Announcements

The content on the Itsnotharry web site expands mainly because my discussions with investors help me to appreciate what they need.

It is clear that people want to understand better what they get for the hefty fees they pay advisers and I have written about that from various angles (see the ‘How to’ and ‘Real World’ articles).

Some people are fairly convinced that they are not getting what they really want and a few would like to learn about running their own portfolios. This is a decision that needs careful thought and probably a longish period of transition for the majority.

A year ago I might have been reluctant to encourage anyone but the most enthusiastic to go down the DIY route. But, to be blunt, I have seen examples of utterly confused and inappropriate advice from the professionals enough times now to realise that it is not just the excessive fees that make many IFAs a poor value proposition, it is also a real lack of expertise.

With this in mind, I am now extending my service offering to include, for a very few people, some personal training and education on a one-to-one basis. This is explained in a new ‘How to’ article. Here is a link.

I am drafting what will be a longish comprehensive article on investing in line with your conscience.

Ethical investment, sustainable investment and the quality of corporate governance are overlapping issues that make headlines quite often. The BBC published a piece on the subject on their web site just this week. I have been selecting or avoiding investment funds on ethical grounds for myself and a small number of my clients (when I was an IFA) for many years.

In my experience if someone is asked in a questionnaire if they want to invest ethically, a large majority say ‘yes’, but when the implications are properly explained many change their mind or say ‘as long as I will still make money’.

It IS possible to invest in ways that line up with your conscience (up to a point) but you need to understand what the consequences of constraining your choice mean and why in a capitalist world there is bound to be a tension between getting good returns and the trading methods of the investee business.

The topic is worthy of a book and I suppose several have been written on the subject. My objective as ever is to write enough to give you a good overview as an intelligent reader, but not bore you to tears.

I would welcome any questions or suggestions for aspects that ought to be covered as I work on the article or for adding in later.