Five of the best brokers for bonds in an Isa

If you’re investing in bonds – either directly or through bond funds – it makes sense to consider holding them in an Isa. Here are five of the best Isas for bonds.

It used to be rare for individual investors to put money directly into bonds other than holding some UK government bonds (gilts) for income or a safe haven during turbulent times, perhaps.

That was partly because bonds trade in a very different way to shares. Whereas shares are listed on the stock exchange, corporate bonds are traded by arrangement between dealers and brokers (known as off-exchange or over-the-counter (OTC) trading). Trades in shares can be as small as you like even just a single share but corporate bonds change hands in blocks of £50,000, or more in some cases. That makes them too large for most individual investors.

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AJ Bell YouinvestNo Isa fee. £9.95 per tradeBonds must be traded by telephone rather than online, but an online commission rate of £9.95 will be charged.
Hargreaves Lansdown0.45% of portfolio value per year (capped at £45). £11.95 per trade online. 1% (min £20, max £50) by telephoneHargreaves Lansdown is by no means the cheapest provider, but it offers a number of popular corporate bonds for online dealing. So if online availability is important to you, the firm may be worth considering.
iDealing£5 per quarter Isa fee.£9.90 per tradeOnline trading is available for many popular bonds.Telephone trades are charged at the same rate.
iWeb Share DealingNo Isa fee. £5 per tradeiWeb charges a £25 one-off account opening fee. It offers telephone trading in bonds only.
X-ONo Isa fee. £5.95 per tradeX-O offers telephone trading in bonds only.
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Cris Sholto Heaton

Cris Sholto Heaton is an investment analyst and writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2006 and was managing editor of the magazine between 2016 and 2018. He is especially interested in international investing, believing many investors still focus too much on their home markets and that it pays to take advantage of all the opportunities the world offers. He often writes about Asian equities, international income and global asset allocation.

Cris began his career in financial services consultancy at PwC and Lane Clark & Peacock, before an abrupt change of direction into oil, gas and energy at Petroleum Economist and Platts and subsequently into investment research and writing. In addition to his articles for MoneyWeek, he also works with a number of asset managers, consultancies and financial information providers.

He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and the Investment Management Certificate, as well as degrees in finance and mathematics. He has also studied acting, film-making and photography, and strongly suspects that an awareness of what makes a compelling story is just as important for understanding markets as any amount of qualifications.