What do you really want from your investments?
Identifying areas where you could be saving and investing more money It’s important to regularly review your finances in order to stay on top of your money and make sure you’re making the most of it. A personal financial review can help you identify areas where you could be saving and investing more money.
Future goals
How long you have to pursue each objective If you’ve got a sufficient amount of money in your cash savings account – enough to cover you for between three to six months in the event of an emergency or unexpected expenditure – and you want to see your money grow over the long term, then […]
Risk tolerance
An important part of the investment decision process There’s no single answer to the question of how much investment risk you should take on. It depends on your individual circumstances, goals and comfort level with risk. Some people are more comfortable with risk than others. Some people are willing to take on more risk in […]
Asset allocation
Minimise your risk and maximise your potential return Investment asset allocation is important because it can help you to reach your financial goals. By diversifying your investments across different asset classes, you can minimise your risk and maximise your potential return.
Six principles of investing
Investing your money and avoiding costly mistakes
Behavioural patterns
Shaping the way we invest, for better or worse Investors should keep things in perspective and not overreact to headlines. Although equities may fall more in the near term, historically market drawdowns due to past military conflicts did not last very long and were mostly buying opportunities.
Pitfalls of market timing
Don’t become distracted by short-term volatility Trying to navigate the ups and downs of market returns, investors seem to naturally want to jump in at the lows and cash out at the highs. But no one can predict when those will occur. Fortunately, there are a number of time-tested strategies that may help you deal […]
Pound cost averaging
Instilling a sense of investment discipline Pound cost averaging is an investing strategy that can help to smooth out the effects of market volatility and reduce your overall risk. Investing at regular intervals can be a good idea to help smooth out the ups and downs of the market.
Investment funds
Influencing your investment choices There are many reasons to invest through a fund, rather than buying assets on your own. At a basic level, investing in a fund means having a fund manager make investment decisions on behalf of the investor.
Unit trusts and open-ended investment companies
Sharing many traits, but also having important differences Pooled investment funds are usually large funds built by aggregating relatively small investments from individuals. A professional fund manager (or a team of fund managers) determines which assets to invest in and then purchases accordingly. They are also known as ‘collective investment schemes’.
