New to Wahed? Here's What Happens Before You Invest

Capital at Risk: The value of investments can go down as well as up, and you may get back less than you invest.

If you've just started setting up your account, we’re here to help you begin your investment journey with us. This guide will get you moving through the rest in minutes, not days and have your account up and running in no time.

One of the greatest advantages of investing is time. While the value of investments can fall as well as rise, starting earlier may give your investments more time to benefit from the effects of compounding. A longer investment horizon has historically helped reduce the impact of short-term market fluctuations.

What Does Wahed Actually Do?

Wahed helps you invest in a shariah compliant way, without needing to choose individual investments yourself or figure it all out on your own.

First, you’ll be asked to answer a few questions about your goals, your experience, how you feel about risk, and Wahed does the rest. We pick the mix of investments, invest it for you, manage it day to day, keep it Shariah-compliant, and now, on top of that, we’ve built additional human rights screens looking not just at what a company trades, but how ethical it is on the global stage to help customers invest in a way that better reflects their values.

You don't need to be a finance expert to invest with us. Let us help you work toward your financial goals.

Most customers find the following information worth knowing upfront, since they tend to be what people want reassurance on before going further:

• Wahed is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You're setting this up on solid, regulated ground.
• You can start small. A minimum £50 one-off deposit, or £20 a month if you'd rather ease in with a recurring deposit. We’ve built Wahed to be accessible from day one.
• No lock in periods. You can withdraw at any time with Wahed. You have full flexibility if your goals change or need the money.
• Fully Managed. Leave the heavy lifting to us. Your money, managed by the experts. We take full ownership in investing your money, reinvesting dividends and maintaining ongoing shariah oversight.

How Much Can I Actually Make With Wahed?

There's no single answer to "how much can I make?" because so much of it depends on choices only you can make:

• Your goals: Saving for something specific versus general long-term growth can point toward different investment strategies
• Your time horizon: How long you plan to stay invested changes what level of risk might suit you
• Your risk preference: How comfortable you are with your portfolio's value moving up and down in value

Here's what we can share with you. Between July 2021and June 2026:

• Wahed's Moderate portfolio has returned an average of 6.9% per year
• Wahed's Very Aggressive portfolio has returned an average of 11.7% per year

And the best part is that these returns are after Wahed’s fees have been deducted!

There's one thing that generally helps though: time. The longer your money stays invested, the more opportunity  it has to potentially grow, sometimes called "time in the market." Again, this is not a guarantee, just a general pattern, and different portfolios carry different levels of risk alongside that potential.

That's exactly why we take you through a suitability questionnaire early on in your Wahed journey. It's what lets Wahed suggest a portfolio shaped around your answers rather than a generic one.

And you don't need much to start finding this out. You can begin with as little as a £50 one-off deposit or £20 recurring payment.

Want to run your own numbers? Our UK Returns Calculator lets you explore different timeframes and portfolios. Remember that this calculator only suggests estimated returns , and your actual returns could end up higher or lower than what it might calculate.

A quick example of how compounding works

Say you started with £10,000, added £400 a month, and it grew at an illustrative 7% a year, compounded monthly:

• After 1 year, from £14,800 in cash, the investment could be worth around £15,700.
• After 5 years, from £34,000 in cash, the investment could be worth around £42,800.
• After 10 years, from £58,000 in cash, the investment could be worth around £89,300.

Two things worth knowing about this example:

• This is not a forecast, rather an illustration of how compounding works at a fixed rate.
• Real investments do not grow in a straight line like this. They move up and down from year to year, so the actual returns would be different.

Why Invest at All?

Cash sitting in a bank account tends to lose value in real terms over time, since prices generally rise. Investing gives your money a chance to potentially grow over time.

It's not theoretical either. Over the last five years, Wahed's portfolios have averaged around 7% annually, with the highest-performing portfolios reaching 11%. Please note that although this is how Wahed portfolios have performed in the past, portfolio growth fluctuates every year To understand what your journey at Wahed could potentially look like, have a look at our UK Returns Calculator.

This isn't for everyone; whether it suits you depends on your own circumstances, and if you're unsure, it's worth speaking to an independent financial adviser rather than guessing.

Why Time Can Matter When Investing?

A lot of our customers who put off investing believe it’s complicated or that they need to know more first..

