10 insights from 10,000 coaching sessions

A brief history of coaching at Bestinvest 

When we first introduced coaching at Bestinvest (nearly four years ago), the idea was simple: 

give investors access to human guidance, without taking control away from them. 

Many people want to manage their own investments — but still value the chance to talk things through with a qualified professional, sense‑check decisions, understand trade‑offs and gain confidence in the choices they’re making.

From the very beginning, coaching was designed to be: 

• approachable and personal, 
• focused on clarity rather than complexity, 
• and tailored to each individual’s goals, circumstances and attitude to risk. 

Coaching was not designed to replace financial advice which, for some people, is the right thing for them (more on that later). 

Over time, more and more clients and those not investing with Bestinvest yet, began booking sessions — at key life moments, during periods of market uncertainty, or simply when they wanted reassurance that they were on the right track. 

Today, Bestinvest coaches have now completed over 10,000 one‑to‑one coaching sessions revealing a broad range of insights:

• The average age of a coaching client is 50 years-old, with the youngest to book in a coaching call aged 15 (attending with a parent) and the oldest in their late 90s.
• The busiest periods are January to March, ahead of tax year end, and September and October – in the run-up to recent Autumn Budgets.
• Around 5-10% of clients have booked multiple sessions, with one individual completing eight sessions.
• Sessions are typically linked to significant life events, such as a young adult starting to invest to buy a home, parents saving for a child’s education, receiving an inheritance, preparing for retirement and estate planning considerations for the next generation.

While markets and headlines have changed, many of the conversations haven’t. We asked three members of the Coaching team – Sam, Colin and Melissa – for their insights on what investors really want help with, what genuinely makes a difference and much more.

Jump to a section: 

1. Why do people book in for a coaching session? 
2. What stage in life are people typically coming to coaching for a conversation? 
3. What questions frequently get asked during a coaching session? 
4. What are some of the common misconceptions people have about investing? 
5. What stage in life do people start thinking about or planning for retirement? 
6. What is one thing people say they wish they had done or known about sooner in relation to investing? 
7. What do people value about coaching? 
8. What difference does coaching make for people? 
9. Coaching case study 
10. How to know whether coaching or advice is right for you

1. Why do people book in for a coaching session? 

People book coaching sessions for a variety of reasons, often linked to key moments or changes in their financial journey. Some are looking to invest for the first time and want guidance to get started, while others have been investing for a while but value having a trusted sounding board to sense‑check their decisions. Milestone ages such as 40, 50, or 60 can prompt reflection and a desire to review long‑term plans, particularly when thinking about retirement. Coaching can also be helpful during life events like receiving an inheritance or other windfall, as well as during periods of uncertainty driven by current events, market volatility, or changes to budgets and legislation.

2. What stage in life are people typically coming to coaching for a conversation and what do they want to speak about? 

One of the great things about coaching is that it’s open to everyone. As a result, we get to speak to people at different stages in life. For people in their 20s, the conversation is typically about how to get started with investing, covering some of the fundamental concepts and good savings habits to get into like regular monthly investing. For people in their 30s and 40s who might start earning more as they progress through their career, there is more focus on maximising the tax-efficiency of their savings and investments. Into the 50s and 60s and the big milestone people are preparing for is retirement. For those who have already retired, we cover managing their finances in this period through to thinking about their estates. 

3. What questions frequently get asked during a coaching session? 

"What should I invest in?" 

We can’t tell people where to invest their money but we can lighten the research load, explain the options available and help put a plan together based on someone’s stage in life and their attitude to risk. It’s worth mentioning that all investments carry risks and their value can go up and down. 

"How much should I be investing?"

There’s no single correct answer because it will depend on people’s exact circumstances. However, there are some good rules of thumb to follow here. First, if you’re new to investing it’s worth considering clearing unsecured debts, especially those with higher interest rates like credit cards or loans and build up an emergency cash savings pot to cover 6 months of essential living expenses. After that, it’s a budgeting exercise. Once all your monthly expenses are covered, see what’s left over that you could afford to invest. Tools like grow my money help you see how adjusting the amount you invest monthly, could potentially impact your future savings goals. 

"How long should I be investing?" 

Generally speaking, money you’ve set aside to invest should be left for at least 5 years. However, the longer you can leave your money invested, the greater the chance you have to grow your pot over time, benefit from the power of compounding and smooth out any jittery moments in the markets. 

"How do I get the right the balance in my portfolio?" 

The balance of your portfolio will depend on a few factors such as: 

• How much risk you’re comfortable taking 
• How much money you can afford to lose (should it happen, you need to still be financially stable) 
• How long you can leave your money invested (usually, the longer the better) 
• How much investment growth you would be happy with 

A well-balanced portfolio will look different for someone in their 20s starting out investing to someone approaching retirement. As such, reviewing and amending the proportion of higher risk investments like equities versus lower risk investments like Government bonds in your portfolio over time is important – you might hear this process referred to as “rebalancing” your portfolio. 

"How can I reduce how much tax I pay?" 

Lots to say in this space but making use of the tax-efficient accounts like ISAs and pensions is a good place to start. If you’re considering opening a private pension, it’s worth keeping in mind that money within the account can’t typically be accessed before age 55 (57 from 2028). 

"How much do I need to retire?" 

