Building a low-maintenance ISA

By Juliet Schooling Latter on 25 February 2026 in Income investing

It’s important to choose the right investments for your Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), but not everyone has the time to constantly monitor their choices. That’s why core funds are worth considering for low-maintenance investors. These are portfolios that tick over without micro-management. Here, we reveal the qualities that such funds need to possess – and suggest which are likely to be the most suitable for various life stages. For each category, we highlight single-asset-class funds worth considering, as well as multi-asset examples for those favouring a one-stop-shop approach.

Qualities of core funds

These are some of the main attributes in such portfolios:

• Experienced management team
• An established investment process
• Long term performance in line with expectations and objectives

Early investors

These are investors in their twenties with long investment horizons who can lock their money away for decades and cope with stock market fluctuations. Ideal funds will be heavily weighted towards equities as this asset class offers the best chance of delivering strong growth over many years. Global equities are particularly suitable. Exposure to fast-developing, emerging markets may also be appealing, although they will be more volatile.

Guinness Global Innovators ticks the box as it focuses on finding innovative, disruptive businesses that are changing our world. Its managers identify nine investment themes and then choose the highest-quality, fastest-growing, and best-value stocks from within these areas.

For a potentially more volatile option, the M&G Global Emerging Markets fund favours companies with healthy returns on capital, attractive valuations, and strong shareholder alignment. The management team, led by Michael Bourke, believes real cash flow is particularly important in emerging areas, and its well-defined process has resulted in excellent long-term performance.

Now for a multi-asset option. We have suggested a fund in the IA Flexible Investment sector; these portfolios can allocate up to 100% to equities. The Jupiter Merlin Growth Portfolio is a high-conviction, multi-manager fund of funds, managed by an experienced, well-respected team.

Mid-life investors

We have classed these investors as being in their mid-30s. Incomes will likely rise at this stage, and they will have one eye on the future, perhaps while raising a family. Set-and-forget funds will still need to deliver some growth at this stage, although there could be a case for income funds, depending on their revenue sources. However, the requirement to balance growth with some more reliable holdings suggests that diversified funds could be worth considering.

Our first contender is Lazard Global Equity Franchise. This portfolio is run by a four-strong team and favours companies with an edge in their respective business sectors. It can invest in any firm worldwide but is generally drawn to larger companies due to its focus on identifying industry leaders.

Elsewhere, IFSL Evenlode Global Equity focuses on 30 to 50 companies with the ability to achieve sustainable growth over time, while minimising the need for additional capital reinvestment. The fund uses an in-house software system called ‘Eddie’ to identify high-quality, cash-generative companies that have delivered consistent outperformance.

The Liontrust Sustainable Future Managed fund is an alternative multi-asset option that invests in a combination of global equities, bonds and cash. The aim of the portfolio is to deliver income with capital growth over the long term. Its process uses a thematic approach to identify the key structural growth trends that will shape the future economy.

Later investors

These are the ISAs held by investors in the 15-20 years leading up to retirement. They may be relying heavily on money saved in these products to help fund their later years. While some growth is still needed, much of the focus will likely be on capital preservation, as there’s less time for their overall portfolio to recover. Investors may consider that an equity fund, combined with a multi-asset portfolio, may strike the right balance between the two objectives.

Fidelity Global Dividend is a core global income fund that invests in companies with healthy, sustainable dividend yields. It aims to provide a regular, growing income while preserving capital. The manager also has the flexibility to invest where they find the best opportunities.

Investors with decent portfolios will be more focused on preservation. Therefore, Ninety One Diversified Income could be worth considering, as most assets are held in fixed income.

The fund aims to provide investors with attractive, sustainable income and scope for capital growth. It targets a yield of around 4% per annum, with less than half the volatility of UK equities.

Finally, those wanting more equities might consider Orbis Global Cautious. This strikes a cautious balance between investment returns and the risk of loss through a diversified global portfolio.

While core funds are designed to be low-maintenance, it’s still important to check in on your investments at least once a year. A yearly review helps ensure your portfolio remains aligned with your goals and gives you visibility on performance and any changes in the market.

For a simple guide on how to do this our 2-minute guide to reviewing your investments