The End of One Journey Sparks the Beginning of the Next

As the end of the year is fast approaching, we thought we’d catch up with one of our investors, Gillian Keith, to see how she has found investing throughout 2016.

Gillian was the lucky winner of our ‘Win Your ISA’ competition back in April 2016. This was obviously a huge surprise for her, and so we’ve followed her investment journey since. But as it has come to the end of 2016, we can look back at the year and reflect on what was successful and what was not, as well as looking ahead into the future and begin planning our path for the New Year. With this in mind, we spoke to Gillian and asked her about her investment journey this past year and what she has planned for the future.

How do you find your investments have fared up throughout this past year?

My investments have done fairly well this year, particularly the ones in higher risk funds. But not all of them have been successful, and that’s why I am continuing to diversify my investments. Never put all your eggs in one basket, no matter how confident you may be at the time. Things can change!

Have your investments performed better or worse than you’d expected?

My investments have performed better than I expected, considering all the political upheaval we have experienced in 2016. I was prepared for more significant dips in the UK and global markets, but fortunately True Potential’s strategies have done well, and my funds have continued to grow.

What have you done differently with your investments during this year, compared to other years?

During this year I have changed my investment habits by remaining in a higher risk fund instead of backing off towards lower risk options, even when I got nervous about the markets.

What have you learned about investing this year?

I have learned that if you want to achieve significant gains, one needs to accept risk. I have learned a lot about investing on my own, although I still feel that after all I’ve learned, I am still more comfortable trusting the expertise of my fund managers! I have also learned from first-hand experience the importance of diversification and spreading risk. Even a product that looks like a sure thing can go wrong and become a big disappointment, so it’s always best to spread your funds around as much as possible and build up as broad a base as you can if you want to reduce risk.

Do you have a financial plan for the New Year?

In the New Year I am focusing on taking advantage of my low mortgage rate to make a bigger dent in that debt. I’ve decided to make that my priority in the coming months while the interest rates are low. However I always contribute to my ongoing investment plan month by month, and this usually goes into an ISA every April. This year I think I will have the courage to choose a more adventurous product for my ISA, although if I have enough to spare, I might also balance it with something cautious to spread the risk.

Gillian’s Stocks & Shares ISA has increased by over 20% since April, showing that her strategy of using a portfolio that uses Advanced Diversification is working in her favour.

If you’d like more information on our Portfolios, please contact our support team on 0800 046 8007 or by email at support@tpinvestor.com between 8am-8pm weekdays.

The opinions in this article should not be taken as financial advice and the investments referred to may not be suitable for all investors.