I’ve tested MoneyFarm: Review and Performance ⭕️ Is it safe in the UK?

In this Moneyfarm Review you’l find ALL you need to know before starting, plus my personal point of view as a MoneyFarm investor myself.

Is it true that Moneyfarm is performing much better than its competitors?

I have also put together all the bad and positive moneyfarm customer reviews in the UK.

If you live in the UK or EU, this tool could be extremely interesting for you.

❌Don’t trust me: read what Moneyfarm customers say to decide whether or not to use this roboadvisor.

How much do you earn with Moneyfarm?

What are the net returns on Moneyfarm?

Is it true that Moneyfarm performs better?

It is logical that as an investor I would like to know what are the real Moneyfarm returns, not projections or estimates.

“How much do you earn with Moneyfarm” is the first question that comes to mind for those who are about to start an investment portfolio.

Let’s not waste time, the official numbers speak for themselves.

Here is the chart of past returns with a standard 7th level portfolio:

Investment portfolio 7 is one of the most aggressive on MoneyFarm and it is also one of the best performant, so far.

Moneyfarm Performance per year

Here are the official Moneyfarm returns for the last 7 years (risk level 7):

• 2021 = 16.4%
• 2020 =  6.1%
• 2019 =  19.8%
• 2018 = -5.9%
• 2017 =  12.3%
• 2016 = 22.1%

Here we have a screenshot of the past performance of the MoneyFarm investment portfolio n°7 in the last 6 years right from the official website:

As we can see, past performance is very good, especially if we compare MoneyFarm with the competitor roboadvisors.

As always, past performance is not guarantee of future results.

What we can surely tall, is that MoneyFarm UK has been doing well since its inception.

I believe roboadvisors in general are one of the best investment ever for their accessibility.

📈 Moneyfarm simulator

It is possible to perform a simulation of how much money you can earn with MoneyFarm right from their website:

I find it extremely fascinating to do simulations of this kind.
In the image above, I can see that by investing £500 per month in this way after an initial investment of £20,000, the potential results are staggering.
According to the Moneyfarm simulation, in the worst-case scenario after 30 years I would end up with a capital of £300,000.
At best I would have accumulated and earned well over £1 million.

🛡Is my money safe with Moneyfarm?

Is MoneyFarm a safe website?

Safety is crucial when investing and I can say that in my experience Moneyfarm is a safe website.

Let me tell you why.

All investments involve risk, so this also involves risk, even if it is well managed and supervised.

What I mean is that Moneyfarm invests my money in the markets, and the markets by their nature fluctuate.

All in all, with this tool I can rest easy on the tool safety side, which is reputed to be safe.

If I wanted to compare security or property investment Vs. MoneyFarm I can say that it is much easier to make mistakes with the former.

100% safe investments do not exist.

Is Moneyfarm regulated?

Yes, it is authorized by the FCA in Great Britain.

This is very important, since we are NOT talking about an investment company registered in Seychelles or Panama, but in London, UK.

The FCA is as respectable an authority, but that has nothing to do with investment security.

This means that the Financial Conduct Authority (i.e. the regulator of UK banks and brokers) has studied what Moneyfarm wanted to offer, made sure that it is a legal service and that it serves the interests of investors and continues to make sure that they follow the standards set.

For me, safety rhymes with transparency. I have to admit that Moneyfarm does everything it can to gain the trust of those who no longer believe in banks. 

Here is the authorisation number (629539) for MFM Management (MoneyFarm UK) at the Financial Conduct Authority UK:

Who owns Moneyfarm?

Paolo Galvani, chairman, and Giovanni Daprà, CEO are large shareholders.

What happens if Moneyfarm enters administration?

Not much, as Moneyfarm’s assets are totally separate from those of the investors.

Our cost efficient ETFs and client money cash are deposited with a custodian bank, in absolute separation from Moneyfarm’s assets.

