Timeline and Vanguard LifeStrategy are both excellent solutions for UK investors. But which should you choose? ROBIN POWELL takes a closer look.
I generally try to avoid recommending specific investment solutions. I’m a journalist, not a financial adviser, and in my view, almost every investor should seek professional advice, even if they only pay for a one-off consultation.
I say that because investing is an important and quite possibly life-long commitment. More importantly, we’re all unique, with different circumstances, goals and capacities for risk. There certainly isn’t one solution that’s right for everyone.
If, however, I really am pressed on the matter, my answer is always the same; . If you choose to work on an ongoing basis with a evidence-based financial planner — which I genuinely believe is the gold standard — you should look for a planner who uses Timeline Portfolios. If, on the other hand, you would prefer, and are able, to manage your own investments, it’s hard to make a case for anything other than Vanguard LifeStrategy.
Nobody has a crystal ball, and no one knows the optimal portfolio for the next few decades, but if you choose either Timeline or LifeStrategy and, crucially, you invest in a portfolio with the right level of risk for you, and stick with it through thick and thin, I have no doubt that you will enjoy a successful outcome.
But let’s say you had no preference either way. Which one’s better than the other — Timeline or LifeStrategy?
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Robin Powell and Jonathan Hollow have been friends since childhood and share a passion for helping people understand the world of money, savings, pensions and investments.
Now they’ve authored a book called How to Fund the Life You Want, which explains in plain English what you need to know to pay for the life you want to lead.
The book is published by Bloomsbury and is primarily written for a UK audience.
It’s available to buy on Amazon, on Bookshop.org, and in all good bookshops. There’s an eBook and an audio book version as well.
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