Fund Selection : Research Process

• Simple, thorough and consistent process.
• Research Manager and Investment Committee supporting the process.
• We believe in the fundamentals of consistent performance.
• We only select and invest in funds that our research supports.
• We do not simply follow fund managers.
• We do not try and guess the market when buying or selling funds.
• We look after your money as if it were our own.
• We undertake all the fund research using online fund analysis tools such as Morningstar.
• We are in regular contact with fund management companies and their fund managers.
• We are in regular attendance at fund management presentations and conferences.

The selected funds become our FUND PANELS.

• For each asset class we devise a PANEL.
• From these panels we select 2 or 3 funds to be our "Preferred Funds" and this list is reviewed regularly.
• The Preferred Funds are the funds that we put new or rebalanced client money into.
• Preferred Funds will change over time as performance changes positively and negatively for funds.

• The WATCH LIST is made up of funds with the potential of making it onto our panel. We monitor their performance but only introduce a new fund onto the panel, when one is removed. This keeps our fund choices concise and easier to manage.
• We review our panels on a regular basis along with a WATCH LIST of funds to ensure that the performance levels are still good and that we are not missing out on any up and coming funds.

• Funds on the Panel and Watch list have their performance monitored over regular time periods.
• We compare the performance of each fund against its peer group and the funds on our Panel.
• We are looking for consistency of performance across the time periods.
• It is not just about performance at all costs - we also consider the level of risk for the potential reward as well as stock selection.