The Big Exchange: Invest in the things you care about

Energy, food, furniture, housing and clothing prices are all outpacing wages. So much so that the cost of living has risen at the fastest rate in 30 years. The gas and electricity price hikes will hit all households on all incomes, and experts warn that it’s only going to get worse.

While now may seem the hardest time to think about putting some money away, it’s more important than ever to build financial resilience. Almost a fifth of UK adults have less than £100 in savings, a concerning fact as the cost of living crisis is squeezing finances from every side.

In response to rising inflation the Bank of England has raised its base rate of interest, which has made things slightly better for those who can afford to put something aside to save.

More and more savers are turning to investing to make their money work harder for them. The days of investing only being available for the super rich, or those with time to spare monitoring financial markets are in the rear-view mirror. As the investment industry works hard to shake off the reputation of being opaque, new businesses like The Big Exchange offer consumers the transparency that they deserve, both in terms of where their money is being invested and the fees they are paying.

An ISA with The Big Exchange offers tax-free investing for customers and access to funds from expert asset managers that have all been independently assessed.

Chris Baker, a 29-year-old from Winchester, was completely new to investing when he first opened an ISA with The Big Exchange.

Describing himself as “quite risk averse”, he doesn’t have an accountant or a financial adviser, and had not spent time doing financial forecasting for what he wanted to do with his savings.

He describes himself as “not one to play around with my money on something I have no idea about”. The access to funds that are run by leading asset managers available on The Big Exchange was one of the key draws for Chris to decide to open an ISA. 

“It was easy enough to understand the risk” involved in investing, he says. He started off small but plans to invest more once he sees “evidence in the returns and the outcomes”.

While property is something a lot of people talk about, for Baker, it felt like too much of a commitment. Ultimately, it was the potential for his money to do good, as well as the potential return on investment, that persuaded him choose The Big Exchange.

Baker says he’d reached “a point in life where you think: Hang on a minute, I need to do a bit more with my money than leave it in a traditional ISA and let it do nothing… I am a big believer in social business initiatives.

“I care deeply about the environment so that is a top priority,” Baker adds. “My other passion is for reducing inequality because I believe that underlies everything. 

“If you could give everyone a fair chance then that would solve a lot of ills in the world.”

Money invested through the Big Exchange works hard to create a better future by investments that have a positive impact on people and the planet. “Being able to invest in The Big Exchange in things that I care about is equal to the cash return for me personally,” Baker explains.

The Big Exchange gives access to ethical investments that aim to provide returns for your wallet while addressing some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Its mission is to make investing in this way available to as many people as possible. You can open up an ISA with The Big Exchange with less than £100. There are no entry or exit fees, and the annual platform fee of 0.25 per is among the cheapest on the market.

Central to the ethos of The Big Exchange is that finance should be fair, sustainable and inclusive, all while building your savings pot for a more secure future.

The Big Exchange is an investment platform where you can invest in a better future for you, the planet and humankind.

This article is taken from The Big Issue magazine. If you cannot reach your local vendor, you can still click HERE to subscribe to The Big Issue today or give a gift subscription to a friend or family member. You can also purchase one-off issues from The Big Issue Shop or The Big Issue app, available now from the App Store or Google Play.