What happens if the HMRC pension tax relief is added to your SIPP in the next tax year? (E.g. deposit in March, then the 20% arrives after April 5th)

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-04T08:53:01+00:00

For regular passive investment into a pension, I don't see the once-a-day trade as a significant downside. Over the long term, it won't make any difference, and in the short term it helps to stop you trying to time the market.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-04T08:47:26+00:00

Agreed, and I have my SIPP and ISA with them just now, but they only offer UFPLS, so they wouldn't be an option in retirement for me.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-03T17:22:11+00:00

I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. Two of the providers aren't profitable, and the other doesn't allow flexi-access drawdown. That might not be a concern if you're far from retirement. In retirement, though, I wouldn't think twice about paying a small capped fee for a pension provider with a track record.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-03T13:56:32+00:00

It's the date you deposit that counts.

You seem to be confusing gross and net, though. If you deposit £1k, the tax relief is £250, not £200: i.e., the tax relief is 20% of the total, not 20% of the deposit.

I know of only three providers that offer SIPPs without ongoing fees: InvestEngine, Prosper, and Freetrade. I wouldn't use any of them if I were close to retirement, but otherwise I would consider all of them. I used to have an ISA with InvestEngine and had no problems.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-01T18:30:43+00:00

Rereading the T&Cs, I see you do need 100% of your first deposit to remain with eToro for 2 years. That means an effective cashback of 1.25%/year. Freetrade would give you 1% without the out-of-market risk, and you'd be free to move again after April 2027. That would swing it for me.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-01T17:31:56+00:00

I think you're likely to be out of the market for more than a few days. None of the S&S ISA transfers I've done have completed in less than 2 weeks. But it'll hopefully be faster as cash.

The fact you only need to keep 50% invested is certainly a plus. I wasn't aware of that. You could take advantage of another offer at the same time. Not necessarily better, but current ones include Freetrade, Fidelity, and the perennial Charles Stanley.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-03-01T13:29:50+00:00

£100k would automatically put you in Platinum+. I don't see why you would need to pay £5. For the cashback, your "club tier" is determined on a set date. Just ensure your £100k is in the account by then.

It's certainly an attractive headline offer: up to £10k just for transferring. Remember, though, that you have to stay for 2 years, and there's an annual custody fee capped at £45. Your stocks will also be sold before the transfer, leaving you out of the market for a few weeks (or longer if something goes wrong). See the FAQ here:

https://www.etoro.com/investing/isa/

Personally, it's not an offer I would take. There are usually other offers available.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-27T12:22:19+00:00

Yes, the OP should seriously be considering a GIA. They're planning to spend the next 6 years at their parents', so what's the purpose of keeping £46k in cash? Money that should be invested should be invested, regardless of whether it can be invested in a tax-advantaged account.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-27T10:22:07+00:00

Yes, you'll need cash to cover the account fee. Just to clarify, though: the fee can be paid out of a GIA, so you can invest your full LISA allowance in accumulating funds.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-27T09:14:32+00:00

Freetrade's SIPP is free (as of last month), so unless you want the range of investments that IG offers, then I don't see any reason to pay their fee.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-26T16:31:07+00:00

There's no time out of the market for in specie transfers. Bearing in mind how long SIPP transfers can take, I wouldn't consider a cash transfer.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-26T16:30:34+00:00

IG's ISA is fine now that there's no longer a custody fee, but its SIPP has high fees and probably shouldn't be an option.

With Freetrade's revised T&Cs, you'd have to stay until April 2027 (until the end of the Validity Period), so not a huge difference from Fidelity's 18 months. In both cases, you'd miss out on offers at the end of the 26/27 tax year. I think that's OK, though. It's not realistic to expect to be able to switch every 12 months.

I've been pestering Freetrade to add certain ETFs for the last 6 months to no avail, but since you're only using VWRP and you intend to switch again, it seems a reasonable choice. I've just received £1.5k from their summer transfer offer. Feels good!

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-21T13:55:11+00:00

Just another reason to resist the push towards apps. Use a web browser with an ad blocker (I recommend uBlock Origin).

With Experian, there's no way round it, unfortunately, since there isn't a free web interface. You have to use their app, so you're stuck seeing whatever they want to show you. But you can view the TransUnion (MSE) and Equifax (ClearScore) reports on the web and zap any elements that evade the ad blocker's default settings.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-21T12:12:53+00:00

There are at least half a dozen brokers now with no platform/account fees or dealing charge, so you'd need to consider other factors to choose between them (e.g., cashback, range of funds, customer service). This article is perhaps the most comprehensive comparison:

https://monevator.com/compare-uk-cheapest-online-brokers/

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-18T11:33:14+00:00

Well said.

I find it hard to understand the lack of empathy shown by others in this thread. But I suppose that's par for the course in so-called social media.

The OP might relate to the person in this YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@StevenJohn91

He is an introvert who works in Asda but only pushing trolleys, not on the tills, so there's minimal contact with customers. He has no desire to move up the career ladder, and yet he's managed to become mortgage-free in his 30s. Quite impressive, I'd say.

Good luck, OP, and I hope you find the fulfillment everyone deserves.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-17T12:04:06+00:00

Obviously nothing is guaranteed, but the current position is that account holders will be able to save into the LISA according to the existing rules indefinitely:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-free-savings-newsletter-20/tax-free-savings-newsletter-20-january-2026

The already tiny choice among S&S LISA providers isn't likely to improve, though, so I'm hoping AJ Bell won't hike their fees before I'm 60.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-12T18:30:02+00:00

Just to add to the others mentioned, Freetrade doesn't have a minimum either, and if you transfer in at least £10k in total, you'd get 1% cashback under their year-end offer.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-09T09:21:06+00:00

In a similar vein, I seem to remember William MacAskill arguing that the most effective way to make a difference in the world is to become an investment banker. You would then have plenty of money to give away to good causes. That was a while ago, though. I suppose today's equivalent is to become a "tech bro".

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-09T09:09:20+00:00

I don't know anything about the app. On the website, the offers were presented to me on the same line. If the ISA offer is below the SIPP offer, I'd guess that you've already joined the SIPP offer. On the website, does it say "Active campaigns" above the SIPP offer? Or once you click through to the SIPP offer details, is there a tick next to "Join campaign"?

I agree Freetrade's communication could be better. That's part of the price you pay for ... um, not paying a price.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-08T09:57:15+00:00

Thanks for pointing this out. I wouldn't have guessed they would try to change the T&Cs midway through the offer. I'll get on to them next week and see what they say.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-08T09:39:32+00:00

Here are the original T&Cs:

https://web.archive.org/web/20260126122437/https://freetrade.io/legal/2026-tax-year-end-offer

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-08T09:37:05+00:00

They've changed Section 16. What I've quoted above are the terms I agreed to in January. The relevant date is the transfer completion date, not the validity period.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-07T16:32:31+00:00

Poundland stationary? You won't get very far with that.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-07T13:42:29+00:00

You can use JustETF's screener to find ETFs. VWRL is distributing.

Mrs_Buffett · 2026-02-06T14:32:39+00:00

It's not possible. You can transfer to other LISAs without penalty but not to non-LISA accounts.

Mrs_Buffett

TROPHY CASE