In case of default, all my money and assets invested will be returned to me.

Saxo Bank is the custodian for MoneyFarm general investment account investors in the United Kingdom.

The UK FCA regulatory site reports that the FSCS ( financial services compensation scheme ” guarantee fund also applies to Moneyfarm.

Who is Moneyfarm?

Moneyfarm has been offering an independent financial advisory service since 2011.

Moneyfarm is a powerful service for those who want to invest in the markets to earn money, but do not have the skills or time to do-it-yourself.

The service consists of guiding the user to build his investment profile and then to include the total management of the invested capital according to a hybrid robo-human advisor formula.

Can you be more specific?

Moneyfarm is a financial advisor and a portfolio manager at the same time.

In short, anyone who registers on the Moneyfarm website is guided through a process to determine what is best for them.

The user can then carry out a simulation or deposit money to invest straight away.

A real human advisor is always available.

Collection of the most useful MoneyFarm reviews online

Before expressing my opinion on this tool, I’ll show you a fast carousel of what I’ve found online.

MoneyFarm customers reviews can be found on:

• ⭐️ TrustPilot 4,6/5
• ⭐️ Google 4,1/5.
• ⭐️ Play Store 4,2/5
• ⭐️ Apple Store 4,7/5
• Financial forum
• Reddit Users
• Expert reviews

Here are a few of the most useful comments on MoneyFarm I’ve found online:

Very easy to use. Good diverse portfolios and reasonable management charges. 
I personally prefer this tool over some other roboadvisers.

R.

 I like receiving the quarterly market updates and getting notified when the investment portfolio is rebalanced. 

A.W.

 I can invest responsibly and make sure my money don’t support fossil fuels and further destruction of our planet.

L.

Let’s analyse more Moneyfarm reviews to find out more…

# Moneyfarm reviews on Trustpilot

90% of Moneyfarm users who evaluated the service rated it as ‘excellent’ or ‘great’.

Hundreds of Moneyfarm users have reported their opinions here, so it is valuable data.

Here are a few interesting Moneyfarm opinions I’ve found:

Very few MoneyFarm customer reviews are bad, and for the sake of completeness I report it here:

In this bad review on Moneyfarm a user is complaining about some tracking cookie issue.

The answer the company gave is excellent for me.

Now let’s read what Google users say about MoneyFarm…

# Moneyfarm review on Google

Here are Google reviews on Moneyfarm UK.

It is possible for users to leave an opinion on their investment journey with financial services like Moneyfarm UK right on their Google MyBusiness profile.

Google users voted 31 times Moneyfarm and the average vote is 4,1 stars.

The opinion people have about Monefarm services in the UK is rather positive, so far.

Google users are quite happy with what is offered by this Robo advisor services.

Most bad reviews on Moneyfarm are because the minimum investment market strategy starts from 500 GBP.

# Moneyfarm opinions on Play Store

It is possible to leave opinions on services and apps right into the Android Play Store.

Almost 5000 users have left a review on Moneyfarm App.

Most reviews on the Roboadvisor app are good.

# Moneyfarm UK App evaluated by Apple user

The valuation on the Apple store of Moneyfarm app experience is rather good.

1500 people rated Moneyfarm 4,7 stars out of 5:

Video Moneyfarm Review on YouTube

Here is a very complete MoneyFarm review video on YouTube:

The video above is a perfect explanation of how MoneyFarm works and who should use it.

▶️ Go to minute 10:00 for a summary of the entire MoneyFarm video review and a fast comparison with Vanguard.

What people say about MoneyFarm on financial forums?

There is an old forum tread on this tool dated 2017. It is on MoneySavingExpert forum, which was a trusted source of information.

The discussion is focused on “rebalancing” the ETF portfolio , fixed allocation portfolio, actively managed portfolios and ISA convenience (plus junior ISA ). With a Moneyfarm Stocks + Shares ISA you can hope to get for tax-free returns up to £20,000 each year. A Stocks and Shares ISA is a tax wrapper that has been created to protect investments from income and capital gains tax.

