Our investment process has resulted in medium and long-term investment outperformance for our clients. Based on developing an in-depth understanding of the macroeconomic environment, scrutinising asset class valuations and understanding how and when various fund managers add value, our investment process is ‘top-down’ and value-driven.

We believe that economic fundamentals and the price paid for an asset are the key determinants of future returns. Our approach starts with building an understanding of the global economic backdrop to gain a detailed insight into developments in economies, industries and financial markets.

This work generates opportunities to add value in both asset allocation and fund selection.

Asset allocation

We think it is important to only invest in asset classes where we can scrutinise the underlying drivers of returns. This enables us to make meaningful asset allocation moves to add value to your portfolio.

As such, we work with just four primary asset classes:

  • Equities
  • Commercial property
  • Fixed interest
  • Cash

We avoid investing in currencies, commodities and hedge funds. In our view the drivers of returns here are opaque and funds investing in them often carry high charges.

Asset allocation changes are implemented for your portfolio with reference to your time horizon, risk appetite and our tactical allocation views.

We seek to achieve superior returns by tilting your portfolio towards those asset classes which are trading at attractive valuations. This has often led to our investment team establishing an early position in ‘out of favour’ asset classes to capture strong returns for clients.

Fund selection

We also seek to add value to your portfolio through our active fund selection approach. In our experience, market capitalisation weighted indices (like the FTSE All-Share) are easily distorted by investor behaviour, fashion and trends in new listings. Defensive stocks, for example, tend to be in favour when the economic outlook is unclear, whilst cyclical stocks are often preferred when economic activity accelerates. By investing in actively managed funds rather than passive funds, we aim to help you profit from such distortions.

Fund managers tend to have their own styles of investing. We work to develop a full understanding of their investment approaches, so we are equipped to identify those managers likely to excel in different stages of the market cycle. Once a fund has been added to our buy list, we meet regularly with the fund manager to monitor the fund’s progress and keep up to date with developments in their views on stocks, equity markets and the economic outlook.

Performance and transparency

It is very important that you understand how your portfolio has performed in comparison with the appropriate benchmarks and your expectations. We are transparent in reporting our investment performance. This is underpinned by our Associate Membership of the Asset Risk Consultants’ (ARC) Private Client Indices (PCI) – an independent compiler of investment manager performance.

 

Key Contact

Ian McNally
Director
Ian began his career in Financial Services in 1986 Read More

Contact us

If you would like further information about our services or would like to arrange a complimentary, obligation-free telephone conversation or meeting to discuss your requirements, please contact us.

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Our Awards

We take pride in our reputation for excellence and invest in our people and resources to continuously support this. The depth of our expertise and our dedicated focus on client service are recognised through various award wins and commendations.

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