Nationwide investments guide

An investment is something you buy with the hope that it will gain value in the years to come. Many people invest with a financial goal in mind, such as saving for a house, a special purchase or an event.

You don’t need a lot to get started, but there are a few things to consider first. Before you invest, it’s important to pay off any debts, save for emergencies, learn about risk, think long term and plan for loss.

Investing involves charges, which vary depending on:

• the type of advice service you choose
• the fund you choose.

Nationwide and Aegon provide documents detailing the charges and terms and conditions. When considering an investment, you can use the documents to check the specific policies of what you’re agreeing to.

To keep things simple, we offer a range of managed investments, each designed to reflect an attitude to risk.

You can invest a lump sum, monthly payments, or both. And, once your investment is set up, you can top up anytime and withdraw your money without penalties.

Nationwide sells funds, products and the platform as a package; these may be available separately outside Nationwide through other managers.

When you invest in a fund, you pool your money with other investors to invest in assets. The investments are made by a professional fund manager, who continually monitors their performance and adjusts the asset mix to keep the fund in line with its risk level.

Compared to investing independently, a fund gives you access to a broader range of investment opportunities, lower fees and access to greater management expertise.

Funds invest in assets; an asset is anything of value that an individual, company or government owns. People buy or create assets with the expectation that they will provide a future benefit.

Each fund in our range invests in a mix of:

• Shares, which are investments in UK and overseas companies. They’re generally the riskiest asset.
• Bonds, which are loans from investors to UK and overseas companies or governments. They’re relatively low-risk.
• Cash, which means investments to match the growth of cash. There’s no investment risk, but returns are often lower than the rate of inflation.

We offer 2 types of investment account for your fund. Before you apply, consider which option best suits your needs.

Looking to use your annual ISA allowance?

This investment account is tax-efficient, so you don’t pay tax on your investment return for any money in this account.

Should you invest through us with a Stocks and Shares ISA, we’ll include a General Investment Account as well. If you use up your ISA allowance, this is a useful overspill account for your investment money. We’ll open this account for you at no extra charge.

An Individual Savings Account (ISA) is a tax-efficient way to save or invest.

You can choose how to split your ISA allowance; either save with Cash ISAs, invest with Stocks and Shares ISAs or do both.

Already have plans for your ISA allowance?

There’s no limit on how much you can pay into this account, but any investment return may be taxed.

You can only invest through our financial advice service. Our advisers will talk through your circumstances and goals, then give you a personalised investment recommendation based on what you’ve told us. This advice service has an additional cost, which we’ll outline beforehand.