3 easy steps to try and increase the amount in an ISA, without putting in extra money

A Stocks and Dividends ISA is well suited for a long-term investment period. Hopefully, over the coming years and decades, my tax-free ISA will grow in value. That may come from adding more money to it.

But I think it's also possible to try and increase the value of my ISA even without adding a cent to the new funds.

Here are three moves I can make.

Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may change in the future. The content of this article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be, and does not constitute, any form of tax advice. Students are responsible for conducting their own due diligence and obtaining professional advice before making any investment decisions.

1. Don't spend a penny

Shares within an ISA can sometimes pay dividends. These can be withdrawn from the ISA wrapper.

It makes sense to me why people do this. Maybe they have an unexpected bill to pay or would like a stream of income.

But by leaving those shares in my ISA, I'll have more to invest even without putting in new cash myself.

2. Sell stocks with the highest value

As an investor, I think it's important to feel that we think any share we own is worth it. Different people's opinions can be different and different, that's why we have a stock market. But without having an idea of ​​what we think the assignment is worth, it is impossible to judge whether it seems unimportant or very important.

Sometimes, the stocks I own may look very valuable. From time to time, they come to check a lot excessive amount. In such a case, by selling those shares I can convert them into cash and use them to buy other shares that I find more attractively priced.

In a bubble, overvalued stocks can be very expensive. By selling, I miss out on other potential benefits. But I think it's much wiser to invest when I think the dividend is too big, than to risk waiting and having a sudden crash bring the value back into the world.

3. Consider selling the weakest share

As a smart investor, I naturally keep my Shares and Shares ISA separate. At any given time, I will feel better about some stocks that I own than others. Sometimes as investors we influence our investments.

However, in theory, it makes sense to periodically review the ISA allocations, identify the worst allocation at the time and decide whether it is worth keeping, or just selling or losing.

For example, I still stick to sharing boohoo (LSE: BOO). I still like the company's brand, large customer base and previously proven business model.

But the boohoo share price has been in free fall. It has decreased by 14% this year and increased by 88% in the last five years. Even the recent price hike is not business performance but talk of potential diversification.

Why didn't I sell? I have been judging that boohoo's problems are fixable and its sales method can deliver again in the future as it did in the past. But business trends have been alarming — revenue fell 17% last year — and the stock has fallen a long, long way in recent years.

Sometimes things get better in the stock market for a struggling company, but more often they get worse. I am looking to sell my boohoo shares if there is no clear evidence of business improving this year.