St. James’s Place Arvostelua 4 696

We upped the amounts in to our pensions in the last year, only to find out the percentage charged when we closed the pension was higher than the forecasted percentage of the extra payments, so we were losing money no matter what... never should have been advised to increase our amounts. Second, try and get your money out of your pension, wow 7 times we were asked if we defiantly wanted to withdraw the money, two weeks later they sent a letter, again asking if we defiantly wanted to close the pension and fill out a form, we will still get yet another later asking if we want to close the pension, and will need to call to confirm. Seriously you can open a pension the same day but it will take weeks, if not months to get your money back out.... I would not advise anyone to use them you only find out what really has happened to your pension when you look at the figs, which you will find is exceptional difficult to get if you ask for them, it will take weeks and come in numerous reports. They will send lovely graphs, but actual figs inc cost... well, Seriously don't take my word for it ask them. You will be shocked how long it takes and the amount of reports you need just to see exactly how your pension has really performed and the seriously excessive costs.

I was with St. Jamess Place for 7 years. They invested my £94,000 in EIS shares that lose value every year. The worst part is I am not able to get my money because these shares are illiquid. My portfolio says I can get my money back. That is not true.
I never thought these investments were right for me. Any money I made from my pension or ISA was lost because of the investments St. Jamess Place made. I did not think their advisors were worth the money they charged. So I stopped using them. Now I take care of my money using an app.
It has been very hard for me to watch my £94,000 disappear when I cannot even get it back. I have had nights, arguments with my family and I feel very ashamed. My £94,000 is a lot of money to me. I wish I could get it back.
After feeling hopeless for a time I got in touch with Poma Advisory. They looked into the advice St. Jamess Place gave me and helped me get back a lot of my £94,000. I will always be thankful to Poma Advisory. If you are having problems with St. Jamess Place you should contact Poma Advisory away.
I would not tell anyone to use St. Jamess Place. They are good at taking your money. They are even better at losing it. You should stay away from St. Jamess Place. They are not good, for you or your money. St. Jamess Place is not a choice.

We have been with SJP for over 15 years and during that time our investments have performed beyond our expectations- we are very happy with performance, excellent advice and reasonable charges.
The independent financial advice we have received in this time has been top notch and we are very fortunate to have a very helpful and knowledgeable advisor. I find it difficult to believe some of the reviews on this website as for over 15+ years SJP (through their appointed advisor) have served us very well, and have provided us with excellent service and returns. We don't object to paying fees as the returns have always been very good.

Haven’t been the greatest fan of SjP but some good solid facts presented by Rio morris today- thanks look forward to follow up from back office.

Jonathan Harris has been our financial adviser for several years, and his advice has always been sound. For example, he advised and helped us to set up trust funds for our grandchildren, and he has managed our financial affairs very well. We like meeting face-to-face, and he is always friendly, welcoming and understanding. We are very appreciative

I am 60, My retirement date was 60.
I have now received a letter to say it’s been changed to 75 I didn’t authorise this. What does this mean. No doubt they will make money out of this .
I would like an explaination as to how this benefits me.
Planning on transferring

I encountered one of these financial advisers after an introduction through my brother in law. When I asked questions about their fund performance it was "most of our funds are outstanding" but when I looked at their own report to the FCA on assessment of value, 13 funds underperformed in 2024, and in their most recent report covering April 2024 to June 2025 eight funds still failed to provide value — a persistent pattern of underperformance, not a one-off.
The financial adviser also boasted that funds had returned 10.5% after charges, but the MSCI World returned 19.19% in 2024. What he failed to mention is that the ongoing adviser charges — paid to the financial adviser every year — are deducted after that headline return figure, making the real client return lower still.
The fee structure was deliberately confusing. Annual management charges on the funds, plus ongoing fees to the adviser taken out separately, with no single clear figure showing what clients actually pay in total each year. This is not accidental opacity.
It is also worth noting that St. James's Place set aside £426 million in 2023 to compensate clients who were being charged for ongoing advisory services they were not actually receiving. That is not the behaviour of a firm confident its value proposition withstands scrutiny.
I told their adviser I wasn't interested in giving my money away and reducing my investment portfolio. I currently achieve better returns for a fee of 0.12% plus my platform fee with AJ Bell, which is capped at £100 a year. And before anyone raises the argument about balancing risk and portfolio management as you approach retirement — Vanguard offer balanced LifeStrategy funds for 0.20%. These firms and their practices are a significant reason why the UK lags so far behind other countries in financial literacy and investment participation. Ordinary people deserve better.

Three generations of our family have been using a financial advisor company linked to SJP: Webster Associates, who are very competent and helpful.

SJP have a useful range of funds to invest in. They've recently upgraded this with a fund called Polaris where a number of features can be managed automatically by their software systems rather than changes, like balancing a portfolio, having to be done manually.

Their has been criticism over the years of, for example, their entry fees, and the cut that your SJP advisor takes. Currently there's good transparency with all these fees and how they're calculated. You could do your own comparison to check that the costs and benefits work for you, or get someone who's not tied to SJP to do it for you.

I first contacted this company on the 2/7/2025. I had found 2 letters requesting information regarding an investment bond that my Aunt had when she passed away.
My Mother struggles to handle her affairs and have recently been helping her. I came across these letters. The most recent one was in 2021.
I sent two letters of authority to this company, most of my emails have been ignored.
It took this company until the 2nd February to inform me that the account I requested information from is now closed.
I can imagine it is as my Aunt passed away in 2010. If there is nothing there then why is this company still sending correspondence? It seems to me that there is something there.
I have a duty of care to my Mother and to investigate anything that I find, old or new.

