ETF examples to research for your buckets
Learn what each fund holds and what could go wrong before choosing investments. These examples are not personal financial advice or a suggested allocation. Your platform must confirm availability and the exact share class. The cash-like ticker is CSH2, sometimes mistyped as CHS2.
Cash-like examples for Bucket 1
Cash reserves prioritise access and stability. These ETFs are investments, not guaranteed bank deposits. Keep settlement times and dealing costs in mind when money is needed for a payment.
CSH2 — Amundi Smart Overnight Return UCITS ETF GBP Hedged Acc
CSH2 seeks a cash-like return linked to sterling overnight interest rates. It uses a synthetic investment structure and accumulates returns within the fund rather than paying regular cash distributions. Its potential role is money awaiting near-term use, rather than the long-term equity exposure of the Growth bucket.
Its return changes as short-term rates change; it is not a fixed savings rate. Review swap-counterparty and collateral arrangements, fund charges, bid–offer spreads and the time needed to sell and withdraw proceeds. Accumulation does not prevent losses or make the investment equivalent to a protected cash deposit.
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XSTR — Xtrackers II GBP Overnight Rate Swap UCITS ETF 1D
XSTR provides exposure to sterling overnight rates through a swap-based structure. The 1D share class distributes income, so its share price alone does not describe the total return. It is a cash-like research example for a reserve, with a different income treatment from accumulating CSH2.
Review the current benchmark, distribution timetable, swap counterparties and costs. Cash distributions need to be included when comparing performance, and are not guaranteed to match monthly spending. Changing interest rates alter the return available; spreads and settlement can matter when selling small amounts frequently.
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Bond funds: a defensive component, not cash
Three-bucket mode includes a separate Bonds reserve as Bucket 2. These funds are examples to research for bond exposure, not guaranteed cash substitutes. Two-bucket mode has Cash and Growth only. Use an appropriate return assumption for the actual mix you are exploring; the planner does not simulate individual ETFs.
IGLS — iShares UK Gilts 0–5yr UCITS ETF
IGLS holds short-dated UK government bonds and distributes income. Shorter maturities generally reduce interest-rate sensitivity compared with longer-dated gilt portfolios. Its potential purpose is defensive bond exposure, with a different risk profile from global shares or overnight-rate funds.
Its price can still fall when yields rise, and government backing of the underlying gilts does not guarantee the ETF’s sale price. The portfolio rolls its holdings: there is no single maturity date when your original ETF purchase price is returned. Check duration, yield definitions and distributions rather than assuming the quoted yield is a guaranteed annual gain.
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VAGP — Vanguard Global Aggregate Bond UCITS ETF GBP Hedged Distributing
VAGP invests across global investment-grade bonds and uses a GBP-hedged distributing share class. It offers broader bond exposure than a UK gilt-only fund. Currency hedging aims to reduce exchange-rate effects for sterling investors, while distributions pay income out of the fund.
It remains exposed to interest-rate movements, borrower risk and changes in credit spreads. Hedging does not remove those risks or guarantee a stable price. It can be researched as a defensive part of invested money, but a global bond fund is not an overnight cash substitute. Check duration and holdings, and consider how a bond loss would affect your withdrawal reserve.
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Equity examples for Growth — Bucket 2 or 3
These funds invest in shares and can suffer large losses. The grouping describes investment exposure, not a personalised recommendation. Holding all of them would create substantial overlap rather than eight independent sources of diversification.
VUSA — Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF USD Distributing
VUSA tracks the S&P 500, providing exposure to large US companies across several sectors. It distributes dividends rather than automatically reinvesting them within this share class. It is a US equity research example for long-term Growth, not an all-world portfolio.
It concentrates your equity exposure in one country and includes significant exposure to its largest companies. A GBP trading line does not remove the currency effects of the underlying US investments. Compare it with a global fund before adding it: global equity funds already hold many of the same companies, so an additional VUSA holding increases the US weighting.
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VALL — Vanguard FTSE Global All-Cap UCITS ETF USD Accumulating
VALL tracks the FTSE Global All Cap Index, covering large, medium and small companies across developed and emerging markets. This accumulating share class reinvests dividends. Its potential role is broad global equity exposure within Growth, including smaller companies absent from large- and mid-cap-only indices.
All-cap does not mean equal allocations to every country or company: market-value weighting leaves the largest markets and businesses dominant. Small companies and emerging markets add their own risks. Compare index coverage, spreads, tracking and platform availability, and distinguish this ETF from Vanguard’s similarly named Global All Cap index mutual fund.
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VWRP — Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS ETF USD Accumulating
VWRP tracks the FTSE All-World Index, investing in large and medium-sized companies across developed and emerging markets. Dividends are reinvested in this accumulating share class. It is another broad global equity example for Growth; unlike VALL’s all-cap index, its benchmark does not include the small-cap segment.
VWRP and VALL overlap heavily, so owning both is not necessarily a meaningful increase in diversification. Compare which coverage you want, costs, trading spreads and how well the fund tracks its index. Global exposure still carries stock-market and currency risk, and the biggest US businesses can account for a substantial share of the portfolio.
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IITU — iShares S&P 500 Information Technology Sector UCITS ETF
IITU is the GBP trading line of an accumulating ETF focused on the information-technology sector within the S&P 500. It is a narrower US sector investment rather than a broad global equity fund. It can be researched as a deliberate technology tilt within Growth, with dividends reinvested.
If included, consider keeping IITU to only a small portion of the Growth bucket, alongside broader, diversified holdings. Its sector concentration can produce larger swings than a broadly diversified portfolio. Sector classifications also mean it does not include every business commonly described as a technology company. Check the largest holdings and their weights: adding IITU alongside VUSA, VWRP or VALL can increase exposure to companies already owned. Do not assume recent technology performance will continue or that this fund alone provides a diversified retirement portfolio.
Issuer information / factsheet ↗
Documents and costs to check
Read the current KID/KIID, factsheet and prospectus. Check the benchmark, largest holdings, income treatment, ongoing charge, transaction costs, platform fees, trading spread and settlement. Trading currency and currency hedging are different things. Distributions are part of total return, not an extra return on top.
The planner uses your bucket-level return assumptions; choosing or reading an ETF here does not change them. Actual funds will not follow the smooth returns or scheduled crashes in the illustration.
Fund identities and characteristics checked against issuer material on 26 September 2026. No live prices, yields or performance rankings are maintained here. Recheck the latest documents before investing.
