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Make sure investing is right for you

When you’re thinking about investing, it’s important to decide whether it’s the right thing for you and your financial goals. All investments carry risk, so positioning investing within your wider financial goals can help you make this decision. 

Before you consider investing, saving between 3–6 months of living expenses as a safety net for emergencies helps ensure you can look after your essentials whenever you need to. 

Ensure you’ve cleared any existing short-term debt. Once the essentials are sorted, this might be the time to think about investing as an option for your spare cash. 

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Choose the right investment account (GIA or S&S ISA)

Now it’s time to think about the type of investment account you want to set up. There are two options: A Stocks & Shares ISA and a General Investment Account (GIA). Both options allow you to store and access your investments in one place. 

A Stocks & Shares Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a great option if:

• You’d like to utilise tax-free returns;
• You’d like to deposit up to £20,000 per tax year, and enjoy tax exempt returns on this type of account;
• You’ve got an existing Cash ISA or SSISA you’re looking to transfer.

A General Investment Account (GIA) is a useful tool if:

• You’ve already made use of your £20,000 annual ISA allowance;
• You’d like to make use of unlimited investment in a GIA. Remember your returns are potentially taxable. 

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GIA proceeds are potentially taxable, subject to any annual exemption that may apply. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances. Chip does not offer tax or financial advice. Seccl Custody Limited is the ISA Manager for the Chip Stocks and Shares ISA. A monthly or annual ChipX membership is required and fund management charges apply. ISA limits apply. Invest £20k per tax year. Chip does not provide tax advice or financial advice. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may be subject to change in the future.

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Consider your level of risk

Risk is an important factor to consider when selecting your investments. In our Investment Funds page, we’ve organised our funds into 3 different risk categories: low, medium and high. This should help you diversify and spread your risk across your portfolio. 

Read our full guide here.

Each fund has its own risk and reward profile determined by the fund provider. It’s worth noting that historically, lower risk level funds have seen lower returns and losses with less volatility, and higher risk, more volatile funds have yielded higher returns and losses. 

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Choose your track

When our members invest with us, we want to make sure they’re growing their money in the right place. We offer two tracks at Chip, so you can either have your funds ‘Selected for You’, or you can ‘Do it Yourself’. 

Our ‘Selected for You’ funds  give you three simple investment choices based on your risk level: Cautious, Balanced and Adventurous. 

These three options are provided by BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, and their popular MyMap range.

The MyMap range is a curated selection of ready-made funds, providing you with a cost-effective, diverse, and risk-managed investment solution, all in one place. 

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Here are the MyMap funds in our ‘Selected for You’ range:

Cautious Fund - MyMap 4 Fund: Prioritises stability and security.

Balanced Fund - MyMap 5 Fund: More growth focussed, with some security.

Adventurous Fund - MyMap 6 Fund: Higher risk with the potential of greater long-term rewards. 

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Our range of ‘Do it Yourself’ funds is spread across the following:

Global: Invests in companies of all sizes worldwide.

Multi-Asset: A diversified mix of funds and assets.

Market Specific: Invests in specific countries or regions.

Index Trackers: Replicates the performance of a stock market index.

Thematic: Focuses on specific industries or sectors e.g. AI, Space. 

Actively Managed: Investment managers actively make decisions.

Bonds/Money Market Funds: Invests in lower-risk, fixed income assets.

Commodities: Invests in physical commodities like gold and silver.

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Read our full guide on choosing your track here.

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Customise your portfolio

We want you to feel the confidence that you can access your investments at any time. So, in the event that you want to switch things up, you can buy and sell your fund holdings for free, without the added hassle.

Simply go to the ‘Invest’ tab in your Chip app, manage your investments with ease. Deposit, Buy, Sell, and Transfer at the touch of a button.

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Free up time for the stuff that matters

Now that you’ve got control over your investments, you can get back to the things in your life that matter to you most. It’s easy to take stock of your investment performance in the Chip app.

You’ve made the important choices for your money, now it’s time to let Chip look after the rest! 

Our AI Autosave feature can help you take a look at your income and spending, and calculates what you can afford to invest. If you’ve already figured out a set amount you’d like to invest, this is made easy with our recurring deposits feature. 

We understand that sometimes, life happens! If circumstances arise, and you need to make a change to your recurring deposits, you can turn them on and off in the Chip app.

Charges may apply.

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When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than your original investment. This article is not personal advice. Chip does not provide financial advice

Chip Financial (Investments) Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, under firm reference number 1005114.