An Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a simple and flexible savings plan with returns free of income and capital gains tax. There are two types of ISA available. A Stocks & Shares ISA and a Cash ISA. You can contribute up to £7,200 p.a. of which £3,600 can be in a cash ISA. From April 2008 you can also move existing Cash ISA savings into a Stocks & Shares ISA.

All ISA investments are enhanced Online ISA fund performance data Qualified ISA specialists

Our ISA service
Our ISA & ISA transfer service is free and reduces the upfront charges you normally pay when you invest directly with a fund management group or insurance company. We deal through all the leading fund supermarket groups including Fidelity and Cofunds as well as individual fund management groups and insurance companies. The discount we offer is not available when you invest directly. Request a quote and application pack.

Apply online
You can apply for a new Stocks & Shares ISA online using our link to Fidelity Funds Network and Cofunds online fund supermarkets. Our online facilities allow you to purchase your new Stocks & Shares ISA or transfer your existing ISA in less than ten minutes. Apply for your ISA now or learn more about fund supermarkets.

Choice of funds
A CASH ISA can include some national insurance products, cash unit trusts and bank and building society accounts but unlike cash deposits with your bank or building society, all interest will be tax-free.

A STOCKS & SHARES ISA contains the investment element of an ISA. You can choose to invest directly into individual stocks and shares or managed investments such as OEICs, investment trusts, corporate bonds or unit trusts run by professional investment management groups and insurance companies. You can also select one of five risk-graded portfolios if you do not wish to pick a specific fund.

ISA fund performance
An explanation of the different investment funds and the risk associated with each fund and asset class, together with online past performance data and detailed fund fact sheets for all qualifying UK investment funds can be obtained from our fund performance pages. You can also download our ethical investment questionnaire and provide us with your negative and positive criteria if you are considering investing in an ethical fund.

Enhancements & discounts
Our enhancements and product discounts for ISA’s change on a regular basis and depend on the terms we, and the fund supermarkets, negotiate with the investment management groups and insurance companies. Typically our enhancements range from 2% - 5% and normally remove all up front charges. This represents an immediate enhancement of between £140 and £350 for a £7,000 investment. Our enhancements are in addition to any product discounts and special offers available from the investment management groups or insurance companies.

ISA transfers
Poor investment performance or high charges can result in underperformance of your ISA. Our investment review service is designed to assess the investment performance of your existing ISA’s and their charges against their peers, and your attitude to investment risk. If your ISA funds are underperforming or your funds are out of line with your attitude to investment risk, a revised profile will be provided and an ISA transfer recommended. Our enhancements also apply to ISA transfers.

Taxation of ISAs
ISA's can be used as a tool to mitigate liability to personal tax as you pay no tax on any of the income your receive from your ISA and you pay no capital gains tax arising on your ISA investments. This allows you to build up a lump sum that can be used to create a tax free "income" in the future. As you do not have to disclose withdrawals "the income" to the Inland Revenue this "income" would not affect the availability of any age allowances.

Alternative options
Investment bonds, unit trusts and investment trusts allow you to structure your investment in a different way. These investment plans can provide tax efficient income and capital growth without an upper limit on the amount you can invest.

Traded endowments, known as second hand endowments, allow you to invest into a plan with underlying guarantees with opportunities for capital growth.

To request a quote
Complete our online ISA investment enquiry form or call one of our specialist ISA advisers to request your free ISA quote. As an internet based firm of independent financial advisers we provide advice over the telephone, via email and through the post. Dealing with you in this way allows us to discount our commissions to provide you with the very best discounted ISA's.

Help & advice
There are many different options to consider when choosing an ISA and it makes sense to take advice from a qualified specialist who is independent and can offer you products and services from the whole of the market place. Please call one of our independent advisers or contact us to discuss the different options available to you and to request your ISA or ISA transfer quote.