A tracker fund (or index fund) is a simple, low-cost way to invest in the stock market. Instead of picking individual stocks, it automatically follows a large list of companies like the FTSE 100 investing in companies such as AstraZeneca, Shell, British Gas and Lloyds Banking Group or the S&P 500, which includes top U.S. businesses like Apple, Amazon, Microsoft and Tesla.
For example, if you invest £10,000 into a UBS S&P 500 Index fund, £760 would be invested into Apple, £413 into Amazon, £629 into Microsoft and £227 into Tesla all the way down to a few pounds in the companies lower down the list of the top 500 companies based on their market cap (the total value of a company's shares of stock). Source : UBS (4 February 2025)
Why it's great for young investors
Easy & hands-off - No need to worry about picking stocks as it just follows the market.
Very low fees - Costs way less than hiring an investment management team.
Diversified - Spreads risk across potentially hundreds if not thousands of listed companies.
What is our view on actively managed funds versus tracker funds?
There are a number of good fund managers out there who have been able to beat the market relatively consistently over the long-term, despite the inevitable periods of under-performance. If you pick a well-respected fund manager with a good track record and are prepared to monitor performance on a regular basis, it can pay off. Even though fees for active fund management are higher, returns can outstrip a benchmark index by significant margins. Get it wrong though and the opposite scenario can transpire i.e. you end up with an under-performing fund charging you high fees for the privilege.
Tracking an index substantially removes this risk and the need to continuously evaluate a fund manager's relative performance which can suit many investors. Of course, your decision doesn't have to be all or nothing. Many investors choose to have a mix of active and passive funds which can provide a sensible spread of diversified holdings within a portfolio. Ultimately, it's a personal choice and one which we will continue to offer to our clients.
All other things being equal, how do lower charges help my investments to grow?
Costs, like interest have a compounding effect over time. They can have a dramatic impact on investment returns, one that's not always obvious or transparent. In order to see and understand the true importance of costs, the following figures show the impact of different annual management charges over different time periods.
Let's compare two investments, one actively managed fund and one tracker fund, both available through Elson Associates.
If we assume an identical growth rate of 7% per annum for both funds over both a 20 year and a 30 year period, we are able to calculate what an initial investment of £10,000 would be worth after that amount of time. An actively managed fund will never perform the same as a tracker fund over the long term, these figures just show the impact that charges have on investment returns.
| Investment |
Fund |
Total annual cost |
Return 20yrs at 7% p.a. |
Return 30yrs at 7% p.a. |
| £10,000 |
Jupiter UK Growth |
1.74% |
£27,878 |
£46,547 |
| £10,000 |
abrdn UK All Share Tracker |
0.65% |
£34,257 |
£63,405 |
Actively managed
| Investment |
£10,000 |
| Fund |
Jupiter UK Growth |
| Total annual cost |
1.74% |
| Return 20yrs at 7% p.a. |
£27,878 |
| Return 30yrs at 7% p.a. |
£46,547 |
Tracker
| Investment |
£10,000 |
| Fund |
abrdn UK All Share Tracker |
| Total annual cost |
0.65% |
| Return 20yrs at 7% p.a. |
£34,257 |
| Return 30yrs at 7% p.a. |
£63,405 |
The total cost of the Jupiter UK Growth Fund (TER) includes our commission of 0.5% (i.e. not an additional fee). For the abrdn UK All share tracker, the total cost consists of the abrdn fee, Fidelity FundsNetwork annual service fee and the Elson Associates annual service fee.
As you can see, the difference in charges between the two funds makes a significant difference to the value you would get back at the end of these two periods.
Here is a short list of tracker funds which give a mix of low charges, star ratings based on performance and diversification. Many more are available which could be specific geographical areas, industry sectors or Bond and Gilt markets.
Company
Fund
Sector
Fund Charge
Fidelity Service Fee
Elson Service Fee
Total Annual Fee
Perf.
