The Favourite Funds list is AJ Bell’s pick of the best funds for medium to long-term growth or to provide income. Funds only make it onto the list if they offer a combination of:
· Great value for money
· Proven track record compared to benchmark and peers
· A high quality fund management team
The Favourite Funds list is made up of both active and tracker funds.
The active funds on the list have been assessed on a number of criteria including the ability and style of the fund manager, investment objective, performance and cost.
The passive funds on the list have been chosen following careful research evaluating the fund manager’s ability to successfully track the chosen index, the investment approach to index replication (physical only), cost and the liquidity within the fund.
The funds will be consistently monitored to ensure they are performing as expected in the relevant market conditions and remain appropriate as one of AJ Bell’s top choices.
Fund selection tool
The fund selection tool provides a simple three step process that enables DIY investors to drill down into the Favourite Funds list to find the funds that suit their investment goals. Firstly they select their investment goal – growth, income or both; secondly they choose the type of funds they want to consider – active, passive or both; and finally they select the sectors they want to explore from all the main sectors around the world.
The funds are then shown in a simple table and can be sorted by annual charge, three year performance, annual yield or by ratings provided by Square Mile (active only), the independent fund research company.
A simplified fact sheet is shown for each fund in the table which explains why it was selected for the AJ Bell Favourite Funds list, its investment objective and its performance. Investors are encouraged to do their own research by linking through to the full Factsheet, key investor information document and an independent report from Square Mile.
The Favourite Funds list and fund selection tool can be viewed at – https://www.youinvest.co.uk/investment-ideas/favourite
Ryan Hughes, head of fund selection at AJ Bell, comments:
“There are literally thousands of funds in the market and it is impossible for retail investors to research them all individually. We consistently get feedback from customers asking for more help when they are selecting funds for their portfolios. To address that we have created a list of our favourite funds that we believe offer some of the best investment opportunities for DIY investors. To make the process even easier we have created a tool that enables investors to drill down into that list based on their personal needs to find the best investment funds for their portfolio.”