Some are very happy with moneyfarm’s fees and consultancy, others less enthusiasts about the high minimum entrance deposit (that was higher in 2017).

Some users make fun of the name “Money Farm”, others wonder how is it possible that they offer “free managing fees”.

They don’t offer anything free anymore nowadays, since they don’t need to.

Lately, lots of users preferisco the socially responsible portfolio (ESG), especially the global infrastructure and the sustainable growth ETFS among the low fees investment options.

Reddit users reviews on Moneyfarm UK

Most Reddit discussions about MoneyFarm UK are old.

Most debates are about the management fees (0,75%) and the type of portfolios they were assigned.

The overall feeling is good, but more expert Reddit users say that they can get the same exchange traded funds on other brokers and save money.

I mostly agree. A trader or ad advanced investor could be able to build a balanced portfolio that makes sense.

What is really difficult is to be consistent and to be able to manage market volatility. This is where roboadvisors came in.

Most people just want to invest some money on monthly basis, they don’t want to actively manage their portfolio, they just want the right investment strategy

Redditors opinions on Moneyfarm are decent, and investors are happy with their returns.

There are a lot of comparisons going on with other low cost roboadvisors like Nutmeg and also pros and cons of the Vanguard LifeStrategy ETFs.

This tool provides a mixed service of low cost investment advice and discretionary management so you can focus on the important things in life.

My personal MoneyFarm experience Pros and Cons

There are advantages and disadvantages to investing with any investment platform. Now let’s not waste time and see what the pros and cons of Moneyfarm are.

Let’s start with the negative side of Moneyfarm

The most criticized aspect of MoneyFarm is undoubtedly the minimum investment of 500£ that is required to start. This is its most famous “cons”.

This is NOT for everyone, you need 500£ to start.

Indeed, 500£ can be a lot of money, especially for those who just want to take a test and see how it works.

For this reason, I started with an investment portfolio simulation, then I invested with confidence shortly after.

What’s bad about MoneyFarm?

• Not too much action. It just follows the markets.
• Fees (0,75%)
• 500£ min investment
• Annual average investment fund fee: 0.2%
• Annual average effect market spread : 0.10%

Now let’s look at the “PROs”

What’s good about Moneyfarm?

• It’s easy to use
• Performance is above average
• It is authorised and supervised in the UK
• It is old and tested
• Management is excellent
• actively managed
• retirement planning available
• low-cost
• easy to set investment goals

But also:

• portfolio tailored to my risk appetite
• wealth managers available
• private pension advice
• potential very long term growth
• investment plan for just any investor type
• Excellent track record
• you can talk to a real person if in need
• fee structure is clear and transparent
• your isk tolerance is assessed and taken into consideration

The first aspect that I rate as “their biggest PRO” is automation.

Being able to start an investment strategy and knowing that it is managed by professionals 365 days a year is of great value.

My task as an investor is limited to:

• Feed the investment month by month (if I have chosen a PAC)
• Nothing if I have invested a lump sum
• enyoy the low fees

Another of the major aspects that I like is undoubtedly the reliability of the instrument and the quality of the investment advice.

Moneyfarm was not born yesterday, it is famous and established. It is authorised and supervised by both the British FCA.

⚫️ Moneyfarm Bad Reviews

Let’s shed some light.

First of all: who writes negative opinions about Moneyfarm?

The vast majority of customers are happy with the service, but obviously, some (few) are not.

Why?

I have analysed the negative comments about Moneyfarm on the major opinion sites. 

The main reasons for dissatisfaction among Moneyfarm customers are:

• Minimum investment of 500£ for an investment account
• Obligation to accept some online paperwork (KYC form) before doing the free simulation

What can I say, these are reasonable complaints, but anyway, the 500£ minimum is just that but there is no obligation of any kind even if you register and then you don’t invest (of course).

