Bestinvest is a financial services company based in Mayfair, London. The firm specializes in providing independent investment advice, financial planning and wealth management services to private investors. The firm serves 70,000 clients through its website

Website

A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...

, telephone-based investment advisers and face-to-face meetings with independent financial advisers. Clients' investments are generally in Unit Trusts or OEICs or bespoke discretionary funds.

History

The company was founded in 1986 by John Spiers
. Its origin was in providing advice on tax-efficient investing and its name was taken from the Business Enterprise Scheme (BES). The company earned a reputation as a small company specialist when it won the mandate to be the Investment Adviser for the AIM Distribution Trust VCT. The company grew into a broader based investment business, pioneering discount broking in the 1990s, promoting the use of online fund supermarkets and establishing a discretionary investment management arm. In July 2007 it was bought by management and 3i

3i

3i Group plc is a multinational private equity and venture capital company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has offices in 13 countries across Asia, Europe and the Americas and had total assets under management of £12.7 billion as at 31 March 2011...

. The company acquired HW Financial Services, the financial services arm of Haines Watts the accountancy group, in January 2010.

Operations

The company provides independent investment advice, discretionary investment management and financial planning services to individuals and companies, charities and other financial institutions. Available products include Individual Savings Account

Individual Savings Account

An Individual Savings Account is a financial product available to residents in the United Kingdom. It is designed for the purpose of investment and savings with a favourable tax status. Money is contributed from after tax income and not subjected to income tax or capital gains tax within a holding...

s (ISA), Unit Trusts, Self-invested personal pension

Self-invested personal pension

A Self-Invested Personal Pension is the name given to the type of UK-government-approved personal pension scheme, which allows individuals to make their own investment decisions from the full range of investments approved by HM Revenue & Customs ....

s (SIPP) and Venture Capital Trust

Venture Capital Trust

A venture capital trust or VCT is a highly tax efficient UK closed-end collective investment scheme designed to provide private equity capital for small expanding companies and capital gains for investors...

s (VCT).

The company has one of the largest independent research teams in the UK retail funds industry, and is well-known for its research and ratings of investments.

Services

The company’s range of services caters to clients who manage their own investments as well as those who seek advice or wish to have their investments managed. Bestinvest pioneered independent fund research and has expanded its execution only services through Bestinvest Select, revamped its advisory services in 2011 and developed new portfolio management services. The business manages private portfolios on behalf of its clients and offers a range of discretionary portfolio management solutions. The company also manages five multi-manager funds (IFSL Bestinvest Multi-Asset Portfolio funds). held in an Open Ended Investment Company OEIC managed by Graham Frost, Chief Investment Officer.

Other services include wealth planning for private clients, mortgage-broking and general insurance offered by a subsidiary Lovat Insurance Brokers Limited.