Hargreaves Lansdown Customer Reviews
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Good service
one of the very few services that allows for some investments… It could be improved and made even more powerful (i.e. investments in other currencies) but really probably the best platform for easy access and universe of investments possible!
Not as good as they used to be
I’ve used HL for more than 10 years. They used to be low cost. Customer service was excellent. Online platform was great. Still not bad, but other platforms are now cheaper. Slower to resolve the occasional problem.
Cheap and easy to trade with, but lacking advanced features for active traders
Hargreaves Lansdown are good value for those that are low volume traders of stocks. If you hold funds then they are not such great value because of the admin fees that they charge. However, they don’t charge dealing fees on funds which is a good point. A negative thought is that fund trades have to be placed by 9am or 8am for some in order to receive that day’s valuation price. Many other brokers have a cut-off time of 11am-11.30am. HL are also one of the slowest to update fund prices – if you check Fidelity, Morningstar or AJ Bell, at 4pm, most fund prices are update, whereas HL take until 6pm or later.
The process of placing a deal with HL using the app is the best of many brokers that I have used as it is so smooth and quick. Very quick to login. However, there are many small companies, foreign companies or investment trusts that don’t load up on the app and only can be viewed or traded on the desktop website.
The app and website are my first choice for checking share prices and news/RNS releases for UK stocks. Historical performance indicators are good too. However there is no provision of key metric data like P/CF, Forward P/E, Debt/Equity, Quick ratio, current ratio, Free cash flow yield, ROCE, ROE, ROA etc so I have to go to Reuters or other sites to check such details.
HL has always been very unaccommodating for those who wished to subscribe to IPOs or share offers, I have found other brokers providing access to new IPOs but HL will not.
They also have a strange system whereby they put dividends you receive into a hidden account and then only 2 weeks later transfer them to your capital account to allow you to trade with that cash.
Watchlists are very good in providing current prices and being well layed out.
It would be good if we could see futures prices for US markets and individual stocks in the morning when the UK is open. I have to check marketwatch or investing.com for that.
Why can’t you make charts with HL of different stocks all on the same chart?
The total return chart function is great for funds but why can’t that be extended to longer than 5 year periods and for stocks as well?
Excellent App but high buying fees
HL is an excellent platform as it’s easy to use and set up. It does however have rather large fees when buying a share. Considering the number of clients they have I’m surprised they remain high and is the reason I am looking for an alternative for my Stocks and Shares ISA
My trust in their knowledge is key
When you are a newbie to investing, it can be overwhelming, there are sharks in the tank that you need to avoid, along with many obstacles to overcome. While no financial organisation can deliver guidance with a crystal ball – I have found Hargreaves’s Lansdown to operate with expertise and business integrity with a focus on client satisfaction. This has led me to confidently invest in a safe and secure environment with top class educated guidance. I don’t think you can do better than that.
Great value for Junior ISAs
Set up Junior ISAs for my kids last year with 0% commission on all trades into and out of the Junior ISAs has been an excellent way to get them started in investing. I use other resources for keeping track of my portfolio but the overall service provides excellent value for money.
SAFE AND SECURE LIKE A TRUSTED OLD FRIEND
I have been a customer of Hargreaves Lansdowne for many decades, and I use the platform to manage my stocks and shares ISA, my SIPP, plus my Fund and Share Account.
The platform is easy to navigate
The choice of investments is wide ranging.
The customer service is very good, though not as good as it used to be since a cost saving exercise about a year ago.
Obviously, other platforms are cheaper, and for that reason I cannot give it five stars.
It is safe and secure like a trusted old friend, and long may that continue.
No fees on JISA is Great – Webstite Needs Improvement
Love the lack of fees on the product for the junior ISA. Really draws me in to make the most of the contributions that are made to it. However I really don’t enjoy using the HL website to manage the JISA. It lacks a lot of the ease of use that you find in other products e.g. Invest Engine, Trading 212 that HL should be able to compete with. Just changing my contribution / d
Good
Good service speed, feedback clear website
Investors
My Friend made a small investment in Hargreaves Lansdown PLC . They are a United Kingdom-based digital wealth management service administering company. The Company provides a range of services, including stocks and shares individual savings account (ISA), Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), share dealing, fund dealing, drawdown, cash savings, lifetime ISA and junior ISA.
