Invest £100k

As bonus season is fast approaching, thought it would be great to start a thread on what are good ways in the UK to invest a lump sum.

What are the good platforms, portfolio mix, anyone using wealth advisors, especially in context of medium term investing (assuming many of the associates / senior associates / young VPs will aim to buy property / settle at some point) etc etc

Curious to just hear your thoughts and see what everyone has been doing given the limited time we have in our job to actively manage a portfolio / do all the extra work associated with it

13 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are some insights on investing a lump sum of £100k in the UK, especially for medium-term investing:

Good Platforms:

  1. Vanguard: Known for low-cost index funds and ETFs.
  2. Hargreaves Lansdown: Offers a wide range of investment options and strong research tools.
  3. AJ Bell Youinvest: Competitive fees and a good selection of funds and shares.
  4. Interactive Investor: Flat fee structure, which can be cost-effective for larger portfolios.

Portfolio Mix:

  • Equities: Consider a mix of UK and international equities. For example, S&P Index, Total International Bond/Equity Index.
  • Bonds: Include a portion of bonds for stability, such as UK government bonds or international bond funds.
  • Real Estate: REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) can provide exposure to property markets without the need to directly buy property.
  • Alternative Investments: Depending on risk tolerance, consider a small allocation to alternative investments like commodities or private equity.

Wealth Advisors:

  • Schroders: Highly rated for wealth management services.
  • Henderson (pre-Janus): Known for strong performance in asset management.
  • Pioneer (pre-Amundi takeover): Another reputable name in wealth management.

Considerations for Medium-Term Investing:

  • Risk Tolerance: Assess your risk tolerance and investment horizon. Medium-term typically means 3-5 years, so balance between growth and stability.
  • Diversification: Ensure your portfolio is well-diversified to mitigate risks.
  • Fees: Be mindful of platform and fund fees, as they can erode returns over time.
  • Time Management: Given the limited time available due to demanding jobs, consider platforms that offer automated investing or robo-advisors to reduce the need for active management.

Additional Tips:

  • Regular Reviews: Even with a medium-term horizon, periodically review and rebalance your portfolio to stay aligned with your goals.
  • Tax Efficiency: Utilize tax-efficient accounts like ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) to maximize returns.

These insights should help you make informed decisions about investing your bonus in the UK.

Sources: Calling all Financial Advisors: What products do high net-worth people use to manage their wealth?, Q&A: Equity Analyst at a Sovereign Wealth/Pension Fund, Should I make the move to a multi-manager platform?, Best Roth IRA Platforms?, How PWM really works (part 1): past, present, future, and $$$

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Without being funny, it depends on you and what you want. If your mother is sick and might need cash ASAP and you're also engaged and you both want babies ASAP it's different than if you want to be a bachelor(ette) and you come from a healthy family who also just won euromillions, but....

1) I use Hargreaves Lansdown. No particular reason so I'm not recommending it, but I'm familiar with the interface, fees are fairly competitive (but it's not like I do a monthly benchmarking), and it isn't like I'm trading every day. You shouldn't be either - find a handful of funds (I assume you can't buy single equities like most of us) and sit back. Assuming you're young and don't forsee cash needs it's typically equity-heavy

2) Max out your ISA. That should be obvious

3) Consider over-contributing to your pension. Not very sexy and totally inappropriate if you need that cash in the near future, but the tax benefits are enormous

4) I do use a wealth advisor. Again I'm not necessarily recommending that you do because they usually require you to put money away with them in a fund with high fees, but was so pitifully uneducated about money (ironically) that it helped me understand tax savings, pensions, etc. I saw it as paying for advice (which is also literally my job in IB)

5) I'm not sure your tax band but mine is 45% marginal rate, so I have zero tax-free allowance for savings. So for cash I need in the near-term or want as a safety fund not succeptible to market volatility, I actually maxed out the £50k allowance for Premium Bonds. Very old school, I know, but the cash is readily available and earns 4.40% interest. That's fine, but it's entirely untaxable, whereas any other interest is subject to 45% tax. It won't make me the £10m house, but it's not bad for a safety fund

That's some thoughts off-hand!

 

Very helpful, thanks. I just moved to the UK. Does it make much difference who you set up your ISA with? And do you plough it all into the S&P?

 

It doesn't really matter in most regards which ISA provider you use. There's an absolute cap on the amount you can invest in an ISA in any one year so keep that in mind. An ISA is basically a tax wrapper, and I usually just use the same broker as I use for my normal investing.

Personally I mix between 3 low cost funds which focus on (A) Broad market (I.e. S&P), (B) Emerging markets, and (C) Tech. This is because my Stocks and Shares ISA is my long term investing account so I tend to have it weighted towards higher risk and return, but of course tailor for your own preferences.

 
Most Helpful

Some great points here - would add a couple of extra things to think about:

  • On #3 once you start earning >£260k the amount you can contribute to your pension and still get the nice 45% tax relief on starts getting tapered down. Consider overcontributing before you hit that point (esp before you hit £360k where you can no longer contribute any more than £10k/annum).
  • On #5 - if you are an additional rate taxpayer (45% marginal rate) and don't want to take equity risk with an investment but happy locking up cash for a bit, short duration UK government bonds can be an even better bet than Premium Bonds. Look for ones issued in the ultra low interest rate period that have close to a zero coupon so all the yield is coming from capital appreciation. Weird quirk of UK tax law means you pay zero capital gains tax on UK gov bonds, so the ~4% yield is equivalent to more like 7.3% gross interest on a savings account (where you would have to pay tax at your marginal rate on the interest income). Inflation-linked bonds also look pretty good if you want to lock up for longer. 
 

S&P500, if I was in the US I would probably go for a 2x levered 60:40 portfolio.

 

I just go all in Nasdaq 100 or S&P 500 Technology Sector ETF. More volatility but you should be able to deal with it and not check it daily.

I think it was Tom Lee who said the S&P 500 will eventually reach 50% tech exposure, which I basically agree with. Also justifiable on a risk perspective if you work in finance to minimise your exposure to financial institutions’s equities (as they’ll be highly correlated to your job). 

 

Assumenda accusantium omnis at aspernatur. Dicta aut dolore ut reprehenderit laudantium. Et et amet perspiciatis quo. Ut ullam impedit eligendi est vel fuga doloremque. Sed et neque et.

Dolor officia aperiam repellendus nulla ab reprehenderit. Distinctio minus ut et suscipit ea vitae accusantium. Dolores fugiat corrupti natus est debitis commodi. Et incidunt laboriosam similique.

Consequatur quia corporis quod et. Voluptates consequatur animi temporibus est alias molestiae sint. Aliquam deserunt ea deserunt aut ea. Eligendi qui animi rerum reiciendis nemo eveniet aut.

Mollitia exercitationem non molestiae beatae porro. Quidem illum et dolor quasi. Soluta dignissimos aperiam error vel assumenda voluptatem. Non sapiente et maiores omnis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”