The Verdict
Average Success Rate
Aviva Wealth 5-Year Avg
The following dataset includes the performances of ready-made portfolios/funds offered by investment platforms and may include both actively and passively managed ready-made portfolios/funds. Performance indicated is also net of all fees to 31st January 2024, unless stated otherwise; any tiered fee structure will be disclosed. Ready-made portfolios/funds that include cryptocurrencies or any other securities outside cash and equities are not included in the dataset.
The dataset only includes ready-made portfolios/funds which are explicitly advertised by their respective platforms as being for ‘beginners’, and which are exclusively offered by the platform itself. Funds which are managed by other providers and may be identically offered across multiple platforms were not included in this dataset. For example, the Vanguard UK All Share Acc. ETF was offered by Plum, but as it is not directly managed by Plum and customers could reasonably access it on multiple platforms, it was not included for the purposes of this research. Other discretely advertised securities or investments are not included.
Industry avg.
The industry average is the median average of all fund/ready-made portfolio performance figures we collated from 23 investment providers. To see the full dataset, visit X page.
Aviva Wealth offers a reasonable selection of products for slightly above-average 0.40% annual fees. There's a good selection of funds, but there's only around 800 stocks to choose from and, as Aviva only offers UK shares, there are no individual US equities to invest in. You can get access to US securities through many of the ETFs offered by Aviva but this might not be sufficient for you if you're wanting to get in on a particular US stock.
Aviva also provides a selection of
A ready-made portfolio is a pre-made collection of investments that have been put together by investment experts. They are designed to be a simple option for those who don’t want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves.ready-made portfolios
for those who don't want to choose individual stocks or funds for themselves. However, these have slightly underperformed the industry average over the past 5 years, and vastly underperformed the industry average when you compare 10-year returns.
Aviva's platform and research tools are good, but it's all quite middle-of-the-road for fees that you could be reduced by transferring to other providers. AJ Bell, for example, charges 0.25% annual fees and lower dealing fees for far more choice. investing insiders offers a low-cost SIPP with a huge choice of assets. If you wanted to trade more regularly, Trading 212 and Saxo Markets' Saxo Investor platform provide low-cost options.
Aviva is a well-known brand, but don't settle just on that basis. There are plenty of strong options if you're looking for an ISA, JISA, SIPP or general investment account.
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Reasons to use
- Choice of stocks, funds, ETFs, investment trusts and ready-made portfolios
- Annual fees cap of £45 for shares/ETFs/investment trusts could make this a cheap account for large portfolio holders
- No dealing fees on funds
- Good rates of interest on uninvested cash
- Find and Combine service to track down old pensions
Reasons to avoid
- Only UK shares
- £7.50 per trade dealing fees
- Ready-made portfolio performance is lower than industry average
- £500 minimum lump sum deposit (although option to make £25 per month regular deposits instead)
- Junior ISA is administered through Wealthify, not a top-performing brand
- No fractional shares
Ready-made Portfolio
Average Success Rate
Aviva Wealth 5-Year Avg
The following dataset includes the performances of ready-made portfolios/funds offered by investment platforms and may include both actively and passively managed ready-made portfolios/funds. Performance indicated is also net of all fees to 31st January 2024, unless stated otherwise; any tiered fee structure will be disclosed. Ready-made portfolios/funds that include cryptocurrencies or any other securities outside cash and equities are not included in the dataset.
The dataset only includes ready-made portfolios/funds which are explicitly advertised by their respective platforms as being for ‘beginners’, and which are exclusively offered by the platform itself. Funds which are managed by other providers and may be identically offered across multiple platforms were not included in this dataset. For example, the Vanguard UK All Share Acc. ETF was offered by Plum, but as it is not directly managed by Plum and customers could reasonably access it on multiple platforms, it was not included for the purposes of this research. Other discretely advertised securities or investments are not included.
Industry avg.
The industry average is the median average of all fund/ready-made portfolio performance figures we collated from 23 investment providers. To see the full dataset, visit X page.
Aviva Wealth's average returns are not particularly spectacular, falling slightly below the industry average overall, over the past five years. Performance over the past 10 years is even more disappointing, with average returns of 39.7% falling far short of the median industry average of 74.1%.
Fees
Aviva's annual fees of 0.40% are slightly higher than the average so you need to feel you're getting good value for money with this service.
There are, however, some reductions if you hold funds valued more than £50,000, and annual fees are waived altogether on fund values over £500,000.
Fees for holding shares are capped at £45 per year which could be cheap if you hold a high value portfolio and there are no dealing fees on funds, but dealing fees on shares are an expensive £7.50 per trade.
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Reasons to use
- Annual fees cap of £45 for shares
- No dealing fees on funds
- Good rates of interest on uninvested cash
- Annual fees for funds reduced to 0.35% on amounts over £50,000
- Annual fees for funds waived altogether on amounts over £500,000
Reasons to avoid
- 0.40% annual fees are on the high side
- £7.50 dealing fees for trading shares/ETFS/investment trusts is expensive
- No annual fee cap for holding funds so if your holdings are high but less than the point at which they're reduced/removed, you're paying a high price
Account Opening
Account opening is fully digital and takes five minutes.
Research
All investment data and company information is provided by the experts at Morningstar, but it is very limited. There are so many holes in what is provided here that it's very hard to make a decision on how suitable the investment is for your goals from just the information provided. I needed to supplement with data from other websites.
Reasons to use
- Stock, fund, ETF, and investment trust screener to allow you to narrow down your search for investments
- Filter by industry, market cap, yield, and P/E ratio
- Fund Key Investor Information Documents are easy to find
- View past performance charts over 1M, 3M, 6M, 1Y, and YTD
- Ability to select & compare potential investments side-by-side
Reasons to avoid
- No live pricing - stock prices delayed by at least 15 minutes
- Limited selection of fundamentals and key metrics on display
- No analyst ratings or forecasts
Safety
Aviva is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
Reasons to use
- A well-established household name
- Listed on the London Stock Exchange and part of the FTSE 100
- Authorised and regulated by the FCA
- FSCS protected
Education
Educational materials are limited to some articles and beginners' guides on the Aviva website. They're well-written and designed for those with no prior knowledge of investing, but not particularly revolutionary or in-depth as they mostly just cover the basics.
Reasons to use
- Blog articles on investing and saving
- Investment for beginners guides
- Investment calculator, compound interest calculator, and ISA calculator
Reasons to avoid
- Basic level of knowledge only
- No investing courses, podcasts, video, or live webinars
Customer Service
Aviva Wealth has a dedicated phoneline for investing enquiries but getting access can be a mission if you don't know where to look. I initially went through the chatbot which meant I had a task trying to persuade the chatbot that I needed to speak to a human. It seemed to think I only deserved to be told the phone number once I'd exhausted all online avenues. However, I did later spot the phone number on a web page. To save you searching, here it is: 0800 285 1088. It's available Monday - Friday 8am - 5:30pm. It's a shame there's no Saturday service.
Aviva has a 4.1 star "great" rating on Trustpilot. That rating does encompass Aviva's full spectrum of services, however, so it may not be entirely reflective of investment customers' experiences.
Reasons to use
- 24/7 chatbot
- Web form available to get a personalised response
- Extensive online help with queries
- 4.1 star rating on Trustpilot
Reasons to avoid
- No weekend phone support
- If you complete a web form enquiry, replies can take up to 24 hours
Disclosure
Share
Fact
Checked
Best for UK investors
FCA approved
Verdict
Available
Not available