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Charles Stanley Review: Safety & App Ratings | Quidsy

Review notes· 5 min read

Charles Stanley details

Charles Stanley is one of the UK's oldest investment firms, founded in 1792 and now part of Raymond James Wealth Management following a £278.9m acquisition in January 2022. Their consumer-facing platform, Charles Stanley Direct, is an execution-only service where you pick your own investments across UK and international shares, funds, ETFs, and investment trusts.

They sit alongside Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, and Interactive Investor as one of the established full-service UK platforms, with a price point pitched at investors who'll trade often enough to keep the platform fee in check.

It's a sensible fit if you're a confident self-directed investor who likes the heritage and breadth of choice, especially if you'll make at least one trade most months (which waives the platform fee on the affected accounts). It's less of a fit if you want a no-fee passive home for a small portfolio, in which case a flat-fee platform usually works out cheaper.

For this particular offer, it's also worth a look as a one-off cashback play if you're happy holding £500 for six months and transferring out cleanly afterwards.

Is Charles Stanley safe?

Yes, Charles Stanley is about as well-established as UK investment firms get. Charles Stanley is a trading name of Raymond James Wealth Management Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under firm reference number 124412.

The legal entity was renamed in July 2025 (previously Charles Stanley & Co. Limited) following the 2022 acquisition by Raymond James Financial, a US-listed wealth manager (NYSE: RJF). The combined UK business reports £46.8 billion in client assets as at 30 June 2025.

Your money is protected in two ways. Client assets are held separately from Charles Stanley's own funds in nominee accounts, which means they can't be touched if the firm runs into trouble. On top of that, eligible investments are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme up to £85,000 per person if Charles Stanley were to fail (note: this £85k investment limit is separate from the £120k FSCS limit for bank deposits introduced on 1 December 2025).

Worth knowing: FSCS covers firm failure, not investment losses, so if your funds drop in value, that's on you, not protected.

Who is Charles Stanley for?

Charles Stanley Direct is designed for confident, self-directed investors who want to choose their own investments. It's suited to people who are comfortable researching and selecting their own shares, funds, and ETFs.

The platform offers access to over 15,000 investments including UK and international shares, investment trusts, ETFs, and funds. It's a good choice for investors who value a wide investment selection and don't mind paying slightly higher fees for a well-established platform.

What does Charles Stanley do?

Execution-only platform with 15,000+ investments
Pick your own UK and international shares, funds, ETFs, and investment trusts through Charles Stanley Direct. No advice, no robo-allocations, just self-serve.
Tax wrappers under one login
Stocks & Shares ISA, SIPP, Junior ISA, and a general investment account all run from the same dashboard, so you can split contributions across wrappers in one place.
Trading credits twice a year
£50 of trading credits applied in April and October that offset dealing fees. Roughly five share trades' worth per drop, useful if you place a handful of trades a year.
No charge on their own Multi-Asset Funds
Charles Stanley's own Multi-Asset Funds carry no platform fee and no dealing charge, which makes them a low-cost option if you want a diversified holding without the usual cost stack.

Pros and Cons

What stands out

5 pros

FCA regulated (FRN 124412) with full FSCS investment protection up to £85k
Founded 1792, now backed by Raymond James, a US-listed wealth manager
Wide investment universe: 15,000+ funds, shares, ETFs, and investment trusts
£50 trading credits every six months can fully cover fund and small share trades

Is Charles Stanley worth it?

Chris · Co-founder, Quidsy

For me, Charles Stanley Direct sits in the "established and trustworthy, but priced for engaged investors" bracket. If you're going to trade most months, the £50 trading credits twice a year cover most of your dealing costs, so the total cost of ownership lands somewhere reasonable. If you're a buy-and-hold investor with a smaller pot, a flat-fee platform will usually be cheaper.

For this specific offer, the maths is simple. You deposit £500, hold it for six months to qualify for £60 of TopCashback, and pay roughly £30 in platform fees over that holding period (£5/month minimum) plus a £10 transfer-out fee when you move the money on. That nets you around £20 for about 30 minutes of work.

Fair return for the time, but it's a cashback play, not a long-term home for your money. The neat trick: hold a single investment so you only pay one £10 transfer-out fee, and move the money out as soon as the cashback becomes payable to stop the meter on the platform fee.

So would I keep money there afterwards? Personally, only if you're going to use the platform actively. Otherwise, take the £20, transfer out, and move on. Easy peasy.

Recent ended Charles Stanley offers

£60 Free Cash
Ended 21 May 2026
£110

Charles Stanley FAQs

Charles Stanley makes money through a 0.30% annual platform fee on the value of investments held on the Charles Stanley Direct platform (subject to a £5/month minimum and £50/month maximum), dealing fees of £10 per share or ETF trade and £4 per fund trade, and product fees on its discretionary wealth management and financial planning services for higher-balance clients. They don't charge you to open an account, and free cash, ISA cash, and dividends aren't charged a platform fee.

There's no minimum to open a Charles Stanley Direct account, so you can start with as little as a single £1 fund order. The current Quidsy offer requires a £500 deposit held for the qualifying period (six months) to unlock the £60 TopCashback bonus, but that's an offer condition, not a Charles Stanley minimum. As of May 2026, the platform is open to UK residents only.

Yes. Charles Stanley is a platform, not a product, which means your money is invested in the funds, shares, or ETFs you choose, and the value of those can go down as well as up. FSCS protection covers firm failure (up to £85,000 per person), not market losses. If a fund you hold drops 20%, FSCS won't compensate you. The protection is there to stop you losing your money if Charles Stanley itself were to fail, not to guarantee a positive return.

Charles Stanley Direct charges three main fees: a 0.30% annual platform fee with a £5/month minimum and £50/month maximum (so £60 to £600 a year depending on your portfolio size), dealing fees of £10 per share or ETF trade and £4 per fund trade, and a £10 per holding fee if you transfer your investments out to another provider. You also get £50 of trading credits applied in April and October each year that offset dealing costs.

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Charles Stanley review

Charles Stanley at a glance

Charles Stanley details

Is Charles Stanley safe?

Who is Charles Stanley for?

What does Charles Stanley do?

Execution-only platform with 15,000+ investments

Tax wrappers under one login

Trading credits twice a year

No charge on their own Multi-Asset Funds

Pros and Cons

What stands out

Is Charles Stanley worth it?

Recent ended Charles Stanley offers

Charles Stanley FAQs

How does Charles Stanley make money?

What's the minimum to open a Charles Stanley Direct account?

Can you lose money with Charles Stanley?

What fees does Charles Stanley charge?

Keep comparing Charles Stanley

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