48 investment trusts gain inaugural Boring Money Rated badge as retail investor ownership falls 

Boring Money, the independent financial and investment research, data and publishing business, today launched the Boring Money Rated Investment Trusts, extending its independent consumer ratings framework to the investment trust sector for the first time. 48 trusts have been ‘Rated’ in the inaugural programme, each cleared against a six-point data screen and a qualitative review of the clarity with which they communicate with everyday investors.

• Investment trust ownership among UK self-directed investors fell to 12% in 2026, down from 15% the year before, according to Boring Money’s Investment Trust Report 2026 – Adapting for Growth.

• Awareness of investment trusts among self-directed investors has fallen considerably over the past two years, from 58% in 2024 to 48% in 2026. The decline is evident across all age groups, but is most pronounced among 18–34-year-olds, where awareness has dropped from 48% to 36%. By contrast, ETF awareness has climbed from 31% to 39% over the same period. “Old-fashioned” and “expensive” remain the two associations investors most commonly attach to trusts today.

• There are clear discrepancies in how investment trust and ETF holders trust media channels for investment information. Nearly half of ETF holders (48%) trust financial influencers, versus just a third (34%) of investment trust holders. In contrast, 74% of investment trust holders trust print media, against 53% of ETF holders.

• Against this challenging backdrop six investment trusts have been called out as Retail Investor Champions for excellence in delivering engaging content to retail investors. These were 3i, Cordiant, F&C, Merchants, Schroders Asian Total Return and TEMIT. These trusts showcased a range of methods including digitally dynamic factsheets, TikTok content, AI avatars in video updates and topical, engaging podcasts to communicate clearly with investors.

Holly Mackay, CEO and Founder of Boring Money, comments: “The Saba power struggles confirmed to the investment trust providers the importance of their retail investor customer base at the same time as adoption has fallen. Boring Money’s mission is to help consumers make better choices with their money. Today we have extended our coverage to investment trusts. Our Rated badges are designed to help consumers choose decently performing, well governed investment trusts which go above and beyond in communicating with retail investors.”

Criteria

The Boring Money Rated Investment Trust badge is issued directly by Boring Money and is based on independent research rather than self-reported data. Every trust carrying the badge has been screened against defined performance, size, currency, discount-to-NAV, gearing and sector criteria, and are also separately assessed by a panel of judges on the quality of its consumer-facing communications.

The rating is designed to support consumer-facing coverage, including provider websites, national press, out-of-home advertising and TV, extending the same standard of independent validation that Boring Money’s broader ratings have carried since 2019.

The programme launches alongside Boring Money’s wider findings on the investment trust sector, which point to a category that is losing consumer engagement and awareness even as the broader DIY investing market grows. Boring Money Rated Investment Trusts is intended to give everyday investors, platforms and distributors a trusted, independent signal to identify trusts that deliver credible performance, are well-governed and go the extra mile to engage with the consumer.

Mackay adds: “The industry continues to struggle with consumer engagement, and to showcase the salient facts in an easy-to-understand and interesting way. This is a challenge which the regulator’s upcoming CCI rules are designed to address. Some of the better investment trusts lead the way in great communication, using innovative, well-designed ideas on social media and digitally-enabled microsites to inform and engage. We have recognised this with our Retail Investor Champion Awards, given to six trusts which showcase what good looks like.”

Notes

Boring Money Rated Investment Trusts 2026 – full list of winners

Data sources

Findings on investment trust ownership, awareness and consumer perception are drawn from Boring Money’s Investment Trust Report 2026 – Adapting for Growth and The ETF Report 2026, based on:

• a survey of 6,000 nationally representative UK adults, January 2026 (1,717 non-advised investors)

• a survey of 853 DIY platform investors, June 2026 (including 306 investment trust holders);

• a survey of 782 self-directed investors from the Boring Money panel, June–July 2026 (including 240 investment trust holders)

• a survey of 481 self-directed investors from the Boring Money panel, July 2026 (including 240 investment trust holders).