Is a Vanguard Lifestrategy investment all you need

jdw2000

polagon wrote: »

Yep I agree. Very similar for me. Once you get used to this type of investment, and you start reading up more on the different alternatives you will end up more experienced after time. And somewhat wealthier.

Are you "somewhat wealthier" than beta/above average rises? Or is your additional wealth as a result of the rising overall markets and the tide which has lifted all ships?

Ray_Singh-Blue

jdw2000 wrote: »

I was joking.

That's a shame. "Time the market, beat the market, chase your losses" - how honest and insightful, I thought

I think it is a very special and clear-headed person who can execute such a beautifully simple strategy as having one balanced indexed fund and nothing else.

My personal experience, the gamer/competitor in me needs an outlet and so have settled on a half passive, half active approach. Which satisfies my lust to try to time and beat the market, while shielding from too much pain when I don't.

And I don't want bonds at the moment, but the life strategy funds include a bond allocation, so they are not for me. Instead I have half my investments in VWRL and cash.

The other half is in all sorts of exciting and ill advised places. Eg, over the last year or so I have bought shares in five listed companies. At this moment those holdings are worth between 59% and 230% of the purchase price. I kind of like the unlimited upside of individual companies.

badger09

ChopperST wrote: »

I have often wondered why this is and is the reason I don't hold any VLS, opting to use individual geographical trackers and re balancing every quarter to their broad market caps.

Does anybody have any idea why the UK weighting is so high versus its market capitalisation?

I believe it was a decision taken by Vanguard because most (passive?) investors prefer to have a bias towards their home country.

badger09

JohnLondon wrote: »

Does anybody know if they are available at Hargreaves Lansdown?

I can't find them on HL.

FWIW they're not available on IWeb either. When I asked why, I was told they don't comply with UCITS regulations.

ColdIron

JohnLondon wrote: »

Do Hargreaves Lansdown not offer the L & G Multi Index funds? I've got an account with them but cannot see that these funds are available on their platform

Does anybody know if they are available at Hargreaves Lansdown?

No, HL do not provide these funds

oldfella

badger09 wrote: »

I can't find them on HL.

FWIW they're not available on IWeb either. When I asked why, I was told they don't comply with UCITS regulations.

check again Halifax SD has it and its the same platform

bowlhead99

badger09 wrote: »

I believe it was a decision taken by Vanguard because most (passive?) investors prefer to have a bias towards their home country.

You don't need the word passive in the sentence. Most investors prefer to have more than 5-10% of their equities in their home countries (assuming their home country has a well developed stock market).

If Vanguard had created the lifestrategy product as one which offered 94% overseas equity investment, it would not have been so popular among UK based investors and there would be fewer IFAs using it because they don't have so many clients who demand that kind of level of overseas exposure. Drop the overseas stuff to 75% of the equities and it becomes more marketable. It was initially higher than that, at launch, in line with other balanced funds in the market.

Investors who adopt a fully passive strategy are perhaps less likely (rather than more likely) than the typical retail investor to accept home bias - on the basis that if you like trackers you might subscribe to the theory of the market allocating capital best. However, if you don't have the exact same needs as the weighted average investor in "the markets" - which is true of many individuals - a different allocation may be appropriate, which is true whether you prefer to use active or passive vehicles for the nuts and bolts of the underlying holdings.

nb0825

No, its not all you need but if you don't know how to invest then yes its a good start

badger09

oldfella wrote: »

check again Halifax SD has it and its the same platform

I don't suppose you could post a link to the L&G Multi Index Funds on Halifax/IWeb?

I can't find it on IWeb and have been told they don't offer it - as per my earlier post.

StellaN

badger09 wrote: »

I don't suppose you could post a link to the L&G Multi Index Funds on Halifax/IWeb?

I can't find it on IWeb and have been told they don't offer it - as per my earlier post.

I quite like the L&G Multi Index Funds - can you not go direct to L&G or use another platform such as Cavendish or Fidelity?