i-stock does not provide financial advice and if you have any questions about the suitability of the service you should speak with a financial adviser.

If you would like to speak with an adviser, you can contact our Helpdesk who will forward your enquiry to a regulated adviser. This action will take you away from i-stock and you will be contacted within two working days by an adviser. Please note; a firm will charge for this service and their advice.

An investment means putting money into an asset, with the aim of its value increasing over time.

Investing provides the opportunity for your money to grow over time and enable you to create greater wealth.

Investments may fall as well as rise and past performance is not an indicator of future performance. You may get back less than your initial investment.

GIA stands for General Investment Account.

A GIA is a General Investment Account. This is an account with no limits on how much you can invest, but consequently any gains may be subject to Capital Gains Tax, depending on your personal circumstances.  

Your GIA can hold your investments. It is an investment account, much like an ISA, but without the tax benefits and annual limits on what you can invest. 

If you have used your annual ISA allowance and still wish to invest, a GIA provides another account you can use. There is no limit on how much you can invest in a GIA each year.

Your GIA will be created by i-stock when you choose a GIA to deposit money into i-stock your account. We will do all of the work on your behalf.

There is no limit.

i-stock will never charge you any fees or issue any penalties for withdrawing your money. Depending on your chosen investment fund, there may be additional charges such as entry charges or exit charges. For more information about charges please refer to the "Charges" section of the Key Investor Information Document (KIID) for your chosen investment fund, or the "Charges and Expenses" section of the Supplement for your chosen investment fund. The KIID and Supplement for each of the available investment funds on i-stock can be found on our website, under the "Investment Fund Options" section.

You can monitor your investment within the i-stock app. The performance of your investment is tracked within your valuation homepage, and you will also be sent a performance report summary every 3 months.

Yes, you can do this on a month by month basis or set up an automatic monthly direct debit. This offers a convenient way to increase your overall monthly savings.

Yes, you are able to instruct withdrawals from your investment at any time. It may take a few days for your withdrawal to settle, but the cash out process can begin whenever you choose.

If you make a deposit with i-stock, your money will be held in a Barclays client account under the name of Gaudi Regulated Services Limited (Gaudi is the product provider for the i-stock GIA. Gaudi are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with FCA number 488015). Gaudi have responsibility for the administration of the client account and have appointed Quai Administration Services Limited to manage the day to day running of the client money account (Quai are the outsourced administrator for the Barclays client account).

The money will be used to purchase units in the investment fund of your choosing. These units are held and administered by a company called Winterflood Securities Limited (Winterflood are the custodian who hold the units on your behalf. Winterflood are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority with FCA number 141455). Once you have chosen your investment fund, units in that fund will be purchased by Winterflood, and the money will be held by the depositary for your chosen investment fund. When you make a withdrawal from i-stock, Winterflood will sell the units back to the fund in exchange for their current value. The proceeds will then be sent back to the Barclays client account before being returned to your designated bank account.