Our selection criteria
We start with over 3,100 UCITS ETFs available to UK investors. We filter these down to around 250 that meet our quality standards:
1. Size matters
We only include ETFs with at least £100 million in assets under management. Larger funds tend to have tighter bid-ask spreads (lower trading costs) and are less likely to close unexpectedly.
2. Cost efficiency
We favour lower-cost options within each category. A 0.1% difference in fees might not sound like much, but over 30 years it can add up to thousands of pounds.
3. Track record
We prefer ETFs that have been around for at least 3 years. This gives us enough history to assess how well they track their index and how they've performed in different market conditions.
4. Physical replication
Where possible, we prefer ETFs that actually hold the underlying stocks (physical replication). Physical replication means the ETF actually buys and holds the real stocks or bonds it's supposed to track. This is generally safer than synthetic replication, where the ETF uses complex financial contracts (derivatives) instead of owning the actual investments.
5. UK platform availability
Every ETF in our database is available on at least two major UK investment platforms. There's no point recommending something you can't actually buy.
How we match ETFs to you
Once you complete our quiz, we use your answers to filter and rank our 250 ETFs:
- Risk tolerance determines which volatility bands we consider
- Investment goal affects whether we prioritise growth or income
- Ethical preferences filter out industries you want to avoid
- Time horizon influences the equity/bond balance
- Platform preference ensures we recommend ETFs you can actually buy
What we don't do
We don't predict which ETFs will perform best. No one can reliably do that. Instead, we focus on finding funds that match your specific situation and preferences.
We don't recommend individual stocks, cryptocurrencies, or other speculative investments. ETFs provide diversification, which reduces risk for beginner investors.
Staying up to date
We review our ETF database quarterly to add new funds that meet our criteria, remove funds that no longer qualify, and update fee and availability information.