There is so much to like about this company. They have money in the bank. The returns are enormous with ROC of 50% ROE of 46% and a healthy margin of 48%. Gearing is low. Liquidity is good. Analyst sentiment is reasonably positive. The fundamentals are excellent . Revenue is increasing . Operating profits are steady. Cash flow and working capital are all good.
I had a few reservations. New investment last year was 38% down year on year. However, this is understandable in a cost of lockdown crisis. In addition, compared to their peers, such as AJ Bell, they are not doing that badly.
Another drawback is that HL are not competitive for those who are just getting started with investing. Investors with a large portfolio are ok because of the platform fee cap. However, HL could well lose out to new platforms offering commission free trading and no platform fees.
I like the sound of the new CEO and a potential British ISA may bring in more clients.
All in all, this is a quality company that I bought at a low price (P/E 11) with a great dividend story (expected 6.6% this year). which they have consistently paid over the past 8 years: with no share dilution.
This will be a stock that I will hold and enjoy the dividend and probable capital accumulation
Will be transferring a JISA here as it is fee free!
I will be transferring a JISA to HL as it is fee free and also pays interest on any cash held which my current provider does not.
Stocks & Shares JISA
Been using HL to invest for my daughter’s future. All transactions are quick and simple to execute. Buy & sell orders fulfilled smoothly. I also was impressed with their customer service and help in transferring in a cash JISA from Nationwide. The application process was easy and the response was swift.
Reliable and User-Friendly, but High Fees Make It Worth Exploring Alternatives
I’ve been a Hargreaves Lansdown customer for many years, and the platform does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s generally user-friendly, reliable, and offers a wide range of investment options and app. However, it is undeniably expensive compared to other platforms. The fees add up, especially if you’re an active investor. While I plan to continue using it for now, the market has become increasingly competitive, and it’s worth exploring other options that offer similar functionality at a much lower cost.
HL is not acting in my best interests, I have been waiting over 6 weeks for my drawdown funds.
HL pensions staff have not been helpful, open or transparent with my drawdown application. I am still waiting after 6 weeks and have no confidence in their internal work processes. HL are not acting in my best interests.
I wish I had checked Good Money Guide and other sites before as others have experienced similar issues. Delayed payment appears a deliberate HL policy.
Hargreaves Lansdown Excellent
HL currently is a market leader to my investment experience. Top service, top platforms, safe an secure with a large portfolio and great analytics. I would recommend.
Easy to use app. Moderate plans
App is pretty intuitive and decent value
Investment guide
I’ve been following Hargreaces Lansdown it has been helpful to understand present money and investing guide.
Good and safe
They hold my shares. It’s an easy website to navigate.
Excellent service
I like the HL app which allows me to follow markets and my investment with ease. It was also very simple to set up.
investments
professional competent and efficient
keep you updated trustworthy
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Expert Review
There is no denying that Hargreaves Lansdown is one of the best investment platforms in the UK. They offer a huge range of investments and excellent customer service. In my Hargreaves Lansdown review, I explain what they are good at, what they are too expensive for and what sort of investor they are most suited to.
Hargreaves Lansdown Review
Name: Hargreaves Lansdown
Description: Hargreaves Lansdown is one of the largest investment platforms in the UK. They offer investing, savings, ISAs and SIPP account to over 1.8 million clients with 142bn in assets under management. The company was founded by Peter Hargreaves and Stephen Lansdown in 1981 and is now listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Is Hargreaves Lansdown a good broker?
Yes, Hargreaves Lansdown is one of our best-rated stock brokers and investment platforms. HL offers access to a huge range of investment types, through a wide range of general and tax-efficient accounts and is suitable for almost all types of investors.