The Moneyfarm customer service is good and fast.

Why do people use Moneyfarm?

The typical profile of Moneyfarm users:

• Wants to earn money by investing
• Wants an affordable financial advice
• Is eager to get compound interest
• Disillusioned with banks
• Has never invested D-I-Y or does not know where to start
• Doesn’t want to keep money in their bank account anymore

If you find yourself in one of these profiles then also for you (as it was for me) Moneyfarm investment account could be attractive.

Other cases where it might be of interest are:

• I cash in money from a rented property and do NOT know how to invest it
• Now that I have sold a house and the money is idling in my account
• I have received an inheritance and need to invest it
• My money is just sitting in the bank account
• I need an actively managed portfolio
• I have heard good things about moneyfarm investments

I wanted to quickly clarify who uses it so you can understand if you are wasting your time reading or not.

In 2021 my own Moneyfarm investment account has served returns of up to 16%. This is exceptional. Let’s see if it is also repeatable or not.

Many start with 500£ and then measure the results after a year or two. I have also used Moneyfarm to compare my annual performance against their low-cost managed portfolios.

How many customers does Moneyfarm have?

I sundstrand you don’t want to signup for a service that is used by very few people and this is way you are reading this Moneyfarm review.

A successful Roboadvisor should have a large user base.

MoneyFarm customers number is growing fast ( investment account ).

The strong results of the last 6 years are prompting more and more experienced investors to use it.

91,000 customers are using Money Farm in 2023. This numbers up from the 45,000 it had in 2020.

Is Moneyfarm a savings account?

No. Not at all.

Moneyfarm investment account is not a low-cost savings account and does not offer fixed interest.

The point remains that savings accounts and current accounts have not offered any return for years.

You can apply for stocks and shares ISA, this is a digital wealth management company and you can ask for a personal investment advisor. The investment process is similar to other tools and socially responsible investing is available. Funds invested can be available just anytime, but at market prices.

If I don’t feel too confident about investing with robots advisors or with MoneyFarm, I can turn to the best Savings Accounts in Europe.

Which ETFs does MoneyFarm use?

In order to better understand what happens when we invest in a MoneyFarm portfolio, let’s have a look on what is inside it.

Here is a fixed allocation portfolio breakdown of the exchange traded funds inside a level 6 actively managed portfolio:

As we can see, 66% of the ETF is equity in this portfolio, so it may be more useful asset allocation for aggressive or long term strategy investors.

MF is serving great socially responsible portfolios and a great asset allocation.

A similar allocation can be achieved buying similar ETFs through one of the best stock brokers in Europe.

How much should I invest in MoneyFarm?

The minimum investment strategy is 500£.

Below this sum, there is no access to the investment portfolio of exchange traded funds and free consultancy.

MoneyFarm suggests 2.500 GBP to begin and get a reasonable asset allocation and diversification.

How much do I have to invest with Moneyfarm?

If my doubt about how much to invest in Moneyfarm is related to the safety of the instrument because I am afraid of losing money, then we can say that there are no big risks.
As already mentioned, if Moneyfarm had problems our ETF’s would be safe.

Money is stored in a separate bank account, not available to MoneyFarm UK.
The market risk remains, so the value of our investment portfolio will fluctuate every day, but this is not a problem for long-term investors.
In the long term, those who invest in balanced and managed portfolios in ETFs like these will, on average, make a substantial profit.

This is why I find it very convenient to invest with low-cost roboadvisors.

Which profile do I have to choose on Moneyfarm?

The right profile on Moneyfarm is decided together with the advisor, not alone.

That is why it is easier to make the right choice receiving some regulated advice cmpared to other investments.

I personally choose a long time horizon and a very high-risk profile for my general investment account.

I can afford one or two negative years because then, in the long term, statistically, a good gain is very likely.

