SG UK Index Linked Fund

Advantages: tracks ftse uk index,low charges, spread risk , can be ISA'd
Disadvantages: covers all sectors, can miss out on sector over performance

...where to look? Well Fidelity Moneybuilder Index Fund fits the bill for me. It is available from Fidelity's Funds Network which is a supermarket of investment funds with over 950 different funds from 55 fund managers. Fidelity Moneybuilder UK index ------------------------------------------ Aims to track the FTSE all share index which means it invests in the Large FTSE 100 companies down to smaller companies in the main market, but not AIM market stocks. Performance On the fidelity website you have a very useful feature that gives you an overview of each fund. Over five years the fund has returned 4.9% now remember that the market fell 28% from 2001-2002 over three years the fund returned 23.6% and over a year 27% Charges Now this is where Fidelity score over the competition. There is no initial charge on ISA and ISA... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: they're not bad but far from the best
Disadvantages: very expensive management charges

...At 1% management charges, Virgin are very expensive. There are plenty of other UK Trackers which do the same job with charges from 0.1% - 0.5%. Why would you want to give them extra cash? I know that some others (especially the biggest banks) not only levy initial charges but also charge a massive 1.5%pa. Again they are not better at what they do. Who do you think pays for the City boys' bonuses each year? Most trackers have no intitial charges so if yours isn't performing well or has high management charges (over 0.53%) why not take your funds elsewhere? Consider M& G, Legal & General, F&C (although there performance is variable). A bit of research could pay huge dividends, particularly over the long term.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: The fund tends to outperform in flat and falling markets, high dividend yield of around 3%, good long term performance and good manager
Disadvantages: Large £2.6 billion in size makes fund less flexible, 5% initial charge, underperforms when growth stocks are fashionable

...I invested in this fund in september 1998 for my final PEP allowance before PEP's were abolished by the New Labour government. I had been tracking this fund before investing in it. At the time of investing the financial markets were in turmoil caused by the Asian financial crisis, the collapse of the large hedge fund Long Term Capital Management and currency devaluations in emerging markets. I think interest rates in the UK were also on the rise at the time. My strategy in buying this fund was to try and make a purchase close to the bottom of the UK market and get a good price. I didn't quite manage to make a purchase at the absolute bottom of the market but was close making a purchase at around 138p per unit. The fund pays a dividend yield that aims to be in excess of the yield on the FTSE All Share index. The objective of the fund... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful