Most popular Sipp investments

Building your own pension by investing into a self-invested personal pension (Sipp) lets you pick the investments that could fund your retirement.

Anyone in employment will be automatically enrolled onto a workplace pension scheme, and for many, these do the job perfectly well.

Sipps – DIY pot for life pensions – are increasing in popularity, though. The total assets under administration within Sipps stood at £567 billion, for approximately 5.3 million investors, in 2024, according to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) figures.

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One of the main Sipp providers, Hargreaves Lansdown, saw a record level of contributions into its Sipp products this year on 4 April, just before the end of the tax year, with contributions totalling 2.9% above the previous record.

“At a time when taxes are rising and thresholds are frozen, people are opting to make the most of their money by contributing to a Sipp with tax relief available at your marginal rate,” said Helen Morrissey, head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown.

While deciding between a workplace pension or a Sipp will often come down to you as an individual, they’re a particularly popular choice for the self-employed, who won’t be automatically enrolled onto a workplace pension scheme – and for those who simply want to take a more active role in managing their pension.

Three Sipp providers have provided MoneyWeek with data, some not previously published, on the most popular investments into their Sipps. If you’re considering opening your own Sipp, these could give you some ideas and starting points as to the stocks, funds and trusts you might want to add.

The most popular Sipp investments with Interactive Investor

What perhaps stands out the most in Interactive Investor’s Q3 most bought Sipp investments is the mixture of asset types.

Craig Rickman, personal finance expert at Interactive Investor, said: “While the list is dominated by ever-favoured single company stocks such as Nvidia, Tesla and Rolls Royce, the presence of an exchange-traded gold fund and a low-cost global tracker illustrates that investors are keeping their options broad when seeking to build and manage a diversified portfolio.”

The continued popularity of Royal London’s Short-Term Money Market Fund, which offers an alternative to cash, indicates investors may be cautious about the near-term future equity markets, despite the recent market highs, he pointed out.

“This fund can offer a useful home to investors who want to keep some dry powder to seize stock buying opportunities or those who wish to retain a cash buffer within their retirement portfolio to avoid selling shares should markets hit a rocky patch,” Rickman said.

These were the top 10 most popular Sipp investments on Interactive Investor during Q3 2025:

1. Nvidia
2. Tesla
3. MicroStrategy
4. Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund
5. iShares Physical Gold ETC
6. Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% Equity
7. Palantir Technologies
8. Rolls Royce
9. Taylor Wimpey
10. Amazon

^{Source: Interactive Investor Q3 2025}

The most popular Sipp investments with Fidelity

Investors on Fidelity International’s Personal Investing platform in Q3 2025 showed up with a two-pronged approach to markets. Cash and money market funds were among the most bought – signalling caution and a desire for safe havens – but there was also renewed appetite for global equity funds.

Investors, it would seem, are not simply retreating to safety. They are actively combining defensive positions with exposure to long-term growth and diversification opportunities.

Jemma Slingo, pensions and investment specialist at Fidelity International, said: “September saw a decisive tilt toward safety, with Fidelity Cash Fund and Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund all among the best-sellers. Investors remain cautious despite the market’s steady grind higher, and cash continues to serve as a liquid anchor in portfolios.”

The Bank of England held interest rates at 4% at its September meeting, following August’s quarter-point cut. While the future path of rates is expected to be downward, persistent inflation at 3.8% has delayed further reductions until at least early next year.

“This backdrop helps explain why investors are maintaining high levels of cash in portfolios. Yields on money market and cash funds remain attractive compared with most of the past decade, with many accounts and funds still paying above-inflation returns,” said Slingo.

At the same time, index trackers such as Fidelity Index World Fund remain central to investor portfolios, providing broad market exposure across geographies. Income strategies, including Artemis Global Income Fund, continue to attract inflows as investors seek dependable yield.

These were the top 10 most popular Sipp investments on Fidelity during Q3 2025:

1. Fidelity Cash Fund
2. Artemis Global Income Fund
3. Royal London Short Term Money Market Fund
4. Fidelity Index World Fund
5. Fidelity Multi Asset Allocator Growth Fund
6. Legal & General Global Equity Index Fund
7. Fidelity Special Situations Fund
8. Fidelity Global Dividend Fund
9. Fidelity Multi Asset Allocator Adventurous Fund
10. Artemis SmartGARP European Equity Fund

^{Source: Fidelity International Personal Investing Platform Q3 2025}

The most popular Sipp investments with Hargreaves Lansdown

While the AI theme continues to dominate market discussion and thinking, Hargreaves Lansdown’s Sipp investors have preferred global funds over specific technology or US funds (which are often used as a tech proxy by investors).

Hal Cook, senior investment analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “This suggests an investor preference for greater diversification, both away from the US and from the technology names that dominate the US market.”

The Artemis Global Income fund was the most bought fund. “Fund performance has been exceptionally strong over the last 12 months, sparking a lot of investor interest. We still rate the fund as suitable for long-term investors but suggest some caution to new investors as the recent level of returns are unlikely to persist longer term,” said Cook.

Sipp investors looking for long-term growth have continued to prefer passive funds over active ones, while Hargreaves Lansdown Sipp drawdown investors have focused on income, with some bond funds included in the top 10 for the quarter.

Cook said: “It is just as interesting to note what isn’t in the top 10 list though, and the lack of any Gold ETCs is surprising given the yellow metal continues to repeatedly hit new highs.”

These were the top 10 most popular Sipp investments on Hargreaves Lansdown during Q3 2025:

1. Artemis Global Income
2. Fidelity Index World
3. Legal & General International Index Trust
4. Legal & General Global Technology Index Trust
5. Legal & General US Index
6. Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap Index
7. Legal & General European Index
8. Vanguard LifeStrategy 100% Equity
9. UBS S&P 500 Index
10. Artemis Income

^{Source: Hargreaves Lansdown Q3 2025}

Other fund ideas for your Sipp

Selecting investments for your Sipp should be determined firstly by what point you are in your pension investment journey, says Emma Wall, head of platform investments at wealth firm Hargreaves Lansdown.

“Decades off retiring? You want to maximise your risk/return profile, making sure the bulk of your portfolio is in higher risk assets such as equities. These can be more volatile in price but in the accumulation stage of pension investing, you can afford a few bumps in the road,” she said.

Wall advocates blending a couple of funds together to maximise diversification. For example, investors could pair a passive, developed market-focused fund like Legal & General Future World ESG Tilted and Optimised Developed Index with an active fund focused on emerging markets, like Schroder Asian Alpha Plus.

For investors later in their Sipp journey, or retired clients using their Sipp in drawdown, an income option would be sensible.

Wall prefers Ninety One Diversified Income, which focuses on providing income mainly through investing in bonds, with a smaller part of the fund invested in shares.

“Given market volatility is likely to continue with a number of challenges facing the global economy, a total return fund such as this one could be a sensible choice,” Wall said.