Pros
- Wide range of investments
- Most investment account types
- Excellent research and analysis
Cons
- There are cheaper options for fund investing
- Limited portfolio hedging tools
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Pricing
(4)
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Market Access
(5)
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Online Platform
(5)
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Customer Service
(5)
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Research & Analysis
(5)
Overall
4.8I’ve spoken to the founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, Peter Hargreaves a few times. First when I interviewed him over the phone and then a few follow-ups after that via email. I have to say that he’s to the point, detailed, charismatic and clearly has a huge amount of passion for the business.
Of course, Peter Hargreaves no longer runs the business, but for this review, I interviewed the then CEO Chris Hill, but the mentality of HL doesn’t seem to have changed. Hargreaves Lansdown is still one of the best investment platforms out there. Its research, market data, and market range are unrivalled. There are cheaper “free stockbrokers” out there, but your choice of investment is limited, customer service is basically a chatbot and many are still raising funds and running at a loss. Sure people complain that HL can sometimes be expensive, but in finance, you get what you pay for.
Founded in 1981, Hargreaves Lansdown is one of the largest fund management and investment platforms in the UK with 1.8 million clients and £142bn funds under management. Operating from its Bristol base, it offers a huge range of investment tools, ready-made portfolios, ISAs, SIPPs (pension), cash savings and foreign currency exchange. They also offer financial advice with a free initial consultation, research, webinars and guides to investment. The scale and scope of their offering mean they offer one of the widest range of choices for investors of all levels.
For those that are more risk averse HL Active Savings offers access to some of the highest-paying savings accounts.
In the Good Money Guide Awards, HL is a regular winner and in 2022 won the award for ‘Best Stockbroker’, ‘Best Investing App’ and ‘Best SIPP account’. 100% of those who took the 2022 survey said they used HL for longer-term investing, with only 33% saying they also made short-term speculative investments on the platform.
With a history stretching back four decades, HL brings the security, scale, and reputation of an established FTSE 100 company.
Now, onto the nitty-gritty of Hargreaves Lansdown and our ratings explained.
Pricing
Cheap for stocks, expensive for funds – that’s the basics.
Over the years, though, HL has become cheaper, and I expect it to continue becoming more competitive. They have a huge legacy client base that won’t switch to another broker no matter what, so that will be milked for a while with these reduced rates. However, newer customers should see commissions come in line with other major investment platforms.
HL is still horrendously expensive for US stocks, as their FX fees are quite high, and since there is no cap on fund account fees, these can add up very quickly for big accounts.
The jewel in the pricing crown, though, is the Junior ISA, which is free to hold and to buy shares and funds.
Hargreaves Lansdown Market Access
Excellent, with pretty much full market coverage.
If you’re a UK investor, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a listed instrument you can’t invest in through HL. So, if you’re looking to build a very diverse portfolio over the years and want access to a wide range of small-cap stocks, corporate bonds, and funds, HL is a good choice for investment options.
Plus, they offer the most types of accounts as well. In our comparison tables, only Hargreaves Lansdown and AJ Bell offer access to the full range of accounts including:
- HL Stocks and Shares ISA – For your tax-free allowance
- HL SIPP – For your pension
- HL Junior ISA – For your children’s 18th birthday
- HL Junior SIPP – For your children’s retirement
- HL Lifetime ISA – For the government 25% top up
- HL General Investment Account – For everything else
If you click on the links above, you can see our ratings for each of the key Hargreaves Lansdown account types.
Platform & Apps:
Generally, one of the best apps and platforms around.
The Hargreaves Lansdown website and app have been the go-to for stock market research. I should know – I sold them bond data, rankings, and analysis for years.
The website has an excellent market data section, so you can read through company reports, and the HL app is much more comprehensive than competitors.
Everything is easy to use: lots of order types, account statements, etc. It all just works. Let’s be honest, if you are investing with Hargreaves Lansdown, you’re going to use the platform and buy something in the long run. You don’t need lots of flashing lights and algo API connectivity.
