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Ms. Millennial Money Reviews: Interactive Investor Community

By Ms Millennial Money, Sarah Penney 

As my mini-series exploring digital communities on investment platforms comes to an end, my final review focuses on the recently launched offering from Interactive Investor (ii).  

Founded in 1995, ii was one of the UK’s first investment platforms, originally prioritising community and social investing as core principles. In a recent podcast, founder Sherry Coutu discussed the platform’s inception and vision, sharing how she was keen for ii to champion knowledge sharing among retail investors, utilising nascent technology to empower individuals through discussion—it’s worth a listen.  

Over the years, the community aspect of ii was sidelined, with the focus shifting towards facilitating investment and engagement between companies and investors (which they do very well). Fortunately, though, in line with recent trends back towards social trading and investing, it’s made a return. 

User Base and Target Demographics 

ii’s user base differs from those of eToro and Trading 212, which I previously reviewed. They serve just over 400,000 customers, focusing on the UK market and targeting older Millennials, Gen Z, and Boomers, compared to the other two platforms’ international reach and younger demographics. 

The ii Community functions as a social trading network, connecting investors to discuss portfolios, investment strategies, market movements, and more. Unlike the other two platforms, the community sits within a separate app (although you can still see your portfolio stats). I initially thought this might stifle conversation and engagement, but so far it seems not to—time will tell! 

Features of the Community App 

The ii Community features a newsfeed, highlighting community posts, as well as discussion groups for specific stocks, indices, etc. A unique aspect of ii’s approach is its use of “house influencers”—including former personal finance journalists like Myron Jobson and Kyle Caldwell—who actively engage in the community, providing fresh market insights. This strategic move has helped drive conversation in the early days. 

Fostering a Welcoming Space 

My perception is that ii’s aiming to create a welcoming space that fosters participation and diversity of thought. The structure of the app certainly supports this and is distinct from eToro and Trading 212. The separation from the main app—likely driven by regulatory and technical restrictions— certainly affects conversation dynamics. Rather than being closely related to the trades people are making in real-time, conversations are broader, looking at macro issues and longer-term plays.  

The structure of the app also supports this, conversations about specific stocks are separated from the main feed, with discussions driven by ii analysts being delivered immediately. It’s also clear to see that simplicity and ease of navigation has been prioritised, making the app accessible to digital natives and less tech-savvy audiences alike. 

Popular Stocks and Demographic Insights 

While not being served immediately in the newsfeed, discussions about specific stocks are active within the company groups, revealing fascinating differences in the ii-user base from eToro and Trading 212.  

The most followed stock in the ii community is Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust PLC (1,753 followers), whereas on Trading 212, the most followed conversations are about Tesla (395,000 followers) and Nvidia (111,000 followers). In contrast, conversations about Tesla attract only 584 followers on ii, while Nvidia garners 986.  

This clearly highlights the domination of different demographics; Trading 212 is more internationally focused, skewing towards younger investors who are captivated by big US tech stocks, whereas ii’s user base is likely older, centered on the UK market and traditional UK companies. 

Tone and Nature of Conversations 

Demographic differences are also evident in the tone of conversations on ii. While Trading 212 can be quite “shouty”, with forthright and sometimes aggressive opinions, ii fosters a more sedate and friendly environment.  

Conversations – still dominated by male voices, as is the case in all investor communities I’ve stepped into – revolve around sharing market and economic news, discussing impacts on stocks, funds, and overall market movements. This creates a welcoming and less confrontational atmosphere, albeit without the dynamism and excitement experienced elsewhere.  

Winning features 

I appreciate ii’s structure of its company-specific pages, which showcase stock performance, ESG ratings, community buy/sell trends, and a discussion tab for related conversations. This format offers a variety of easily digestible information and is a refreshing departure from the more chaotic structures seen on eToro and Trading 212. 

Another great feature is the star-rating attributed to members. Like eToro, ii ranks its community members based on their trading success, assigning stars, influenced by portfolio performance (including diversification and long-term growth). Although the highest ratings so far are 3 stars, this system helps highlight successful traders and navigate conversations more effectively. 

A Distinctive Community Experience 

Overall, ii has developed an impressive community platform that exceeded my expectations regarding activity and interaction.  

The design is intuitive, blending data with discussion, and the tone of the conversation sets ii apart from other leading investment platforms.  

I would say that conversations on Trading 212 and eToro are dominated by traders vs long-term investors, with people diving deep into stock analysis and discussing their trades of the day. The environments are very of-the-moment, quick and nerdy (in the best possible way!). ii offers a calmer, more passive environment, conducive to learning.  

Ultimately, we need both these offerings and it’s brilliant there’s a choice of environments to suit different needs. Social trading and investing is powerful, fueling the growth of the wider retail investor community.

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