Size Doesn't Matter..

Whether you have a few hundred pounds in an equity ISA or a £100,000 in a Unit Trust or OEIC, Moneyspider.com gives you the facts to put you in control of your investments.

Regularly keeping up to date with how your funds are performing is critical if you are to maximise the returns you make.

Moneyspider.com allows you to:

• Monitor and rate your funds – Moneyspider.com monitors and rates the performance of your funds and gives you an up-to-date comparison with the top 10 performing funds per IMA sector – daily.

• Check out our top rated funds – When you rate active funds you'll get access to all our Top 10 funds per IMA sector based on our unique ratings as well as our Top funds per Moneyspider Rating ®, 1, 3 and 5 year performance

• Buy or switch a fund – Armed with this comparison information, Moneyspider.com lets you Buy or Switch a fund quicker, cheaper and easier than dealing direct with a fund manager.

The difference between the best and worst performing funds is enormous – it can be worth literally thousands per annum. £10,000 invested five years ago in Moneyspider’s top rated fund is today worth £19,994, yet the same amount invested in the worst rated fund would now be worth a paltry £4,475. Why not register today and see how Moneyspider.com can help you?

Source: Moneyspider.com / FE 24.06.12

Past performance is no guide to the future… but

We all know that past performance is no guarantee of future success. However, it could also be argued that past performance is the only guide to the future!
One of the key ways to choose a fund is to examine its past performance. By analysing how profitable a fund has been, you will get a 'feel' for the fund. Funds have their own individual characteristics. Getting to know these can help you to make decisions that are more intuitive and well-informed.
Many investors believe that certain funds do better or worse than others because they briefly outperform or underperform the averages. However, this is generally believed to be only a temporary phenomenon. Ultimately, funds are thought to revert back to the 'normal' middle ground. If one looks at the performance of funds over time, it is true that most funds do become average performers.
Nevertheless, look for some of the following when choosing a fund:

• The fund has outperformed similar funds in the same sector (e.g. Japan, US Smaller Companies)
• Despite occasional "off-years," the fund has made significant profits over the years.
• The fund consistently has made profits.
• The fund has outperformed some of the principal stock market indices (e.g. FT-SE 100, Dow Jones, S&P 500, etc.)

Some of these criteria may appear to be no more than common sense, but you would be surprised how many investors do not follow them. Often, investors buy a fund based on a "hot tip" from a friend or a "hunch." It is crucial that you know a fund well and can provide reasons for investing in it before you actually do so.
This is where Moneyspider can be so invaluable.
Moneyspider is an online service that not only allows you to monitor and rate your stocks and shares ISAs, Unit Trusts and OEIC investments, on a daily basis, 24/7, it also allows you to compare your funds with every one of the best performing funds in its sector and all other sectors, using our unique rating system.
Armed with this vital information, Moneyspider then provides an execution only buy and switch service, with discounted initial commission charges, making changing your funds a quick and simple process.
Tony Ahearne, Moneyspider.com

Ignorance is not Bliss - Equity Income for 2012

The bank of England recently voted to keep interest rates at their record low of 0.5%. It is over three years now since the base rate fell to its record low and there are no signs that interest rates will rise any time soon.

This is a major problem for anyone needing to receive an income from their savings. Cash has lost over 10% in value over the last three years* as a result of inflation.

This combined with austerity measures savaging our personal finances mean it is crucial to ensure we get the most from our investments.

The best equity income funds have succeeded in not only protecting investors’ savings from inflation but creating growth as well.

Income funds are not just a good hedge against inflation. Nor are they just for those investors looking for a source of income. Global brands with strong balance sheets are proving resilient to tough economic times and paying healthy dividends. If these are reinvested rather than taken as income, the size of our returns can grow and grow. 

Moneyspider.com, a unique fund monitoring, rating and comparison service, can show you which funds to consider. If you have an equity ISA, Unit Trust or OEIC, get a rating, an online report available 24/7 and see how they compare against other funds with the same and other sectors.

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to losing money.

Source: Moneyfacts.co.uk