Frequently Asked Questions

Fair question. Here's why we think you can:

• Real money testing — We open accounts and deposit our own money. We've invested over £250,000 testing 53+ platforms.
• Qualified team — Our senior analyst Thomas Drury holds the ACII qualification with 12+ years in financial services.
• Editorial independence — Affiliate partnerships never influence ratings. We've rejected 20+ partnerships that didn't meet our standards.
• Transparent methodology — We publish exactly how we test and score platforms.

We're also a registered UK company (TIC Investments Ltd, company number 15242358) — you can verify us on Companies House.

No. We're not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). We don't provide financial advice, manage investments, or handle client money.

We're a comparison and review website. Our content is for informational purposes only — it's designed to help you make more informed decisions, but it's not a substitute for professional financial advice tailored to your circumstances.

The platforms we review are typically FCA-regulated, and we always note their regulatory status in our reviews.

Email us at info@theinvestorscentre.co.uk for general enquiries. We aim to respond within 48 hours.

For specific issues:

• Editorial/corrections: tom@theinvestorscentre.co.uk
• Partnerships: dom@theinvestorscentre.co.uk
• Privacy/data requests: adam@theinvestorscentre.co.uk

See our full contact page for all team contacts.

No, absolutely not. The Investors Centre (theinvestorscentre.co.uk) is operated by TIC Investments Ltd, a legitimate UK company. We have no connection to "The Investment Center" or any entity on the FCA warning list.

If someone contacts you claiming to be us and asks for money or investments, that's a scam. Please report it to the FCA immediately.

You can verify our company registration on Companies House.

We test every platform with real money. That means actually opening accounts, depositing funds, making trades, testing withdrawals, and contacting customer support.

Our testing covers:

• Account opening experience and verification time
• Platform usability (desktop and mobile)
• Actual fees and spreads (not just what's advertised)
• Customer support responsiveness and quality
• Regulation and security measures

We've spent over 1,100 hours testing and invested £250,000+ of our own capital. For the full breakdown, see How We Test.

Each platform is scored across multiple categories: fees, usability, features, customer support, and regulation. We weight these based on what matters most to typical users.

Scores are out of 5 and reflect our genuine assessment after hands-on testing. We don't accept payment to improve scores, and affiliate relationships don't influence ratings.

Our methodology page explains exactly how we calculate scores.

We review and update content regularly — typically every 3-6 months for major platforms, or sooner if something significant changes (fee updates, new features, regulatory issues).

Every page shows a "last updated" date so you know how recent the information is. If you spot something outdated, email tom@theinvestorscentre.co.uk and we'll investigate.

No. We don't accept payment to write reviews, and platforms can't pay to influence their scores. Our reviews reflect genuine testing and assessment.

We do have affiliate partnerships with some platforms, but these are separate from editorial. A platform being an affiliate partner doesn't guarantee a good review — we've given poor scores to partners when warranted, and we've rejected partnership offers from platforms that didn't meet our standards.

A stocks and shares ISA is a tax-efficient wrapper — you don't pay capital gains tax or dividend tax on investments held inside it. You can invest up to £20,000 per tax year (2024/25 limit).

A general investment account (GIA) has no tax benefits, but also no contribution limits. You'll pay tax on gains above your annual allowances.

For most UK investors, it makes sense to use your ISA allowance first before opening a GIA.

Less than you might think. Many platforms now let you start with as little as £1. Some popular options:

• Trading 212 — No minimum deposit
• Freetrade — No minimum, fractional shares from £2
• Vanguard — £100 lump sum or £25/month regular investing

The important thing is to start with what you can afford to lose and invest regularly over time.

Platform fees are what you pay the broker or investment platform to hold and manage your investments. They typically include:

• Account/platform fee — A percentage of your holdings or flat monthly fee
• Trading fees — Cost per trade when buying or selling
• FX fees — Currency conversion costs for foreign investments

Fees matter because they compound over time. A 1% annual fee might not sound like much, but over 30 years it can reduce your final pot by 25% or more. Our reviews always break down the true cost of each platform.

For FCA-regulated platforms (which is most UK brokers), your investments are protected in several ways:

• Segregated assets — Your investments are held separately from the platform's own money
• FSCS protection — Up to £85,000 compensation if an authorised firm fails

This means if the platform goes bust, your shares and funds should still be yours — they'd be transferred to another provider. The FSCS covers the gap if something goes wrong.

Always check a platform is FCA-authorised before investing. We include regulatory status in all our reviews.

Both approaches have merits:

Lump sum investing tends to perform better historically — because markets generally rise over time, getting money in earlier gives it longer to grow.

Regular investing (pound-cost averaging) reduces the risk of investing everything at a market peak. You buy more shares when prices are low, fewer when they're high.

For most people, the best approach is the one you'll actually stick with. If a lump sum feels too risky, monthly investing is perfectly sensible — and it's how most people invest anyway (from their salary).