These were all developed by a hugely experienced team that has now gone on to run Navos (fintech.co.uk), which builds investment systems and infrastructure for some of the biggest financial institutions in the UK.
They are grown-up platforms and apps for serious investors.
Customer Service At Hargreaves Lansdown:
You get what you pay for here. HL always picks up the phone quickly.
Whenever we test platforms, we always try to find a problem so we can phone customer support to test their response time. Some of the apps are woeful at getting back to customers. But then again, I’d say that investing apps are for small investors, while investment platforms and stock brokers are for when you have a bit more and need a bit of help looking after it.
For this review, and you can watch this in our video of me testing the platform live. There was an issue with cancelling the a stop on a position I had closed out. I managed to get through straight away and was given the answer after speaking to a couple of their staff.
Hargreaves Lansdown does have a reputation for being expensive, but then again, it’s not cheap employing and training staff to ensure that if you have a problem, it can be dealt with quickly – and may I add, politely.
Research & Analysis:
Superb, with lots of market data screens for non-customers and even more information when you are logged in.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a DIY platform, which means you have to make your own decisions. Now, I’m not being commercially cynical here, but when I was a broker, we wanted our customers to make lots of decisions. Because the more investment decisions they made, the more commission we made.
And how do you get your customers to make more investment decisions? Well, you provide them with the tools, stimulus, and research to help them make them.
As Hargreaves Lansdown is one of the biggest companies in the UK, listed on the LSE with a market cap of £5.27bn (as of 22/09/24), you can assume that they are providing a lot of people with a lot of research and analysis to help them make more decisions…
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Video Review
Watch as we test the Hargreaves Lansdown investing platform and app. In our video review and test we buy and sell some Hargreaves Lansdown shares (LON:HL) and demonstrate some of the stock broker’s features.
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Awards
Hargreaves Lansdown always wins awards with us, over the years Hargreaves Lansdown has won Good Money Guide Awards for:
- 2023: Best DIY Stocks & Shares ISA & Best Junior SIPP
- 2022: Best Investing App, Best Stock Broker, Best SIPP & Best Junior SIPP
- 2021: Best Full-Service Stock Broker
- 2019: Best Stock Broker, Best SIPP Account
- 2018: Best SIPP and Stocks & Shares ISA Broker
@good_money_guide Best DIY Stocks & Shares ISA… #goodmoneyguide #goodmoneyguideawards #investing #shares #stocks #stockmarket ♬ original sound – Good Money Guide
I’m afraid though, we don’t have any footage of Hargreaves Lansdown collecting an award because as yet they’ve not turned up to collect them.
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Facts & Figures
| ⬜ Public Company | ✔️ |
| 👉 Number Active Clients | 1,800,000 |
| 💰 Minimum Deposit | £1 |
| 💸 Client Funds | £142 billion |
| 📅 Founded | 1981 |
Account Costs | |
| 👉 Investment Account | 0% |
| 👉 SIPP | 0.45% |
| 👉 Stocks & Shares ISA | 0.45% |
| 👉 Junior ISA | 0% |
| 👉 Lifetime ISA | 0% |
Dealing Costs | |
| 👉 UK Shares | £11.95 |
| 👉 US Stocks | £11.95 |
| 👉 ETFs | £11.95 |
| 👉 Bonds | £11.95 |
| 👉 Funds | £0 |
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown app now allows users to open ISAs
Stock broker Hargreaves Lansdown has recently improved it’s app and now allows users to open several products directly. The HL app now allows clients to open its ISA, LISA and Fund & Share accounts through the app, with more products to become accessible shortly. In a LinkedIn post revealing the update, Hargreaves Lansdown product leader Michae…
Hargreaves Lansdown wins Best Stock Broker at the Good Money Guide Awards 2024
Hargreaves Lansdown won Best Stockbroker at the Good Money Guide Awards this year because they offer one of the cheapest accounts for share investing. They provide access to a wide range of large-, medium-, and small-cap stocks, tax-efficient wrappers, and IPOs for newly listed companies. Richard BerryRichard is the founder of the Good Money Guide
