Charles Stanley Direct Customer Reviews
Leave a review and tell us what you think to help others make more informed financial decisions.
Lots of research on our…
Lots of research on our behalf
5/5
Very good support from Helpdesk,…
Very good support from Helpdesk, strong reliability of service and consistently excellent trade execution.
Fantastic
Fantastic
x
x
I use the telephone services,…
I use the telephone services, so access the dealers direct. Fast and useful.
Reliable customer service, excellent range…
Reliable customer service, excellent range of investment products, reasonable value.
Provides everything I need to…
Provides everything I need to manage my portfolio.
User friendly app, great customer…
User friendly app, great customer service. Free coaching especially useful
FIT FOR PURPOSE
FIT FOR PURPOSE
Easy to use with excellent…
Easy to use with excellent customer service and great educational resources.
great service
great service
Good but Apple mobile App…
Good but Apple mobile App Touch ID Login doesn’t seem to work if you close App. Then have to go through full 4 step login procedure again. Fees cheap if you trade at least once a month.
Easy to use and good…
Easy to use and good value
Multi acct access, Good interface
Multi acct access, Good interface
Good for sponsored Crest Account
Good for sponsored Crest Account
4/5
If I wasn’t using HL…
If I wasn’t using HL I would use Charles Stanley – much better accounting tools
5/5
Been good over the years…
Been good over the years but not keen on the new website/app.
Capital at risk.
Charles Stanley Direct Expert Review
Charles Stanley Direct is an online investing platform designed for do-it-yourself (DIY) investors. Through the platform, you can invest in shares, funds, ETFs, and many other types of assets. In this review of Charles Stanley Direct, we look at what the platform offers in terms of accounts and investments, its fees and charges, and its customer service levels. We also look at how it compares to rivals such as Hargreaves Lansdown and Interactive Investor.
Charles Stanley Direct Review: A solid DIY platform with plenty of investments to choose from
Name: Charles Stanley Direct
Description: Charles Stanley is one of the UK’s oldest stockbroking and wealth management businesses. Founded in 1792, it has been around for centuries. In early 2022, Charles Stanley was taken over by US broker Raymond James. However, while its wealth management arm adopted its parent’s name and branding, its private client division still operates under the Charles Stanley banner. Charles Stanley Direct is the company’s online investment platform for retail investors. Through this platform, you can open different types of accounts and invest in a wide range of assets.
Is Charles Stanley Direct a good broker?
Charles Stanley Direct is more suited to higher net worth investors, who are not so cost-sensitive.
Those who prefer to trade over the phone will also probably feel at home here because of the access to the firm’s dedicated dealing teams something that many online brokerages no longer offer.
Yes, you pay a premium for that service, but if your business or trading style, is not plain vanilla, is sizable, or not just focused on highly liquid blue chips, then you will likely appreciate the phone dealing service.
Charles Stanley Direct isn’t for everyone but is not designed to be. Affluent and experienced investors are the firm’s target market and its services are priced accordingly.
Charles Stanley Direct could be well suited to:
- Experienced investors who are looking for a wide range of investments and are not so cost sensitive.
- Those who prefer to trade over the phone.
- Those looking for good research and insights on markets and investments.
Pros
- Well established stock brokerage firm
- Access to wealth management services
- Good for high-net-worth individuals
- There is a wide range of investments on offer.
- There is a dedicated Client Services team, based in Edinburgh.
- You can trade over the phone.
Cons
- Quite expensive for individual share trading
- High FX charges of 1% for US trades under £10k
- Relatively low interest paid on uninvested cash of 2.5% (upto £100k)
- The platform is not as slick as other platforms and can be hard to navigate.
- The platform is a little too UK focused.
- The annual fee cap is quite high.
-
Pricing
(4)
-
Market Access
(4)
-
App & Platform
(4)
-
Customer Service
(4)
-
Research & Analysis
(4)
Overall
4Capital at risk.
What accounts does Charles Stanley Direct offer?