How much you need to retire depends on the lifestyle you want, when you retire, and how long your money needs to last, rather than a single universal number. The starting point is understanding your expected retirement spending, then considering any guaranteed income such as the State Pension or defined benefit pensions, with your savings and investments making up the difference. Small changes in spending, retirement age, or flexibility can significantly alter the required amount, which is why headline figures can be misleading. A clearer way to think about retirement is to focus on the income you want and the degree of flexibility you need, rather than fixating on a single target pot, and then seek coaching or advice depending on whether you need clarity or help making concrete decisions. 

4. What are some of the common misconceptions people have about investing? 

Misconception 1: You need to have a lot of money to invest. 

While you should have enough money in an easy-access savings account to cover 6 months of essential costs and pay down any unsecured debts, especially those with higher interest rates like credit cards or loans – actually getting started with investing doesn’t require a lot of money. On Bestinvest, the minimum investment amount into most funds is £50. 

Misconception 2: The type of account I invest within doesn’t really matter.

Choosing the correct accounts to invest within, such as ISAs, pensions and taxable investment accounts is important, because it can have as much impact on long‑term outcomes as the investments themselves. Pensions are highly tax‑efficient for long‑term retirement saving but restrict access until later in life, ISAs offer flexibility and tax‑free withdrawals, and general investment accounts provide access and simplicity but with ongoing tax considerations. Selecting the right combination helps align your investments with your time horizon, income needs, and future goals, ensuring that more of your returns stay working for you rather than being lost to tax. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change in the future. 

Misconception 3: Picking the “right” stock is more important than asset allocation when it comes to generating returns. 

Asset allocation is how investors divide the proportion of different asset like funds, equities and cash held in their portfolio. It’s considered more important than stock selection because it largely determines the overall risk, return potential, and behaviour of a portfolio, whereas stock selection typically has a smaller and less reliable impact. Decisions about how much to invest in equities, bonds, property or cash, set the long‑term outcome and drive the majority of return variation over time. Asset allocation also helps manage volatility and investor behaviour, making it more likely that investors stay invested through market cycles, whereas even well-chosen stocks cannot compensate for a portfolio that takes too much or too little risk for the investor’s goals. 

5. What stage in life do people start thinking about or planning for retirement? 

Lots of people might think about saving for retirement in their 30s, typically as they get more embedded in their career. As people approach their late 40s and 50s there is more specific focus around retirement in terms of when exactly they might want to retire, how much to withdraw and so on. 

6. What is one thing people say they wish they had done or known about sooner in relation to investing? 

Starting to save for life goals earlier. Time is the real currency when it comes to investing. Starting early, investing small regular amounts gives your investments more time to potentially grow and smooth out the swings in markets you might experience over the years. You can then gradually increase how much you invest as your income, hopefully increases. Starting later in life means having to contribute more to potentially reach the same savings goal. 

7. What do people value about coaching? 

Themes we hear from people after their coaching session is that they valued the clarity, confidence, and reassurance it gave them when making financial decisions. People appreciate having knowledgeable, approachable individuals who can take the time to explain options clearly, answer questions in depth, and follow up where needed. The sessions are seen as a valuable, relaxed sounding board—helping people sense‑check plans, understand rules and different investment products, and feel confident about next steps—particularly as a pressure‑free service that’s easy to access and genuinely supportive. 

8. What difference does coaching make for people? 

Coaching helps people build the knowledge and confidence they need to make informed financial decisions themselves or knowing when it might be right to seek professional advice. It can also prevent costly mistakes by improving planning and understanding—helping people understand how to avoid unnecessary tax, reduce the impact of poor decisions during market volatility, manage risk more appropriately, and move forward rather than staying uninvested due to uncertainty or lack of confidence. 

9. Coaching case study: How coaching is helping Oonagh get a handle on her goals 

Oonagh's been a Bestinvest client for a few years now. She’s supporting young adults and looking ahead to what retirement will look like and how much it will cost. 

She wanted to diversify her investments and try out a new platform. After transferring her ISAs across to Bestinvest she booked a coaching session to help get a better handle on her savings goals.

Oonagh: “The coach was very knowledgeable, patient and helpful, answering all of my questions. They followed up swiftly after the call by email with a summary of what we spoke about. I really appreciate having access to a human coach — it helps me get a clearer handle on my goals. So many platforms appear to be AI based and operating without any human involvement so it's almost like having a trusted adviser.“

10. How to know whether coaching or advice is right for you 

Knowing whether to seek coaching or advice isn’t obvious, but if you’re mainly struggling with clarity, confidence, habits, or follow through, coaching is likely the better fit. This includes feeling overwhelmed, unsure how to prioritise goals, inconsistent with saving or investing, anxious about money decisions, or wanting to improve how you think and behave with money. Coaching helps you understand your situation, build better decision-making frameworks, and take ownership, without specifically telling you what to do.

If you need to make specific financial decisions and want personalised recommendations on what to do, advice is usually the right choice. This applies when you want recommendations on investments, pensions, retirement planning, tax or estate matters, or when your finances are more complex. Financial advice provides regulated advice and implementation, with the adviser responsible for suitability. 

If you’re not sure where to start, an initial meeting with our coaches can expand on the differences and how both coaching and advice could look for you. If advice is required, our coaches can introduce the services provided by our parent company, Evelyn Partners.