Charles Stanley Direct investment platform review

Is Charles Stanley Direct any good?

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What do customers say about Charles Stanley Direct?

• ‘The website is slow, unresponsive and not particularly clear on how to navigate through it.’
• ‘The range of investment options available meets my needs. Information on my portfolio is readily accessed via the website.’
• ‘When I first invested their platform fee was 0.25%. It has since increased to 0.35%. They also charge £10 per holding to transfer out.’

How much does Charles Stanley Direct cost?

There's no difference in fees whether you're investing in a Charles Stanley Direct stocks and shares Isa or general investment account.

Annual platform charge: 

• 0.35% of value of shares in a portfolio (or a minimum of £2 and a maximum of £20 a month)
• 0.35% on the first £250,000 worth of funds
• 0.2% on the next £250,000
• 0.15% on the next £500,000, 0.05% on the next £1m and no charge for amounts over £2m.

Trading charge:

• £11.50 for shares
• No charge for trading funds

Foreign exchange charge:

This applies to each trade of investments denominated in another currency, for example US stocks, on top of fund and trading charges.

• 1.00% for up to £9,999
• 0.75% for £10,000 - £49,999
• 0.5% for £50,000 - £499,999
• 0.3% for £500,000 - £999,999
• 0.15% for more than £1m

How much would I pay to invest with Charles Stanley Direct?

We've estimated the cost of investing over the course of a year in a Charles Stanley Direct stocks and shares Isa, assuming that you make four purchases and four sales.

Costs will vary depending on how much you invest and whether you trade funds or shares. 

If you're thinking of using Charles Stanley Direct to take an income from your pension in a drawdown plan, read our comparison of pension drawdown charges.

• Find out more: Compare investment platform fees and charges 

What can you invest in with Charles Stanley Direct?

Charles Stanley Direct accounts and services 

• General investment account
• Stocks and shares Isa (flexible)
• Self-invested personal pension (Sipp)
• Junior investment Isa 
• Income drawdown
• Ready-made portfolio
• Savings account 

Investments on Charles Stanley Direct 

• 2,760 funds (OEICs, multi-asset funds)
• 388 trusts
• 915 exchange-traded funds
• Approximately 10,000 stocks
• Approximately 1,000 bonds

Correct as of January 2024

Is Charles Stanley Direct good for ethical investors?

Charles Stanley Direct shows the top 10 holdings for a fund, so you can get a sense of the companies that the fund has the largest stakes in.

However, it doesn't allow you to filter to easily find funds that line up with your morals.

• Find out more: Ethical investing explained

Is your money safe with Charles Stanley Direct?

Charles Stanley Direct is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

When you invest with an investment platform that's registered with the FCA, your money will be ring-fenced and should be returned if a company goes bust without you having to wait alongside other creditors.

If ring-fencing failed, you would be compensated by the FSCS.

The FSCS will cover up to £85,000 of investments per person, per platform. You can claim for free online at www.fscs.org.uk; there's no reason to use a claims management company.

You won't be compensated for investments falling in value, or if a company in which you hold shares goes bust, unless this poor performance resulted from bad advice given by a regulated Independent Financial Advisor that has since gone bust.

• Find out more: How the FSCS works