In terms of accounts, Charles Stanley Direct currently offers investors the following:
- A Stocks and Shares ISA – This is a tax-efficient investment account that allows you to invest up to £20,000 per year.
- A Junior ISA – This is a tax-efficient account that can be set up by a parent or guardian for children under the age of 18.
- A SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension) – This is a pension account designed for retirement savings.
- General investment account (GIA) – This is a flexible investment account with no restrictions in terms of contributions or withdrawals.
- Cash savings accounts – Clients have access to easy-access and fixed-term savings accounts that pay high levels of interest.
All of these types of accounts can be opened and managed online.
Capital at risk.
What investments does Charles Stanley Direct offer?
Charles Stanley Direct offers clients a wide range of investments. Through the platform you can invest in:
- UK stocks (e.g. Lloyds, BP, GSK)
- International stocks (e.g. Apple, Amazon, Tesla)
- Funds (over 3,000 to choose from)
- Investment trusts
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Bonds
- Gilts
In total, there are more than 12,500 shares, funds, and investment trusts available on the platform. This is a decent offering. However, it’s worth noting that there are platforms that offer even more investments. An example here is Interactive Investor, which has around 40,000 investment options.
Capital at risk.
Does Charles Stanley Direct offer ready-made portfolios?
Charles Stanley Direct offers a range of multi-asset funds that are a bit like ready-made portfolios. These are managed on customers’ behalf by the investment professionals at the firm.
Currently, there are six different funds to choose from here, each with a different risk level. One fund, the Monthly High Income fund, is designed for those seeking income.
One thing to note here is that the Equity fund is a UK equity fund. So, it doesn’t offer exposure to US-listed stocks such as Apple, Tesla, and Nvidia.
In terms of the performance of these funds, it has been good but not brilliant. Between 2019 and 2023, the Adventurous fund returned about 40%. That’s a solid return but investors could have done better with a ready-made portfolio from the likes of Nutmeg or Moneybox.
Capital at risk.
What are Charles Stanley Direct’s fees and charges?
There are several fees and charges you need to be aware of with Charles Stanley Direct.
First, there are annual platform charges. Here, investors are looking at a fee of 0.30%. Note, however, that the minimum monthly fee is £5 and the maximum is £50 for all individual accounts (excluding joint accounts). In other words, the maximum annual fee you will pay is £600.
Then, there are trading fees. These are £10 per stock trade and £4 per fund trade (automated monthly investments into funds are free of charge). However, from October 2024, Charles Stanley Direct is introducing trading credits that give clients £50 in free trades every six months (in October and April). This means that the first £50 worth of trading charges on your trades will be waived in each six-month period.
When buying or selling international shares, clients must pay extra fees. These depend on the size of the trade:
- £0 – £9,999 – 1.00%
- £10,000 – £49,999 – 0.75%
- £50,000 – £499,999 – 0.50%
- £500,000 – £999,999 – 0.30%
- £1,000,000 or more – 0.15%
If you want to trade over the phone, there are extra charges. These are:
- 1% of the value of the trade (minimum £25, maximum £100) for stocks and bonds.
- £25 per trade for funds.
For SIPPs, there is an annual administration charge of £100 plus VAT. However, this is waived if you hold £30,000 or more in assets across the Charles Stanley Direct platform.
Finally, if you invest in funds on the platform, there are ongoing fund charges. These can range from about 0.1% to 1.5% per year.
Some other information in relation to fees to be aware of:
- There are no trading charges for Charles Stanley’s multi-asset funds. There are also no platform fees for these funds.
- Phone trading charges are 1% of the value of the trade (minimum £25 and maximum £100), plus international charges.
- Fees are calculated and taken every six months (in October and April).
- The cost to transfer investments out of your account is £10 per holding.
