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    • Home • Top Performing Ready-Made Investments

    Top performing ready-made investments

    Every quarter, Boring Money collects performance data to bring you the latest insights into how ready-made investment portfolios across different risk categories have performed. Read on below to see who came out on top!

    April - June 2026

    High Risk Q2 2026

    Top Performers — High Risk

    • Aviva Multi-asset Plus V (14.9%)

    • Charles Stanley Multi Asset Adventurous (14.8%)

    • Hargreaves Lansdown Adventurous Managed (14.3%)

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    Medium Risk Q2 2026

    Top Performers — Medium Risk

    • Wealthify Ambitious (11.7%)

    • Barclays Growth (10.2%)

    • Charles Stanley Multi Asset Moderate (9.6%)

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    Low Risk Q2 2026

    Top Performers — Low Risk

    • Wealthify Tentative (6.8%)

    • Charles Stanley Multi Asset Cautious (5.8%)

    • Scottish Widows Managed Growth 2 (5.5%)

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    January - March 2026

    High Risk Q1 2026

    Top Performers — High Risk

    • AJ Bell Adventurous (+0.6% — only positive return in sector)

    • Vanguard LifeStrategy 100 (-0.6%)

    • Wealthify Adventurous (-1.5%)

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    Medium Risk Q1 2026

    Top Performers — Medium Risk

    • AJ Bell Balanced (13.5%)

    • Vanguard LifeStrategy 60 (-0.7%)

    • Charles Stanley Multi Asset Moderate (-0.8%)

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    Low Risk Q1 2026

    Top Performers — Low Risk

    • Moneybox Cautious (-0.3%)

    • AJ Bell Cautious (-0.6%)

    • Barclays Defensive (-0.7%)

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    October - December 2025

    High Risk Q4 2025

    AJ Bell Adventurous led with 4.5% quarterly returns, narrowly beating Quilter Cirilium Adventurous Passive

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    Medium Risk Q4 2025

    AJ Bell Balanced and Quilter Cirilium Moderate Passive battled for top spot, both delivering over 12% annually.

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    Low Risk Q4 2025

    Aviva Multi-asset Plus I dominated across most timeframes, with the sector averaging 7% for the year.

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    July - September 2025

    High Risk Q3 2025

    The average high risk portfolio returned 8.3%, with returns ranging from 6.9% - 8.9%. Halifax, the lowest performer last quarter, topped the leaderboard in Q3, closely followed by Aviva and Quilter Invest.

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    Medium Risk Q3 2025

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 5.7% in Q3. Charles Stanley, who was top of the charts last quarter, was the lowest performer this time around - although its 4.3% return was still higher than all the medium risk portfolios in Q2.

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    Low Risk Q3 2025

    The average low risk portfolio returned 3.0% in Q3, led by Halifax who grew by 3.7%. Halifax hold roughly 77% of its portfolio in bonds, with 44% held internationally and 33% held in the UK. There is also a small allocation to emerging markets which have performed particularly well since the de-escalation of the global tariff tension in April.

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    April - June 2025

    High Risk Q2 2025

    Despite the chaos and political uncertainty, high risk portfolios performed strongly over Q2, with an average return of 4.7%. Charles Stanley, Aviva, and HL all grew by over 5%, whilst Halifax - the lowest performer over the quarter - still returned a healthy 3.5%

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    Medium Risk Q2 2025

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 3.4% in Q2, with an overall range spanning from 2.6% - 4.2%. Charles Stanley was the only provider to surpass the 4% mark. Its Moderate solution has roughly 55% of its assets in equities, and close to 40% in bonds.

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    Low Risk Q2 2025

    The average low risk portfolio returned 2.1% in Q2, posting a range of returns from 0.4% - 3.1%. Over half the providers exceeded the 2% mark, with Charles Stanley the only provider to return more than 3% this quarter. Aviva was the standout over the 1-year period.

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    January - March 2025

    High Risk Q1 2025

    The average high risk portfolio in this content series returned -3.1% over Q1, with all providers showing negative performance over the period. AJ Bell did the best, with a loss of -0.3%, whilst Aviva and Moneybox had the weakest quarterly performance in this category with returns below -5%.

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    Medium Risk Q1 2025

    The average medium risk portfolio returned -1.2% in Q1, with Bestinvest being the standout performer over this period and the only provider to not register negative growth after fees. Bestinvest are also the best performer over the last year, returning 4.7%, in comparison to the average of 3.4%.

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    Low Risk Q1 2025

    The average low risk portfolio returned -0.1% in Q1. There was a range of 1.5% between the top and bottom in this category, with Aviva (0.6%) and Halifax (0.4%) performing the best, whilst AJ Bell (-0.7%) and Moneybox (-0.9%) were at the bottom.

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    October - December 2024

    High Risk Q4 2024

    The average high risk portfolio returned 2.8% over the quarter, with individual provider outcomes ranging between -1% and 5.3%.

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    Medium Risk Q4 2024

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 1% over Q4, making the quarter pretty lacklustre in comparison to 2024.

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    Low Risk Q4 2024

    he average low risk portfolio returned -0.6% in Q4, with Moneybox's Cautious Portfolio being the only positive outlier, and the only provider to return over 0%.

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    July - September 2024

    High Risk Q3 2024

    The average high risk portfolio in our content series returned 1.2% in Q3 and over 16.7% in the past 12 months.

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    Medium Risk Q3 2024

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 2.1% in the last quarter, and 13.9% over the past 12 months.

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    Low Risk Q3 2024

    The average return of low risk portfolios in Q3 was 2.5%, and 10.3% across the past 12 months.

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    April - June 2024

    High Risk Q2 2024

    The average high risk portfolio in our content series returned 2.3% in Q2 and over 15.7% in the past 12 months.

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    Medium Risk Q2 2024

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 1.4% in the last quarter, and 11.3% over the past 12 months.

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    Low Risk Q2 2024

    The average return of low risk portfolios in Q1 was 0.5%, and 7.3% across the past 12 months.

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    January - March 2024

    High Risk Q1 2024

    The average high risk portfolio in our content series returned 6.4% in Q1 and over 15% in the past 12 months.

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    Medium Risk Q1 2024

    The average medium risk portfolio returned 3.9% in the last quarter, with Q1 playing a successful part in the 10.3% average return we've seen for these ready-made solutions over the past 12 months.

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    Low Risk Q1 2024

    The average return of low risk portfolios in Q1 was 1.3% - and 5.8% across the past 12 months - although average returns over a 2-year period are still negative overall with -0.5%.

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    October - December 2023

    High Risk Q4 2023

    Performance of high risk portfolios in Q4 ranged from 4.9% to 7.4%. These portfolios will hold very high proportions of shares, and global stock markets typically posted strong gains in the last three months of 2023.

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    Medium Risk Q4 2023

    The top-performing medium risk portfolio across 2023 was Moneybox’s Balanced option, returning a chunky 12.2% for the year - of which 6.6% was clocked up in the last three months.

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    Low Risk Q4 2023

    The adage for low risk portfolios in Q4 is that every dog has its day. Santander ready-made portfolios have a very high proportion of bonds, and their portfolios suffered in 2022 and 2023. However in Q4, it was precisely this allocation to these bonds which propelled the humble low risk portfolio, with just 17% in shares, to the top of the charts

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    July - September 2023

    High Risk Q3 2023

    In general, global shares went down in Q3, after a promising first 6 months of 2023. Despite poorer performance over the last quarter, 2023 has been a much better year for shares than 2022. The average high risk portfolio in our content series has returned 7.4% across the past 12-months, compared to 0.04% in the past 24-months.

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    Medium Risk Q3 2023

    The medium risk portfolios have lost an average of -5.5% over the past 2 years, with only AJ Bell's balanced fund posting a positive return over this timeframe. Interestingly, when looking over only the past 12-months instead, every portfolio has positive returns, which range from 2.9% - 7.5%. This is a more typical year and what we would expect for these mid-range portfolios which are a mix of shares and bonds.

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    Low Risk Q3 2023

    Low risk portfolios have lost an average -9.2% in the past 2 years, which is over 16% lower than the average high risk portfolios in this content series. Say what?! If high negative returns from a 'low risk' investment over such a short timeframe feels bizarre to you - don't worry, it is. Research from Deutsche Bank suggests that 2022 had the worst combined total return for stocks and bonds, in an annual assessment that goes as far back as 1872!

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    April - June 2023

    High Risk Q2 2023

    Vanguard and AJ Bell have performed the best in this risk profile over the last 2 years, returning 6.9% and 6.6% respectively after all charges. At the other end of the scale, True Potential and Charles Stanley's portfolios struggled, with respective losses of 2.2% and 6.7% after charges.

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    Medium Risk Q2 2023

    AJ Bell, Moneybox and HSBC have been the top performers here, whilst Nutmeg and Vanguard's LifeStrategy 40 have struggled. With around 40% in shares, we would expect solutions like Vanguard LifeStrategy 40 and Bestinvest’s Smart Cautious option to perform less strongly than others in this category with higher allocations to shares.

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    Low Risk Q2 2023

    Amongst the low risk portfolios, Moneybox, AJ Bell and Charles Stanley have performed the best over the past 2 years, although they have posted losses 3.8%, 4.7% and 6.8% respectively. For context, the average low risk portfolio in our coverage returned -9.2%.

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    January - March 2023

    High Risk Q1 2023

    After a less-than-stellar year in 2022, ready-made portfolio results from Q1 2023 have been decidedly more positive. All of the high risk portfolios we track recorded growth between 1 January and 31 March.

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    Medium Risk Q1 2023

    After disappointing results at times during 2022, ready-made portfolios have had a decidedly more positive time of it in Q1 2023. Every single one of the medium risk portfolios we track booked positive returns.

