Whether you're saving for life in retirement or want to save money for long-term goals, our guides, products and tools can help you save efficiently for the future. From Stocks & Shares Individual Savings Account (ISA) to personal pensions there's a range of options for your needs.
Pensions are a tax-efficient way to save for retirement. We can help you get a pension plan, prepare for retirement, and understand the ways you can take your pension money when you come to retire.
We believe good financial advice can make a difference when it comes to achieving your goals. In this section you can find out what you could gain from taking financial advice, when you might need it and how to find the right adviser for you
Our helpful articles are full of tips and information to help you make the most of your money. Whether you're starting to save for life's big moments or you're getting close to retirement, there's something for everyone.
Whether you're an existing customer or new to Standard Life, we're here to help you. We have information to help you contact us, get the most out of our website and find the information you need.
This field is required
Understanding investments and ways to save smarter
Manage your money with these tools and calculators
Save money for retirement and your long-term goals
Invest money flexibly with a range of investment options
Understanding pensions and planning for retirement
See if your pension savings are on track and more
Understand the different types and what you can do
Explore ways to take your savings at retirement
Get started with financial advice
Find out how you could benefit from working with a financial adviser
Speak to one of our specialist retirement advisers
Get professional advice from 1825, our financial planning business
Tips to help you start saving for big life moments and ways to keep on track with your goals
Find out how to make the most of your regular income with these helpful money guides
Learn more about retirement planning and how to take your life savings
Need to speak with us? Find the best way to contact us.
Find out how we can support a range of your needs
Learn more about our services and manage your account
We use cookies when you visit our websites to give you the best experience possible and to keep things secure.
We'd also like your consent to set other cookies to help us further improve our website and to tailor the marketing you see on apps and other websites you visit.
Select "Accept all" to agree to all cookies, or "Manage" to choose which cookies we use.
Put simply, DIY investing is where you pick your own investments and manage them on an ongoing basis. You’re in control, making all of the decisions about what to invest in, changing investments and when to buy and sell.
Easy investing is when you delegate the decision making to an investment manager. It may vary slightly depending on your provider. Basically, it's when you can pay a provider to let experts manage your investments on your behalf. In the case of Standard Life, the experts will try to get you the best possible returns based on the level of investment risk you’re comfortable with. This may not be the case with other providers, so it’s worth checking.
We have options to suit all levels of knowledge and experience. You can choose to be as involved or uninvolved as you like with managing your investments.
All investments come with a level of risk. Your risk attitude is how comfortable you are with certain investing options, and how you feel about the possibility of your investments going down as well as up in value.
You can complete this quick questionnaire to get a better understanding of your own attitude to risk, and what it might mean for your investments.
To help you decide which route is best, here are some things you should consider.
The more significant your investment is to you, the more you might want some guidance and expert input. For example, if you have a pension pot worth £150,000, you might want some help making sure that it’s invested the right way. On the other hand, if you’re investing £50 a month into a Stocks & Shares ISA (Individual Savings Account), you might feel fairly comfortable making your own decisions.
Do you feel comfortable deciding which types of investments to choose? How do you make sure you don’t take too much risk? Can you tell a good investment from a bad one? There are lots of resources out there to help you do all of this.
Even if you decide you have the know-how, it’s important to make sure you have the time to look after your investments. You’ll need to spend time reviewing performance, researching options and, if necessary, moving your money around. If you don’t have the time to do this, you may run the risk of your investments not meeting your goals.
If you want to be in control of your investments, remember that you’re taking responsibility for the overall level of risk and potential returns. If you don’t feel comfortable taking this on, then doing it yourself probably isn’t for you.
One of the main reasons people go down the DIY route when it comes to investing is to have more direct control over where you money is invested. But keep in mind that it’s not always cheaper to build your own portfolio. Fund management companies often have massive buying power, which means they can negotiate lower charges and pass these savings on.
It could be cheaper overall to go into a fund with a mix of different types of investments. This means an investment professional will decide where to invest and how much risk to take rather than building your own portfolio from individual investments or funds.
Whether you’re looking to invest through a pension plan or an ISA, you can find out more about your investment options below:
Start saving and investing for the future with a Stocks & Shares ISA. Choose from either our easy or DIY investment option.
With easy and DIY investment options to choose from, you can save for later life the way you feel most comfortable. Compare your investment options here.
You can get more information about investments and important things to think about.
Find out why understanding risk is important when it comes to investing.
Complete the questionnaire to find out to find out how much investment risk you may feel comfortable taking.
Get regular investment insights, analysis and more from the MoneyPlus experts.