Claim: Starting with £50,000, you could lose £2,295 in fees in the first year with St. James's Place.
Last verified: 30/03/26
Source: St. James's Place — Charges
Summary
The £2,295 figure represents the estimated total first-year cost of investing £50,000 through St. James's Place (SJP), based on fee information published on their website. It combines a one-off initial advice charge, ongoing annual advice and product charges, and fund management charges.
Fee Breakdown — £50,000 Investment, Year 1
Fee component | Rate | Calculation | Amount |
Initial advice charge (one-off) | 3.00% | £50,000 × 3% | £1,500 |
Ongoing advice charge | 0.80% p.a. | £50,000 × 0.80% | £400 |
Product charge (platform) | 0.27% p.a. | £50,000 × 0.27% | £135 |
Fund management charge | 0.52% p.a. | £50,000 × 0.52% | £260 |
Total — Year 1 |
|
| £2,295 |
Methodology
Investment amount
The claim uses an investment of £50,000 held for one year.
Fee sources
All rates are taken from the St. James's Place charges page (URL above), last accessed 21 January 2026.
Initial advice charge (3%) SJP charges an initial advice fee on the amount invested. For amounts up to £250,000, this is 3%. On £50,000 this equals £1,500. This charge is applied in Year 1 only.
Ongoing advice charge (0.80% p.a.) SJP charges an ongoing annual advice fee of 0.80% of account value. On £50,000 this equals £400 per year.
Product charge (0.27% p.a.) SJP applies a tiered product charge (platform/wrapper fee). For unit trusts and ISAs, the rate for account values up to the first tier is 0.27%. On £50,000 this equals £135 per year.
Fund management charge (0.52% p.a.) SJP's published fund charges range from 0.09% to 0.69%. The 0.52% figure is used as the representative rate, consistent with SJP's own example on their charges page (the Polaris 3 fund). On £50,000 this equals £260 per year.
What is excluded
Transaction costs (bid/offer spreads, stamp duty) — excluded as SJP describes these as variable and indirect costs, not direct charges
Any potential reduction in ongoing charges for account values above published thresholds
Any fee waivers or negotiated rates not published on the SJP website
Lowest published rate used?
No. This calculation uses SJP's standard published rates. A lower fund charge (e.g. 0.09%) would reduce the total. The 0.52% fund charge is used because it is the rate SJP itself highlights as a worked example on their charges page, making it the most representative figure from their own published materials.
Comparison to Sidekick
The ad contrasts SJP's charges with Sidekick's. For reference, Sidekick's estimated all-in cost for a £50,000 investment in a customer-constructed portfolio with an 80% stocks / 20% bonds allocation is £185 per year (0.37% total), based on:
Fee component | Rate | Calculation | Amount |
Platform fee | 0.25% p.a. | £50,000 × 0.25% | £125 |
Fund management charge | 0.12% p.a. | £50,000 × 0.12% | £60 |
Initial advice fee | None | — | £0 |
Ongoing advice fee | None | — | £0 |
Total — Year 1 |
|
| £185 |
Sidekick does not offer a pre-built 80/20 product. The figure above reflects the estimated cost for a customer who constructs their own portfolio on the Sidekick platform with an approximately 80% equities / 20% bonds allocation using available funds.
Disclaimers
Fee figures are based on publicly available information from St. James's Place's website and are subject to change.
SJP may charge different rates depending on individual circumstances, adviser, or product selected.
The initial advice charge is a one-time cost. In subsequent years, total SJP charges would be lower (approximately £795/year on £50,000, excluding the initial charge).