Archived article
Please note that tax, investment, pension and ISA rules can change and the information and any views contained in this article may now be inaccurate.
What is the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to lighten your research load. There are thousands of funds out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our robust, independent selection process.
What have we changed?
We keep our Favourite funds list under constant review to ensure we have the highest conviction in the funds on the list, and to find new funds with better potential to achieve their objectives.
As a result of this work, we’ve recently added the Trojan Ethical Fund.
Why have we added this fund?
The Trojan Ethical fund is a flexible multi asset strategy, and a sister strategy to the flagship Trojan fund of Troy Asset Management. The fund embodies the tenets of the company, with its focus on preserving capital and targeting steady returns regardless of the market backdrop.
Flexibility is a key strength, as the manager can vary allocation to the four asset classes (equity, fixed income, gold and cash) depending on their market outlook. Strict exclusions are also applied, which prevent the manager from purchasing companies that sell alcohol, tobacco, armaments and gambling, among others.
We believe investors in this fund are rewarded with an experienced management team with a long track record of managing multi-asset vehicles in all weathers. For ethical investors, we also believe the fund has sufficient defensive protection that can also potentially generate positive returns over time.
The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to help you choose your investments, but isn’t a personal recommendation. If you own funds not included on the list, it doesn’t mean we recommend that you sell them. If you’re not confident about making your own financial decisions, or are looking for advice, you should speak to a suitably qualified financial adviser. Remember that the value of investments can change, and you could lose money as well as make it.
We hope you find this update useful. Please remember that it falls to you to monitor and manage your own investments and to make any changes you think are necessary. Keep in mind this is information only, and not a personal recommendation to buy or sell any of the funds referenced above.
Written by:
Ryan Hughes
Ryan Hughes, Investments Director - AJ Bell Investments
Ryan started his career in 1999 working for an independent financial adviser, progressing to become Head of Portfolio Management at an award-winning advisory firm. Ryan then joined a global asset management firm as a Fund Manager, where he oversaw more than £10bn of multi-asset portfolios and also sat on the investment and global asset allocation committees. After seven years, Ryan joined a small multi-asset boutique managing portfolios for clients all around the world, before joining AJ Bell in 2016 to help establish our investment capability and overseeing all investment research for AJ Bell. In 2022, Ryan was appointed as Head of Investment Partnerships with responsibility for managing bespoke portfolios tailored to specific adviser needs and then in 2023, Ryan was made Investments Director with oversight of AJ Bell’s investment capability.
Ryan is a member of the CFA UK Society, is frequently asked for his views in the press and on panel debates while also being recognised as one of the leading fund researchers in the UK.