DIY vs managed

[TeenagersAngst]

I have a St James Place retirement account (yes, I know, very high fees)...

I have just had a meeting with my financial advisor there and asked him what I could do with 100k sitting in what was a high interest savings account but is now only getting 3.5% due to the BoE rate cuts.

He suggested setting up an ISA and unit trust feeder (GIA) which makes sense but the fees are just so high it puts me off having any more of my money with them. I already have a S&S ISA with Fidelity so am just considering doing it myself.

The SJP fund is called Polaris and my investments are doing around 10% which is fine. I can't buy into this fund on Fidelity as it's an SJP in-house investment - but can anyone suggest similar multi-asset funds with similar performance? Thank you.

I'm getting close to 20% on Vanguard ESG Developed World All Cap Equity Index Fund GBP Inc and around 16% on Vanguard ESG Screened Developed World All Cap Equity Index Inc

Thanks @NoBinturongsHereMate I'll take a look.

Which Polaris fund were you thinking of? If I recall correctly they are numbered 1 to 4 with each one offering a different level of risk depending on your own risk appetite and investment objectives.

Most retail fund managers will have similar products.

It’s Polaris 3 that I’m invested in for my retirement account

The (vague, almost fact-free) prospectus for Polaris 3 states that it is for investors seeking growth over five years or more, and that it would normally have 80% of the value in equities with the rest in fixed interest or alternative investments, although the split could vary between 60:40 and 100:0. It is a fund of funds, so should be more diversified than an equivalent with individual company holdings.

Other MN users go on about the Vanguard LifeStrategy 80% fund which I imagine will roughly fish in the same pool, but if you are happy with Fidelity why not go to their 'navigator', and follow the algorithm with your own objectives and risk tolerance to see what it suggestions it spits out. Fidelity also have their own Retirement Builder fund.

I’m think the isa unit trust feeder is a really good idea and I’m not sure if there’s anything else that does that. I’m on the fence about investing with SJP (Polaris 3 for the bulk of the money and Polaris 4 for the isa). From what I can see their fees have reduced a bit but still seem eye watering compared to vanguard