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Prudent investment management is a key part of a comprehensive wealth management plan. Before investing, we take the time to understand your income and capital needs, ensuring any portfolio is a good fit for your long-term goals.
Investing
Whether you're still building wealth or simply looking to protect what you already have, investing sensibly can help you achieve your vision for the future.
Our investment services are designed to provide clarity and confidence, with the aim of preserving and growing your wealth ahead of inflation for generations to come, guided by the goals that matter to you most.
Grounded in our investment principles our predominantly discretionary-focused approach is built on deep research and independent analysis. This helps us cut through the noise and maintain a clear long-term focus when constructing portfolios.
How we invest
In this video, CEO Helen Watson, Co-Head of Portfolio Management Mark Wallace and Client Adviser Tracy Collins discuss our investment approach. They reflect on our long-term view, how portfolios are constructed, and the importance of sustainable investing in creating lasting value for clients.
To learn more about our approach to responsible investing, visit our Sustainability hub.
We really try to think like business owners. This means we try to judge the performance of a company or an investment by the underlying business progress rather than the shorter-term movement in market prices”
Creating greater value through long-term investment thinking
A long-term investment horizon helps us look beyond short-term market noise and stay focused on what truly matters. By doing so, we can act and think like business owners and build close, active partnerships with the companies and funds that we invest in. We believe this creates greater value for our clients.
Owning great businesses preserves and grows wealth in real terms
Inflation is among the most pernicious threats to successful wealth management. Our objective is to outpace inflation and generate sustained returns through bottom-up investing in high-quality companies with pricing power and high barriers to entry.
Sustainability is a fundamental investment issue
We view environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as part of the economic reality that every company faces. The risks and opportunities they present are crucial to how businesses perform over the long term, and so sustainability analysis is firmly embedded into our investment process.
Navigating market downturns is a critical part of the journey
We seek assets that provide genuine protection in periods of market volatility. This allows us to be on the front foot while smoothing the investment journey for our clients. Our deep research gives us the confidence to invest selectively and create sensibly diversified portfolios that are designed to protect as well as perform.
Bottom up, not top down
Top-down investors set target allocations for particular asset classes, regions or sectors. Instead, we build portfolios from the bottom up, looking across the world to find the best investments we can, wherever they may be.
Active rather than passive investing
As active managers, we carefully assess every company or fund that we're considering adding to our portfolios. We don't try to track stock markets or similar indices, and maintain a concentrated portfolio rather than casting too wide a net.
Invested in long-term partnerships
Our long-term view means we build enduring relationships with the businesses we invest in. This active, ongoing dialogue with leadership teams fosters trust and can encourage positive change at companies that may affect investment returns.
Research-led management
We rely on our own analysis and judgement to guide our investment decision-making. In doing so, we aim to avoid short-term thinking and external noise, creating portfolios shaped by insight, not impulse.
Portfolio construction
Our portfolios are actively managed on a discretionary basis, drawing on our Investment team's in-depth research and analysis.
Once we have a clear understanding of your wealth and financial goals, we can identify the right investment portfolio for you. This will likely include a blend of return and diversifying assets.
Return assets
These investments are expected to drive long-term growth. Comprised of equities and third-party funds, their performance usually correlates with stock markets.
The companies we hold are:
• Competitively advantaged
• Well managed
• Attractively priced
Diversifying assets
Our diversifiers aim to provide protection in challenging equity markets, as well as an alternative source of returns and liquidity during downturns. They include assets and funds that tend to have low correlation to our return investments, such as:
• Alternative investment strategies
• Portfolio protection
• Bonds
• Cash
Ready to begin your journey with us?
Our Client Advisers are a great sounding board for all your financial questions. Below we answer some of the most common questions they have been asked.
What is inflation, and how does it affect my wealth?
Inflation is the increase in the general price of goods and services over time. Persistently high inflation can have a devastating impact on your wealth as it effectively erodes the real value of your money.
As the cost of living rises, the real value of your savings and investments can diminish. To preserve wealth, it is important to consider investments that can potentially outpace inflation, such as equities, property and inflation-protected bonds.
What is a bond?
Bonds are effectively loans made to governments or companies which are paid back with interest.
They can offer a regular and stable income to investors and can also be inflation-linked, to help investors protect their investment from the negative impact of rising prices.
What is equity?
Equity refers to ownership of a business or holding shares in a company. Those who own equity are called shareholders and have a claim on the company's assets and earnings. Equities can be held by individuals or other entities, such as investment funds.
Shareholders generally have the right to participate in company decisions and receive a share of profits, through dividends or capital appreciation. Owning equity can be a successful investment strategy, although there are risks associated with the performance and volatility of the company.
What is an alternative investment strategy?
Within our portfolios, alternative investment strategies are funds run by specialist third-party managers. They invest in areas that offer different sources of return than equity markets.
For example, some alternative investment strategies look to benefit from sustained patterns and price trends in financial assets, while others focus on identifying macroeconomic events and themes.
How do active and passive investment differ?
Active managers make proactive investment decisions based on research, analysis and judgement, with the goal of outperforming the market.
Passive management seeks to mirror the performance of a specific index, typically through rules-based investment strategies that require limited ongoing intervention.
What is discretionary investment management?
Discretionary management is an investing service where a professional manager makes investment decisions on behalf of their clients.
Within an agreed framework, the manager selects, buys and sells assets without needing prior approval, allowing portfolios to be actively managed in line with long-term goals.
UK wealth management insights
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Another debt ratio observation
Strategy Blog
CBO long-term US debt projections have improved since 2021 due to small assumption changes, highlighting forecast sensitivity, while rising bond yields reflect inflation and interest rate dynamics, not fiscal concerns.
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Inflation, stock valuations, AI FAQs
Market Perspective
Global markets remain resilient despite geopolitical tension and rising energy prices, supported by strong earnings and AI-driven optimism. However, elevated valuations, uneven sector dynamics and evolving inflation risks reinforce the importance of disciplined, long-term positioning within an uncertain macroeconomic environment.
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Hold and review: An approach for investments and tax
Insights
A long-term, disciplined approach to investing prioritises quality companies and wealth preservation over short-term trends. Amid significant changes to tax rules—particularly around inheritance and estates—careful planning, regular review, and close collaboration with advisers remain essential to achieving sustainable outcomes.