Investment Philosophy

Investment Philosophy

Our philosophy is based on 30 years of pragmatic experience, and a firm belief that no one asset class will continue to outperform the market in the long term.  We therefore recommend investment solutions based on a broadly diversified multi asset approach, and entrust the fund management only to the tried and tested who can demonstrate consistent success. 

Our Investment Process

• Firstly we establish your key investment objectives; whether that may be for estate or retirement planning, capital growth or income generation.
• Then we explain the alternative product types to match these objectives; taking into account your personal tax situation both now and in the future.
• By use of a risk profiling questionnaire we establish the correct asset allocation to ensure that you are comfortable with the level of investment risk.
• Then we research the whole market to find the most cost effective provider or platform to support our recommendations.

How do I know which investment is right for me?

By discussing your circumstance and objectives, we will assist you in putting together a long term strategy.  We undertake the latest research methods to select from the whole market.  This opens the door to a wide range of investments such as General Investment Account, ISA's, Investment Bonds, and Pensions.

What is the difference between a traditional provider and an investment platform?

In recent years the introduction of platforms has enabled financial planners to offer a streamlined investment service for their clients, by consolidating different product tax wrappers such as pensions ans ISA's under one roof.  The outcome offers a more holistic approach and creates an opportunity for ongoing adviser support through retirement and beyond.

Within a Wrap Platform your whole portfolio can be analysed and quantified according to money value; tax treatment, product type and asset allocation.  Here are some of the platforms we are likely to consider:

What if I have a single objective such as creating income or minimising inheritance tax

We will always consider whether your objectives can be met at a lower cost through a standalone provider, such a a traditional insurance company.  Many of these providers still provide excellent investment products and these may well be most suitable, for example if you wish to hold an investment trust.

Here is a selection of the providers we compare for our recommendations :

What research methods do we use?

Taking into account your individual risk profile and your capacity for loss, we use research tools such as Defaqto and FE Trustnet to compare the past performance, costs and standard deviation of the thousands of available funds.  This helps us to identify funds or portfolios that match our multi asset philosophy.

Why do we believe in multi - asset fund selection?

Although we don't rule out cash deposits all together, we find a broad range of assets offers the best hedge against inflation.  The term "multi-asset" refers to funds that invest in several different asset classes.  Multi-asset funds invest your money in assets which tend to have different performance characteristics.  Increasing the diversification of the fund, which means you're not so exposed to the market gains and losses of just one asset class.  This creates potential for steady capital growth or income.