Best for Women Aged 40-54

This FTSE 100 company is the country’s biggest DIY investment provider and has been around for decades. Our testing suggests it can feel a bit off-putting at first, but I think it’s worth persevering.

There is a lot of choice and so this will be best for people who have some investing knowledge and can navigate their way around a shortlist of funds. That said, if you are a total novice but really want to learn, there will be choices for you and the supporting available content is really good.

The charges are on the toppy side for larger accounts but they do not charge transaction fees on funds. So for modest accounts like a £30,000 ISA, I think they’re pretty decent value. We also know that lots of women want to consider investing for a child. If that’s you, their Junior ISA is free and you can connect it to your account - making it all super simple.

If you buy a simple low-cost fund – take the Vanguard LifeStrategy range, for example – then expect to pay about £200 a year for holding a £30,000 ISA here.

Nutmeg is owned by huge global brand JP Morgan which gives confidence to those who feel nervous about giving their money to smaller, less well-known firms.

The basic premise of this option is that you can answer a few easy questions and they will suggest an option for you which is ready-made - removing the need for you to have an opinion about which individual shares or funds will do well. It’s like getting a Charlie Bingham pie instead of cooking yourself. One novice investor I tested this with said “they make it feel very accessible.”

The charges are fair enough. For a £30,000 ISA, expect to pay about £210 in charges a year if you pick their most straightforward ‘fixed allocation portfolio’ which is perfectly fine. This is reasonable and in line with what I’d expect.

You have the choice of their sustainable portfolios if this is important to you, and there is some nice detail and information which will slowly demystify investing and help beginner investors to build knowledge and confidence. You do need a minimum of £500 to open an ISA here.

The app is good and keeps it all manageable. And if you want to sort your pension too, you can also set up and manage a DIY pension here, keeping it all in one place.

A big, global, low-cost investment house which is purposefully unflashy and solid. They have a very good reputation for offering so-called ‘passive’ investments which don’t try to beat the average – their aim is just to own a bit of all the world’s largest companies and offer investors a broad church of decently priced investments, wrapped up into convenient packages.

If you don’t feel confident about investing, this is a helpful option. Beginners should consider putting one of their LifeStrategy funds into an ISA – and job done. You will be given 5 ‘flavours’ to choose from – from the most cash-like LifeStrategy 20 and the most volatile LifeStrategy 100, which has everything invested in shares. Note to beginners – don’t just pick the middle option because it sounds less scary. Read up on them and if this is a 10 year+ savings plan, or you’re in your 40s and saving for retirement for example, don’t shy away from the most ‘risky’ (which just means most volatile) option. This might well be the most sensible choice over the long-term.

You won’t get tip-top content or industry leading apps – but you will get something sensible and reliable and low-cost. Expect to pay around £125 a year for holding £30,000 in the LifeStrategy range.