Milestone Moment: Bestinvest Completes 10,000 Free One-to-One Financial Coaching Calls

Bestinvest, the award-winning online investment platform for self-directed investors, has reached a major milestone – delivering 10,000 free one-to-one coaching calls to clients and prospective clients since this distinctive new feature was added in May 2022. 

The platform’s financial coaching service enables clients – and investors without a Bestinvest account – to book a free 45-minute virtual financial coaching session with a qualified* financial planning professional.  

When the service first went live, the concept was simple: to provide investors with human financial guidance that still left them fully in control. While many Do-It-Yourself investors enjoy selecting and managing their own investments, they still value the chance to talk through their thinking with a qualified financial professional not only to sense-check decisions but also to gain confidence in the choices they are making. 

Over the past four years, Bestinvest’s team of five coaches has spoken to over 10,000 investors, revealing a broad range of insights: 

• The average age of a coaching client is 50 years old, with the youngest to book in a coaching call aged 15 (attending with a parent) and the oldest in their late 90s. 

• The busiest periods are January to March, ahead of tax year end, and September and October – in the run-up to recent Autumn Budgets. 

• Around 5-10% of clients have booked multiple sessions, with one individual completing eight sessions. 

• Sessions are typically linked to significant life events, such as a young adult starting to invest to buy a home, parents saving for a child’s education, receiving an inheritance, preparing for retirement and estate planning considerations for the next generation. 

Jason Hollands, Managing Director of Bestinvest, said: “Our financial coaching service has been a tremendous success not only because it is free but also because it is accessible and provides people with valuable guidance to support their investment journey. Unlike financial advice, where an adviser will make specific recommendations, a coaching session is about empowering DIY investors to understand their options and make better-informed decisions.   

“From the outset, it was vital that coaching felt approachable and personal, focused on clarity rather than complexity and tailored to each investor’s goals, circumstances and attitude to risk. While some of our coaching clients are just getting started on their investment journey, others have been investing for a while but value having a trusted sounding board to offer reassurance that they are making sound decisions that will help them achieve their financial goals.” 

Coaching can help investors build knowledge, understand risks, boost tax efficiency, avoid costly mistakes and recognise when turning to professional advice may be more appropriate. It can also help people move forward rather than remaining uninvested due to uncertainty and lack of confidence. 

“We often see milestone ages such as 40, 50, or 60 trigger a reassessment of long-term plans, particularly around retirement,” Hollands added. “Coaching can also be invaluable during key life events such as receiving an inheritance or other windfall, a change of personal circumstances, as well as during periods of market volatility or changes to tax and pension rules. Importantly, sessions are open not only to clients but to anyone who would like guidance with their investments, which means we speak to people from all walks of life and at very different stages of their financial journey.” 

Coaching sessions can be booked directly via the Bestinvest website and are conducted by video call. Coaching clients can optionally complete an online risk assessment and fact find questionnaire in advance of the call.  

Coaches can provide guidance on a wide range of topics including risk tolerance, pension planning and tax efficient savings and investing. The service can also help those new to investing identify their financial goals and how they might achieve them, whether that’s paying off a mortgage, funding a child or grandchild’s education or planning for retirement. 

Hollands added: “In their 20s, people are typically looking for help getting started and building good habits such as regular investing. In their 30s and 40s, the focus often shifts to maximising tax efficiency. For those in their 50s and 60s, retirement planning becomes front of mind, while retired clients tend to focus on managing income and estate planning.” 

During a session, the financial coach will run through some key questions, such as what type of help you’re looking for, what goals you want to achieve and what financial decisions you have made so far.  

After transferring her ISA savings to Bestinvest, client Oonagh Shiel said she welcomed the opportunity to speak to a real person about her finances. 

As a mother in her 50s, Oonagh, who invests in Bestinvest’s range of ready-made portfolios, wanted retirement guidance to understand how much she might need when she stops working. She wanted to safeguard her money, support her family and build an emergency fund. 

Oonagh: “The coach was very knowledgeable, patient and helpful, answering all of my questions. They followed up swiftly after the call by email with a summary of what we spoke about. I really appreciate having access to a human coach - it helps me get a clearer handle on my goals. So many platforms appear to be AI based and operating without any human involvement so it's like having a trusted money mentor.” 

Hollands added: “When we ask our clients what value their coaching session gave them, they tell us they appreciate having knowledgeable, approachable individuals who take the time to explain options clearly and in depth and follow up. Coaching sessions provide a relaxed, supportive environment that offers investors reassurance, helps them understand complex tax rules and different investment products, and feel confident about their next steps.” 

While markets and headlines have changed since Bestinvest’s service first went live in May 2022, many of the conversations haven’t. So, here are the six questions our coaches get asked the most: 

1. What should I invest in? 

What our coaches say: We can’t tell people where to invest their money with a product recommendation, but we can lighten the research load, explain the options available and help put a plan together based on someone’s stage in life and their attitude to risk.  

