Simple Guides

Confucius, the Chinese philosopher, once famously said: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” Our Simple Guides are written in an easy to understand format aiming to provide an introduction to the basic concepts of investing in the financial markets.

A simple guide to Absolute Returns

Absolute return funds aim to deliver a positive (‘absolute’) return to investors regardless of whether the wider market in which they invest rises or falls. 

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Please remember that absolute return bond funds do not guarantee positive returns. Performance will be impacted by market movements and the investment decisions made by the fund manager.

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A simple guide to Bonds

Bonds are debt securities issued by companies, governments and the like. For investors, they can provide a stream of returns. 

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In this guide we explore their structure, why their prices go up and down, and some of the key benefits and drawbacks of investing in them. By speaking to a financial adviser, you can discuss whether investing in bonds is right for you.

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A simple guide to Equities

Equities... shares... stocks – in the financial markets they mean the same thing: slices of company ownership. In this guide we explore their structure, why their prices go up and down,

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and some of the key benefits and drawbacks of investing in them. By speaking to a financial adviser, you can discuss whether investing in equities may be right for you.

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A simple guide to Fund Pricing

A fund pools the money of lots of investors to buy a portfolio of assets. The price of these assets fluctuates and so does the size of the fund as investors buy and sell shares. 

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So pricing the fund is complex and need to be fair to both ongoing investors in the fund and those wishing to deal (buy or sell the fund). In this guide we explain what this means in practice.

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A simple guide to Growth vs Value Investing

Investors use many different approaches when putting their money to work. Two of the classic approaches are ‘growth investing’ and ‘value investing’, which we explain in this guide.

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These approaches are often said to be part of the 'investment style' of particular funds, and fund managers may use them when evaluating equities ( company shares).

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A simple guide to the Janus Henderson Index Opportunities Funds

The Janus Henderson Index Opportunities range comprises five funds. The funds are design primarily for institutional investors but are also available to retail investors.

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These funds seek to provide exposure to a particular regional equity market but with low volatility* around a customised index. Through the use of a number of investment strategies they seek to achieve performance above that of a purely passive investment approach.

*Volatility here reflects the extent to which price movements in the fund deviates from movement in the index. High deviations reflect higher volatility.

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A simple guide to Derivatives

The earliest examples of financial derivatives date back to Ancient Greece and the olive harvest. Today they are important in the global financial system and can be used for many purposes.

A simple guide to Fund Charges

Investment management can appear a complex business. When you invest in a fund, we work hard behind the scenes to pool your money with that of other investors in the fund. All of this costs money, so this guide helps you to understand the charges and expenses incurred by funds.