Frequently asked questions
Do I pay fees for buying and selling investments?
You do not pay fees for buying and selling funds as these costs are covered in your ongoing service fee. For buying and selling non-fund investments (e.g. stocks and ETFs) there is a £4.95 dealing fee per transaction.
How are funds priced?
The price of a fund is determined by the value of the underlying investments, also known as the Net Asset Value (NAV). A fund manager will periodically value all the investments within the fund and divide it by the number of units/shares that have been issued. The result is the price that you are shown when you purchase units within a fund.
How can I set up a buy/sell limit order?
To set up a limit order to buy or sell shares:
- Go to the account you would like to use to buy or sell the share(s)
- For a new investment, click on 'Add stocks and shares' and find the one you want to add
- To buy more of an existing investment, click the '+' symbol in the 'Trade' column
- To sell an existing investment, click the '-' symbol in the 'Trade' column
- When the window appears make sure you select 'Buy/Sell via limit order'
- Follow the prompts to finish setting up your limit order
How do I buy and sell funds?
For buying new funds
- Go to the 'Summary' page of your chosen account
- Navigate to the 'Funds' table and click on 'Add investment' at the top
- Use our ‘Investment search’ tool to find your chosen investment
- Click on 'Invest now'
- Follow the prompts on screen to enter how much you'd like to invest and submit your request
For buying or selling existing funds
- Go to the 'Summary' page of your chosen account
- To buy more funds, click on the plus symbol (+) under the 'Funds' table
- To sell funds, click on the minus symbol (-) under the 'Funds' table. Make sure you've selected 'Sell'
- From here, you will be guided through the steps to choose how much you would like to buy or sell and complete your request
For switching out of existing funds
- Go to the 'Summary' page of your chosen account
- Click on the minus symbol (-) under the 'Funds' table. Make sure you've selected 'Switch'
- From here, you will be guided through the steps to choose how much you would like to switch and which fund(s) to switch into
How do I buy and sell shares?
To buy or sell shares, login and go to the account you wish to trade in.
Buying new shares:
- Go to the 'Summary' tab of your chosen account
- To the right hand side of the 'Stocks & shares' table click on the 'Add stocks & shares' link at the top of the table
- From here you will be guided through the steps to select if you would like to 'Buy now' or 'Buy via limit order' and then input the specific number of shares or a cash amount that you would like to purchase
Buying more of existing shares
- Go to the 'Summary' page of your chosen account
- In the 'Stocks & shares' table click on the plus symbol (+) next to the share you'd like to buy more of
- From here you will be guided through the steps to select if you would like to 'Buy now' or 'Buy via limit order' and then input the specific number of shares or a cash amount that you would like to purchase
Selling shares
- Go to the 'Summary' page of your chosen account
- In the 'Stocks & shares' table click on the minus symbol (-) next to the stock/share you'd like to sell
- From here you will be guided through the steps to select if you would like to 'Sell now' or 'Sell via limit order' and then input the specific number of shares or a cash amount that you would like to sell
How long does it take for a fund buy/sell order to process?
An instruction to buy or sell a fund, once confirmed, usually takes four days to complete and be shown in your completed transactions. Sometimes the transaction completes more quickly. When you sell a fund, cash in your account will be available to withdraw after five working days.
If you have waited more than five working days, you can get in touch with our Client relations team on 020 7189 9999.
Is there a minimum investment?
The minimum investment into most funds is £50. The minimum investment into equities is the cost of one share, as well as any applicable trading costs.
What does it mean if I cannot deal because of liquidity issues?
When market conditions are volatile we may not be able to trade stocks and shares on your behalf. This may be because our market maker is unable to fill a quoted price. There may also be issues with individual assets. In these instances it is best to contact our client relations team by phone or email to get more information.
What does it mean when a fund is soft-closed?
A soft-closed fund is a fund that has been temporarily closed for new investments by the fund manager. You can usually sell your holdings during a soft closure but you won’t be able to make additional investments until the fund manager reopens it.