2. How much should I be investing?  

What our coaches say: There’s no single correct answer because it will depend on people’s exact circumstances. However, there are some good rules of thumb to follow here. First, if you’re new to investing it’s worth considering clearing unsecured debts, especially those with higher interest rates like credit cards or loans and building up an emergency cash savings pot to cover at least six months of essential living expenses. After that, it’s a budgeting exercise. Once all your monthly expenses are covered, see what’s left over that you could afford to invest. Our online goal planning tools, including a retirement planner and grow my money tool, help investors simulate the future and see how adjusting the amount invested monthly could potentially impact their future savings goals. 

3. How long should I be investing? 

What our coaches say: Generally speaking, money should remain invested for at least five years. However, the longer you can leave your portfolio invested, the greater the chance you have to grow your pot over time, benefit from the power of compounding and smooth out any jittery moments in the markets. 

4. How do I achieve the right balance in my portfolio?  

What our coaches say: The balance of your portfolio will depend on a few factors such as: 

• How much risk you’re comfortable taking 

• How much money you can afford to lose (should it happen, you need to still be financially stable) 

• How long you can leave your money invested (usually, the longer the better) 

• How much investment growth you would be happy with 

A well-balanced portfolio will look different for someone in their 20s starting out investing to someone approaching retirement. Reviewing and amending the proportion of higher risk investments like equities versus lower risk investments like Government bonds in your portfolio over time is important – you might hear this process referred to as “rebalancing” your portfolio. 

5. How can I reduce how much tax I pay? 

What our coaches say: Making use of tax-efficient accounts such as ISAs and pensions can be an effective way to boost your tax efficiency. An ISA protects your investments from tax on income, capital gains and withdrawals, while a pension also protects your portfolio from tax on income and gains, provides tax relief on your contributions, but it may be taxable on the way out.  

6. How much do I need to retire? 

What our coaches say: How much you need to retire depends on the lifestyle you want, whether you have dependents, at what age you aim to retire, and how long your money needs to last, rather than a single universal number. The starting point is understanding your expected retirement spending, then considering any guaranteed income such as the State Pension or defined benefit pensions, with your savings and investments making up the difference. Small changes in spending, retirement age, flexibility or investment approach can significantly alter the required amount, which is why universal, headline-grabbing average figures can be misleading. A clearer way to think about retirement is to focus on the income you want and the degree of flexibility you need, rather than fixating on a single target sized pot, and then seek coaching or advice depending on whether you need clarity or help making concrete decisions. 

Misconception No.1: You need to have a lot of money to invest 

While you should have enough money in an easy-access savings account to cover emergencies and look to pay down any unsecured debts, especially those with higher interest rates like credit cards or loans – actually getting started with investing doesn’t require a lot of money. On Bestinvest, the minimum investment amount into most funds is £50. 

Misconception No.2: The type of account I invest within doesn’t really matter 

Choosing the correct accounts to invest within, such as ISAs, pensions and taxable investment accounts is important, because it can have as much impact on long-term outcomes as the investments themselves. Pensions are highly tax efficient for long-term retirement saving but restrict access until later in life, while ISAs offer flexibility and tax‑free withdrawals, and general investment accounts provide access and simplicity but with ongoing tax considerations. Selecting the right combination helps align your investments with your time horizon, income needs and future goals, ensuring that more of your returns stay working for you rather than being lost to tax. 

Misconception No.3: Picking the “right” stock or fund is more important than asset allocation when it comes to generating returns 

Asset allocation is considered more important than the selection of specific investments because it largely determines the overall risk, return potential and behaviour of a portfolio, whereas investment selection typically has a smaller and less reliable impact.  

Decisions about how much to invest in different assets such as equities, bonds, property, commodities, infrastructure or cash, set the long-term framework and drive the majority of return variation over time. Asset allocation can also help temper volatility, making it more likely that investors stay invested through market cycles, whereas even well-chosen stocks or funds cannot compensate for a portfolio that takes too much or too little risk for the investor’s goals. 

Knowing whether to seek coaching or personalised advice isn't obvious, but if an investor is largely struggling with clarity, confidence, habits, or follow through, coaching is likely to be the better fit. This includes feeling overwhelmed, unsure how to prioritise goals, inconsistent with saving or investing, anxious about money decisions or wanting to improve how you think and behave with money. Coaching helps you understand your situation, build better decision-making frameworks, and take ownership, without specifically telling you what to do through product recommendations. 

Whether you’re looking to get a plan together for the 2026-27 tax year or thinking about your long-term goals, the important message is that coaching is free, easy to book and available whether you’re already investing with us or not. 

An initial meeting with our coaches can expand on the differences and how both coaching and advice could look for you. If advice is required, our coaches can introduce the financial planning services provided by our parent company, Evelyn Partners. This may apply if you need to make specific financial decisions and want personalised recommendations on investments, pensions, retirement planning, tax or estate matters, or when your finances are more complex. Financial advice provides regulated advice and implementation, with the adviser responsible for suitability.  

Notes: *Our coaches all hold the Level 4 qualification in financial planning from the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII)