Our investment practice
Our investment practice offers a private client service providing portfolios tailored to your needs. We aim to buy high quality investments that you can hold for the long term
Read MoreOver forty years investment experience
The in-house investment management service is run by Robin Francis. He has extensive experience managing large institutional portfolios. In recent years Robin has chosen to work with private clients. He is passionate about applying the insights gained from working for large pension funds. This translates into portfolios that are largely composed of individual shares and bonds. The approach allows them to flexibly respond to your needs whilst keeping costs under control. Furthermore, it ensures that the portfolios are transparent and facilitates the analysis and management of risk.
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Services
We provide a bespoke portfolio management service where you rely on us to recommend the best investments for you
Growth Strategy
The aim is to make a minimum of 30% total return over three years
Growth strategies aim, not guarantee, to make a minimum of 30 percent total return (the sum of dividends and capital gains) over three years after fees and charges. The growth strategy invests mainly in shares and occasionally in out of favour bonds. Forecasts are not a reliable indicator of future performance
Pre-retirement strategy
The aim is to achieve a growing income combined with some capital gains, such that the overall value of the portfolio increases at a rate in excess of inflation.
The aim of the pre-retirement strategy is to achieve a growing income, combined with some capital gains, such that the overall value of the portfolio increases at a rate in excess of inflation. As with the income strategy, it employs a range of different investment approaches to achieve its aims, from corporate bonds, to out of favours bonds and dividend growth shares. Forecasts are not a reliable indicator of future performance
Income Strategy
Combining a growing income with modest capital gains
The objective with an income strategy is to combine a growing income with modest capital gains. The income strategy employs a range of different investment approaches to achieve its aims, from corporate inflation bonds, to out of favours bonds and preference shares.
Forecasts are not a reliable indicator of future performance
Defensive Strategy
A combination of corporate bonds, preference shares and property/infrastructure shares
The aim, not guarantee, is to achieve a total return of 4 to 5 percent per annum after all fees and charges on a rolling three-year basis. It uses a combination of corporate bonds, preference shares and property/infrastructure shares.
Our Proposition
To work with you to select the best approach and solution for your investment needs. We offer:
- Highly experienced investment managers who have worked for large institutional pension funds and private clients
- Bespoke portfolios largely constructed using individual shares and bonds. This allows us to flexibly respond to your needs whilst keeping costs under control. Furthermore, it ensures that your portfolio is transparent and facilitates the analysis and management of portfolio risk
- Regular updates on the markets and when changes are recommended to your portfolio. Any questions are answered directly by the investment manager
- A personal approach with the emphasis on understanding what you are trying to achieve
Latest News & Events All News
ARTIFICIAL INTELIGENCE AND GLOBAL STOCK MARKETS?
14 Oct, 2025
14.10.2025 Ever since the Liberation Day sell-off in April stock markets have climbed steadily. They have been propelled by optimism around Artificial Intelligence. Below we look at the outlook for stock markets for the rest of the year. Despite worries about a slowdown in the US economy, as the Trump tariffs feed through into the
CAN ASIAN EQUITIES CONTINUE TO PERFORM?
14 Oct, 2025
14.10.2025 Asian equities have performed strongly this year. With signs of stabilization in the Chinese housing market we look at whether this trend is likely to continue. Despite all the noise around tariffs Asian equities have performed strongly this year registering a double-digit gain in GBP terms. Below we look at whether this is likely
DO UK BONDS OFFER VALUE?
09 Jun, 2025
29.05.2025 With the 10 year UK government bond yielding an interest rate of around 4.75% I look at whether bonds offer value for investors. The price of bonds is heavily influenced by the outlook for interest rates. At present the key issue for UK monetary policy is high wage growth that has fed through into
WHAT IS THE OUTLOOK FOR THE US STOCK MARKET?
24 Apr, 2025
22.04.2025 The US stock market has fallen around 15% from its peak as President Trump’s tariffs have hurt market sentiment. Below we look at the outlook for the rest of the year. Goods entering the US are currently subject to a 10 percent universal tariff (with some exceptions). Chinese goods attract a punitive 145 percent
INCREASED DEFENSE SPENDING TO PROMOTE AN ECONOMIC REVIVAL?
26 Mar, 2025
17.03.2025 The German Parliament voted on Tuesday to allow much greater fiscal flexibility. Below we look at the implications for the European economy and equities. The German government’s borrowing and spending rules have been governed, for the last fourteen years, by what was known as the ‘debt brake’. This required both the Federal government and
ARE TARIFFS A TRUMP NEGOTIATING TACTIC?
12 Feb, 2025
06.02.2025 Over the weekend President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada. However, by Monday they had been postponed. Below we look at how the Trump tariff rhetoric should be interpreted. President Trump was elected on a promise of higher tariffs. Since his election victory, in November, it has been whether this represented