We rate Beanstalk as a very good investing app for junior stocks and shares ISAs. In fact, it’s so good that it won our best JISA award two years in a row and I use it to invest for my son. Beanstalk also received very good feed back in our provider surveys with a customer rating of 4.9 from over 200 reviews.
Beanstalk Customer Reviews
Leave a review and tell us what you think to help others make more informed financial decisions.
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Very pleased
Reliable platform with robust tools and transparency make it a compelling choice for experienced investors.
Love Beanstalk
Absolutely love beanstalk. You can give your family links too so they are also able to contribute to JISA’s and with each contribution, family members are able to write a little message to your kids so they can look back and see all the messages.
Easy setting savings account for the whole family
I set up savings account with Beanstalk for all three children. It is easy to handle their accounts, share the details with other family members.
Easy to save
We have saved money with Beanstalk for both our children. It’s easy to set up and make payments into. You can share a saving link with family.
Good service
Good all round service communication feedback website and speed
Works really well for what I want!
Easy enough to understand. Great being able to adjust level of risk wanted.
Easy to invite others to be able to contribute. Also love the kick-start where u can get cashback with purchases that get added to the fund. Been using for a year now funds building up nicely
Makes saving fun
Have 3 accounts for my children which also asked family and friends to contribute. The ease at which you can review the accounts is a huge bonus over previous accounts used. Also being able to link Kidstart helps save money when spending.
Simplifying the Complex
Beanstalk is amazing! We set up the JISA with Beanstalk for our Son whilst he was in the full throes of Newborn life. We wanted something simple but that had a full gamut of useful features and Beanstalk fit the bill perfectly. Information is simply presented, you can activate several useful features such as payment round-ups very easily. It is also super simple to amend how much you save and to send links to family members who would also like to contribute. All round this platform is brilliant to use!
Great product
Feel happy the way my money has been looked after, like the family gifting side of things too as it’s easy to share and contribute!
Great overall!
I have been with beanstalk for a while 7-8 years and all is doing great, 4 accounts for my kids, every little amount and penny earn from online shopping kidstarts goes their account equally so easy to top up whenever they have monetary gift on top of regular contribution. I highly recommended it my family and friends.
Brilliant way to save for the grandchildren
I’m so glad I found Beanstalk – it’s an easy way to save for my grandchildren. The app is great and easy to use. You can also share links with family and friends so that they can add to the savings too, especially on those special occasions like birthdays and Christmas. It’s amazing how quickly the savings grow from my small monthly payment. Great app and great customer service.
Simple to set up
Simple to set up and love the cash back connection.
Great way to save for your children
Beanstalk gives you a variety of ways to save for your child/children and allows you to share links with family and friends in order to contribute into their savings pot. They often do giveaways for winning extra money into their account. Great app and worth using.
User friendly app
I’ve been using beanstalk for a few years now after transferring due to lack of transparency with our last JISA. I’m so glad I did as their app is much more user friendly and you can easily jump to the sections you require. More importantly, the product performance seem to be better too. I can’t recommend beanstalk highly enough.
Great
As someone careful about where I invest my money, there are a few key things I prioritise: an intuitive app, accessible and friendly support, and a clear understanding of the benefits on offer. Beanstalk ticks every box, making it a standout choice for anyone looking to take control of their finances with confidence.
The app itself is brilliantly designed—simple enough for beginners yet packed with enough features for those with more experience. Navigating through it feels seamless, and the layout makes everything easy to understand, which is essential when dealing with finances. No one wants to waste time trying to figure out where things are or what they mean, and Beanstalk eliminates that hassle entirely.
The support team is another high point. They’re genuinely helpful, friendly, and quick to respond. Whenever I’ve had a question, they’ve been on hand with clear and considerate answers. That kind of support gives you peace of mind, especially when dealing with investments.
Finally, Beanstalk is transparent about the benefits it offers. It’s refreshing to see straightforward explanations of how each feature can help you grow your investments, without the usual financial jargon that can sometimes feel overwhelming.
In short, Beanstalk has created an investment experience that’s both approachable and effective. It’s exactly what I was looking for, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a dependable, user-friendly platform to manage their money.
Great!!
This is a fantastic way to save for your kids. Easy to set up and for family and friends to contribute to it as well!
The Best Junior ISA
When I was setting up my daughter ISA, after doing my research I found this to be the clearest and easiest to use for her. The app is easy to use and keep track of earnings against contributions. There is also the opportunity to link your Kidstart app to earn more. Fully recommend this junior ISA product.
Glad I found Beanstalk
Started to use this app because my child’s junior ISA was not growing the way I wanted it to. She is now 18 and has continued to use Beanstalk as her ISA provider. Great company doing great things. Would definitely recommend.
Easy to top up
App is easy to use and explains most stuff well. Would give 5 stars if it was easier to speak to someone but that is modern day tech I suppose.
Still recommend as easiest way currently to save money for kids future.
Fantastic Junior ISA
I found this to be one of the Best ISA’s. Very easy to set up and use and you can also link Kidstart app savings to the ISA.
Beanstalk JISA Review
Name: Beanstalk
Description: Beanstalk is an investment app that helps you invest for your children through a Junior ISA. It was founded by the team behind Kidstart (a cashback site for children’s shopping) and won our 2022 & 2023 award for Best Junior Stocks & Shares ISA as they make setting up an account to invest for your children’s future cheap, easy, flexible and accessible for you and for others to contribute to.