KIID
Company
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Fund
UK All Share Trk N Acc
Sector
UK All Companies
Fund Charge
0.05%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.65%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Vanguard Investments UK Limite
Fund
FTSE100IdxUT I£
Sector
UK All Companies
Fund Charge
0.06%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.66%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Fidelity International (FIL In
Fund
Index US P
Sector
North America
Fund Charge
0.06%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.66%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Legal & General UT Mgr Ltd
Fund
US Index Trust C Acc
Sector
North America
Fund Charge
0.05%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.65%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Vanguard Investments UK Limite
Fund
FTSEDvpEurXUKEqIdx IP A£
Sector
Europe Excluding UK
Fund Charge
0.08%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.68%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Fund
European Eq Tracker N Acc
Sector
Europe Excluding UK
Fund Charge
0.09%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.69%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Fund
As Pac ex Jap Eq Trk N Acc
Sector
Asia Pacific Excluding Japan
Fund Charge
0.12%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.72%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Legal & General UT Mgr Ltd
Fund
Pacific Index Trust C Acc
Sector
Asia Pacific Excluding Japan
Fund Charge
0.11%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.71%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Fund
Japan Equity Tracker N Acc
Sector
Japan
Fund Charge
0.10%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.70%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Fidelity International (FIL In
Fund
Index Japan P Acc
Sector
Japan
Fund Charge
0.10%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.70%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Fidelity International (FIL In
Fund
Index World P
Sector
Global
Fund Charge
0.12%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.72%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Legal & General UT Mgr Ltd
Fund
Global 100 Index Trust C Acc
Sector
Global
Fund Charge
0.09%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.69%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
Aberdeen Standard Investments
Fund
Stg Corp Bd Trk N Acc
Sector
Sterling Corporate Bond
Fund Charge
0.07%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.67%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
Company
BlackRock
Fund
CorpBd1 to10Yr D
Sector
Sterling Corporate Bond
Fund Charge
0.11%
Fidelity Service Fee
0.25%
Elson Service Fee
0.35%
Total Annual Fee
0.71%
Performance & 30 day measure
KIID
You can check out the performance of these funds and others at the fund centre.
Both tracker funds and ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) are passive investments that aim to replicate the performance of an index (like the FTSE 100 or S&P 500), but they have some key differences:
How They're Bought & Sold
- Tracker Fund: Acts like a traditional mutual fund - you buy and sell at the end of the trading day at a set price (Net Asset Value or NAV).
- ETF: Trades like a stock, meaning you can buy and sell throughout the day at market prices that fluctuate.
Costs & Fees
- Tracker Fund: Generally has lower fees but may have higher minimum investment requirements.
- ETF: Slightly higher fees due to trading costs but usually no minimum investment.
Flexibility
- Tracker Fund: Good for long - term investors who want a simple, hands-off approach.
- ETF: More flexible - you can trade anytime and see the underlying investments and any given time.
Choose a tracker fund if you want a set-it-and-forget-it investment with lower costs.
Choose an ETF if you want more control over when you buy and sell.
Most investments today are placed via platforms. Fewer and fewer investors still invest directly with the fund managers - and for good reason - they are generally more expensive and offer less flexibility.
Our duty of care now extends to ensuring you're not paying over the odds for your investments. To this end, we recommend investing via the Fidelity FundsNetwork platform.
There are two ways to make an investment through us:
Online
The quickest and easiest way to invest is via our website. Please note that you will need to pay using a Debit card. Credit cards cannot be used.
To invest online via Fidelity FundsNetwork, please click here.
To invest online via Aegon, please click here.
Paper application
In order to invest via paper application:
- Please contact us here and let us know which fund(s) and the amount(s) you wish to invest.
- We will then send you an illustration (if going into a fund you don't currently hold), a pre-populated form, the relevant KIID(s) and a Service Fee Agreement.
- Once you have read the illustration and checked the pre-populated application form, please sign the form and Service Fee Agreement and return to us along with a cheque payable to 'Aegon' (when investing under Aegon) or 'Fidelity' (when investing under Fidelity FundsNetwork). A FREEPOST envelope will be provided.
Once you have decided where you're transferring your ISA to, please contact us here and we will send you the relevant paperwork for you to complete.
You can either contact us here or alternatively, if you are invested via a platform, you can switch online.
- Switch online with Fidelity FundsNetwork here.
- Switch online with Aegon here.
Past performance of an investment is not necessarily a guide to its performance in the future. The value of investments or income from them may go down as well as up. You may not necessarily get back the amount you invested.