Gumtree co-founder launches online investment platform for everyday people

With more people than ever before looking into different stock brokers uk and wanting to invest their money into more than just their saving account, it makes sense that CEOs are wanting to make the most of this business opportunity. The online investment services sector appealing to people with smaller sums is set to be shaken up by this week’s launch of a new British digital financial service, InvestEngine (www.investengine.com), which designs bespoke expertly managed portfolios for people with as little as £2,000 to invest.

The brainchild of Gumtree co-founder, Simon Crookall, InvestEngine (web platform with an app launching in the coming weeks) has a flat fee of 0.45% per annum, making it one of the lowest fixed rates available, with no further fees or charges. It is the only UK automated investment manager using a ‘buy and hold’* approach (less room for human error) and to take full custody of customers’ assets – essentially, safeguarding and looking after people’s money in-house instead of relying on third parties/intermediaries to manage investments. For customers this means greater control, lower fees and transparency. With this being said, it is currently only available in the UK so you may still need to look for the best share trading platforms south africa (or wherever you’re from) has to offer.

A lot of people want to start investing, but it can be difficult to know what to invest in if you do not have much knowledge about the stock market. Making an investment is not a decision to be taken lightly, and so it can often be helpful to seek the advice of a financial advisor in order to compile a portfolio.

According to Simon – who has co-founded InvestEngine with his sister Joanna Crookall, CEO of award-winning independent investment management firm Ramsey Crookall – core to the business is fairness and accessibility. “After selling my tech businesses, I gravitated back to financial services and I could immediately see there was a real opportunity for a lower cost solution for people with smaller sums. Everyday people simply weren’t able to access the same level of money management as people with larger sums.

“InvestEngine gives people a regulated, low cost and easy solution for taking control of their own investment into high quality market trackers where all the hard work is done for them. We deal with carefully selected exchange-traded funds (ETFs) combined with proven methodology and innovative technology tracking global markets to deliver diversified investment portfolios across countries and markets – essentially people don’t have all their eggs in one basket,” said Simon.

“The vision for InvestEngine is to become the ultimate destination for investors and savers. Over time our offering will diversify and expand to include services like investment advice, pensions, ISAs, SME business accounts, current savings accounts, cash management tools as well as ethical investing options with truly green portfolios,” Simon explains.

InvestEngine uniquely combines the latest smart technology with over 70 years’ financial experience via its close partnership with Ramsey Crookall (providers of InvestEngine’s broker function) as well as a direct, unique partnership with custodian bank, CREST (also used by the Bank of England), to ensure customers’ investments are held safely and securely. These partnerships are designed to heighten investors’ confidence and avoid additional fees.

Using Nobel Prize winning research techniques, InvestEngine assesses investors against 16 risk profiles – versus other services which have, on average, between three to four profiles – painting a much more accurate picture of each individual investor so portfolios are truly bespoke.

The platform is easy to understand and quick to set up, and aims to make buying stock for beginners (Aktien kaufen für Anfänger) easier than ever. Prospective investors simply answer a few questions about their aims, how much they would like to invest and the level of risk they’re comfortable with, and InvestEngine gets to work selecting a low fee portfolio representing stocks, bonds and other assets to suit investors’ needs. To boost returns, investors also have the option of topping up their portfolio with monthly instalments.

For additional assurance, InvestEngine’s team of experts monitors each portfolio on an ongoing basis, rebalancing when necessary. Consumers can log in at any time to check performance and withdraw money whenever they like with no exit fees.

InvestEngine is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

To find out more about InvestEngine or to sign-up, visit www.investengine.com.