Trustnet Magazine Issue 14 January 2016 | Page 22

INVESTMENT STRATEGY FLEXIBLE INVESTMENT Expertly navigating the UK Investment trusts from Schroders For UK investors, home shores can form the bedrock of an investment portfolio. RIT Capital Partners had traded on a high premium to net asset value for some time, but it got hit in 2009 and fell to an 8 per cent discount, which is when Dampier bought it. It now trades on a 6.3 per cent premium, which he says new investors need to be aware of, and again is something that won’t become clear if you only look at the performance figures. “You can compare open- and closed-ended funds to a point, but you need to recognise the discount issues, the asset allocation calls and the views of the underlying managers as they are all just as important as the previous performance numbers,” he said. Launched in 2000 as a rollover vehicle for exJupiter employees, the £81m New Star IT largely houses the fortunes of John Duffield, who founded New Star and Brompton Asset Management. The trust, managed by Brompton’s chief investment officer Gill Larkin, sits on a discount to NAV of 36 per cent. It tops the rankings of the new AIC Flexible Investment sector over one and three years, returning 43.36 per cent and 61.42 per cent versus the sector mean of 8.26 per cent and 20.99 per cent. RIT Capital Partners is a self-managed investment trust, run by Ron Tabbouche and chaired by Lord Rothschild. It comes recommended by Dampier, who holds it in his SIPP, as well as Winterflood. 20 There are three trusts in the Schroders UK range: Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund plc, investing in medium-sized companies; Schroder Income Growth Fund plc, aiming to provide both income and growth, and Schroder UK Growth Fund plc, which seeks to capitalise on the growth potential of UK companies. As with any investment, investment trusts carry risk. The value of an investment trust will rise and fall in value, and you may not get back what you put in. As these trusts concentrate on only the UK, they can carry more risks than those trusts that are spread across a number of regions. Elliott adds that the funds in the new AIC sector are good long-term savings vehicles for retail investors who are wary of the volatility the stock market provides. THE TOP PERFORMER NEW STAR IT THE CRITICS’ CHOICE RIT CAPITAL PARTNERS That’s why you’ll find some of our most senior investment talent at the helm of our longstanding UK investment trusts. Our managers bring an average of 26 years’ industry experience to managing the trusts. So if skilled hands are important on your investment voyage, make Schroders your first port of call. WHILE RIT AND THE PERSONAL ASSETS TRUST SIT IN THE SAME SECTOR, THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT IN THEIR MAKE-UP Simon Elliott at Winterflood says it has developed an impressive long-term track record by investing across a range of asset classes. “It offers many of the attributes of a family office under the influence of its founder and largest shareholder, Lord Rothschild,” he said. Whether your focus is growth, income or a combination, our deep knowledge of the UK can help you chart the right course. Talk to your financial adviser or visit schroders.co.uk/its THE CHARITY PLAY BACIT The Battle Against Cancer I