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    Low Risk Q1 2023

    Following a less-than-stellar 2022, ready-made portfolio results from Q1 2023 have been decidedly more positive. Out of all of the low risk portfolios we track, only one booked negative growth between 1 January and 31 March.

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    October - December 2022

    High Risk Q4 2022

    Mostly thanks to the poor performance of UK bonds, high risk ready-made portfolios recorded slightly higher returns in Q4 2022 than the medium and low-risk options.

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    Medium Risk Q4 2022

    With a typically higher weighting in bonds than the high risk options, medium risk ready-made portfolios recorded sore losses in 2022, posting average losses of 10.7% for the year. These options typically have a range of between 40% and 60% in shares.

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    Low Risk Q4 2022

    The greatest victim of the tumbling bond prices we saw towards the end of September in 2022, which hammered returns. Things then bounced back in the last three months of the year as a semblance of calm returned.

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    Frequently Asked Questions About Ready-Made Portfolios

    What is a ready-made portfolio?

    A ready-made portfolio is a premade bundle of investments which provides a blend of bonds and shares in different proportions depending on your tolerance for risk. Lower risk ready-made portfolios tend to invest in more bonds (generally considered lower risk investments), whereas higher risk ready-made portfolios tend to invest in more shares (generally considered higher risk investments). Ready-made portfolios are a subtype of multi-asset funds and are offered by asset managers as well as robo advisers.

    What was the best-performing high-risk portfolio in Q2 2026?

    Aviva Multi-asset Plus V led with a 14.9% return for April–June 2026, narrowly ahead of Charles Stanley Multi Asset Adventurous (14.8%) and Hargreaves Lansdown Adventurous Managed (14.3%).

    What was the best-performing medium-risk portfolio in Q2 2026?

    Wealthify Ambitious topped the medium-risk category for April–June 2026 with an 11.7% return, ahead of Barclays Growth (10.2%) and Charles Stanley Multi Asset Moderate (9.6%).

    What was the best-performing low-risk portfolio in Q2 2026?

    Wealthify Tentative led low-risk portfolios in Q2 2026, returning 6.8%. Charles Stanley Multi Asset Cautious (5.8%) and Scottish Widows Managed Growth 2 (5.5%) followed close behind.

    How often is this performance data updated?

    Boring Money publishes this round-up every quarter, tracking returns across low, medium, and high-risk ready-made portfolios from providers including Aviva, Charles Stanley, Hargreaves Lansdown, Wealthify, AJ Bell, and Vanguard, so you can see how each has performed most recently.


    How are ready-made portfolios grouped by risk?

    Ready-made portfolios are split into three bands - low, medium, and high risk - based on how much of each is held in shares versus bonds and cash. Higher-risk portfolios hold more shares and tend to see bigger swings in returns, both up and down.


    Do ready-made portfolios always make money?

    No. Returns vary quarter to quarter and can be negative, particularly in higher-risk portfolios. Several high-risk portfolios, for example, posted losses in Q1 2026 before rebounding in Q2. Past performance isn't a guarantee of future returns.



    Which providers offer ready-made portfolios?

    Providers tracked by Boring Money include Aviva, Charles Stanley, Hargreaves Lansdown, Wealthify, AJ Bell, Vanguard, Barclays, Scottish Widows, Moneybox, Quilter Invest, Halifax, Bestinvest, and J.P. Morgan, spanning low, medium, and high-risk options.



    Is Boring Money paid by the providers it reviews?

    Boring Money includes providers who want to be featured in our comparison tables. However, our reviews and performance data are not influenced by these sponsorships, as they are for marketing purposes only. All opinions expressed in our analysis remain independent.

    Where can I find more detail on ready-made portfolios?

    Boring Money publishes a dedicated guide explaining how ready-made portfolios work, who they suit, and how to choose one, alongside this quarterly performance round-up comparing returns across providers and risk levels.




    What is a ready-made portfolio?

    Ready-made portfolios are the investing equivalent of a ready meal. Quick, easy, all done for you. Discover more about these premade investment portfolios, including how they work and who they're good for, in our no-nonsense guide.

    Important stuffHolly and the team have worked in the finance industry for many years but we are not regulated to give you personal financial advice. For every story on this website about a good investment, or something which went up by 10% or made someone £200, we could also share a story about a bad investment, something which fell in value or lost someone £200. We aim to provide general information and pointers – and btw we are totally agnostic about which providers you might pick – but if you have complex affairs, want personalised advice or need specific recommendations, please look at advice pages and see if regulated digital or traditional financial advice would be the best solution for your needs. Boring Money Ltd is a limited company registered in England and Wales under registration number 09459832 and we have our registered office at 37 Lombard Street, London, EC3V 9BQ.
    InformationHistorically, money invested for more than five years grows more than cash savings. Remember that investments can also fall, so you might not get all of your money back. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change.
    Boring Money Ltd is a limited company registered in England and Wales under registration number 09459832 and we have our registered office at 37 Lombard Street, London, EC3V 9BQ.