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Private Investor Edition

Professional Investor Edition

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Welcome to the FE Trustnet Education Centre

Here you'll find educational material designed to help you understand the investment options available to you, alongside useful links to tools and resources across the site, sorted into categories which complement your investment strategy.

If you have any queries, or can't find what you're looking for please click here

1. Portfolio objectives & constraints

The first thing an investor must do before developing a portfolio is decide upon a clear set of objectives, without which it would be impossible to determine an acceptable level of risk, and apply the constraints needed to achieve returns in that context.

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2. Risk & return in a portfolio

Understanding risk is a key element of portfolio construction, and failure to understand it can create major problems for investors. Various strategies are employed by managers to create funds which are attractive to investors who are concerned about their exposure to risk, and FE Trustnet provides a number of tools designed to help you understand risk yourself.

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3. Portfolio Modelling

The majority of positive returns are won by strong asset allocation, many investment experts believe, so a good grasp of the basics of portfolio modelling is an essential step toward a more productive portfolio.

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4. Cash and money markets

Cash and money market investments provide a valuable, low risk complement to any balanced portfolio, and are particularly useful for investors who need rapid access to part of their savings and a predictable, low volatility return profile for the same.

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5. Fixed interest

Fixed interest investments offer a lower risk, income producing alternative to equity investments, and can be useful for investors at many stages of the portfolio life cycle.

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6. Investing in equities

Equity investments offer exposure to global stock markets through a diverse and exciting variety of strategies. Returns are available in both capital and income terms, but volatility can be unpredictable, and can vary greatly between different strategies so a careful eye to stock selection coupled with a strong understanding of asset allocation is essential.

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7. Investment Trusts

Investment trusts provide a flexible and resilient alternative to unit trusts and Oeics, allowing investors to gain exposure to niche areas as well as better known investment themes covered by other investment strategies. Often overlooked by less experienced investors, these vehicles are a vital asset to any serious investment plan.

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8. Investing in property

Property offers an attractive means to diversify an investment portfolio away from the usual split between fixed interest and equities toward an attractive asset class offering strong potential yields and capital growth. Strategies vary however, with some property funds holding actual property while others invest in companies exposed to the sector, so it is essential to know how to tell the difference.

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9. Analysing companies

A solid understanding of the underlying companies which funds invest in, either through their fixed interest exposure or by buying equities, can be very helpful to investors looking for greater control and peace of mind when managing their portfolio.

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The most popular type of investment fund among private investors in the UK, providing diversification and professionally managed asset allocation in a simple package.

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Learn more about closed ended funds and the advantages of this uniquely resilient structure.

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Discover the tax advantages of these specialist vehicles, which include special tax incentives to encourage you to invest in small business in the UK.

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Gain instant access to a multitude of indices through these simple, transparent and cheap products.

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Learn more about these exotic products, designed to provide a specified return over a set period.

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Discover a world of funds outside the UK offering exposure to even more potentially lucrative growth streams across the globe.

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Find out how you can invest in the stock market through your pension.

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Discover the funds which can be used to support your life insurance policy.

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