Income, dividends and capital gains can be accrued tax-free within a stocks and shares ISA, which makes this type of account very attractive for long-term savers. In theory, investors can benefit from compounding returns over time within the tax-free wrapper.
You can transfer money from a cash ISA to a stocks and shares ISA,and vice versa (money in a stocks and shares ISA can be transferred into cash). If you transfer an ISA that you have paid into during the current tax year to a new provider, you must transfer the whole balance.
What is the average return on a cash ISA?
Generally speaking, however, stocks and shares ISA have historically performed relatively well. For example, according to Finder.com, the average annual rate of return for stocks and shares ISAs from April 1999 to April 2020 was 5.14%.
Here are some of the best stocks and shares ISAs for beginners:
- Plum – Low cost; automatic investing; beginner-friendly.
- Moneyfarm – Mid-price range; offers advice and ESG investments.
- InvestEngine – Low cost; commission-free ETFs.
- Chip – Low cost, automatic investing; ethical investments.
Top five ready-made stocks and shares ISAs
- Halifax Portfolio.
- Fidelity Personal Investing Cost Focus Portfolios.
- HSBC Portfolio.
- evestor.
- Vanguard LifeStrategy Portfolio.
- Barclays Investment ISA.
- Platform fee.
- Dealing charges.
Investing is for the long term
As with all investing, it’s recommended that you invest your money in a stocks and shares ISA for at least three years, and you keep your money invested for as long as possible. Staying invested for longer allows your investment to grow and to better weather any market volatility.
Can my ISA lose money?
Cash ISAs are considered to be safe because the balance in the accounts will never decrease unless you withdraw money. However, in the long-term, they aren’t totally risk free because the value of your money will decrease with inflation. That means that over time you can buy less with your money.
Can I invest in more than one? No. You can only pay into one stocks and shares ISA each tax year. However, you can still pay into other types of ISA, but only one of each type every tax year.
Yes. Any investments held will be sold and transferred as cash. To do this, you’ll need to request the transfer via the new provider you’ve selected for a cash ISA.
All withdrawals from Stocks and Shares ISA are free of tax, be it profits, interest, or dividend income. Additionally, the money withdrawn from flexible Stocks and Shares ISAs can also be put back within the same financial year to retain the tax benefits.