What happens to income from my investments?
If you have chosen to have the income paid to you, income from your investments will show as cash on your account.
You can withdraw the cash yourself by navigating to the 'Withdraw cash' tab on your account page and following the steps on your screen.
If you would prefer your income paid out to your bank account regularly then you can ask our Client relations team to set up a monthly payment from an ISA or Investment Account. You can contact them on 020 7189 9999.
If you have chosen to have the income reinvested, it will be automatically reinvested into the fund. You can find this information in your transaction history by navigating to the account you have made the investment in, and clicking the 'Transactions' tab.
What is a limit order?
A limit order is an instruction to buy or sell a set amount of shares at a specified price or better. The order will not be executed if the price set by you is not met while the order is open.
- A limit order can be placed at any time and will be monitored up to a maximum of 30 business days
- You can enter either a number of shares or an amount of cash to be invested/raised
To set up a limit order to buy or sell shares:
- Go to the account you would like to use to buy or sell the share(s)
- For a new investment, click on 'Add stocks and shares' and find the one you want to add
- To buy more of an existing investment, click the '+' symbol in the 'Trade' column
- To sell an existing investment, click the '-' symbol in the 'Trade' column
- When the window appears make sure you select 'Buy/Sell via limit order'
- Follow the prompts to finish setting up your limit order
What is the dealing point and cut-off point?
The dealing point is the point at which a trade for a fund or share has been confirmed with both SEI (our custodian) and the fund manager. The cut-off point is the time by which an order must be placed on a given day. For instance, if a dealing point is midday every day then the cut-off point may be 9am on the same day. If an order is received after this cut-off point the trade will not be confirmed and will be processed at the next available dealing point – in this case, the next day.
What is the difference between income and accumulation units?
The type of unit you hold determines how any income generated from the fund's underlying investments is treated.
With income units, income is paid out to you as cash. This could provide you with an income stream. Alternatively, you can choose for the cash to be reinvested which means using the cash to buy additional units.
With accumulation units income is retained within the fund and reinvested, increasing the price of the units. Generally, if you wish to reinvest income, accumulation units offer a more convenient way of doing so.
How can I change from having my income paid out to being reinvested (or vice versa)?
You will need to call or email us to change the way your dividends are paid. We will then contact our custodian to make the necessary changes. If this is requested after the ex date of a particular fund (the date at which the value of dividends is calculated and paid to investors) your preference will not be amended until the following dividend payment. In order to qualify for dividends, you will need to hold the fund(s) before the ex date.
How do I know what price I will receive when buying and selling a fund?
We are unable to provide fund prices at the time of purchase or sale. Our Investment search page shows fund prices as of the previous dealing day for all funds – these are indicative of the price you will receive but that will depend on market conditions.
If I buy income units in a fund, where will I receive my income?
If you have chosen to have the income paid to you, income from your investments will show as cash on your account.
You can withdraw the cash yourself by navigating to the 'Withdraw cash' tab on your account page and following the steps on your screen.
If you would prefer your income paid out to your bank account regularly then you can ask our Client relations team to set up a monthly payment from an ISA or Investment Account. You can contact them on 020 7189 9999.
If you have chosen to have the income reinvested, it will be automatically reinvested into the fund. You can find this information in your transaction history by navigating to the account you have made the investment in, and clicking the 'Transactions' tab.
Can I gift a fund or share(s) to charity?
Yes you can.
If you would like to donate a fund or share held in your Bestinvest account, we can help arrange that for you at no cost to you or the charity. The charity will be the charity chosen by our parent company, Evelyn Partners. All we need is written confirmation by email or letter.
Please include the following in your email or letter:
- Your name(s)
- Your Bestinvest account number
- Name of the fund/share
- Number of shares/units
- Confirmation that you relinquish all rights to the fund or share
Email: best@bestinvest.co.uk
Postal address: Bestinvest, Second Floor, Liver Building, Pier Head, Liverpool, L3 1NY