Pooled
investment schemes

Investing in one or more asset classes

A pooled (or collective) investment is where many people put their money into a fund, which is then invested in one or more asset classes by a fund manager.

There are different types of pooled investment but the main ones are:

Open-ended investment funds
Unit trusts
Investment trusts
Investment bonds
Endowments

Most pooled investment funds are actively managed. The fund manager researches the market and buys and sells assets to try and provide a good return for investors.

Trackers, on the other hand, are passively managed, they simply aim to track the market in which they are invested. For example, a FTSE100 tracker would aim to replicate the movement of the FTSE100 (the index of the largest 100 UK companies).

They might do this by buying the equivalent proportion of all the shares in the index.

For technical reasons the return is rarely identical to the index, in particular because charges need to be deducted.

Trackers tend to have lower charges than actively-managed funds. This is because a fund manager running an actively-managed fund is paid to invest so as to do better than the index (beat the market) or to generate a steadier return for investors than tracking the index would achieve. Of course the fund manager could make the wrong decisions and under-perform the market. And there is no guarantee that an actively-managed fund that performs well in one year will continue to do so. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.

Trackers do not beat or under-perform the market (except as already noted), but they are not necessarily less risky than actively-managed funds invested in the same asset class. Open-ended investment funds and investment trusts can both be trackers.
The articles featured in this digital magazine are for your general information and use only and are not intended to address your particular requirements. They should not be relied upon in their entirety. Although endeavours have been made to provide accurate and timely information, there can be no guarantee that such information is accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be accurate in the future. No individual or company should act upon such information without receiving appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination of their particular situation. For more information please visit www.mcp-financial.co.uk