6 best investment fund lists, from ii Super 60 to The Wealth 150

Whether you’re a first-time investor or seasoned saver, funds are great. Spreading your money across a variety of companies, they’re ready-made baskets of investments that lower the risk of epic failure. The thing is, there are thousands and thousands to choose from, so where should you begin? We turn to the top fund lists from popular investment platforms to give you a running start. Need a refresher on funds first? Read our quick guide to investment funds

AJ Bell Favourite funds

This collection of 88 hand-picked funds comes with a comprehensive set of filters, making it easy to find investments that fit with your goals. We like the simple on-page summaries too.

- They say: “We’ve surveyed the markets and picked out the funds we think are likeliest to provide your portfolio with an income, or with medium- to long-term growth. The list is chosen by our experts, is regularly updated, and features only funds that offer a combination of the following: Low-cost and great value; proven track record compared to benchmark and peers; quality fund management team.”

Check out the AJ Bell Favourite funds list

Read our AJ Bell Best Buy

The Barclays Funds List

A trusted fund list, if a little over-simplified. You can sort the list by A-Z, asset allocation or Investment Association sector (region, basically), but don’t have filters to play with.

- They say: “Based on our research our list features funds that may offer the greatest potential for consistent returns in the medium to long term, covering a variety of sectors, assets and global markets. One of the key criteria that we assess is the relationship between risk and return. We also analyse the consistency of the fund manager's approach, past returns and the experience of the rest of the fund's investment team.”

Check out The Barclays Funds List

Read our Barclays Best Buy

Charles Stanley Direct – Foundation Fundlist

Does what it says on the tin. Lists recommended investment funds, divided between active and passive, and displays the total ongoing charges for comparison at a glance.

- They say: “We believe detailed research can identify skilful active fund managers capable of adding value over the longer term. We are patient, willing to consider all styles of investing, and mindful of that at times, and in certain asset classes active management does not offer value for money versus passive funds. The funds we choose are run by talented investors using rigorously applied investment processes.”

Check out the Foundation Fundlist

Read our Charles Stanley Direct Best Buy

Fidelity – The Select 50

Packed full of nobs and dials, you get tons of ways to compare funds. First select your filters; then compare by performance, charges or overview; and add your favourites to a shortlist as you go.

- They say: “Our experts research thousands of funds a year. For the Select 50, they chose their favourites or, to use the industry jargon, their ‘highest conviction’ picks… We want to help you achieve your investment aims, so we negotiate with all the managers in our range to see if we can get even better value for your portfolio.”

Check out The Select 50

Read our Fidelity Best Buy

Hargreaves Lansdown – The Wealth 50

Formerly the Wealth 150, this leaner, laser-guided fund list pinpoints the very best of the 3,000 funds on Hargreaves’ radar.

- They say: “Over the years we’ve refined our process, become better at picking winners and been increasingly picky when we choose funds. As a result the Wealth 150 has progressively shrunk in size. The Wealth 50 is a list of funds our experts feel have the best potential in their sector. It’s the most popular list of its kind.”

Check out The Wealth 50

Read our Hargreaves Lansdown Best Buy

Interactive Investor – ii Super 60

One of the best features of this list is that each fund comes with a goal-based label such as ‘low cost’, ‘adventurous’ and ‘income’. So you get a sense of the investment before you click for more info.

- They say: “The list is designed to offer a filtered selection of collective investment vehicles which will be appropriate for all investors, whether they are new to investing or experienced investors. Our objective is to provide a menu of high quality choices among the available investments across a broad variety of markets and investment types.”

Check out the ii Super 60

Read our Interactive Investor Best Buy

Still not sure which funds to pick? Take a look at our to learn more about this type of investment. Then browse our top fund picks for 2019 from some of our favourite financial advisers.