How your legal relationship works; in what capacity your adviser has the authority to act on your behalf

Platform Fees

Financial advisers manage your investments for you – this can range from monitoring their growth, advising on new opportunities or risks, and recommending changes to your portfolio in line with your plans. However, investment platform fees can be a ‘hidden’ cost and are charged by those platforms your adviser uses to manage your portfolio. As with hidden fees, any reputable adviser would make sure you were well informed not only about their own fees but those of the providers and platforms.

Trading Commissions

If your investment portfolio includes stocks and shares, your adviser may suggest buying new shares or selling existing ones. There are lots of fees involved in this sort of transaction; broker fees and commissions, trading costs and administrative charges. If you are unclear about charges, or whether there is a most cost-effective way to manage your investments, it is always wise to ask for a thorough breakdown of what you are paying for. This should be explained and disclosed in full by your adviser.