Having been with SJP for 7 years, they have managed to tie a large sum of mine invested in EIS shares, that are just losing money each year, they are also ‘illiquid’ so I’ve been informed, so I cannot cash them in, even though they word the portfolio with an ‘Encashment’ value. They should never have been suggested to me as they do not suit my goals. Each gain made on other investments including pension and ISA are just negated by losses elsewhere in my portfolio. The advisors are I’ve dealt with are not worth the fee I’m charged, hence why I’ve instructed my existing advisor that I do not require their advice or service fees, I’m better off managing my own investments on the APP. Had I known at the outset how bad this company is, I would have not invested, or given my time to them. They are brilliant at getting your money and better at losing it for you. I would not recommend them, but I’ve learned my lesson.

I had Retirement account with St James places for 2 years and 3 months now. I was initially told that the exit fee is around 3-4% in year 3 . I am on year 3 but exit fees is 5.5% now. There is no transparency on their annual wealth report regarding how much I contribute and how much is the return. it's very confusing . Their management fees is expensive 2.2%. Most frustrating thing is I just found out that drawdown charge is 3% if over their annual allowance of 7.5 %. that's extremely expensive to take out my own money. I haven't been given this information from the start. I am going to move my account to another provider but I have to pay high exit fees to SJP which i am not happy with. But what else I can do. Within 2 years ad 3 months, I gained almost nothing. I don't want other people face the situation like me.

It is always a pleasure dealing with Adam Burt. He always responses to my messages very quickly . I am so glad to transfer my pension funds to St James’s Place .

That’s the problem: we most of the time check reviews when we already dealt with a specific company. In This case: with the company: lots of promises at the beginning and super available but during the course: nothing! In nearly 1 year of pension investment, I had an extremely poor return of 1.79% and when I ask to move my funds with a different company, it took ages to my fund manager Dean to respond as he “was busy with other clients meetings”. On top of that they will take 6% from you as an exit fee! So you just make a massive loss! What a disgrace! Absolutely to avoid!!!

Just had my regular review and I’m delighted with progress.
My SJP Polaris 4 fund has done 17.5% over the last year taking my pension fund up over £750,000 for the first time.
Financial plan updated with changes in my plans and am reassured my retirement plan is well on track.

My investments have been highjacked for the past two years

I have an ISA that I wanted to transfer to Fidelity as SJP's returns are not as good.
For over two years they refused to allow the transfer because one of the property fund that compose my ISA portfolio is in the process of being winded down and is currently suspended.
We are talking about less than £200 out of an ISA value of £15k, but apparently St. James's Place does not support partial transfers for this type of ISAs.
It looks like a very convenient way to keep funds against the will of the rightful owners.
Every time I call the date by which the issue will be resolved moved further away: last year it was November 2025, now it's December 2026 - but I'm pretty sure that by December the goalposts will be moved again.

How I wish I never heard about this company...

Stay away from these people if you still can

Very good at keeping your money & in my current experience an absolute nightmare to get that money paid back when requested. Over a month now (or more) of excuses and delays - very worrying behaviour from a company placed in a position of trust with investors money.

Go with SJP if you want to pay high fees, invest in average funds and be with the most antiquated advisory firm. Way way way better options out there, epically for young people.

Terrible company.
Poor investment performance and very high fees for management of such poor performance.
Do not invest.

I have had an SJP advisor for more than 5 years and really rate him. The first 2 years I had a very small pension with him, but he still gave me an excellent service, so after 2 years I put the whole of my pension with him to manage. Since that time (3 and a half years) it has grown compound 11% per cent annum net after costs. He replies to my questions within hours and has as many one to ones with me that I need. They are not the cheapest, but worth it, for quality service.

I have been a client of St. James’s Place for some time now and I honestly could not be happier with the service I have received.

From the very first meeting, everything was clear and easy to understand. There was no jargon. No pressure. No rush. They took the time to get to know me properly, my goals, my worries, my family situation and what I actually wanted my money to do for me. That personal approach really stood out.

My Adviser explained things in simple language. If I did not understand something, they explained it again without making me feel silly. That meant a lot. Financial planning can feel overwhelming, but they made it feel calm and structured.

What I really value is the ongoing relationship. This is not a “set it up and forget about you” service. We have regular reviews, either face-to-face or by video, and everything is looked at properly. If my circumstances change, my plan changes with it. That gives me real peace of mind.

The investment side has been handled professionally and carefully. I feel confident that my money is being looked after with a long-term view. They do not chase headlines or react to every bit of market noise. Instead, they focus on steady planning and sensible decisions. During uncertain times, that steady guidance has been reassuring.

Communication is excellent. I receive clear updates. I can see my investments online whenever I want. If I have a question, I get a prompt response. It feels like there is a proper support team behind my Adviser, not just one person.

Retirement planning has been especially helpful. They showed me what my future income could look like and how it fits with my State Pension and other assets. It helped me move from worrying about “will I have enough?” to feeling confident about the future.

They have also helped with protection planning and thinking about my family. It is not just about investments. It is about the bigger picture, including tax planning, passing on wealth, and making sure everything is organised properly. That joined up approach makes a real difference.

Most importantly, I feel listened to. I feel respected. I feel like a valued client, not a number.

In a world where many financial services feel distant or complicated, St. James’s Place stands out for being human, clear and professional. I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for long term financial guidance and peace of mind.

Five stars from me.