Charles Stanley Direct today announces the launch of OneStep Financial Coaching. The new service will allow people to pick up the phone to a financial expert and feel more confident when it comes to managing their finances.
OneStep Financial Coaching provides a free 15-minute call with a qualified financial planner to answer questions about personal finances. Those who would like a more in-depth discussion will be offered a one-hour coaching session via video call at a fixed cost of £150*. The new coaching service is designed to help people make financial decisions with the added confidence of having spoken directly with an expert.
There are 12.2 million adults in the UK who fall into the so-called ‘advice-gap’[1] – the gap between those that pay for advice and those that want it – and 68% of people that fall within this gap are using DIY investment platforms without any guidance.
Charles Stanley Direct’s new coaching service aims to help people make confident decisions by providing them with access to the guidance they need. Our experts will answer money-related questions to help people save and invest without falling foul of common mistakes.
The types of questions that the service can provide guidance on include good financial habits, such as budgeting; understanding financial products, such as ISAs and SIPPs; getting started with investing; teeing up for retirement and much more.
OneStep Financial Coaching is a part of Charles Stanley’s OneStep family. It is complementary to OneStep Financial Planning, a service launched last year, which offers a personal financial plan by a qualified planner for a fixed fee of £900*.
Lisa Caplan, Director of OneStep Financial Planning at Charles Stanley, said: “Sometimes you just want to talk to somebody, but people don’t know where to start or who to turn to.
“‘Bots’ like ChatGPT, finfluencers and Google can get you so far but it’s not personal, you can’t be sure who to trust and you don’t always get all the options. At Charles Stanley, you can always pick up the phone to someone and trust that you are speaking with an accredited expert.
“Getting the right information about financial questions should be easy, and we hope that this service will mean fewer people fall through the gap, and more can get the help they need to make confident decisions that set them up for life.”
John Porteous, Managing Director of Central Financial Services at Charles Stanley added: “At Charles Stanley, we are known for our excellence in customer service and the OneStep family builds on our brands expertise in offering personal advice and guidance.
“This is part of our commitment to help address the advice gap in the UK – by using cost-effective tech solutions without losing the human touch.”
A OneStep coach will be offered to all new Charles Stanley Direct customers on sign-up to the platform.
