Investment funds, which do you have?

[ian]

Currently looking at various investment funds for (hopeful) long term gains. Mostly tracking the index of FTSE and DOW, plus various spreads like Vanguard and some investment bonds (to balance the shares). For the most part, to maximise the ISA allowance from this and years gone by.

Who are you using, any successes (I wouldn't imagine most will be if you bought years ago and haven't touched). Any recommendations? I use HL so have access to a wide spread of options.

 

[martin-s]

Yes, HL here too for almost 15 years now. Quite a widespread portfolio.

I've been focusing on gradually swapping out higher fee funds over the past couple of years. Won't touch anything over 1% now (and mostly a bit lower) unless it has a tech focus.

I'm not at all qualified to give advice, but two of my best performing funds in recent years are Schroder UK Dynamic Smaller Companies and Marlborough UK Micro Cap Growth (both more than 100% up in the past two and a bit years).

 

[ian]

Nice returns there, though you learn quickly how strong performers over a short period (1-5 years) can be the worst beyond that, which is why it pays to keep an eye on your portfolio, as you are doing. I signed up with HL to use their Portfolio+ service, then realised that combined with their service charge, it was almost 2%, madness if it only returns 4% in a year! I'm now hunting down my own funds, or at the very least, utilising a multi-asset fund that does most of this for me, such as Vanguard or L&G.

 

[martin-s]

Avoid the multi-manager stuff. HL push it hard and the concept is good, but it's crazy to pay two fees.

 

[ian]

Agreed, I saw the charges and was shocked. I hope the rest of their service is much better as a result! The multi-asset funds may be the best route, as they are direct (like Vanguards) and adjust without me having to do anything. Safer bet for larger pots of money!

 

[martin-s]

The service is excellent. Highly recommend the app if you're on iPhone.