I had this query the other day and I thought I’d share my somewhat
long verbal response which went something like this.
In terms of investment management performance it’s likely to
be similar across the board for most people provided you are invested in line with your attitude to risk. However, most certainly different
investment managers tailor their approach to mitigate volatility to try and achieve
a smooth level of return.
But the fact is the market goes up and down and that for the
large part is outside of the fund manager's control, but how much it goes up and
down and how frequently is something that your fund management strategy can
dictate to a degree. The argument then goes into whether one should have a
passive fund management style where your investments simply mirror an index
such as the FTSE 100 let’s say.
On the other hand, you may believe that an active manager
who is actively involved in the day to day running of your
investments can somehow ‘beat the market’. Well placed academic research states
that this cannot be done consistently. However, what is important is not having
a single management style be it within a passive approach or an active
approach. I personally advocate a blend of active approaches because generally
speaking active managers can respond quicker to market down turns.
Also, know that most fund performance is largely determined
by the allocation of assets within the fund i.e. what proportion of commercial
property, cash, equities, commodities, government and corporate bonds are within
your fund and less so about any one stock.
Now, most fund managers, have the capacity to do the
necessary level of research relevant for most of the public and it’s never wise
to transfer based merely on past performance, as there is no guarantee for the
future. So what you need to ask yourself is the following:
1. Is your
provider reviewing your financial context and ambitions at least annually? Don’t
underestimate this, having a good adviser on hand, when you want to do
something as simple as save for your children’s school fees or if you wanted to
start a new business, invest in buy-to-let properties, or even split from the dear or not so dear wife/husband (hope that never happens obviously), a
financial adviser will be crucial to plan everything tax efficiently and you’ll
have far less heartache in the long run.
Oh yes, one more thing, if you are
approaching retirement and you are looking to withdraw monies from your
pension. Get advice! I cannot stress this enough as due to changes in pension
legislation you need to be able to maximise your gains tax efficiently.
2. What fees are they charging for those
reviews and for investment management? To be honest anything more than 2% should warrant a
review of your investment and your relationship
with your current adviser. Also bear in mind this fee may include an
on-going service charge, but if the provider has not provided that service, you
could claim this portion back!
3. What
technology is in place to support your investment goals and your overall financial well-being? Most people start to put money aside and completely forget about
it. This is wrong. You should be involved and aware of how achievable your
goals are and be able to be act quickly if you are short of your goals or want
to achieve your goals a little quicker. Usually providers do not have the infrastructure
or reliable technology to do this properly, but there are a few decent
providers out there.
It is good that we consider the cost of our
investments when we do, but we should also consider the cost of not
being able to do something too, which is essentially the missed
opportunity cost. So we don’t say….’if only I was I able to invest quickly when the markets were down'...'if only I could have invested this extra £10 I had this month without needing to hassle my adviser or stay on hold for 10 mins trying to get through to my provider'.
Hope that helps!
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