If you’re having trouble deciding how to invest your ISA as the annual deadline approaches, this guide could be for you. Here, we look at ISA investing ideas across five asset classes and highlight some top ideas in each one so that you can build a diversified ISA portfolio that’s aligned to your goals.
Contributing to a Stocks and Shares ISA is a great way to build wealth. However, it’s not just a case of squirrelling away up to £20,000 each year; the money also needs to be invested.
And deciding how to allocate your ISA allowance across asset classes, indices, sectors, and individual stocks isn’t an easy task. Especially when there are high levels of economic uncertainty and market volatility.
Ultimately, the key is to build a diversified portfolio with an asset mix that is in line with your financial goals, your time horizon, and your risk tolerance. With that in mind, here are some ISA investment ideas for 2026.
1. Shares
Individual shares continue to be popular with Stocks and Shares ISA investors. That’s not surprising when you consider that over the last five years, an investment in Rolls-Royce Holdings has returned around 1,000% while an investment in Nvidia has returned almost 1,200%.
Risk and reward are closely linked, of course, and trying to balance the two can be challenging. The good news for ISA investors, who are often saving for the longer term, is that time in the market can tip things in your favour.
Indeed, research by Bank of America found that the longer you are invested in the stock market, the less likely you are to suffer negative returns. Looking at data back to 1929, the bank found that if you stay in the market for ten years then, on average, you have just a 6.0% chance of negative returns. By contrast, if you invest for less than a year, there is a 26% chance of losing money.
When it comes to finding the best shares to buy, there are several different strategies you can pursue. One is to subscribe to a research service such as Seeking Alpha. Another is to screen the market for opportunities using a service such as Stockopedia.
Another approach is to simply take a look at what other investors are buying. You can do this by going to the websites of trading platforms such as AJ Bell.
Looking at AJ Bell’s website today, the most popular stocks over the last month were:
- Legal & General Group
- BP
- Rolls-Royce
- easyJet
- Barclays
Of course, just because these stocks are popular doesn’t mean they will be good investments. But if lots of other investors are buying, they could be worthy of further research.
2. ETFs
ETFs or exchange-traded funds have become a popular ISA investment in recent years. It’s easy to see why – they offer one-click access to the market or specific areas of it, they can be traded like regular stocks, and they’re generally very cost effective.
ETFs can be great core ISA holdings. For example, with global products from the likes of Vanguard and iShares you can access thousands of stocks in a single investment.
They can also be a great way to position an ISA tactically and capitalise on megatrends. For example, today there are ETFs that focus on AI, cybersecurity, defence, and nuclear energy.
If you’re looking for ideas, Interactive Investor produces a monthly list of the most purchased ETFs on its platform. In March 2026, the most popular ETFs were:
- iShares Physical Gold ETC GBP
- Vanguard FTSE All-World ETF USD Acc GBP
- iShares Physical Silver ETC GBP
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF USD Acc GBP
- Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF GBP
- WisdomTree NASDAQ 100 3x Daily Leveraged
- iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF GBP Dist
- Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF GBP
- Global X Silver Miners ETF USD Acc GBP
- Amundi Smart Overnight Ret GBP H ETF Acc
This list shows that in March, investors were buying global tracker funds as well as ETFs focused on gold, silver, and tech stocks.
Note that InvestEngine is an excellent choice for buying UK listed ETFs as their ISA is completely free. Or you can use their managed service for only 0.25% to invest in a portfolio of ETFs.
3. Funds
Actively-managed funds have taken a bit of a back seat in recent years thanks to the rising popularity of ETFs. However, there are still many products to choose from and plenty of good options.
Late last year, analysts at Hargreaves Lansdown published a list of five funds to watch for 2026. On the list were:
- Schroder Managed Balanced – A multi-asset fund that’s lower in risk
- JP Morgan Emerging Markets – A diversified emerging markets fund
- T. Rowe Price Global Value Equity – A value-focused fund
- Invesco Tactical Bond – A fixed income fund
- Liontrust UK Growth – A smaller UK companies product
Another fund that could be worth a look is Blue Whale Growth fund. This is a growth-focused fund run by Stephen Yiu, who is based in London. This fund has a very good performance track record. However, it can be volatile at times so it may not suited to those seeking portfolio stability.
4. Investment trusts
Unlike managed funds and ETFs, investment trusts are closed-end funds. This means that the number of shares or units in the trust is fixed rather than floating. The share price of investment trusts reflects the valuation of the assets that the investment trust owns as well as the fund flows into and out of the trust.
Today, there are around 300 different investment trusts listed on the London Stock Exchange. These range from income-focused trusts like the Murray Income Trust to disruptive-growth focused products like Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust.
Given the wide range, there’s something for just about everyone. Whether you’re seeking income or exposure to early-stage, unlisted companies, there’s probably a investment trust that’s suitable for your portfolio.
It’s worth noting that a popular way to look at investment trusts is to consider the discount of the underlying share price to its net asset value (NAV). The thinking here is that a wide discount to net assets should narrow over time and that by buying assets at a discount you may get your hands on a bargain.
5. Bonds
Finally, it could be worth considering bonds or fixed income securities. Lower in risk than shares, these are effectively government or corporate IOUs.
Bonds can play an important role in an ISA. Because they can help to protect a portfolio when stocks fall.
Normally, bonds and stocks have a relatively low correlation. This means that when stocks fall, bonds rise.
It should be noted that bonds don’t always provide protection when the stock market is falling. If interest rates are rising, bonds are likely to fall (there is an inverse relationship between bond prices and interest rates).
We saw this in 2022 – when interest rates jumped, bonds performed poorly. Overall though, they can be a smart choice.
When it comes to buying bonds for an ISA, investors have several options. One option is to buy a bond fund or ETF from the likes of Vanguard or iShares.
Another is to buy retail bonds offered by the likes of BT Group, Legal and General, HSBC, and Glaxo Smithkline. These are typically structured in units of £1000.00 in order to appeal to retail investors.
- Want to buy bonds? Compare the best bond brokers here.
Finding the best ISA investments
It’s worth stressing the best ISA investments for you will depend on your financial goals, your time horizon, and your risk tolerance. If you have a higher risk tolerance and a long horizon, growth investments such as shares and growth-focused funds could the best bet whereas if you are looking for portfolio stability and/or you have a shorter horizon, bonds or income-focused funds may be the best option.
Based in London, Edward is a distinguished investment writer with an extensive client portfolio comprising a diverse array of prominent financial services firms across the globe. With over 15 years of hands-on experience in private wealth management and institutional asset management, both in the UK and Australia, he possesses a profound understanding of the finance industry.
Before establishing himself as a writer, Edward earned a Commerce degree from the prestigious University of Melbourne. Complementing his academic background, he holds the esteemed Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and is a proud holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) qualification.
Widely recognised as a sought-after investment expert, Edward’s insightful perspectives and analyses have been featured on sites such as BlackRock, Credit Suisse, WisdomTree, Motley Fool, eToro, and CMC Markets, among others.