Hargreaves Lansdown Active Savings wins best savings platform at the 2024 Good Money Guide Awards
Hargreaves Lansdown Active Savings won Best Savings Platform at the Good Money Guide Awards in 2024 because they offer some of the widest selections of providers and some of the best fixed-rate options available. Backed by Hargreaves Lansdown, the platform also allows users to diversify by investing in both cash and the stock market. Richard
Hargreaves Lansdown Global Income fund targets DIY investors
The launch of the Hargreaves Lansdown Global Income fund brings another easy-to-use portfolio building tool to do-it-yourself investors on the platform. The new Global Equity Income fund invests in a portfolio of dividend-paying companies around the world favoured by selected expert managers. The strategy seeks to strike a balance between risk and … To read
Hargreaves Lansdown clients swap investments for cash
Hargreaves Lansdown clients have been switching their investments to cash, the broker stated in its most recent quarterly trading update. Client cash balances at the firm rose to £12.7 billion during the three months to the end of September, up from £12.4 billion at the end of the first quarter of the financial year. Hargreaves
Does Hargreaves Lansdown offer currency transfer services?
Yes, you can transfer currency abroad with Hargreaves Lansdown, but not directly, HL uses a specialist third-party currency specialist to facilitate international payments. Here’s a look at its currency transfer services in more detail. Currency transfers with Hargreaves Lansdown If you want to use Hargreaves Lansdown’s currency transfer services, you need to open a currency
Hargreaves Lansdown kicks off Good Money Week with a look at the Emerging Markets
As part of this year’s Good Money Week, Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the UKs largest stockbrokers and investment platforms, has chosen to look at investing in the Emerging markets and the risks and opportunities within them with an emphasis on ESG. The initiative which goes on until October 6th, is designed to bring different sectors
Is Hargreaves Lansdown good for funds?
Fund investing is where Hargreaves Lansdown gets very expensive. unlike share dealing there is no cap on the fees charged for holding funds with HL. You can invest in over 3,000 funds or choose from Hargreaves Lansdown funds picked by a team of in-house investment experts that manage a range of Multi-Manager funds (fund-of-funds) and
How much does OEIC investing cost on Hargreaves Lansdown?
It’s free to buy and sell OEIC (open-ended investment companies) on Hargreaves Lansdown, but there is an ongoing charge. In our HL OEIC review below we go through the charges and specifics about investing in open-ended investment companies with Hargreaves Lansdown. There is no charge for buying and selling open-ended investment companies. Accounts … To
How much does Hargreaves Lansdown charge for investment trusts?
Despite it’s reputation for being expensive Hargreaves Lansdown is actually free for buying and selling investment trusts. But the ongoing account charges can rack up if you have a large portfolio compared to other providers like Interactive Investor and AJ Bell. To help you navigate the investment trust market, Hargreaves Lansdown provides trust r… To
Is Hargreaves Lansdown A Good LISA (Lifetime ISA)?
Yes, Hargreaves Lansdown’s Lifetime ISA is a great way to take advantage of the 25% government bonus with you £4,000 Lifetime ISA allowance as fees are low and there are a huge amount of markets to invest in. When you deposit money into a Hargreaves Lansdown lifetime ISA, the government will top that amount up by
Junior ISAs are now free on Hargreaves Lansdown
Since Hargreaves Lansdown removed the fees from of its JISA (Junior ISA) account it is now one of the cheapest ways to invest for your children.. This is good news as Hargreaves Lansdown is generally acknowledged to be not only the largest provider of direct-to-consumer investment services but also the most expensive. An HL JISA
Is it expensive to buy and sell shares on Hargreaves Lansdown?
