We offer five investment portfolio models that:
- Cover risk levels: cautious, cautious-moderate, moderate, moderate-adventurous and adventurous.
- Use a blend of active and passive funds to invest in the mainstream asset classes including shares, fixed interest securities, cash and commercial property.
- Aim for good returns ahead of inflation, whilst also seeking to incorporate defensive qualities, so you have some cushion if the markets drop
- Concentrate on using funds that are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (many are not).
Our investment portfolios aim to meet your income or growth requirements at an acceptable level of risk that allows you to sleep at night.
If you want your investments to be aligned with your views on social, ethical and environmental (SEE) issues, you can ask us to use investment funds that avoid buying shares in companies involved in, for instance, the manufacture or distribution of pornography, tobacco products, weapons etc.
We will identify funds that offer a reasonable match to your SEE views and organise a suitable portfolio.
You can read about the definitions we use for various SEE criteria.
What Are Investments & Returns
Investments are something you buy or put your money into to get a profitable return. Most people choose from four main types of investment, known as ‘asset classes’:
- Shares - you buy a stake in a company
- Cash – the savings you put in a bank or building society account
- Property – you invest in a physical building, whether commercial or residential
- Fixed interest securities (also called bonds) - you loan your money to a company or government.
The various assets owned by an investor are called a portfolio. As a general rule, spreading your money between the different types of asset classes helps lower the risk of your overall portfolio under performing.
Returns are the profit you earn from your investments. Depending on where you put your money it could be paid in a number of different ways:
- Dividends (from shares)
- Rent (from properties)
- Interest (from cash deposits and fixed interest securities).
- The difference between the price you pay and the price you sell for – capital gains or losses.