Guide
Reading fund factsheets before you keep an old holding
Inherited portfolios and old workplace schemes often contain funds chosen a decade ago. The name on the statement may sound familiar; the underlying holdings may have drifted. Download the current factsheet rather than relying on memory of the original brochure.
Check the stated objective against your own horizon. An accumulation fund focused on capital growth may not suit someone who needs steady withdrawals within five years. Note the ongoing charges figure and any performance fee language buried in footnotes.
Top ten holdings reveal concentration. If several of your funds own the same large companies, your “diversified” mix may be thinner than it looks. Currency exposure and sector tilts matter when most of your income and spending stay in sterling.
You do not need to become a fund analyst. You do need enough clarity to ask an adviser whether keeping, trimming, or replacing a holding serves the income plan you actually live with.