Rob Gleeson
Rob Gleeson (pictured), head of FE Research, says forward planning means he is not getting caught up in the rush to beat the ISA deadline.
"The ISA season is not relevant to me. I pay in regular amounts each month, so 5 April has no special significance," he said. "Also, I don't feel the need to add to my portfolio just for the sake of it."
Rather than adding a lump sum every April, Gleeson says he invests in his ISA steadily throughout the year, which gives him the added benefit of taking advantage of opportunities that come up at other times.
"I don't have a lump sum kicking around every spring, so I pay into my ISA through a monthly savings plan," he added.
"I'll carry on adding to it as I always have. I doubt I'll be adding any additional funds and will just add to the ones I already hold – that might change as I review it throughout the year."
"My ISA is built around a 15- to 20-year view and has a specific purpose – my trading account is where I engage in pointless speculation," he said.
Gleeson is considering adding to his holdings in the five crown-rated M&G Global Basics fund, which he says is currently a smaller part of his portfolio than he would like.
From a long-term perspective, the £5.1bn fund has been a solid bet, returning 342.2 per cent over 10 years, while the IMA Global sector has gained 148.47 per cent, according to FE Analytics.
Performance of fund vs sector over 10yrs
Source: FE Analytics
However, it has lagged the sector over one, three and five years, although it has continued to deliver returns well ahead of cash over each period.
The fund requires a minimum investment of £500 and has an ongoing charges figure (OCF) of 1.67 per cent.
Charles Younes
"Like Rob, I don’t really care about the ISA season," said Charles Younes (pictured), fund analyst at FE Research.
"But I’m currently contemplating selling my investment in Standard Life Global Absolute Return Strategy (GARS).""I really like the team and the underlying strategy, but the high inflows have really been too much over the last six months. I’m currently looking to invest in another hedge fund."
Younes is considering the four crown-rated Cazenove Absolute UK Dynamic fund as an alternative to Standard Life GARS.
"I like the Cazenove Absolute UK Dynamic fund, co-managed by FE Alpha Manager Paul Marriage and John Warren," he said.
Younes adds that, in the current economic climate, he only wants exposure to equities because he believes other asset classes do not offer attractive returns for the level of volatility associated with them.
"Hence I have a strong preference for long/short equity strategies, rather than a global macro or absolute bond fund," he said.
"I don’t really like managers who are playing with their net exposure to make gains in rising markets."
"Hence Alpha is the ratio I’m very focused on. Relative to the Absolute Return sector, the Cazenove fund has been ranked in the top quartile over the last 36 months. Furthermore the fund’s current net exposure remains low, with no strong sector bets."
"I think I may have missed the period when the fund performed superbly," he admitted. "But the fund remains low in terms of assets under management."
"It’s also quite a young fund, as the fund’s inception was September 2009. I believe there is still some upside potential."
Over the fund’s three-year history, it has made 32.69 per cent, well ahead of the IMA Absolute Return sector average of 8.25 per cent.
The FTSE All Share made 32.04 per cent over the period.
Performance of fund vs sector and index over 3yrs
Source: FE Analytics
The fund has an Alpha score of 7.07 per cent over three years, the second-best figure in the sector behind CF Odey UK Absolute Return.
The fund requires a minimum investment of £1,000 and has an OCF of 1.64 per cent.
It has £283.5m AUM
Amandine Thierree
Instead of topping up her ISA through individual holdings, Amandine Thierree (pictured), an analyst on the FE Research team, has opted for a managed solution that fits her long-term investment horizon.
Her aggressive portfolio includes funds that invest in traditionally higher growth areas of the market, such as smaller companies, high yield bonds and emerging markets. JPM UK Smaller Companies is one of the top-10 holdings in her portfolio.
The £124.2m fund, headed up by Georgina Brittain, has beaten the FTSE Small Cap (ex IT) index over three, five and 10 years, although it has underperformed the IMA UK Smaller Companies sector over one and three years.
The fund has experienced a surge in performance in the short-term, picking up 21.68 per cent over the past six months compared with 17.85 per cent from the sector.
Performance of fund vs sector and index over 6 months
Source: FE Analytics
Thierree says that she will allocate to individual funds as her investment goals become more specific, but because her current horizon is for the extreme long-term, she is seeking only long-term growth.