An important part of the investment decision process There’s no single answer to the question of how much investment risk you should take on. It depends on your individual circumstances, goals and comfort level with risk. Some people are more comfortable with risk than others. Some people are willing to take on more risk in […]

Minimise your risk and maximise your potential return Investment asset allocation is important because it can help you to reach your financial goals. By diversifying your investments across different asset classes, you can minimise your risk and maximise your potential return.

Investing your money and avoiding costly mistakes

Shaping the way we invest, for better or worse Investors should keep things in perspective and not overreact to headlines. Although equities may fall more in the near term, historically market drawdowns due to past military conflicts did not last very long and were mostly buying opportunities.

Don’t become distracted by short-term volatility Trying to navigate the ups and downs of market returns, investors seem to naturally want to jump in at the lows and cash out at the highs. But no one can predict when those will occur. Fortunately, there are a number of time-tested strategies that may help you deal […]

Instilling a sense of investment discipline Pound cost averaging is an investing strategy that can help to smooth out the effects of market volatility and reduce your overall risk. Investing at regular intervals can be a good idea to help smooth out the ups and downs of the market.

Influencing your investment choices There are many reasons to invest through a fund, rather than buying assets on your own. At a basic level, investing in a fund means having a fund manager make investment decisions on behalf of the investor.

Sharing many traits, but also having important differences Pooled investment funds are usually large funds built by aggregating relatively small investments from individuals. A professional fund manager (or a team of fund managers) determines which assets to invest in and then purchases accordingly. They are also known as ‘collective investment schemes’.

Seeking value everywhere An investment trust is a public company that raises money by selling shares to investors, and then pools that money to buy and sell a wide range of shares and assets. Different investment trusts will have different aims and different mixes of investments.

Minimising the amount of tax you pay on your investment returns Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are a ‘tax-efficient wrapper’ enabling you to minimise the amount of tax you pay on your investment returns. Some ISAs give you instant access to your money and can be used to plan your finances for the short term.