PlatformsAug 13 2014

Hargreaves adds 80 new funds to its Vantage Service

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Hargreaves Lansdown has added 80 funds to its Vantage Service offering, including adding CF Woodford Equity Income fund.

Neil Woodford’s new fund, launched only in June, has surged into second place for overall sales in the first half of the year on the Alliance Trust Savings platform, emphasising the scale of demand for the star manager’s new venture.

Hargreaves said it has also improved the Vantage service by removing probate and corporate action charges.

Hargreaves says its improvements will include lower minimum investment which are designed to “encourage first time investors”.

There will be a reduced minimum to open an account online from £500 to £100 and reduced online investment into a fund from £500 to £100.

Alongside this, online corporate bond dealing is now incorporated into its offering, and the firm is offering new options to pay fees to preserve income and money in tax shelters.

Hargreaves said it has made further improvements to its investment trust factsheets for the Vantage Service.

Ian Gorham, chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown said: “All improvements make our clients better off – either financially, through access to a better service or both. Many improvements have been made in response to client suggestions.

“The varied nature of the requests we receive means we cannot accommodate them all, however we do care greatly about all our clients, and listen carefully to their feedback, identify the most popular requests and invest heavily to incorporate them into the Vantage Service where possible.

“This means that our service is constantly improving and developing in line with clients’ needs.”