The first and easiest option to choose is the tax-efficient Junior ISA, if the child is eligible. Junior ISAs are flexible, tax-efficient and can only be accessed by the child when they reach the age of 18.
Investing in The M&G Junior ISA
At M&G, we have over 90 years of investment experience and the size and the scale of resource to give your child a head start with their money. We believe that Junior ISAs could have a key role in every parent or guardian’s long-term financial plan for their children. Please note that M&G only offers a stocks and shares Junior ISA.
Investors can also choose to transfer existing Child Trust Funds (CTFs) into Junior ISAs. Your existing CTF provider may make a charge for carrying out the transfer. We carry out all the paperwork to transfer your CTF to M&G free of charge. Whilst your investment is being transferred it will be out of the market for a short period of time and will not lose or gain in value.
Junior ISA tax advantages may depend on your individual circumstances and tax rules may change in the future. Find out more about transferring an investment to M&G.
Investing outside The M&G Junior ISA
If your child does not qualify because they have already used their Junior ISA allowance for the tax year or they have a CTF that they do not wish to transfer into a Junior ISA, then there are several other ways to access the long-term growth potential of the M&G fund range. This can be done by:
- Investing in the child’s own name, if they are over 18 years of age
- Investing in your name, with a designation for the child, to transfer to their name when they reach 18 years of age
- Creating a bare trust
However as these options are not tax-efficient, investors need to fully understand their obligations to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).
We are unable to give financial advice. If you are unsure about the suitability of your investment, speak to your financial adviser. The value of the fund's assets will go down as well as up. This will cause the value of your investment to fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you originally invested.
Investing in the child’s own name
Children can hold shares in a fund within The M&G Savings Plan (or directly in an M&G OEIC) in their own name, once they reach the age of 18.
Investing in your name, with a designation for the child
For younger children, shares can be registered in the name of an adult but designated for the child by adding, for example, their initials to the ‘designation’ field on the application form. Once the child reaches the age of 18 the shares can be transferred into their name.
Designated accounts are not a legally binding arrangement. If you are looking to add a more formal status (and legal standing) to an investment held on behalf of a child, you could choose to set up a bare trust.
Creating a bare trust
A bare trust is a formal and legally binding way of registering an investment you have made for someone else.
At M&G we believe that in order to avoid any potential tax issues it is wisest to make a formal declaration of trust to HMRC. This can be arranged through a professional adviser, such as a solicitor, who normally draws up deeds.
Further information on investing on behalf of a child outside The M&G Junior ISA, including tax implications and further details on bare trusts, is available in our ISA Guide.