Yes, but Hargreaves Lansdown is not as expensive as it used to be. HL does still cost more than competitors like AJ Bell and Interactive Brokers to buy and sell shares, but the account running costs can be lower because of the monthly cap. In our HL share dealing review below we go through how
Is Hargreaves Lansdown good for ETF Investing?
We rate Hargreaves Lansdown as one of the best ETF investment accounts as HL has access to a huge range of UK and international Exchange Traded Funds. Plus the costs of holding ETFs are capped as they fall into their stocks and shares category. Hargreaves Lansdown’s ETF platform offers a huge range of exchange-traded funds tailored
Hargreaves Lansdown Versus Interactive Investor
Is it time to move your money away from Hargreaves Lansdown? Hargreaves Lansdown has been making headlines recently. This is due to the fact that the firm – which operates the largest investment platform in the UK with nearly two million customers – has received multiple bids from a private equity consortium (good news for long-term
Hargreaves Lansdown Active Savings Gives You A Cash Alternative To Investing
Hargreaves Lansdown’s Active Savings product was launched by the investment broker in 2018 and lets customers pick and choose from a range of the best easy-access and fixed-term savings accounts. The Active Savings portal is now five years old and as of the end of December 2022, they have helped over 146,000 clients savings, over
Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investors open up UK Gilt auctions to retail investors
Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor two of Britain’s largest stockbrokers, and direct-to-consumer investing platforms, are opening up the UK Gilt-edged or government bond market to retail traders and savers. HL & II are partnering with one of the UK’s largest domestic market makers, Winterflood Securities, to offer retail traders and i… To read this article,
Are Hargreaves Lansdown in trouble because of short sellers?
Hargreaves Lansdown is one of Britain’s largest stockbrokers and retail investment platforms helping millions of retail investors manage their savings investments and stock trading. So there is a certain amount of irony that the stock should be in the sights of that most speculative group of market participants, the short sellers. Why would you sho…
Hargreaves Lansdown announces a new ready made pension plan for SIPP holders
The UK’s largest direct-to-consumer investing platform and stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown has announced that it plans to introduce a new all-in-one investment plan for the firm’s Self-Invested Personal Pension or SIPP. Hargreaves Lansdown Ready Made Pension Hargreaves Lansdown hopes will remove “ a lot of the difficult decision-making” that clients face, when they try to pick
Hargreaves Lansdown now offers ready-made and managed investments
Ready-Made Index Funds and Managed Hargreaves Lansdown Investments are now available on HL for those who want a bit of help with their investments. A new range of index funds were made available from June 6th and complement the firm’s existing HL-managed ready-made fund range that was launched in 2023. The four new Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown cut direct debit & dividend reinvestment fees
Hargreaves Lansdown, one of the UK’s largest brokers and direct-to-consumer investing platforms, has removed fees for investors who invest regularly via direct debit and reinvest their dividend payments. Reducing direct debit and dividend reinvestment fees As of Tuesday, April 11th customers who invest regularly via direct debit payments to Hargreaves Lansdown, will no longer be
Hargreaves Lansdown launches Financially Fearless
Hargreaves Lansdown has launched “Financially Fearless” a new initiative to coincide with International Women’s Day, that aims to help close the gender investment gap between men and women. What is the gender investment gap? Men and women invest differently, men have historically been more inclined to invest, and have had more money to invest when
Why is the Hargreaves Lansdown falling? (LON: HL)
Hargreaves Lansdown is a leading investment platform in the UK Stock is stuck in a bear trend due to macro uncertainty LON:HL remains profitable; watch to buy on a further setback When Peter Hargreaves and Stephen Lansdown started their financial venture back in 1981 in Bristol (reputedly in Peter’s bedroom!), few would have anticipated the financial colossus
Hargreaves Lansdown’s trading update disappoints the market
The Hargreaves Lansdown (LON:HL) trading update showed net new business in Q1, worth £0.70 billion, though that figure was below analysts’ forecast of £0.85 billion. AUA or assets under administration rose to £122.70 billion as a result The D2C investing giant attracted 17,000 new customers in the first quarter and now has 1.754 million clients
