Acting in the investors’ best interests at all times Open-ended investment funds are often called ‘collective investment schemes’ and are run by fund management companies.

Investing in one or more asset classes Investing in funds provides a simple and effective method of diversification. Because your money is pooled together with that of other investors, each fund is large enough to diversify across hundreds and even thousands of individual companies and assets. A pooled (or collective) investment is a fund into […]

Your decision can have a big impact on your returns Should you invest all of your money in one go or drip-feed it into the stock market over time? The answer will ultimately depend on whether you have a lump sum to invest or not, but it can have a big impact on your returns. […]

What you need to know to become a more confident investor Before you choose or make any investment decisions, you need to know that investing involves the possibility of loss. These key considerations help you become more confident about your investment decisions.

Striking the right balance is important to avoid losses While diversification is important, you should keep in mind how much risk you are prepared to accept on your money. If it is important to you to avoid losses, you may want a portfolio that has less in shares and more in cash and fixed interest […]

Spreading your money between different kinds of investments Diversification, the spreading of your money between different kinds of investments (‘asset classes’) and different kinds of investment product, helps reduce the risk of your overall investments (referred to as your ‘portfolio’) under-performing or losing money.

Helping you reach your long-term financial goals In the current economic climate, with interest rates still around record lows, investing in the markets could enable you to achieve an inflation-beating return and help you reach your long-term financial goals. If you’ve got sufficient money in your cash savings account – enough to cover you for […]

Even the best-planned portfolios need to be reviewed regularly It goes without saying that everyone should take some time to review their portfolios every once in a while. The only constant in life is change – and chances are your life has changed since you last reviewed your investment portfolio.

Why it’s important to know your start and end points Reaching wealth goals and achieving personal ambitions are major objectives of the financial planning process. In order to make plans for the future, you need to know where you are today and where you want to be in the future.

How much will I get under the new State Pension? The State Pension changed on 6 April 2016. If you reach State Pension age on or after that date, you’ll now receive the new State Pension under the new rules. The aim of the new State Pension is to make it simpler to understand, but […]