Achieving the status of an Isa millionaire is a goal that sparks the imagination of many investors keen on stocks and shares. Recent figures from HMRC reveal that this aspiration has become a reality for 4,850 investors.

Among these successful individuals is Ollie Perry, who remarkably reached Isa millionaire status at the young age of 36 in 2024. Now 37, Perry has managed to amass a seven-figure fortune by investing £206,000 over 11 years, achieving an impressive annualized return of 20 percent—double the performance of the S&P 500 during the same period.

In a conversation with This is Money, Perry shares the blueprint that enabled him to join the elite club of Isa millionaires. He offers insights into how young investors can strategically position themselves to grow a tax-free Isa fortune, especially in anticipation of potential changes by the Chancellor that might push savers toward investing.

Perry credits his investing acumen largely to his career, having gained significant knowledge through his roles in the tech and financial services sectors.

Below, he reveals to This is Money his blueprint for joining the exclusive Isa millionaire club and how young people can get ahead early to build a tax-free Isa fortune, before any potential tinkering from the Chancellor to force savers into investing.

1. Learn about investing and what you’re investing in

Mr Perry says he learned mostly about investing through his job, having worked in tech and financial services. 

The Wimbledon-based former adviser tells This is Money that after graduating from the London School of Economics in 2009, he spent 15 years working as a consultant in the telecoms, media, and technology sectors and is now taking a break while he considers his next move.  

He says traditional newspapers such as The Financial Times and reading This is Money, books and podcasts also helped him on his way at the beginning. 

> Read more: Investing for beginners 

He did not take financial advice instead choosing to do his own research. He also wishes to share some of what he’s done to help inspire people to do the same – not as an exercise in boasting. 

His strategy was to focus on individual stock picking in industries he understood, backed by research which he says allowed him to spot high-potential opportunities.

He says: ‘Before you even start to put £10 in an Isa do some research about investments. 

‘There’s a lot of value in understanding how stocks have performed, what inflation is and how it erodes the value of money.

‘If I were starting again today I would go and search for peers and people making podcasts in the financial space to get ideas.’

You can find out how to pick an investing platform in our regularly updated guide. 

2. Fully use your stocks and shares Isa allowance

A fortune this big can only be gained through investing in stocks and shares and the first step to becoming an Isa millionaire is maxing out a stocks and shares Isa every year – which is out of reach for many, but for some, an option they could take, but don’t.

> Read more: Our round-up of the best stocks and shares Isa providers 

Mr Perry says he used most of or all his full Isa allowance to invest every year for 11 years between 2013 and 2024. 

He first opened an Isa with NatWest in 2013 as this was his bank at the time.

In 2013, when he started investing the Isa allowance was £11,280. This was upped to £11,520 in the 2023/14 tax year before rising to £11,880 in 2014/15 and again to £20,000 in 2017/18 where it has been frozen ever since.

His portfolio outperformed key benchmarks. Stock indices like the S&P 500 averaged 10 per cent annual returns and the FTSE 100 about 5 per cent. 

Figures from HMRC show that only 4 per cent of Isa savers use their full £20,000 Isa allowance. 

But those who are able to achieve this will be well on the road to becoming an Isa millionaire, if they do their research and invest correctly.

Find out more about the difference between a cash Isa and a stocks and shares Isa. 

3. Be brave for market beating growth

Simply maxing out your stocks and shares Isa each will will not be enough to get you to the £1million milestone. 

You will also need double-digit percentage growth in the value of your investments to get you there.

One thing Isa millionaires have in common is that they have made some very astute – or possibly lucky – investments over the years.

It’s unlikely that Isa savers with pots amounting to £1million have been investing in index trackers over the years. 

It is instead more likely that they had some serious successes on the way and gains were locked-in, perhaps from individual shares.

Investing at the right time would also have been a factor in building their Isa fortunes. 

Some may have done well from periods like the dot com bubble, making sure they jumped off before it burst.

Mr Perry says: ‘Picking some winning themes and stocks was key, as ETFs rarely deliver the outsized returns needed for significant wealth. 

‘Above all, you need strong conviction in your investments, truly believing in what you back.’

There are several investments which ‘supercharged’ his portfolio. In 2013, at the start of his investing journey, he invested £5,000 in tech-disruptor gambling company Betfair. 

Mr Perry says: ‘I was incredibly nervous – this was my first investment, and pouring my entire Isa into one stock felt daunting.

‘Looking back, that 100 per cent allocation would probably be considered reckless by many classically trained financial advisors, but it paid off – that modest bet grew significantly, providing capital for new investments.’

Bitcoin also hugely drove Mr Perry’s Isa gains. When Strategy (MSTR), the world’s largest corporate owner of bitcoin announced in August 2020 its plan to build a massive BTC treasury, a spot bitcoin proxy, Mr Perry jumped in in December 2020. MSTR can be held in an Isa. 

Another major growth generator was The Smarter Web Company (SWC), a UK web design firm pivoting to a Bitcoin treasury strategy. 

After its 2024 Aquis IPO, Mr Perry’s Isa provider did not list the stock immediately, so he initially bought in a standard stocks and shares account, later purchasing it in his Isa at an average of 28p. 

He says: ‘The shares soared to over 600p amid Bitcoin treasury hype. I sold 97 per cent of my Isa holding at an average of 260p, selling some shares too early, some at the top and some on the way down, netting around £400,000 in realised profits over two months. 

Other bets which paid off included investing early in magnificent seven stocks Alphabet owned Google. Amazon and Microsoft. 

From 2013 to 2024 these delivered remarkable returns, with Amazon up 800 per cent, Microsoft 700 per cent and Alphabet 400 per cent.

Isa holdings like Bridgewater returned around 8 per cent for Mr Perry, while Berkshire Hathaway returned 10 per cent. 

4. Prepare for mistakes along the way

Mr Perry says: ‘Investing in over 50 stocks and ETFs over the past decade and a bit has taught me plenty through trial and error.’

One mistake he says he made was investing in certain commodities that performed poorly, despite exciting trends.

For example, the electrification and batteries, fuelled by booming global EV sales and projected to grow 20 per cent annually from 2013 to 2020, seemed promising.

This led him to rare earths, copper and nickel, where he expected demand for the minerals to drive up prices.

‘But increased demand and small price increases were easily matched by increased supply, flattening returns,’ Mr Perry says.

From 2013 to 2024 copper returned 20 per cent, nickel 10 per cent and battery ETFs like Global X Lithium & Battery Tech 15 per cent.

‘The lesson here was to understand the business economics behind an investment, not just its broader macro theme,’ he adds.

5. Be willing to take some risks

One regret Mr Perry has in his journey to becoming an Isa millionaire is not always digging deep enough to find a sector’s true winners. 

He says: ‘Leaning too heavily on ETFs was a misstep, partly for their lower volatility through diversification, but also due to laziness.   

‘Spreading bets across ETFs is safer, but it diluted my returns.

‘Picking specific winners could’ve multiplied my gains. This brings up a broader lesson – diversification versus picking and holding winners.

‘For instance, I caught the AI wave early with the WisdomTree Artificial Intelligence ETF, which returned around 50 per cent since 2019. Decent, but Nvidia soared around 1,200 per cent over the same period.

‘Life-changing wealth is achievable with commitment to understanding your options and patience to let investments grow. 

‘Resist the urge to overspend or overborrow, keep debt interest low which will help free up funds you can invest wisely.’

> You can follow Ollie on social media platform X: @ollie_perry  

Are you an Isa millionaire or well on your way to being one? Let us know your secrets: editor@thisismoney.co.uk