As for how these fares compare to those of other providers, they are not bad. But they can be beaten (depending on your account size and investments). For example, let’s say you had a £100,000 Stocks and Shares ISA that was invested entirely in UK stocks, and you made one trade per month. In this scenario, you’d be looking at fees of £320 with Charles Stanley Direct (a £300 platform fee plus £20 in trading fees per year) versus £188 for Hargreaves Lansdown (£45 in annual charges plus £143 in trading fees).
Capital at risk.
Is Charles Stanley Cashback worth it?
It’s possible to get up to £1,500 cash back when you transfer your investments to Charles Stanley Direct. But is it worth it?
The cash back amount equates to 0.6% for £50,000 (£300) and the platform charge is 0.3% so if you are with Hargreaves Lansdown (where fees are as high as 0.45%) for example you will save money, plus get a bonus.
But, if you are with a low cost provider like AJ Bell, where fees are 0.25%, then it’s not worth it.
| Transfer-in value | Cashback payable |
| Less than £20,000 | Not eligible for cashback |
| £20,000 – £49,999 | £300 |
| £50,000 – £99,999 | £600 |
| £100,000 – £199,999 | £1,000 |
| £200,000 or more | £1,500 plus six-month fee waiver |
To be eligible for up to £1,500 cashback, you need to transfer your cash and/or investments from another provider to a General Investment Account, ISA, Junior ISA or SIPP with Charles Stanley Direct Online Investing between 1st July 2024 to 31st December 2024.
Capital at risk.
What is customer service like?
Charles Stanley’s customer service is better than that offered by a lot of other investment platforms, especially some of the newer players. With this company, you can speak to an experienced Client Services team, which is based in Edinburgh. This team can help you with technical questions about the platform or your account. You can contact the Client Services team between 7.30am and 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Capital at risk.
How to open an account with Charles Stanley Direct
If you wish to open an account with Charles Stanley Direct, the first step is to register and verify your email address.
The company will then ask you for some personal information. Here, you will need to provide your passport or driving licence to verify your identity as part of its anti-money laundering procedures.
Once you have registered, you can choose from the account options and begin investing.
Capital at risk.
Alternatives to Charles Stanley Direct
If you’re looking for alternatives to Charles Stanley Direct, you may wish to consider:
- Hargreaves Lansdown – This is the biggest DIY investment platform in the UK with nearly two million customers.
- Interactive Investor – This is a DIY investment platform that offers a vast range of investments and a flat-fee structure.
- Barclays Smart Investor – This is an investment platform operated by Barclays, one of the biggest banks in the UK.
| Stock Broker | Brokerage Account Fee | Stock Dealing Fee | Min Deposit | GMG Rating | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | £24 per quarter | £3-£8 | £250 | Visit Broker* Capital at risk |
|
 | Shares: £0 Funds: 0.45% | £5.95 | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | From £4.99 a month | £3.99 – £5.99 | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | 0.25% (capped at £3.50 pm) | £3.50 – £5 | £500 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | £0 | £1 (or 0.05%) | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | €10 per month or 0.12% | 0.10% (min. GBP 8) | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | 0.2% to 0.4% | £4.95 | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
|
 | 0.15% | £0 | £1 | Visit Broker Capital at risk |
Capital at risk.
Charles Stanley Direct FAQs
Charles Stanley Direct is owned by stockbroking firm Charles Stanley, which is owned by US broker Raymond James.
Yes, it is. It is one of the UK’s oldest stockbroking companies.
Yes, there is an app for Charles Stanley Direct. It’s available for both iOS and Android.
Charles Stanley is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). So, it should be considered as trustworthy.
Charles Stanley Direct is a do-it-yourself (DIY) execution-only service. So, the company is unable to offer advice on your investments. However, if you are looking for a professionally managed service, the company has a number of options available.
This is a list of funds favoured by the research team at Charles Stanley. In total, there are over 70 funds on the list.
Yes, through Charles Stanley Direct, you can invest in a range of ESG funds. You can find ESG options on its Preferred List.
Yes, you can trade over the phone with Charles Stanley Direct. Note, however, that there are extra trading charges for telephone dealing.
Capital at risk.