Three ways to build an ISA portfolio from scratch

Putting together a portfolio to weather different conditions is no easy task, even in calmer times. For beginner investors it can be particularly puzzling, given there are thousands of funds to choose from.To help cut through the noise, interactive investor’s Dave Baxter has put together three hypothetical portfolios for different risk levels: cautious, balanced and adventurous. Dave joins Kyle to explain his choices and how he arrived at the mix of assets. The duo also discuss ‘hands-off’ funds for investors on the lookout for low maintenance options.The three hypothetical portfolios can be found in the links below:How to build a cautious ISA portfolioHow to build a medium-risk ISA portfolioHow to build a higher-risk ISA portfolio Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Many top funds deliver their best returns in the early years, when the portfolio is small and the investment team is hungry for success. But spotting these names before the crowd is easier said than done if you're a DIY investor.The latest episode of our On The Money podcast looks at what tools you can use, what you should look for in a fund, and some of the names that have stood out in the past.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The new tax year brings fresh annual allowances for ISAs and SIPPs. While it always makes sense to invest in a tax-efficient manner, the mantra of ‘use it or lose it’ has arguably never been as important. This is because from the start of the next tax year (6 April 2027) major changes come into force, with unspent pension funds subject to inheritance tax, a reduction in the cash ISA annual allowance to £12,000 for those under the age of 65, and savings tax rates increasing. To discuss the changes and how people can use this tax year to plan ahead, Kyle is joined by Craig Rickman, personal finance editor at interactive investor. Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

With just days until this tax year ends and a new one begins, the focus for this week’s episode is on the increasing number of ISA millionaires and how you can join them. To discuss how ISA millionaires invest, the steps taken to achieve the milestone, and what to consider when weighing up ISAs and SIPPs, Kyle is joined by Craig Rickman, personal finance editor at interactive investor.In this episode, Kyle mentions a recent article about the best-performing funds and investment trusts since ISAs were launched on 6 April 1999. You can read it here: Best-performing funds and sectors since ISA launch in April 1999 Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

In another ISA-focused episode ahead of tax year end, Kyle is once again joined by Dave Baxter, senior fund content specialist at ii, to discuss how to review a portfolio. As well as examining the benefits of rebalancing, we run through key considerations when you’re deciding whether to keep the faith or sell a fund, investment trust or ETF. Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

With tax year end only a couple of weeks away, Kyle is joined by ii fund content specialist Dave Baxter to run through the funds, investment trusts and ETFs piquing investors’ interest. Kyle and Dave also look at back at the funds topping the popularity charts five years ago and explain the dangers of falling into the potential trap of performance chasing. Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

The focus for this week’s episode is pensions ahead of changes to the state pension age, which is rising from 66 to 67. In a worst-case scenario, those turning 66 around this time next year face a delay of up to a year before they can claim the state pension. To examine the details and discuss how the state pension age will increase in future, Kyle is joined by Craig Rickman, personal finance editor at interactive investor. Other topics include the sustainablity of the state pension triple lock, and whether the state pension will exist in the future or potentially be means tested. Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Before the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, the performance gap between UK smaller companies and the country’s largest businesses had started to narrow. In an interview recorded in mid-February, Kyle and Richard Staveley, manager of investment trust Rockwood Strategic, discussed why this area of the market is unloved, whether interest rate cuts will act as a catalyst for performance and investor sentiment, and how the trust works with firms to unlock value. Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

For investors looking to generate income from their investments, there are various ways to approach the task. For many years, interactive investor has complied three hypothetical portfolios to provide inspiration and support investors’ own wider research. In this episode, Kyle is joined by Lee Wild, head of equity strategy at ii, to explain this year’s portfolios for the £10,000 income challenges. To read the £10,000 portfolio articles, follow the links below:10 shares to give a £10,000 annual income in 202610 funds to produce a £10,000 income in 2026Nine investment trusts to generate a £10,000 income in 2026 Kyle Caldwell is Funds and Investment Education Editor at interactive investor.On The Money is an interactive investor (ii) podcast. For more investment news and ideas, visit www.ii.co.uk/stock-market-news.Important information:This podcast is intended for information purposes only and is not a personal recommendation. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of your investments may go down as well as up, and you may not get back all the money that you invest. Full performance information can be found on the company or index summary page on the interactive investor website.The ii Personal Pension (SIPP) is for people who want to make their own decisions when investing for retirement. Usually, you won’t be able to withdraw your money until age 55 (57 from 2028). If you are in any doubt about the suitability of the ii Personal Pension (SIPP), Stocks & Shares ISA, Trading Account, and/or any related tax treatment of these products, you should seek independent financial advice.Interactive Investor Services Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.