Best For Investment Trusts Award 2026 | Boring Money
Written by Boring Money
29 Jan, 2026
Who won the Best For Investment Trusts Award 2026?
The winners are AJ Bell, Hargreaves Lansdown, IG, interactive investor, and Scottish Widows. These providers were selected through independent analysis of competitive pricing, breadth of Investment Trust range, quality of Trust-specific research and filtering tools, proxy voting capabilities, and discount/premium comparison features, plus feedback from over 27,000 real customer reviews.
What are the Boring Money Best Buy Awards?
The Boring Money Best Buy Awards are independent rankings of UK investment platforms and providers, running for 9 consecutive years.
The awards recognise the best providers across multiple categories, including Stocks & Shares ISAs, pensions, digital investment apps, and customer experience.
At the heart of it all, our Best Buy Awards are designed to champion the voice of the consumer and help you make better, more informed choices about investing.
How are the Best For Investment Trusts winners chosen?
Best For Investment Trusts winners are selected through rigorous methodology examining competitive pricing for trust trading, a broad range of available trusts, and the quality of Trust-specific research and analysis tools. The methodology evaluates filtering tools for finding the right trusts, useful features like curated shortlists, and practical capabilities like exercising shareholder proxy voting rights.
Winners must provide comprehensive Trust-specific features, including discount and premium comparisons, deep-dive analysis of trust strategies and holdings, and tools that make trust investing clear and accessible. Excellence means delivering the full package for both Investment Trust enthusiasts and newcomers.
Read our full methodology breakdown
Best For Investment Trusts Award 2026 Winners
Winners are listed in alphabetical order.
AJ Bell
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Navigation is genuinely good - I could find what I needed easily. The guidance and FAQs are helpful. It's a solid, functional platform that gets the job done.
Hargreaves Lansdown
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Impressed overall. Strong across most areas - navigation, guidance, tools all work well. The calculators are particularly comprehensive.
IG
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Information is presented really clearly, and the investment tools are actually quite good. The educational content impressed me.
interactive investor
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Really good experience. Strong navigation and guidance, clear information. Portfolio could be better presented, but overall very solid.
Scottish Widows
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The documentation is genuinely excellent - well-organised and informative. Mobile experience is decent too.
FAQs about Investment Trusts
What are investment trusts and how do they work?
Investment Trusts are closed-ended funds that trade on the stock exchange like shares. They pool money from investors to buy a portfolio of investments managed by professionals. Unlike open-ended funds, Investment Trusts have a fixed number of shares, which can trade at a discount (below) or premium (above) to the value of underlying assets. They can borrow money (gearing) to potentially boost returns, though this increases risk.
What's the difference between investment trusts and funds?
Investment Trusts are closed-ended companies trading on stock exchanges with fixed share numbers, while funds (unit trusts/OEICs) are open-ended with units created or cancelled as investors buy or sell. Investment Trusts can trade at discounts or premiums to asset value and use gearing (borrowing), while funds always price at net asset value without borrowing. Investment Trusts typically have lower ongoing charges but require trading fees to buy and sell.
Why do investment trusts trade at discounts or premiums?
Investment trusts trade at discounts (below asset value) when there's more selling than buying pressure, often due to market sentiment, sector unpopularity, or performance concerns. They trade at premiums (above asset value) when demand exceeds supply, typically for highly regarded trusts or popular sectors. Discounts can offer buying opportunities, while premiums suggest strong investor confidence. Best Buy winners provide tools to compare discounts and premiums.
Are Investment Trusts good for beginners?
Investment trusts can suit beginners who want professional management with potentially lower costs than funds, though they're slightly more complex due to discounts/premiums and gearing concepts. Best Buy Award winners like Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell provide strong educational content to help beginners understand investment trusts. Start with well-established trusts in familiar sectors, and use platform research tools to understand how they work before investing.
What are the advantages of investment trusts?
Investment trusts offer several advantages: typically lower ongoing charges than open-ended funds (often 0.5-0.8% vs 0.8-1.5%), ability to use gearing to potentially enhance returns in rising markets, closed-ended structure prevents forced selling in downturns, can trade at discounts offering value opportunities, often pay regular dividends (many are dividend heroes), and board oversight provides governance. However, they also carry additional risks through gearing and discount volatility.
Find out everything you need to know about Investment Trusts
Investment Trusts might sound complex, but they're really a simple way to diversify your portfolio. Want to know how they work and if they’re right for you? Discover the pros, cons, and more!
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