ii Super 60 investments

Overview

ii Super 60 investments:Vanguard LifeStrategy® 80% Equity Fund

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Asset GroupAsset Sub-GroupInvestment Category
AlternativesMixed assetLow cost

Vanguard employs the same consistent approach globally, with the same team responsible for both the UK and US versions of the Vanguard LifeStrategy range as well as the group’s target-date funds. The team implements the strategy using Vanguard’s highly regarded passives to minimise costs with many of these underlying funds also rated positively by Morningstar’s research analysts. 

The portfolio is 80% equities and 20% fixed income. Within equities, the broad breakdown is 25% UK and 75% overseas. The latter includes US, Europe, Japan, and a small exposure to emerging markets. Within bonds, the broad mix is 30% UK and 70% overseas. The latter includes government bonds and corporate investment grade. The UK portion also includes a dedicated allocation to index-linked (by way of holding the Vanguard UK Inflation-Linked Gilt Index fund). All non-sterling bonds are held via GBP-hedged index funds while all overseas equities are left unhedged.

Vanguard reviews the allocations annually, although they rarely change. Rebalancing to the static asset allocation takes place on a daily basis, however in 2021, Vanguard loosened its rebalancing policy to allow the allocation to drift up to 200 basis points from its target, depending on market volatility. The higher tolerance is unlikely to be used outside of extremely volatile markets, like March and April 2020, but it should help reduce forced trading in those environments and extra trading costs.

Opinion
The fund employs a straightforward, diversified and low-cost approach, making it a sound long-term option. It is part of a range of five fixed-allocation funds. Vanguard’s approach to its LifeStrategy range is simple and transparent offering five funds differentiated by their target equity/bond allocations.

This fund has historically benefitted from its large allocation to overseas equities, and in particular US equities, when compared to Morningstar Category peers.

March 2024

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Risk warnings
Past performance of the underlying constituents is not a guarantee of future performance. The value of investments, and any income from them, can fall as well as rise so you could get back less than you invest. 
Annual performance can be found on the factsheet of each fund, trust or ETF. Simply click on the asset’s name and then the performance tab. 
The information we provide in the ii Super 60 investments list is an opinion provided by ii or one of its partners on whether to buy a specific investment. Please note that none of the opinions we provide are a “personal recommendation”, which means that we have not assessed your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. Therefore you should ensure that any investment decisions you make are suitable for your personal circumstances.
If you are unsure about the suitability of a particular investment or think that you need a personal recommendation, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial advisor. 
Any changes to the ii Super 60 investments list and the rationale behind those decisions will be communicated through the Quarterly Investment Outlook.
Details of all recommendations issued by ii during the previous 12 month period can be found here.
ii adheres to a strict code of conduct. Members of ii staff may hold shares in companies mentioned in the ii Super 60 investments list, which could create a conflict of interest. Any member of staff intending to complete some research about any financial instrument in which they have an interest are required to disclose such interest to ii. We will at all times consider whether such interest impairs the objectivity of the recommendation.
In addition, staff involved in the production of this ii Super 60 list are subject to a personal account dealing restriction. This prevents them from placing a transaction in the specified instrument(s) for five working days before and after an investment is included or amended and made public within the list. This is to avoid personal interests conflicting with the interests of the recipients of this ii Super 60 investments list.