Absolutely! We are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and you can check details of our authorisation and the scope of our permissions here. As an authorised entity we are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) so your cash is protected up to the amount of £85,000 and your investments - up to £50,000.

Moreover, when you invest with Wealthsimple, your assets are actually held by SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd., Wealthsimple’s UK custodial broker. In other words, SEI executes trades and holds your assets. SEI is a leading global custodian, looking after $468 billion of client assets, is regulated by the FCA and is also covered by the FSCS.

Every financial institution is required to do background checks on their clients to comply with government regulations. As part of our normal account opening process, we confirm your details with a reporting agency to verify your identity.

We run an identity check on your details, not a credit report, meaning the inquiry will not hurt your credit score or even be visible to other third parties who view your credit report. We do this for your protection so that nobody can abuse your identity or defraud you, and we are authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, so rest assured that your information is kept secure!

No. We don't charge anything for withdrawals, transferring out, or leaving your account open with a zero balance.

Expected returns are impossible to predict and out of your (and our) control. We prefer to focus on the things we can control: fees, diversification and emotions. The stock market will take care of returns over the long term. The key is to stay disciplined and stick to your strategy in order to build wealth. You can read more about our investment strategy here.

First, let's start with the basics: a return is the amount of money earned or lost on an investment. Annual returns are usually shown as a percentage on your statements. Let’s say you start the year with £100, and at the end you have £110; that would mean you have a 10% return on your money.

At Wealthsimple, we calculate your progress in three ways as each gives a slightly different picture:

Simple (naive) return A simple return is a basic calculation of your net earnings divided by your net deposits. It is the easiest calculation to understand. This calculation takes all of your deposits and assumes they were added to your account on the first day the account was funded. But for example, in a case where you've earned positive returns, and then withdrawn more money than you deposited, a simple return won't accurately reflect what's going on.

Time-weighted return Time-weighted returns are the performance of a portfolio over a certain period of time. So if you started the year with £100 in your account, you didn’t touch it, and at the end of the year had £110, that would be a 10% time-weighted return. The thing is, if you make deposits and withdrawals over the year (as most of us do), a time-weighted return won't take that into account. So it's useful for comparing the performance of different investments or money managers, but it doesn't really help you understand how much money you actually made or lost.

Money-weighted return Money-weighted returns take into account any deposits and withdrawals you make and reflect the actual money you made or lost over the year. If you make a large deposit and the market goes up, it will increase your money-weighted return (and vice-versa).* *

Investor type

Our balanced portfolios are suitable for an investor with low-to-medium risk tolerance. If you are relatively cautious with your capital but are willing to seek a return commensurate with reasonable risk, this portfolio is for you.

Breakdown

To view the full list of the funds your portfolio will be invested in, click here.

Investor type

Our Growth portfolios range from 80-100% equity and are designed for people with medium-to-high risk tolerance. If you can bear market fluctuations with relative ease and understand that there can be short-term periods of poor performance, this portfolio is for you.

Breakdown

To view the full list of the funds your portfolio will be invested in, click here.

Investor type

Our Conservative portfolios have between a ~15 - 35% equity allocation. If you prefer stability and a modest return, this portfolio is for you. You should be willing to accept that there are short-term market fluctuations but also hold a long-term perspective.

Breakdown

To view the full list of the funds your portfolio will be invested in, click here.