Which Funds?

wannabemoneysaver

Hi Ricky.

I agree with most of whats already been said on here. If you want to do this by yourself and not through a managed scenario, sometimes you have to just go for it, particularly at your age, where you have time to learn. I use Fidelity and would recommend them - the site is very easy and the fees are discounted. The point about diversifying is also very true.

I did a similar thing to you a couple of years back - look at the geographical and sector splits, past performance , fund manager credibility , S+P and Morningstar ratings etc and try to pick funds that are investing where there is growth to be had.

I've drip fed £15k in over the last 2 yrs and on paper this is now nearly £19K. I'm early 40s , no kids, company pension etc. so this is essentially "spare money" , so if it dropped 10 or even 20% tomorrow, I'd be annoyed , but I wouldn't lose my house.

For what its worth, I'm in :
Aberdeen Asia Pacific OEIC - approx £1K (Far east , but low China exposure)
Jupiter Merlin Growth Portfolio - £4K ( General global growth)
M&G Recovery - approx £1K (Value Stocks)
Old Mutual UK Select smaller companies - c £1K
JPM New Europe - £4.5K - Eastern Europe
Aberdeen Emerging Markets £2K - Some China, but also Brazil , India , Mexico
Fidelity China Focus - £2K
JPM Natural resources - £3.5K

I'm not an expert, but I'm learning all of the time. It's good fun and I've made a few bob. I've moved in and out of some funds because they were underperforming their peers, and again, it's not expensive to do this through Fidelity. I sense your looking for someone to tell you that what you've chosen to invest in is a dead cert, and you're going to make a fortune, but to be honest hindsight shows that no-one really knows anything for certain with most of this.

Good Luck to you.