Aligning your investments with your goals means starting from what you actually need – a retirement income, a house deposit, or a lump sum on a date that matters – and working back to an asset mix matched to those goals, rather than to a generic risk score. That's what our new Goal-Aligned Allocation does, you should try it for yourself.
Why a risk score doesn't tell you if you're on track
Most investing journeys start with the same question: how much risk can you stomach? You answer a questionnaire, land in a "conservative", "balanced" or "adventurous" bucket, and hold a portfolio or a fund with a corresponding level of market risk.
But that's the wrong starting point. A risk score measures your temperament – how you feel about markets falling. It says nothing about whether your money is matched to what you'll actually need to spend, and the risk of not reaching that target. Two people with an identical "balanced" score can be on completely different trajectories towards their goals.
And the stakes are real. Only 23% of UK adults are on track for even a "moderate" standard of living in retirement, and just 9% for a "comfortable" one (Pensions UK, 2026). With inflation still running at 2.8% (ONS, May 2026), the gap is measured in real spending power – not the nominal pot value most projections show.
What Goal-Aligned Allocation actually does
Goal-Aligned Allocation starts from the other end – your goals.
Tell it what you're working towards, set your own market assumptions, and it runs up to 1,000 market simulations: it maps your goals into a dated cashflow schedule, models a range of market regimes rather than one average, and illustrates an asset mix matched to those cashflows. Then it shows your probability of reaching each goal – in real, inflation-adjusted terms – and sets that next to your current allocation, side by side.
We don't tell you what to buy, or how to manage your money. We give you an accessible way to explore whether a different asset mix could improve your probability of meeting your goals, and to see the trade-offs clearly, so you can invest with clarity and intent.
From a goal to a portfolio you can actually build
The result of a goal-aligned allocation is a mix of asset classes – useful, but still abstract. Does that include ETFs, specific stocks? Can you rebalance existing portfolios? Can you start from scratch?
With the Portfolio Builder, you turn that allocation into something concrete: a liability-matched ladder of UK index-linked gilts if you wish to match some liabilities at a fixed real return, plus equities, funds or ETFs you choose for the growth part. Import existing assets to rebalance your portfolio. You're in control – we're just giving you the tools to do it, quickly and easily.
Everything you saved can be revisited and re-simulated over time.
Goal-Aligned Allocation is live now – try it against your own profile in a few minutes. If you'd rather understand the method first, read the full guide to goal-aligned investing.
Discover Goal-aligned AllocationNot regulated by the FCA. Not financial advice.
Sources
- Pensions UK — Retirement Living Standards, 2026. Proportion of UK adults on track for a "moderate" (23%) and "comfortable" (9%) standard of living in retirement.
- Office for National Statistics — Consumer price inflation, UK: May 2026 (CPI 12-month rate 2.8%).