If I plan to invest for less than 2 or 3 years then maybe it is better if I choose a low-risk portfolio.

In any case, the financial advisor will guide me.

The real returns of Moneyfarm are quite in line with market average performance.

Low-risk portfolio profiles are numbers 1, 2 and 3.

High-risk profiles on MoneyFarm are number 5,6 and 7, where equity ETFs prevails.

Younger people might prefer to use the more risky MoneyFarm portfolios.

🛠 Moneyfarm: how it works?

Here is how Moneyfarm works for investors step-by-step.

This is exactly what I did when I decided to use Moneyfarm:

1. I registered on the website
2. Filled in their questionnaire
3. I played a bit with their performance simulator
4. Made 15,000 £ bank transfer from my private account (to lower the fees)
5. I chose the level of risk (medium/high for me, but it’s good to get advice from them)
6. Opened a chat with the financial advisor
7. I started the investment strategy

That’s all folks.

No more action is required from my side and from that day my money is invested and managed.

I warn you: there’s no big emotion.

It does what it has to do.

• I don’t have to buy and sell stocks and shares
• No need to check every day how it’s doing (I might do that, but what’s the point?).
• I don’t have to balance my portfolio securities (they do that for me)

There are no papers to sign. It’s all online and I really liked that.

Beware: As soon as you register, you will be asked rather delicate questions about your finances.

It is not weird, they need to do it to offer their services.

It is good to answer correctly, but it is not necessary to be ultra-precise. If I have any doubts, I can still write or talk to the consultant afterwards.

The Moneyfarm Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) offers an futuristica adaptive approach to portfolio management aiming to reduce risk as your target retirement gets closer.

Which is better Nutmeg or Moneyfarm (or Wealthify)

What are the alternatives to MoneyFarm?

Is Moneyfarm better than Nutmeg?

The best alternative to Moneyfarm is hard to find today.

This is because the investment portfolio performance they delivered in the last years make MoneyFarm stand out.

Other services may be a bit cheaper, but for me, performance comes first.

What’s the point in saving 0,1% in fees but losing 1% or more in performance?

Nutmeg is a popular alternative to Moneyfarm, but it is a bit more complex and it also offers stocks that may be a bit confusing for the less experienced investors. MF also offers a personal investment advisor.

Moneyfarm, Musixmatch and FACEIT backer United Ventures launched its own €150M fund to back tech-enabled solutions for sustainable investing.

Who is MoneyFarm owned by?

Who is behind this Roboadvisor?

There are popular and less popular names behind it.

One of the largest owners in Moneyfarm is Allianz Asset Management, then we have Poste Italiane, Cabot Square Capital and Catalyst Fondazione Sardegna.

Who is the management team?

Here are the names and some details of the MoneyFarm management board:

Here are the founders and and a brief presentation:

What are the fees for MoneyFarm?

This is a Roboadvisor, so the good thing is that there are very little fees to pay compared to an investment portfolio built by a traditional financial consultant.

Here are the fees on MoneyFarm:

As you can see, the more you invest, the more you can save on fees.

If you invest only 500£ you will pay as little as £0.43 to have your money invested and managed.

That’s very reasonable.

Here is a fees simulator:

What are you paying for?

Here is an explanation of the fees and the services:

If I want to buy these services separately online, I would pay much more than this.

How to contact Moneyfarm? Address, phone & offices

It is quite easy to get in touch with someone at MoneyFarm.

The website provides a chat-box

The Moneyfarm phone number is 08004334574

Opening hours are:

Monday – Friday: 9 am – 6 pm

Physical offices are here:

90-92 Pentonville Rd, London N1 9HS, Regno Unito

More offices are abroad:

Moneyfarm ISA

It is possible to invest tax-free up to 20,000 GBP with MoneyFarm ISA.

A Stocks and Shares ISA (and also junior ISA ) are a very efficient ways to grow your wealth without too much work.