The setup itself is genuinely fast: email, password, a verification code, your country, and a quick six-question survey that takes about thirty seconds and verification. Beyond the suitability questionnaire is an actual, specific portfolio built around your goals, experience and risk preference, not a generic example. The sooner you go through it, the sooner you're looking at something real instead of an idea you keep meaning to get to.

Choosing an Account Type

You'll be asked to pick one of these two account types along the way.

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The underlying investments are the same either way, it's just the account wrapper on top that changes how it's taxed. This is general information, not personal tax advice, so if you're unsure which fits you, an independent adviser can help.

Risk, Performance and Shariah Compliance

Investment values go up and down, that's normal, not a sign anything's wrong. Higher-risk portfolios may move more in both directions; lower-risk ones move less but can still fall. Past performance only shows what happened before, never what's coming next. The earlier you start, the more compounding works in your favor. This is because the longer your investment horizon (time to get to your financial goal), the more likely that you'll be able to generate returns.

Over the last five years, Wahed's portfolios have averaged around 7% annually, with the highest-performing portfolio reaching 11%.

To understand more about our portfolios and asset classes, head to the “Investing” section of our website and then to either “Portfolios” or “Asset Classes”

To understand what your journey at Wahed could potentially look like, have a look at our UK Returns Calculator.

Every investment is screened for Shariah Compliance before it goes into a portfolio, reviewed on an ongoing basis, with oversight from Wahed's internal Shariah team and the Shariyah Review Bureau (SRB), an independent external Shariah authority whose certification covers Wahed's products, contracts, and promotional activity.

Fees, Clearly

Wahed keeps this simple.

One annual fee, tiered from 1.00% down to 0.50% as your investment grows. That's it.

No dealing fees. No FX charges. No inactivity fees. No fund dealing fees. Nothing for withdrawing or leaving.

That's worth knowing, because many platforms add extra costs on top of their basic charge:

• A dealing fee every time you buy or sell
• An FX conversion fee whenever your money converts into another currency to buy international shares
• A separate fund dealing fee, just for buying or selling funds
• An inactivity fee, a monthly penalty if your account sits idle for too long
• An exit or transfer fee, if you ever decide to move your money elsewhere

None of this is exactly hidden. It's usually listed somewhere.

But it's rarely front and centre, which is exactly why two platforms can look similarly priced at a glance, and turn out very differently once you actually use them.

One annual fee charged monthly  covers management, custody, and transaction costs, calculated on a tiered basis:

• 1.00% on the first £250,000
• 0.75% on the portion between £250,000 and £1,000,000
• 0.50% on the portion above £1,000,000

The more you invest, the lower your effective rate.

SIPPs carry an additional £2.50 monthly maintenance fee. Underlying fund charges (0.22%–0.79% a year) are reflected in fund prices, and there are no fees for withdrawing

How the fee is actually charged

Even though it's quoted as an annual percentage, it isn't taken as one lump sum. It's calculated monthly instead, so you never feel it as a big one-off deduction.

For example: on £10,000, 1% works out to £100 a year. Divide that by 12, and you're charged around £8.33 a month.

The Suitability Questionnaire

Next comes a short questionnaire, just six questions, and it genuinely takes about thirty seconds.

There aren't right or wrong answers here, only answers that reflect your actual situation: your goals, your experience, and how you'd feel if your portfolio's value moved up or down.. Answer honestly, and what comes out the other side is a portfolio actually built around you, not a one-size-fits-all starting point.

Once completed, you'll see your suggested portfolio straight after which you can change if you prefer.

What Happens After You Set Up?

Once you've answered the questionnaire and reviewed your suggested portfolio, the only steps left are identity verification (standard for any regulated account) and funding, entirely your choice on timing and amount.

Quick Answers

• Can I start small? Yes, £50 one-off or £20 a month.
• What if my portfolio drops in value? That can happen with any investment; the risk level shown helps you pick one that matches your comfort level.
• Can I withdraw later? Yes, anytime for an ISA or GIA (subject to age rules for pensions) with no fees.
• Who do I ask if I'm stuck? Support's available through the Help Centre, live chat, or by booking a call.

Ready When You Are

You know what Wahed does, why people invest, why the setup takes minutes rather than hours, and exactly where funding sits in the process. The rest is up to you.

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