Neil Woodford starts an investment service that charges up to £67 per month

The "information and investment strategy research platform" W40 provides direct access to the stockpicking methods of former top fund manager Neil Woodford

How precisely will it operate?

The W4.0 investment strategy service was started by former fund manager Neil Woodford with the goal of catering to "thoughtful, independent, and long-term" investors.

It follows six years after one of the largest investment scandals in UK history occurred when Woodford Investment Management, a boutique firm, collapsed. The firm was forced to close after investors rushed to withdraw their money from the funds, which had large holdings in shares that were difficult to trade.

About 300,000 people lost money as a result of the suspension of the Woodford Equity Income Fund, and a compensation plan was established. Hargreaves Lansdown was sued by thousands of investors for allegedly continuing to promote the fund despite knowing about issues.

Following the controversy, Woodford, who was once regarded as a top fund manager, returned with "a new type of information and investment strategy research platform that gives direct access to his investment strategies."

Before founding his own company, Woodford established himself as one of the most well-known retail fund managers in the UK at Invesco.

We examine the new platform's functionality as well as its price.

What is the new investment service that Neil Woodford is offering?

W4.0, which Neil Woodford developed, offers four investment strategies and was launched on June 6.

A fund, brokerage, or financial advisor is not what it is. Rather, the service charges for market insights and stockpicking ideas. Purchasing the holdings through their own broker or investment platform is necessary if investors wish to construct their own portfolio using one of the investment strategies.

Charges vary based on the plan chosen, ranging from £50 to £67 per month. The more costly option gives you access to group Q&A sessions with Woodford and all four W4.0 strategies, not just two. The launch discount of 33% is factored into these prices.

If paid for once a year, the corresponding monthly fees are 40 and 54, respectively.

Since W4.0 does not offer financial services and is not engaging in regulated activity, it is not subject to Financial Conduct Authority regulation.

The platform seems to be operated by a company based in the United Arab Emirates, as emails from W4.0 include a Dubai PO Box address.

Which are the four tactics?

These are the four launch strategies.

Neil's Top 40 is a selection of his current favorite stocks from among the other strategies highlighted on W4.0. All Rounder is a balanced income-and-growth strategy that focuses on undervalued, dividend-paying companies, mainly in the UK, with long-term capital appreciation potential. Income Booster is a high-income equity strategy that aims to generate a 6 percent dividend income from a carefully chosen group of resilient businesses in developed markets. Unstoppable Trends is a thematic strategy that captures Neil's best ideas for growth across long-term global shifts.

Hopefully, more tactics will be added in the future.

"W4.0 gives you full transparency into long-term, research-led strategies, showing you exactly what's in the strategy, why it's there, and how it performs," the website claims.

These are ready-to-implement strategies that will allow you to develop conviction-driven strategies on your own without having to pay fund manager fees or give up control.

Along with educational content and market, sector, and company updates "designed to help investors think more clearly," W4.0 also gives users complete access to Woodford Views, an editorial channel covering markets, macroeconomics, and individual companies.