Seven most recommended funds

Once you've decided to invest in a stocks and shares Isa, you need to decide what investments to hold in it. But there are thousands of funds to choose from and it's hard to narrow down the choice yourself.

Many DIY investment platforms offer lists of 50 to 150 recommended funds, which they promote to investors as the best funds available on the market, as researched by their independent analysts.

We examined the fund select lists on 10 investment platforms. We expected to find lots of common recommendations among the select lists, but this wasn't the case.

In total, 338 funds were recommended. But 217 of these funds only received one recommendation across all ten platforms.

In fact, the 10 platforms only agreed on one fund, and only 16 funds received five or more recommendations.

Here's a bit more detail about the seven funds that received six or more recommendations.

Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders*

Number of platform recommendations: 10/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.91%

Its goal is to achieve long-term capital growth from a portfolio of large and medium-sized companies in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand, but excluding Japan. Each potential investment is evaluated according to seven principles which include: looking for companies that treat their investors fairly, avoiding capital losses, examining company fundamentals and not investing for the short term.

AXA Framlington UK Select Opportunities*

Number of platform recommendations: 7/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.83%

Run by very experienced and highly respected Nigel Thomas, a manager with over 30 years' experience, it can invest in UK companies of any size. Although the fund has not always been top of the pops in the performance charts, its long-term record has been impressive.

CF Woodford Equity Income*

Number of platform recommendations: 7/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.75%

Managed by the UK's best- known fund manager, Neil Woodford, this invests primarily in UK-listed companies. It aims to provide a reasonable level of income together with capital growth.

Fidelity MoneyBuilder Income*

Number of platform recommendations: 6/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.56%

A relatively conservatively managed, high-quality, investment-grade corporate bond portfolio, it aims to provide an attractive level of income and predominantly invests in UK fixed-interest securities, with some exposure to other developed markets.

JPM US Equity Income Fund

Number of platform recommendations: 6/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.93%

It aims to share in the future growth of the US stock market by investing in high quality, attractively valued companies in any economic sector that have healthy and sustainable dividend yields.

FUND:GTUF:Liontrust Special Situations

Number of platform recommendations: 6/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.88%

It's a UK equity fund with a distinct process looking for UK companies with a strong defendable business franchise. The fund typically has a bias to medium- and small-sized UK companies in a relatively concentrated portfolio with low turnover.

FUND:NND5:Schroder Tokyo

Number of platform recommendations: 6/10

Ongoing charges figure: 0.91%

It aims to achieve capital appreciation through participation in the growth of the Japanese economy. Investment will be based primarily on Japan's economic strengths, such as its manufacturing industry (in particular on those parts of it that are demonstrating an ability to exploit newly emerging technology) and on sectors benefiting from structural change in the economy.

*A member of Moneywise's First 50 Funds for beginners.

Interactive Investor, Moneywise's parent company, offers fund recommendations by offering customers a digital copy of sister magazine Money Observer's rated funds list. You can view it here. Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders is a member of the Money Observer rated funds.

This article was first published by our sister magazine Moneywise, available online here.

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.