Let's chat
This document is for you, a potential Beach customer, and is to give you an overview of the most important details of a non-ISA.
Hopefully you'll find it easy to read and understand, and it’s here to help you make an informed decision.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is a financial services regulator in the UK, asks that Beach provide you with this document – it’s important, so please read it carefully and ensure you understand everything before opening an account.
We encourage you to keep a copy yourself, and we’ll keep a copy of it on our website (beach.org) for you to refer back to whenever you like. If there’s any questions, get in touch with our friendly team via [email protected].
We partner with WealthKernel to provide you with our non-ISA (WealthKernel Limited, company no. 09686970). They manage things behind the scenes, and are the account manager.
They are fully authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide investment services, and eligible customers may be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
More information about them can be found in our terms and conditions, or get in touch with us via [email protected].
Note: we don’t provide any form of financial, investment or tax advice, and neither does WealthKernel. This information is to help you make the right decisions for yourself.
If you are unsure about the risks involved investing within this account, and have questions, contact our friendly team via [email protected].
Our non-ISA is a General Investment Account (GIA).
A General Investment Account (GIA) is a way to buy and sell investments (for instance an investment fund), you could think of it as a ‘standard investing account’.
It doesn't have the same tax benefits as an ISA or pension.
However, there are no limits with a GIA, so you can save and invest as much as you like (there are annual contribution limits and other restrictions with an ISA and pension).
But, your money and investments will be subject to tax, which means you might have to pay tax if your investments grow in value, or if they provide an income (such as interest) or pay dividends (profits paid to you from a company via an investment).
If you’re unsure about tax, it’s always a good idea to speak to a suitable advisor (such as a tax advisor or personal accountant).
You may have to pay tax on money you make within your non-ISA, such as investment growth or income. The amount of tax you pay will depend on your individual circumstances and the tax rules that apply at the time.
You are responsible for determining and paying any tax you may owe. If you’re unsure, you should speak to a suitably qualified tax advisor.
Tax rules can change in the future.
You’ll need to be over the age of 18, and be a UK tax resident.
No, we cannot offer you advice based on your personal circumstances, which includes investment, tax and any money related matters. You will need to make your own decisions. If you think you’d benefit from advice, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial advisor.
You’ll pay an annual fee to Beach of 0.5% of the value of your non-ISA balance per year.
A minimum fee applies across the total balance of your Beach account (for instance if you also have money in a Pension pot, this is included, which reduces the likelihood of this fee being applied). This is £3.99 per month.
You will either pay 0.5% or the minimum fee of £3.99 per month, not both, depending on the balance across your whole Beach account.
This minimum fee only applies when you have a balance in your Investment pot or Pension pot.
The minimum fee won’t apply if you only have a balance in a Cash pot. And any rate shown already includes fees, so what you see is what you get.
This covers the costs Beach charges for providing your account, such as payments (adding money), trading (buying investments on your behalf), custody (holding your investments safely and securely) and the administration behind the scenes.
This will be collected from your Beach account balance in monthly instalments, based on the daily value of your balance. You don’t need to make a payment from your bank account.
As an example, if you have a total Beach balance of £10,000, you’d pay 0.5% of the value across the course of a year, which is £4.17 per month (£50 per year). If instead, you had a total Beach balance of £5,000, your monthly fee would be £2.09 per month (£25 per year), and so you would instead pay the minimum fee of £3.99 per month.
The funds held within your account also have their own charges. These are charged by the fund manager, not Beach, and are automatically reflected in the value of the fund. You can find the charge for each fund in the investment information provided. Fund charges can change.
Beach (Beach Finance Ltd) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which means we’ve been reviewed against strict criteria, and approved to arrange your account and investments, ensuring that your money is safe and secure, and we are continually reviewed.
Our custodian partner, WealthKernel, who holds your money and investments securely, is also authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Your money and investments are safeguarded in line with the FCA rules.
Your investments are held all in your name, and can only be returned to you. Nobody, not even us, can access your money and investments within your account. Should anything happen to an investment manager, our custodian partner, or Beach (such as going out of business), your account and money would still exist, and would be returned to you (or transferred to a new provider).
For added security, you may also be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This can provide compensation in certain circumstances if a regulated financial firm fails. Different protection limits can apply depending on what you hold and eligibility rules apply. You can learn more on the FSCS website.
However, it’s important to understand investments in your Investment pot can fall in value as well as rise due to investment performance. This is part of how investments work over time and ups and downs should be expected.
As this is an account just for you, only you can pay into your account.
Yes. Each time you top up your account, it will need to be a minimum of £25.
No, you can add as much money as you like.
Yes, you can withdraw from your account whenever you want to. You can do this within the app.
You can withdraw as little as £1, or as much as you like, up to the balance you have available. Bear in mind, the more money you withdraw, the less your account could be worth in the future.
When you withdraw, investments may need to be sold to cover the amount you're withdrawing. How long it takes depends on the pot you're withdrawing from. Withdrawals from an Investment pot may take around 10 days to reach your bank account. Cash pot withdrawals are normally quicker.
No, at this time you are not able to transfer in an existing General Investment Account (GIA) to Beach.
You are able to sell your existing investments with your existing provider (fees may apply), withdraw the money, and then deposit and save or invest the money within your Beach account.
No, at this time you are not able to transfer your non-ISA to another provider.
If you would like to use another provider, you will need to withdraw your money from your account and then deposit it with your new provider.
Any investment growth you may have when selling investments (to withdraw money from Beach) would likely be subject to tax.
Yes absolutely. We’ll be sorry to see you go, but you can cancel your account within 14 days of opening your account, which you can do within the app, or contact us at [email protected]. No fees will be charged.
Any money you have added will be returned to you, this may involve selling the funds held within your pots, which could have a different value than when you initially added money, meaning you may get back more or less than you added.
We pride ourselves on providing the best service possible, and your satisfaction is incredibly important to us – so if you’re not happy with any aspect of Beach, please get in touch with us at [email protected] and we’ll aim to put things right as soon as we can.
We aim to resolve most complaints within 3 working days where possible. If it’s a bit more complicated that requires a bit more investigation and time, we’ll let you know.
If you’re not happy with the outcome of our investigation, you can make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The Financial Ombudsman Service is a free service to resolve complaints fairly. Here’s how to contact them:
Online: financial-ombudsman.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
Letter: The Financial Ombudsman Service Exchange Tower, London, E14 9SR
Phone: 0800 023 4 567 (free), weekdays from 8:00am–8:00pm, and on Saturday from 9:00am–1:00pm
You’ll have 6 months to make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service after you’ve received the outcome of our own investigation.
You can find further information about making a complaint on our website beach.org/complaint
The information provided in this key features document is based on our understanding of the current law, practice and taxation, which may be subject to change. The law of England and Wales will apply in all legal disputes.
© 2023-2026 Beach Finance Ltd.
When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up, so you may get back less than you put in. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances, and could change in the future. You should seek financial advice if you are unsure about investing.
You are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000 (subject to eligibility).
Beach® is a registered trademark owned by Beach Finance Ltd.
Beach (Beach Finance Ltd) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (1010244), and registered in England and Wales (14969609).