Standard Life Investment Platform

phuket

I would be interested to hear anyone's views or experiences of Standard Lifes Investment platform and how it compares with others in the market such as HL, FundsNetwork. It doesn't seem to be mentioned here anywhere.

They seem to have two sets of products FundZone and Wrap. I am not sure what the difference is (perhaps someone can enlighten me) but both seem to include ISAs, investment accounts and retirement plans.

Thanks.

jem16

phuket wrote: »

I would be interested to hear anyone's views or experiences of Standard Lifes Investment platform and how it compares with others in the market such as HL, FundsNetwork. It doesn't seem to be mentioned here anywhere.

It's been mentioned quite a few times here and doesn't make good reading.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3903439

What are you actually looking for?

phuket

Thank you Jem.

I can only assume that the lack of other responses means that it is not a widely used platform.

The reason I ask is that it is used by an IFA I have approached for advice on investments and pensions. The IFA is from a local firm with good reputation so there must be something good about it.

dunstonh

I can only assume that the lack of other responses means that it is not a widely used platform.

It had £10 billion on platform in April. it is one of the larger ones.

The reason I ask is that it is used by an IFA I have approached for advice on investments and pensions. The IFA is from a local firm with good reputation so there must be something good about it.

Its marmite. Some love it. Some hate it. It failed our due diligence but only due to administration and set up reasons. Plus, I prefer alternatives which I personally think offer better terms and features. However, no option is perfect and one person may not see the same issues that another does. It does what it needs to do. It wont be the cheapest option. It wont be the best (feature wise). It is a strong known brand whereas most platforms have names that most consumers have never heard of (although most platforms are owned by larger names they would have heard of).

The key thing is that you are not actually investing in Standard Life. It is just an administration platform for investments from across the market. Like buying a car, they all have four wheels and a steering wheel. Some will have features you like, some not, some may have a brand loyalty or a brand perception that is higher or lower in the market. Some brands wont be here in years to come either through mergers or failures. Same applies to platforms.