Featured and Latest Posts
Understanding the Different Types of Bonds in the UK
When it comes to building a balanced portfolio, bonds are often overshadowed by the flashier world of shares. Yet fixed interest bonds remain a crucial tool for investors seeking reliable income and capital preservation. In the UK, the bond market is diverse—ranging from government-backed gilts to environmentally focused green bonds. This post breaks down the key types of bonds available to UK investors, explaining how they work, who issues them, and why they deserve a place in your investment strategy.
The Basics of Investing: A Beginner’s Guide for UK Investors
New to investing and not sure where to start? This beginner-friendly guide breaks down the fundamentals—from what shares and bonds are to how discounted cash flow works. Tailored for UK investors, we also explore risk, diversification, and how to use tax-efficient tools like ISAs and SIPPs. Learn how to build a solid financial foundation and make your money work harder, one step at a time.
The Irrelevance of Dividend Investing
While dividend-paying stocks are popular among income-seeking investors, academic research shows that dividends offer no additional return once key risk factors are accounted for. This article explores why high profitability—rather than dividend yield—is a more reliable indicator of long-term performance. We compare Dimensional’s High Profitability ETF with the NOBL Dividend Aristocrats ETF to highlight differences in factor exposure, sector risk, and tax efficiency, and explain why profitability-focused investing may be the smarter choice.
Factor Investing in Equities: An Evidence-Based Approach to Outperformance
Factor investing is one of the most researched and effective frameworks for building diversified portfolios and enhancing long-term returns. This post offers an in-depth, evidence-based exploration of the key factors—such as value, size, momentum, and profitability—that have consistently delivered risk premia across decades and market regimes. Drawing on academic research and real-world implementation, we unpack how systematic strategies can outperform, why timing factors is difficult, and why diversification across factors remains essential.
Good financial decisions aren’t about predicting the future—they’re about following a sound process today.
In investing, outcomes are noisy. Short-term performance often reflects randomness, not skill. Yet fund managers continue to pitch five-year track records as if they prove anything. They don’t.
As Ken French puts it, a five-year chart ‘tells you nothing’. The real skill lies in filtering out the noise—evaluating strategy, incentives, costs, and behavioural fit.
Don’t chase what worked recently. Stick with what works reliably.