Many people do not take the time to find out how their investment professional will construct their portfolios.

Many organisations run standard portfolios for all clients on a 'one size fits all' approach.  At Swallow Financial Planning we offer bespoke investment advice which encompasses all of your investments, including commercial property, let property, National Savings and other non collective funds.

If you want to "bet" on your investments then pick stock. If you want long term reliable investment growth, then asset allocate. Whilst asset allocation (i.e. the diversification of a client's investments into different types of assets such as property, cash, bonds and equities) seems both obvious and simple, it is in fact one of the most difficult (and sometimes complex) areas of our advice.

Most firms adopt standard asset allocation models for all clients. We provide a bespoke service.

We believe that no two investors are the same, so each client needs to have their investment portfolio constructed and maintained to best suit their individual requirements.  We have clients in their 80's who like high risk investments such as emerging markets and individual stocks and shares, whilst at the same time we have clients in their 30's who are very cautious and do not like to see any chance of their capital falling in value.

Passive investing uses low cost funds to follow market indices rather than paying managers to try and "second guess" future market outcomes.

Passive investing started in America 40 years ago and is now the predominant way in which most US investors buy equities.  In recent years, due to high charges and poor performance, it has been gaining popularity in the UK, and with the advent of low cost platforms, it is now becoming "main stream" in the UK.

Active investing involves using a fund manager or stockbroker to try and "second guess" future market outcomes.

Over the years there have been a handful of outstanding fund managers who have consistently achieved this objective and have done very well for their clients. Unfortunately, the vast majority of fund managers have been "also rans", costing investors high fees for performance which is less than the market indicie.

In the UK tax plays a huge part in defining net investment returns. Choosing the right tax wrapper for each investment is essential if you want to maximize your long term wealth.

There are many different forms of tax wrapper from pensions to ISAs, onshore and offshore bonds to qualifying savings plans.

Many people are put off using trusts to assist in their financial planning due to badly worded trusts, poor management and overcharging from many large bank and trust management companies.  Trusts can, however, help enormously with tax and family wealth management.  They can protect vulnerable people against bankruptcy, divorce or just themselves and they can enable a donor to manage significant gifts amongst a range of beneficiaries.