Month: January 2022

Time in the market, not market timing

Volatility is less frightening if you take a longer-term view

Although past performance is no indicator of future performance, market corrections can be healthy and result in even stronger growth in the future. This is why holding a diversified portfolio for the long term makes good investing sense. It’s time invested in the market, and not the timing of the market, which dictates long-term returns.
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Managing your money

Investing through a fund

If you feel you do not have the time, knowledge or inclination to manage your own portfolio of investments, you can delegate responsibility for managing your money to a professional fund manager. Funds are collective investments, where your and other investors’ money is pooled together and spread across a wide range of underlying investments, helping you spread your overall risk.
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Tracker funds and exchange traded funds

Market index following the overall performance of a selection of investments

Tracker funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investments that aim to mirror the performance of a market index. A market index follows the overall performance of a selection of investments. The FTSE 100 is an example of a market index – it includes the 100 companies with the largest value on the London Stock Exchange.
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Active or passive fund management

Researching the market to give a good profit

Most collective investment schemes are actively managed. The fund manager is paid to research the market, so they can buy the assets that they think might give a good profit. Depending on the fund’s objectives, the fund manager will aim to give you either better-than-average growth for your investment (beat the market) or to get steadier returns than would be achieved simply by tracking the markets.
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Investment trusts

Different aims and different mixes of investments

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.
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Investment bonds

Investing a lump sum in a variety of available funds

Investment bonds are life insurance policies where you invest a lump sum in a variety of available funds. Some investment bonds run for a fixed term, while others have no set investment term. When you cash investment bonds in, how much you get back depends on how well – or how badly – the investment has done.
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