Hargreaves Lansdown adds Santander to its Active Savings service
Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK’s largest investment and savings platform, has added Santander International to its Active Savings lineup. Santander International is the trading name for the Jersey and Isle of Man branches of Santander Financial Services plc, which in turn is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Santander UK Group Holdings plc, which itself is part of
Jefferies highlights the challenges of old age at Hargreaves Lansdown
US investment bank Jefferies has published a research note on the UK’s largest and some argue best investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown. Jefferies has updated their coverage of Hargreaves Lansdown in an 11-page note the upshot of which is that the broker has downgraded the investment platform to underperform from its prior rating of hold, and
Hargreaves Lansdown boosts its Cash ISA interest rates
Hargreaves Lansdown the UK’s largest D2C savings and investment platform has raised the interest rate available to new Cash ISA customers. Hargreaves Lansdown cash ISA interest rates Hargreaves Lansdown has raised the interest rates that new customers can expect to receive on cash ISAs at the firm. The rate has been hiked by 20 basis
Hargreaves Lansdown bets on data and ESG, with a human touch
Hargreaves Lansdown the UK’s largest D2C investment and share trading platform, published interim results for the 6 months until the end of Dec 2021, this morning. Client funds up 17% The earnings release showed net new business of £2.30 billion taking assets under administration to £141.20 billion, a gain of +17.0% over the same period
Is Hargreaves Lansdown’s keeping up with the cool kids?
The last 18 months have been a period of strong growth for investment platforms and businesses within financial services particularly those that meet the needs of retail clients. Or so we thought because, despite headlines about sharply increased online trading activity and thousands of new accounts being opened, that hasn’t translated into increased profitability at
Hargreaves Lansdown between the rock and the hard place
The UK’s leading retail investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown reported figures for the full year ending 30th of June 2021 this week, and though the headline numbers looked impressive, as is so often the case the devil was in the detail. HL net new business grew by £8.70 billion and assets under administration, or AUA rose
Hargreaves Lansdown Cash ISA: What to Expect
Hargreaves Lansdown is offering a new cash ISA to sit alongside its investment option. It offers a different type of ISA allowing you to save tax free, giving you a different way to access your money. To find out more about Hargreaves Lansdown read our Hargreaves Lansdown review or compare Investment ISA accounts. What is
A closer look at Hargreaves Lansdown’s 5 funds to watch in 2020
Edward Sheldon takes a closer look at Hargreaves Lansdown’s 5 funds to watch in 2020 To help UK investors choose the best funds to invest in, investment provider Hargreaves Lansdown recently released its annual fund research report ‘5 funds to watch in 2020.’ This report highlights five funds across different areas of the market that
Peter Hargreaves, Chairman of Blue Whale Capital on investment strategies and the importance of investing in the next generation of fund managers
What do you do when you’ve stepped away from a FTSE 100 listed investment firm valued at around £9 billion you set up and have run for nearly four decades? Evidently, you set up another one. That’s what Peter Hargreaves the co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown has done with Blue Whale Capital. Sometimes doing these interviews
Chris Hill, Hargreaves Lansdown CEO on HL being the most client focused business he’s ever experienced
I’ve always said that investing is a relationship business. Whether it be with a broker, a salesperson, a trading platform or a colour scheme. Choosing a broker can be in some cases more about how they treat you and how they make you feel rather than cold hard cash. It’s for those reasons that when
Hargreaves Lansdown FAQs
Yes, we rate Hargreaves Lansdown as one of the safest share dealing accounts in the UK because they are well established, listed on the London Stock Exchange, and regulated by the FCA. Hargreaves Lansdown is also a profitable company with millions of private and corporate customers.
As an FCA-regulated stock broker, if Hargreaves Lansdown were to go bust, client cash on account would be protected by the FSCS scheme. Client investments are held in nominee accounts on CREST and can be transferred to another FCA-regulated investment platform.
