money invested through a GIA at any time. We do not charge you to withdraw and it generally takes 3–6 business days for your money to reach your bank account. Your money will be paid directly to the nominated bank details held on file for you.
If you withdraw all your money, after we close your account, we hold your personal information for a period as required by law.
For security reasons, we only make withdrawal payments to your nominated bank account. We do not pay withdrawals to third parties other than to your estate in the event of your death.
No, we only accept transfer in the form of cash.
Cash transfer means that your current investments will be sold and the cash transferred to your account with us.
Please be aware that a cash transfer means:
- You may lose out on investment growth while your investment is not invested during the transfer period.
- You may incur charges when you purchase new investments to be held within your account with us.
- You will not have access to your account until such time as the transfer is complete.
Sale of investments in your General Investment Account (GIA), including switching, may give rise to a capital gains tax liability. Any income generated will normally be subject to income tax in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. The tax treatment of your GIA Cash and investments held in your GIA depends upon your individual circumstances or the terms of the trust under which the GIA is held.
Please remember that the tax benefits of any investment depend upon your personal circumstances and tax laws may change; so you should always refer either to your financial adviser or a specialist tax adviser for up to date tax advice.
All income and capital gains from your account will be subject to capital gains tax and income tax, in accordance with your individual tax position.
Please remember that the tax benefits of any investment depend upon your personal circumstances and tax laws may change; so you should always refer either to your financial adviser or a specialist tax adviser for up to date tax advice.
The amount you get back is not guaranteed and depends on a number of factors, such as:
- How much you invested
- The length of time you invested for
- The performance of the investments
- How much our charges are
- The amount of any withdrawals you have taken
You may cancel your application within 14 days of receiving a ‘Welcome Pack’, which will be sent to you on the completion of your GIA application.
If you decide to cancel, any regular payment will be refunded in full. However, if you decide to cancel any single payment, we will refund the payment, less the amount of any fall in the investments’ market value.
If you opened your GIA with a transfer, you have the same right to cancel within 30 days of receiving a ‘Welcome Pack. If you do cancel by requesting your investments are sold, the proceeds, less any amount by which the investment has fallen, will be returned to you. Alternatively, you may transfer your investments to the originating organisation, providing this is accepted by the originating organisation.
In each of these cancellation events, any adviser charges that have been taken from the GIA will be returned to you. You may still be liable to pay your adviser for the advice or services you have received.
Start investing with Simply Ethical
Cost-efficient investment advice at the touch of a button, full visibility of your investments, and an investment adviser on the phone.