Which Roboadvisor is best in UK?

There are many good low-cost roboadvisors in the UK, but I prefer MoneyFarm.

This is because, even if they don’t offer the lowest fees, they are simply performing better than the average Roboadvisor in the UK and of some traditional financial advisor with high management fee.

If I get a better performance I am just glad to pay the 0,6% management fee.

The best thing about MoneyFarm (which you won’t get with other robo-advisors) is that you are assigned a 100% human investment advisor

This adds a huge value to the service.

Having a dedicated financial advisor is too expensive for most small investors in the UK.
By using Moneyfarm I can have this included in the price.

Moneyfarm has won the Best Online Direct to Consumer Investment Platform at the 21st annual YourMoney.com Awards also for its quality investment consultants.

Is MoneyFarm better than eToro?

These two services are not very comparable, and both are good to earn money.
I have always considered them to be complementary.
With this investment platform I can start a profitable and emotionless long-term investment.
Using eToro, especially if copying other traders or using CopyPortfolios I can potentially earn more money in a short time.
I have been using both successfully for many years.
I would never do without either of them.

Opnening a Moneyfarm account is free just like eToro.

 What does it look like to invest with MoneyFarm?

What should I expect from this investment?

And what is the investment process?

I like to say that this is the “Easyjet” of financial services.

When you fly with Easyjet you know it’s a low-cost airline, but after all, the service is good and it keeps its promises.

Moneyfarm is a fairly low-cost service, but not unreasonably underpriced.

Investing with a roboadvisor like this basically means depositing a lump sum (or some money month after month) and forgetting  about it, knowing that someone who knows what they are doing is managing it in the best possible way.

How to close Moneyfarm and disinvest?

It is free to withdraw money from MoneyFarm.

You can ask to stop investing and have your money back on your bank account just anytime with a few clicks from your investing general investment account dashboard.

It is also possible to ask for it over the phone or via email.

You don’t have to give any explanation to close an account.

Can I lose money investing with Moneyfarm?

Lose money with MoneyFarm?

Let’s see together if it is possible.

Statistically, none of the users who have invested with portfolios like this for the past 10 years should have suffered losses.

The most conservative profiles produced limited gains since they are protective, while the most aggressive ones have all made amazing profits.

The probability of having a loss after 10 years is minimal, especially because we receive dedicated financial advice.

Moneyfarm offers various levels of risk, so if you invest in the short term using a portfolio with a prevalence of equity, yes you could get a bad or limited performance.

If I have chosen a very prudent level like level 1, I risk losing little or nothing even during market downturns. If I have chosen a high risk (portfolio 7, for example) I will suffer more during market downturns but profit a lot when they go up (as happened in 2019 and 2021).

However, all portfolios are balanced and the risks are not comparable to investing in single stocks (maximum risk). The fixed allocation portfolios are very popular among those who real losing money.

If you are used to investing in stocks, you will easily notice that Moneyfarm portfolios do not experience such intense shocks. This is precise because they are all balanced and rebalanced on demand.

Always remember that investing involves risk and that over the years it will be quite normal to experience fluctuations in the value of our assets.

Moneyfarm video on YouTube

This is one of the most hilarious yet beautiful Roboadvisor ads ever:

What I like about this Moneyfarm advertising message is precisely that what we need is financial peace of mind.
The opposite of what they want to sell us with trading, where it seems that you only earn by buying and selling securities in a frenetic way.
With a low-cost roboadvisor you can relax and still make money.

My Moneyfarm experience: Let’s sum up

Is MoneyFarm worth it?

In my opinion, it offers an honest, low-cost but efficient service.

The average returns you get with them are very high compared to competitors.

Moneyfarm for me is one of the best ways to start an automated investment at a reasonable price.

If you are in search of a simple way to get your money invested (properly) and to be assisted to start the process, this tool may be right for you.

Now it’s your turn!

What is your MoneyFarm review?