Interactive Investor Portfolio Builder

With a Portfolio Builder plan you choose one of four calendar dates on which to trade each month. We then collect everyone's requests and make bulk trades, allowing us to pass commission savings on to you. It is as simple as that.

When you set up your plan you select both a subscription date (when the money leaves your bank account) and a trading date. You will also choose the amount you want to invest each month and where you want to invest it. From then on the trades will be made automatically on a monthly basis.

The important advantage of Portfolio Builder is its flexibility - change where and how much you invest at any time, stop and start the plan whenever you like, and even suspend a monthly payment if you have other financial priorities. It is a truly flexible way to build up a portfolio of investments, while taking advantage of low commissions.

Or for people who simply want to trade with low commissions. Investing via Portfolio Builder can be a good way of getting comfortable with buying stocks and shares. The £1.50 commission makes it more affordable to invest smaller amounts of money, as the lower commission means it cuts less severely into any profits you might make. It also makes it more cost-effective to invest in a variety of companies or sectors, which is a good way to spread your risk.

Making regular payments over a sustained period of time also helps your investments to smooth out the highs and lows of the market - meaning you have to worry less about 'the right time to buy'. Do remember though, the value of your shares can go up and down, and that you may not get back the amount you invested.

As with all financial products, Portfolio Builder may not be right for everyone. Some frequent traders, particularly day traders, insist on buying shares on certain dates and with particular prices. Our regular service with its low £10 commission is more likely to suit these people. However, with a Portfolio Builder plan you can still make individual types of trades in addition to your monthly investment.

Portfolio Builder is therefore ideal for people who are looking to invest regular amounts into stocks and shares in order to build up a portfolio of investments for the future and who want to take advantage of very low commissions.

As well as letting you buy shares for FREE until 30 June 2010, Portfolio Builder gives you flexibility to:

• Choose how much you invest in a share or investment trust
• Choose whether to invest with regular monthly payments or a one-off lump sum
• Choose where to invest from a choice of most UK companies
• Start and stop investing whenever you want
• Change the amount you invest or when you buy
• Have no tie-in factors or charges if you change your mind
• Select from a choice of four monthly dates on which to invest
• Buy little and often over the long term - helping to smooth out the ups and downs of the market and meaning less worry about the right time to buy

There are no tie-ins or charges when you change your mind about any of the details of your plan. And if you see an opportunity you want to take advantage of immediately, simply buy on any date of your choosing for our regular low commission of £10 per UK trade

The Portfolio Builder plan has been created for new investors. Its low investment minimums and reduced commissions are designed to help you start building your investment portfolio cost effectively. See Who is Portfolio Builder suitable for?

At any point, for the following month's transaction, you can change where and how much you invest. You can also start and stop the plan whenever you like, and even suspend any number of monthly payments.

The flexibility of our account allows you to:

• Invest as much or as little as you want from as low as £20
• Stop and start whenever you want with no penalty fees
• Buy shares in most UK companies
• Change the amount you invest or when you buy
• Experience no tie in or charges if you change your mind
• Choose from one of four monthly dates to invest

With your Portfolio Builder plan you can still buy or sell at a time of your choosing for our normal low trading commission of £10 for UK trades.

Opening an account with Interactive Investor means you can choose between an investment, an ISA or a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) account - or one that does all three.

You can also:

• Manage all your investments from one place
• Monitor your existing and future investment prices
• Get up-to-the-minute valuations of your investments
• Switch into new shares or sectors whenever you choose
• If transferring investments within an ISA or PEP, you can do so without losing the tax benefits