Yes, Hargreaves Lansdown is considered one of the more expensive trading apps, as they charge a commission per share deal as opposed to commission-free investing apps like Freetrade, CMC Invest or Dodl, where it is free. Hargreaves Lansdown is also very expensive for holding funds on account as there is no cap on their fund account charge. Whereas, AJ Bell fund fees are capped and Interactive Investor charges a flat monthly subscription.
Hargreaves Lansdown is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange meaning anyone can buy shares. But only around 25% of HL shares are traded on the LSE as 75% of the company is still owned by the founders Peter Hargreaves, and Stephen Lansdown and employees. You can see the breakdown of Hargreaves Lansdown shareholders in our HL share price performance section.
Yes, Hargreaves Lansdown offers access to a huge range of UK-listed Government and corporate bonds that you can invest in to build an income-generating portfolio. We actually used Hargreaves Lansdown to demonstrate buying Retail Charity bonds when we reviewed them.
No, you cannot buy commodities directly on Hargreaves Lansdown directly, to do that you need a commodities broker. But, you can invest in commodities on HL through a commodity ETF which is listed on the stock exchange like the Legal & General Longer Dated All commodities UCITS ETF (CMFP).
No, you cannot buy fractional shares on Hargreaves Lansdown, you can only buy whole shares, ETFs and units of funds. If you want to invest in small slices of company shares or want to invest in monetary amounts rather than shares you can compare the best brokers for fractional shares investing here.
No, you cannot trade options on Hargreaves Lansdown. I view this as quite a significant disadvantage because options are a great way to hedge your long-term investment portfolio against potential short-term stock market falls. If you want to trade or invest with options you can compare the best options brokers here.
No, you cannot buy or invest in gold directly on Hargreaves Lansdown, to do that you need a gold trading platform. But, you can get exposure to gold and invest in a gold ETF that tracks the price of the gold and can be bought and sold on the Hargreaves Lansdown platform just like shares for example, SPDR Gold Trust, iShares Gold Trust or Aberdeen Standard Physical Gold Shares ETF.
No, you cannot short stocks or go short on the Hargreaves Lansdown platform. But if you think that the Hargreaves Lansdown share price will go down it is possible to short Hargreaves Lansdown shares with a short-selling broker using CFDs, options or financial spread betting. However, if you want to go short the overall stock market to hedge your portfolio held at Hargreaves Lansdown you can buy an inverse ETF (which goes up when the market goes down) like
Absolutely not! Hargreaves Lansdown is a traditional stock brokerage and is most suitable for those investing in the long term. Cryptocurrency is a very high-risk product and not apprapriate to hold alongside ISA or SIPP accounts. Having said that, the SEC has recently approved a Bitcoin ETF, which can be bought and sold on the stock market, so some UK investors may be able to buy cryptocurrency on HL if they pass the sophisticated investor threshold.
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Richard is the founder of the Good Money Guide (formerly Good Broker Guide), one of the original investment comparison sites established in 2015. With a career spanning two decades as a broker, he brings extensive expertise and knowledge to the financial landscape.
Having worked as a broker at Investors Intelligence and a multi-asset derivatives broker at MF Global (Man Financial), Richard has acquired substantial experience in the industry. His career began as a private client stockbroker at Walker Crips and Phillip Securities (now King and Shaxson), following internships on the NYMEX oil trading floor in New York and London IPE in 2001 and 2000.
Richard’s contributions and expertise have been recognized by respected publications such as The Sunday Times, BusinessInsider, Yahoo Finance, BusinessNews.org.uk, Master Investor, Wealth Briefing, iNews, and The FT, among many others.
Under Richard’s leadership, the Good Money Guide has evolved into a valuable destination for comprehensive information and expert guidance, specialising in trading, investment, and currency exchange. His commitment to delivering high-quality insights has solidified the Good Money Guide’s standing as a well-respected resource for both customers and industry colleagues.
You can contact Richard at richard@goodmoneyguide.com
