Investment Planning

Most investors tend to overestimate their own ability to generate high returns. Successful investors, however, tend to acknowledge their limitations and “biases” (i.e. psychological traits which can lead to errors of judgement). Learning to recognise and manage these biases is key, therefore, when following a long-term investment strategy. Here at WMM, in this article we share five common biases to be mindful of when investing.

What are “small caps” and “large caps” when investing? Are there advantages to investing in one, versus the other? As financial planners, our role is to help people understand how these types of assets work and how they might feature in an investment strategy. Below, we explain the differences and how they can be used to diversify a portfolio.

When you put money into shares, bonds or real estate, what kind of return on investment (ROI) can be realistically expected? Moreover, what kinds of forces can eat into your returns – notably, fees and taxes? Below, our financial planning team at WMM here in Oxfordshire tackles these questions in more detail. We hope you find this useful and invite you to contact us if you’d like to discuss your own investment strategy.

Climate change is top of the agenda as the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP 26) comes to an end. World leaders congregated to discuss how to limit emissions and develop more sustainable economies, with varying options on their success. Many people know that there are ways to live in a way that helps protect the environment such as recycling, limiting road and air travel and reducing meat consumption.

Wouldn’t it be useful to know exactly when the stock market will rise and fall? Having this ability would allow us to sell at the “peak” and buy at the “trough” for each investment, allowing us to get the best returns. Unfortunately, no one has a crystal ball and it is unfeasible to predict what will happen. Given this situation, why do investors still try to “time the market”? Are there any “clues” about how the stock market might behave in the future, even if we cannot be completely certain? What does all of this mean for an investor’s strategy, going forwards?

Should you invest in a single stock or in multiple companies at the same time? With an ETF (Exchange Traded Fund), you can do the latter by using a single vehicle to invest in several bonds and/or shares simultaneously.

When you start investing it can feel very satisfying to see your investments arranged as you like. You have your goals established (e.g. retire aged 68 with a £300,000 pot), a horizon in view – say, 20 years – and a clear, long-term strategy about your attitude to risk and your mix of assets (e.g. stocks-to-bonds ratio).

UK inflation has been rising in 2021. It more than doubled in April to 1.5% as clothing, footwear and energy prices rose. Inflation erodes the “real returns” of investments – e.g. if an equity fund rises 4% in value over a 12-month period but inflation also rises 2%, the “real value” of your returns is 2%. As such, many investors are concerned about what this could mean for their investment strategy. Unfortunately, there is no cast-iron method to predict whether inflation will rise significantly within a given timeframe – or by how much.

Pension rules in the UK are notoriously complex. Not only are there multiple types of pensions to deal with, but drawing from them needs to be planned carefully. For instance, did you know that the State Pension is accessible from your State Pension age – 66 in 2021 – but you can only access your defined contribution pension(s) from age 55 (under the 2015 Pension Freedoms)?

How do you get higher investment returns and grow your wealth? This is usually the motivation behind wanting to become a better investor. Yet people have different understandings about what investing is, and how to do it successfully. Here at WMM, our team in Oxford offers their thoughts on what defines investing – and how to invest effectively.