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What investment strategy requires the least effort

Other than handing your money over to a wealth manager what investment strategy requires the least effort?

I would say buy to let requires the most, and is high risk.

Maximising interest from various banks is low risk, but still a bit of effort setting up direct debits and so on.

A balanced equity portfolio involves a bit of work initially, and if you set it at the correct risk versus return it should just run with only annual rebalancing.

What do others think?

Cheers fj
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Comments

  • masonic
    masonic Posts: 25,531 Forumite
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    Least effort would be a single multi-asset fund. No rebalancing needed, just check occasionally and switch into something better if it comes along or your needs change.

    Chasing cash rates is probably more effort than most strategies using equities.

    Passive will be relatively less effort than active, because you have fewer decisions to make and don't need to do as much research.
  • Eco_Miser
    Eco_Miser Posts: 4,781 Forumite
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    Least effort? Leave it all where it is. :) Probably least returns too.

    Maximising bank interest only works on the first £50k or so anyway.

    A single multi-asset fund, as masonic says, is the simplest sensible strategy.
    Eco Miser
    Saving money for well over half a century
  • I would agree with you that BTL requires a great deal of effort which is ongoing whereas investing in a balanced multi asset investment fund requires very little. Setting up bank accounts with direct debits, income requirements etc takes a bit of effort.


    Any investment though requires ongoing and preparatory effort. Even investing in current accounts or multi asset funds requires some research and setting up effort and you need to keep double checking that the return rates have not changed.


    If you stick all your money in a e savings account though that is probably the simplest and easiest way of investing but also the lowest rate of return. You can't have it all.
    I’m a Forum Ambassador and I support the Forum Team on the Debt free Wannabe, Budgeting and Banking and Savings and Investment boards. If you need any help on these boards, do let me know. Please note that Ambassadors are not moderators. Any posts you spot in breach of the Forum Rules should be reported via the report button, or by emailing forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com. All views are my own and not the official line of MoneySavingExpert.
  • colsten
    colsten Posts: 17,597 Forumite
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    Putting money into our favourite current accounts and regular savers isn't investing. It is saving.

    BTL isn't investing in my eyes either, it's running a business, however small it might be.

    Minimum investment effort is DIY ISA with a multi-asset fund such as Vanguard LS.

    Before you need to employ a Wealth Manager, you'd normally call on the services of an IFA.
  • oldfella
    oldfella Posts: 1,534 Forumite
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    multi assets funds have higher costs than normal funds, so you need to factor that cost in
  • masonic
    masonic Posts: 25,531 Forumite
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    oldfella wrote: »
    multi assets funds have higher costs than normal funds, so you need to factor that cost in
    The L&G Multi-index funds have an OCF of 0.24%. I doubt that you could save much on that by investing in a diversified portfolio of conventional funds.
  • Thanks everyone who replied, interesting take on somethings and most of you were in line with my thinking, keep costs low etc.

    Sometimes going down the simplest route I'd a multi asset fund leaves you thinking maybe you could do better by choosing your own assets, but I think that's just human nature thinking "I can do better".

    I'm going to do som back testing, I found that you can do this easily with the portfolio management part of the Investors Chronicle web.

    Allows you to create a portfolio and add assets at any price in the past. Then you can choose to reinvest dividends, or move to a cash account.

    You can also analyse performance.

    Cheers fj
  • kidmugsy
    kidmugsy Posts: 12,709 Forumite
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    Buy a field and let it to a farmer.
    Free the dunston one next time too.
  • kidmugsy wrote: »
    Buy a field and let it to a farmer.

    Actually that's what a friend of mine does! Amazing return, you would be surprised how much people pay for stabling horses. But it's not for me, still too much hard work and hassle if people stop paying and so on.

    fj
  • Thrugelmir
    Thrugelmir Posts: 89,546 Forumite
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    Thanks everyone who replied, interesting take on somethings and most of you were in line with my thinking, keep costs low etc.

    Sometimes going down the simplest route I'd a multi asset fund leaves you thinking maybe you could do better by choosing your own assets, but I think that's just human nature thinking "I can do better".

    I'm going to do som back testing, I found that you can do this easily with the portfolio management part of the Investors Chronicle web.

    Allows you to create a portfolio and add assets at any price in the past. Then you can choose to reinvest dividends, or move to a cash account.

    You can also analyse performance.

    Cheers fj

    Like owning a garden. Low maintenance still requires oversight. Weeds can pop up and spread before you know it.
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