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Robo-investing sounds like science fiction but is already a fact of investment life, and more investors are plugging into this low-cost to build their wealth. Peter Oakley, from Shrewsbury, knows nothing about investing but is already watching his wealth grow.
Mental health social worker Peter, 39, lives in a shared ownership ground floor apartment with his 35-year-old partner Luxanne Wong, who’s an engineer.
“We are looking to buy a bigger property, especially since we would like to start a family,” he says.
Peter is keen to build up some savings but is disappointed by the low returns on cash savings accounts. “Even though interest rates are rising, inflation is still destroying its value in real terms.”
He tried dabbling in crypto but found it far too volatile. “I put in £500 and ended up taking out £1,500, but the swings from profit to loss were ridiculous.”
He decided the stock market was the best way to build his long-term wealth, but there was a problem. “I’m not financially trained and know nothing about stocks and shares.”
Peter Oakley and Luxanne Wong are saving for the long-term (Image: Getty)
As it turns out, he didn’t need to. Peter signed up with online automated investment platform Wealthify, which offers its customers a service called “robo-investing”.
The robo-investing platform uses computers to process market data, along with an investment team, which allows them to keep costs low. It charges a low management fee that never exceeds 0.7% and can be as low as 0.4%.
Peter decided to invest £300 a month into a Stocks & Shares ISA, and the robo-adviser spreads his money across a globally diversified portfolio of investment funds covering different countries, sectors and assets.
“I couldn’t do this myself. I wouldn’t know where to begin or be able to dedicate the time to it,” Peter says.
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Robo-investing services usually do not give advice to say whether investing is right for you. However, the platform did carry out a basic “fact find” asking about his personal situation and attitude to risk.
As with any stock market investment, the value of his money can go up or down, depending on how global markets perform.
So far his investments have done well, despite this year’s volatility. “I’ve invested £3,600 in the last year and I’m already made £500 on top of that.”
Stock markets have been volatile this year but that hasn’t deterred him. “They will recover at some point. The energy crisis won’t last forever.”
In fact, the downturn has worked in Peter’s favourite. Because he drip feeds money into his ISA, his monthly contribution buys more shares when markets are down.
He should benefit when they finally recover. “History shows that markets tend to bounce back over time.”
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Robo-advisers are not physical robots but use software and artificial intelligence (AI) (Image: Getty)
To further reduce his risk, Peter only invests disposable income that he will not need in the short term.
Wealthify chief executive Andrew Russell says investing for the long-term allows investors to ride out market bumps and stay focused on their life goals.
“We always suggest that investors have easy access savings for a rainy day before they start investing.
“That way, you can relax about short-term market fluctuations, and focus on your longer-term plans.”
Russell says the longer you remain invested, the more time your money has to compound. “We strive to make investing as easy and accessible as possible. Customers can start with as little as £1.”
Peter says investing in shares feels like “grown-up saving”, in contrast to cash and crypto. “I don’t know how to play the market myself, so I’m glad to have a robot do it on my behalf.”
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