TISA welcomes Government strategy to help more consumers invest with confidence — when it’s right for them
The Investing and Saving Alliance (TISA) today welcomed the Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, highlighting three major retail investment measures – reforms to risk warnings, targeted support, and a national awareness campaign – as important steps toward helping consumers feel more informed, supported and confident about investing.
TISA has long championed these three policies, and their inclusion in the strategy – along with the absence of changes to the Cash ISA – shows the Government has listened to calls to empower consumers to invest when it is the right choice for them, rather than pressuring them to do so.
Chief Executive of The Investing and Saving Alliance, Carol Knight, said:
“This is a generational opportunity to change the way Britain saves and invests. For years we’ve seen the barriers that prevent people from accessing the benefits of long-term investing: poor understanding of risk, overwhelming documentation, and an advice model that simply doesn’t work for the vast majority of consumers. Investing won’t be right for everyone at every stage, but everyone should feel it’s something they could do. These reforms help break down the psychological and practical barriers that prevent many people from considering investing in the first place. That’s where the focus should be: building confidence, not pressure.”
The strategy introduces a range of initiatives to help consumers better understand their investment options, access support at the right time, and make decisions that work for them.
TISA welcomes the Government’s move away from outdated risk warnings, which have long been shown to deter would-be investors. TISA research shows that over 70% of people holding more than £5,000 in cash balances never even consider investing this money in a Stocks & Shares ISA, with the primary barrier being their perception that investing is too risky.
TISA also found that contextualised, balanced risk warnings lead to a 14% increase in cash invested in Stocks & Shares, with greater increases seen in groups who typically don’t invest. The Government’s plans to consult on reforming risk language and improving information design are therefore very welcome.
Carol Knight added:
“The strategy reflects everything we’ve been calling for: smarter communication, simpler guidance, and a more inclusive system that helps people feel confident about investing.
TISA strongly supports the Government’s commitment to a public awareness campaign focused on improving understanding and inclusion when it comes to investing, not pushing products, but empowering consumers to make the right choice for their circumstances.
Our members are ready to work with Government, regulators and partners to make this a reality.”
Targeted Support, to be delivered by the FCA from April 2026, will offer a new model of personalised, timely support to help consumers make investment decisions at key moments, without triggering the regulatory burden of full financial advice. TISA has long supported this middle ground option to address the growing advice gap: according to the FCA’s 2025 Financial Lives Survey, just 9% of UK adults have received regulated advice in the past year, despite increasing financial complexity.
The same survey also details how just 15% of UK adults hold any stocks and shares investments, with participation particularly low among women, lower-income households and underrepresented groups.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- TISA is a not-for-profit membership organisation committed to improving the financial wellbeing of all UK consumers by working collectively with the financial services industry to deliver solutions and champion innovation, for the benefit of people, our industry, and the nation.
- TISA has approximately 270 member firms involved in the supply and distribution of savings and investment products and associated services. Members include the UK’s major investment managers, retail banks, online platforms, insurance companies, pension providers, distributors, building societies, wealth managers, third party administrators, FinTechs, financial consultants, financial advisers, industry infrastructure providers and stockbrokers.
- For the Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy, please see here.
- For more information on TISA’s Research ‘Rethink ISA Investing Communications’, which details how risk warnings affect consumer investing behaviour, please see here.
- For more information on TISA’s research on ‘The keys to unlocking greater investment in Stocks and Shares ISAs’, which details the barriers to consumers investing, please see here.
- For more information on the FCA’s Financial Lives Survey, please see here.