Fractional shares — what you actually own

Some brokers let you buy a fractional share — £50 of a stock that costs £150 a share buys you a third of one. You get proportional economics: a third of the dividend, a third of any price move. What you usually don't get is a third of a vote; many brokers can't split beneficial ownership that finely for voting purposes.

Behind the scenes your fraction is rarely held on its own — it's pooled with other customers' fractions through aggregation into whole shares the broker holds collectively. Your record of what you own stays precise to the fraction even though the underlying shares are whole.

Educational content only. It is not personal financial advice.