Our approach to investing
History shows that the odds of making money on any one day of the US stock market are 50/50. In any one year, there is a 68% chance; over 10 years an 88% chance and so far, a 100% chance over 20 years. Of course, past performance is no guarantee of future gains, but it does show that there are few financial variables more correlated to performance than commitment to being in the market for a long time.
We advocate an evidence-based approach to investing. Evidence-based investing is not about guessing the market, the latest hot stock, or magic formulas that promise unrealistic returns. It is an approach based on decades of research from Nobel prize-winning economics, observation of the markets, and what we know as fact.
Such as allowing your investments to grow over time, reaping the rewards of compound growth is statistically a far better way to see consistent returns than a quick sale.
A future filled with unknowns is everyone’s reality.
Our philosophy is underpinned by the following thoughts on risk:
There is no reason to risk what you have and need for what you don’t have and don’t need.
More than big returns, you need to be financially unbreakable.
For each of us, there are things never worth risking, no matter the potential gain.
Good investing isn’t necessarily about earning the highest returns, because the highest returns are often one-off hits that can’t be repeated: it’s about earning good returns that you can stick with and which can be repeated for the longest period of time.
Compounding doesn’t rely on earning huge returns, it produces returns over time.
More and more of us are conscious about where our money is invested and the possible negative effects of investing in the wrong places.
That’s seen a rise in ESG (environmental, social and governance) investing options – an approach that seeks both strong financial returns and positive social change.
Ten years ago, you would have been hard pushed to find an ESG portfolio. However, as issues such as climate change, child labour and sustainability have risen up the agenda, so too has the availability of ESG funds. Rather than being at the fringes of financial planning, ESG solutions are now at the heart of many investment propositions. In fact, a survey conducted by the Investment Association, published in September 2019, found that just over a quarter (26 per cent) of the UK’s assets under management were now being invested using a socially responsible strategy.
We partner with EBI Portfolios, who provide us with investment management expertise backed by more than six decades of market data, Nobel Prize-winning academic research and behavioural finance understanding.
You may like to read the following brochure, produced by EBI, which has further information on ESG portfolios.