Wealth manager Charles Stanley has added a financial coaching service for its direct investing clients.

The service offers a free 15-minute call with a Financial Planner to answer questions about personal finances.

A one-hour coaching session will also be offered via video call at a fixed cost of £150.

OneStep Financial Coaching is a part of Charles Stanley’s OneStep offering. It will run alongside OneStep Financial Planning, a service launched by the wealth manager last year last year, which offers a personal financial plan by a Financial 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.

“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.”

A OneStep coach will be offered to all new Charles Stanley Direct customers on sign-up to the platform. 

Charles Stanley said its new service aims to help close the advice gap. According to the wealth manager, 68% of people who want advice but do not currently pay for it are using DIY investment platforms such as Charles Stanley Direct without any guidance.

The areas 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 and planning for retirement.