Vanguard Life Strategy

badger09

Carpi09 wrote: »

That's a shame, it's fine on iPAD, you can just double tap the tables and it will bring up a larger version and then still, you can zoom in.

Happy reading!

Cheers

Just didn't want anyone possibly wasting around £20 (not very MSE) or their time, on the Kindle version.

Deneb

You can select and zoom in on the charts in the Kindle version as well. Maybe it depends on the Kindle that you have?

badger09

Deneb wrote: »

You can select and zoom in on the charts in the Kindle version as well. Maybe it depends on the Kindle that you have?

Probably does. Sadly, I've got the bog standard one (which was £89 but is now £69). Fine for everything else I've downloaded but not this .

Must say I was impressed with Amazon though, refund was in my account within minutes.

Totton

Carpi09 wrote: »

Can I ask what your portfolio looks like/contains?

Also, I want to read this book. Is it the orange cover, smarter investing smart decisions? £17.99 on IPAD.

My copy is the orange cover version. My portfolio right now - It is due its quarterly review shortly when I may be adding some IT's to replace a few that I have, not sure yet but the new ones may be along the lines of Hansa A, Electra and Pacific Assets. Currently I hold,

49% Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% (changed in November from the 40% ver)
5% Finsbury Growth & Income Trust
6% Henderson Global Trust
5% Henderson Smaller Companies
8% Personal Assets Trust
10% Scottish Mortgage Trust
10% Scottish Oriental Smaller Co's
7% Worldwide Healthcare

I try to keep it at no more than 10 holdings, those outside the core are usually between 3-10% per holding but if the market warrants it then I let them go above 10%.

HTH,
Mickey

markettrader81

I am thinking of putting £1000 a month in my stock and shares ISA. I know allowance will be £11500 from next year so can but remaining £500 to investment fund. I am thinking of few funds.
1: Aberdeen global asian small co fund £400pm
2: First state emerging market leaders fund £400 pm
3: Cazenova Uk small co. fund £200pm

Bit confused if I should add fidelity UK small co. fund . It has returned 41% return since launched last year. Emerging markets, I believe will give good returns in the near future. but not sure of first state emerging fund... I like to stick all money on aberdeen asian small fund but that would be gamble. I like to invest in indian funds but there are not really good funds available in UK to invest in indian markets.
Any suggestion please

Linton

markettrader81 wrote: »

I am thinking of putting £1000 a month in my stock and shares ISA. I know allowance will be £11500 from next year so can but remaining £500 to investment fund. I am thinking of few funds.
1: Aberdeen global asian small co fund £400pm
2: First state emerging market leaders fund £400 pm
3: Cazenova Uk small co. fund £200pm

Bit confused if I should add fidelity UK small co. fund . It has returned 41% return since launched last year. Emerging markets, I believe will give good returns in the near future. but not sure of first state emerging fund... I like to stick all money on aberdeen asian small fund but that would be gamble. I like to invest in indian funds but there are not really good funds available in UK to invest in indian markets.
Any suggestion please

The type of funds you are planning to invest in are high risk and subject to serious fluctuations but over an extended period in the past have provided high returns. This is fine provided you have significant other investments/savings and understand the risks and so wont sell in a panic after a large drop. I have a similar portfolio intended to provide very long term growth.

As regards the Fidelity Small Cap fund, I would regard 1 year as much too short a time to judge any fund. Small Cap funds tend to outperform the main indices during good times and underperform during bad. I therefore think you need to assess past performance of a fund for at least the past 5 years, which at the moment includes the credit crash. There are a number of funds that have shown good performance as far back as the Trustnet data goes (10 years). Also, you need to look at what sort of companies your chosen small cap fund invests in - data available from Trustnet. Small Cap covers a very wide range from the very smallest companies to ones that are well known household names. You need to be happy with your fund's strategy.

On India one feels it should do well in the long term, but it has disappointed for the past few years. I hold the First State India fund but its only a small % of the total.

markettrader81

Linton wrote: »

The type of funds you are planning to invest in are high risk and subject to serious fluctuations but over an extended period in the past have provided high returns. This is fine provided you have significant other investments/savings and understand the risks and so wont sell in a panic after a large drop. I have a similar portfolio intended to provide very long term growth.

As regards the Fidelity Small Cap fund, I would regard 1 year as much too short a time to judge any fund. Small Cap funds tend to outperform the main indices during good times and underperform during bad. I therefore think you need to assess past performance of a fund for at least the past 5 years, which at the moment includes the credit crash. There are a number of funds that have shown good performance as far back as the Trustnet data goes (10 years). Also, you need to look at what sort of companies your chosen small cap fund invests in - data available from Trustnet. Small Cap covers a very wide range from the very smallest companies to ones that are well known household names. You need to be happy with your fund's strategy.

On India one feels it should do well in the long term, but it has disappointed for the past few years. I hold the First State India fund but its only a small % of the total.

Thanks a lot for your message. What do you think of first state emerging markets? I liked first state indian subcontinent fund but now its closed for new investment. I am 30 yo and planning to do £1000pm for 5 years so I expect to have 60,000 plus if i get 15% return I might get £60,000 or more gain . I am also considering standard life equity unconstrained fund

Totton

What do you think of first state emerging markets?

First State Global Emerging Mkt Leaders has been a fantastic holding for us and we continue to drip feed £200 a month into it. I like the First State approach of holding solid companies and tending to the more cautious side, doing so has seen it outperform a lot of allegedly volatile but high growth stuff.

takesyourchances

Thanks Totton for letting us know your side funds with your Vanguard lifestrat fund as the core, it is interesting to see.

I am going to get reading more this weekend of the Smarter Investing book now I will have a bit more time to get more read

I am still looking at the Standard Life Global Small Cap fund and was also thinking of a side Emerging Markets fund this year, I might do another fund before the new tax year and one later in the tax year.

As I have the Lifestrat and a niche side fund started with the Aberdeen Asian Small Cap which has been interesting so far, I am deciding on what direction next, the Global Small Cap or an Emerging Markets on a £500 opening. Ideally it could be both this year either side of April.

I was watching the Aberdeen EM and started to watch the First State EM fund, but read about the new charges soon being introduced for the Aberdeen EM fund so was thinking maybe the First State one looked to be good and as I have a bit of a focus on Asia in the Small Cap maybe the First State could be a good option with South Africa's holding breaking up a bit of Asia.

At the moment these are two additional directions I was thinking to look at with the Global Small Cap and EM. I realise there is a small holding in the Lifestrat for EM, but a lower percentage side seems attractive as well.

Any thoughts on these fund ideas to the two I have at the moment anyone?

Best regards.

innovate

There should be some kind of health warning whenever someone posts a recommendation for an investment. They should at least declare

1. what %age of their total investment it is
2. how old they are

Waxing lyrical about a fund etc that is a minute fraction of a portfolio, without revealing how much is involved could lead others to draw the wrong conclusions (positive and negative).

Not saying how old you are could equally lead others to draw wrong conclusions. E.g. an investment might be brilliant if you are in your thirties, but not such a good idea if you are in your seventies. Or the other way round.