Summary
Beanstalk’s Junior ISA won our award for the best JISA in 2023 and 2022 as they provide a simple yet effective way to invest for your children’s future. Friends and family can also make deposits directly into your child’s account via the app. The investment options are split between cash and the stock market enabling parents to adjust the level of risk they are prepared to take. It’s a good option for parents who want to investment for their children, but don’t want to pick individual invesments.
Pros
- Switch between stocks and cash
- Low cost & tax efficient
- Easy to use & contribute
Cons
- JISA funds can only be accessed when your child turns 18
- App only, no website access
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Pricing
(4)
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Market Access
(3.5)
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Online Platform
(4.5)
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Customer Service
(4.5)
-
Research & Analysis
(3.5)
Overall
4Beanstalk JISA Expert Review
We quite often go to the ponies as a family, and if there is more than a single page of horses on the card for a race we always let the children have a little bet to cover more of the field. The other day we were at Sandown, it was the last race of the day, and Hugo, my youngest chose a horse based on the only sensible strategy available to a two-year-old, he picked one at random. As luck would have it, it was a rank outsider, a 13-year-old with an exceptional track record that was now a little bit long in the tooth. But, he wished and he hoped and Wishing and Hoping romped home to win at 50-1, after leading the pack the entire race.
ITV Racing caught us trackside on the TV as the owner burst into floods of tears and the trainers were whooping away. That’s us on the left…
We didn’t get 50-1, we got 34-1 because we only bet with the bookies at the track, in particular, we like a chap called Barry, who wears a Fedora.
A tidy return nonetheless, but what to do with it? Usually, we’d all go out to dinner to celebrate, but because it’s Dry January, we just went home. And because we’re trying to be more responsible parents, we thought we’d invest his winnings. Let it ride as it were, on the biggest bet out there, the stock market.
Last week, we invested one of my other children’s birthday money through GoHenry, but as Hugo is too young to get pocket money, I chose Beanstalk for him.
But is now a good time to be investing for your children’s future? I hear you ask. The stock market is coming off five-year highs, we are in a recession, the world is nearly at war and the tech giants who have historically created massive shareholder returns are laying people off left right and centre.
- Related guide – How to invest in a recession
Well, here’s the thing, there is always a disaster around the corner, and actually now is the best time to start investing, because it is in fact, now. When it comes to long-term returns (Hugo can’t access money in his JISA until he is 18), the best time to invest is as soon as possible.
When I interviewed Julian Robson, the co-founder of Beanstalk last year, he told me that one of the inspirations for setting up the Beanstalk JISA was a chart that was on the wall in his old boss’s office. It was a chart of the stock market going back to the 1900s. His point was that if you look at a long-term chart of the stock market, you can’t see 1987’s Black Monday, The 1930’s Great Depression, or any other major stock market crash. In general, it just goes up.
Here is a good example of the Covid market crash that Cem Eyi (Beanstalks other co-founder highlighted on LinkedIn recently (the fund is Fidelity World Index).
What does the Beanstalk JISA invest in?
When you invest in a Junior stocks and shares ISA with Beanstalk, you are essentially making two investments (three if you want to include your child’s future), the Legal & General Cash Trust fund and Fidelity Global Index fund. The first tracks interest rates and keeps your money as cash, the second tracks the stock market, and holds big profitable companies like Apple, Microsoft and Johnson & Johnson (you can see the full portfolio breakdown here). It’s a standard diversified portfolio.
How much does the Beanstalk JISA cost?
It costs, 0.5% of the balance of your portfolio for a Beanstalk JISA, but if cost is your only concern, you can buy these funds individually with a DIY platform like AJ Bell (0.25%), Hargreaves Lansdown (0.45%) and Interactive Investor (JISA is free with a £9.99 per month trading account). Regardless of who you invest with you will still have to pay the 0.12-0.15%. charges levied by L&G and Fidelity for managing the fund.
Why invest with a Beanstalk JISA then?
Where Beanstalk earns its money is that you can very easily switch between what percentage of cash and stocks are in your child’s portfolio. There is a handy slider, which also shows what the historic returns would have been depending on the allocation.
So, if you think the market is going to crash you can switch to more cash and interest, rather than stock market investments. But remember, a general rule of thumb when it comes to investing is that the younger you are, the more risk you should take. If you are old, the closer to retirement you are the lower risk your investments should be. So, when your child comes close to 18, you can tune down the risk so that you don’t get bitten by a shock stock market crash the week before they get their money.
I’m not suggesting for a second that you bet on horses to kickstart your children’s financial literacy, that would be idiocy. But, if you have a few pounds sitting around, pick up your phone, download the app, and start investing for your children’s future. If you’re looking to bet on a winner, that’s a sure thing.
Beanstalk Awards
Beanstalk has won the best junior stocks and shares ISA in our 2023 and 2024 awards.Beanstalk Junior ISA Video Review
Watch as we invest live in a Beanstalk JISA and explain the pros and cons of the app versus traditional investment platforms.
Beanstalk Facts & Figures
| ⬜ Public Company | ❌ |
| 👉 Number Active Clients | na |
| 💰 Minimum Deposit | £10 |
| 💸 Client Funds | na |
| 📅 Founded | 2020 |
Account Costs | |
| ➡️ Investment Account | ❌ |
| ➡️ SIPP | ❌ |
| ➡️ Stocks & Shares ISA | 0.5% |
| ➡️ Junior ISA | 0.5% |
| ➡️ Lifetime ISA | ❌ |
Dealing Costs | |
| ➡️ UK Shares | ❌ |
| ➡️ US Stocks | ❌ |
| ➡️ ETFs | ❌ |
| ➡️ Bonds | ❌ |
| ➡️ Funds | £0 |
Capital at risk
Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
You can contact Richard at richard@goodmoneyguide.com
