- This edition features an in-depth report on when financial advice is worth paying for and why fund choice alone is not enough to build an efficient portfolio.
- The magazine includes updated performance data, sector rankings and Yodelar ratings for more than 3,000 Investment Association sector classified funds.
- Our latest analysis reviews portfolio mistakes that can quietly damage returns, including fund duplication, poor diversification, weak fund selection and risk drift.
- This edition also includes detailed reviews of the Hargreaves Lansdown Wealth Shortlist and Baillie Gifford fund range, highlighting both stronger and weaker performing funds.
- The fund manager league table ranks 80 fund management brands based on the proportion of their funds that achieved strong or weak Yodelar performance ratings.
This edition provides investors with practical, evidence based insight into fund performance, portfolio structure, advice value and wider market trends. It brings together detailed fund research, sector level performance data, fund manager comparisons and investor education to help readers better understand how their portfolio is positioned.
Each article is built around fund data, sector rankings and clear performance comparisons. The aim is to help investors look beyond headline returns and identify whether their funds are genuinely competitive, whether their portfolio is properly structured and whether professional advice may add value.
What's Featured In The Latest Magazine?
1. When Is Financial Advice Worth Paying For?
This featured report looks at the role of financial advice and why its value should not be judged only by whether an adviser can choose funds. Many investors are comfortable selecting funds themselves, but a portfolio is more than a list of holdings. It should reflect risk, time horizon, tax position, income needs, diversification and long term objectives.
In this article:
We explain why advice can add value through portfolio construction, risk management, tax planning, behavioural discipline and ongoing review. The article also highlights why a portfolio built mainly from strong past performing funds can still be duplicated, concentrated or exposed to more risk than the investor intended.
Summary:
This article helps investors understand when advice may be worth paying for and why the cost of poor portfolio structure can be harder to see than the cost of advice itself.
2. Portfolio Mistakes That Can Quietly Damage Portfolio Returns
This report focuses on the portfolio issues that are often missed by investors. A portfolio can rise in value and still contain weaknesses that may reduce future returns or increase risk. These issues often include repeated exposure, poor fund selection, cluttered holdings and risk levels that have drifted over time.
In this article:
We explore how portfolios can look diversified while holding several funds that invest in the same companies, sectors or regions. The article also explains why strong returns can hide weaker funds and why a fund can deliver a positive return while still ranking poorly compared with similar funds.
Summary:
This article gives investors a practical framework for reviewing whether their current holdings still work together and whether each fund still has a clear purpose.
3. Do Higher Fund Charges Lead To Better Fund Performance?
Charges are one of the few costs investors can see before they invest. However, a lower cost fund is not automatically better and a higher cost fund is not automatically poor. The more useful question is whether the charge is justified by the fund’s performance, sector ranking, rating profile and role within the wider portfolio.
In this article:
Yodelar analysed 4,218 Investment Association sector classified funds with available ongoing charges figure data. The analysis grouped funds by cost and reviewed how each group was distributed across Yodelar Rating bands. The highest cost quartile had the weakest rating profile, with 68.5% of funds rated 1 or 2 stars. When funds were compared within their own IA sectors, the highest cost group again had the weakest rating profile, with 69.3% rated 1 or 2 stars.
Summary:
This article shows that higher charges were not associated with stronger Yodelar Ratings in this dataset. It reinforces why fund charges should always be reviewed alongside performance, sector ranking, risk and the fund’s role in the portfolio.
4. Hargreaves Lansdown Wealth Shortlist Review 2026
The Hargreaves Lansdown Wealth Shortlist is used by many investors as a shortcut when selecting funds. While it can help narrow fund choice, it should not replace proper fund by fund research.
In this article:
We analyse funds on the Wealth Shortlist to assess their historic sector relative performance. The review found that the list includes funds with strong sector rankings, but also several funds with weaker historic performance compared with their Investment Association sector peers. The analysis also identifies several Wealth Shortlist funds with 1 star Yodelar Ratings.
Summary:
This article helps investors understand that shortlist inclusion does not automatically mean a fund has consistently performed well. Each fund still needs to be assessed on its own performance, sector ranking, risk, cost and role within the portfolio.
5. Baillie Gifford Fund Performance Review
Baillie Gifford remains one of the most recognised fund managers in the UK, particularly for its long term growth focused investment style. However, recent performance has been difficult across much of its fund range.
In this article:
Yodelar analysed 26 Baillie Gifford funds. None achieved a 5 star Yodelar Rating, only 1 achieved a 4 star rating, and 19 were rated 1 star. Several well known Baillie Gifford funds have ranked near the bottom of their sectors over 5 years, although the 10 year picture is more balanced for some of the group’s major funds.
Summary:
This review separates long term reputation from recent performance. It helps investors assess whether any Baillie Gifford funds they hold still justify their place in the portfolio and whether their portfolio has become too dependent on one investment style.
Fund Manager League Table
The Fund Manager League Table ranks more than 70 fund management brands based on the proportion of their funds that have achieved consistent top quartile performance over 1, 3 and 5 years. Using data from almost four thousand funds, the report highlights fund houses with a strong record of competitive performance and those that have a higher concentration of weaker funds.
Key Insights:
The data shows that several well known providers maintain a strong proportion of high rated funds, while others have a significant share of one and two star funds. This provides a clear benchmark for investors seeking to understand fund house quality across their full range of offerings.
Summary:
The league table provides an objective, data driven comparison of leading fund houses, helping investors identify those that have produced strong long term results.
Sector Averages Report: IA Sector Performance Rankings
The sector averages report ranks all fifty five IA sectors by their average return over multiple timeframes. This analysis provides a clear view of how different regions and asset classes have behaved over both short and extended periods.
Key Insights:
The report highlights which sectors have delivered the strongest results and which have lagged, supporting more informed asset allocation decisions. It offers a useful benchmark for evaluating whether a portfolio is aligned with market trends or overweight in underperforming sectors.
Summary:
This section provides a clear sector level overview that helps investors position their portfolios more effectively in line with evolving market conditions.
Performance and Sector Ranking Tables
This section provides a comprehensive overview of fund performance across every IA sector. Each fund is ranked by its 1, 3 and 5 year performance relative to its sector, accompanied by its Yodelar rating.
Key Insights:
The tables highlight the funds that have consistently outperformed sector averages and those that have not. For investors reviewing their holdings, this data enables direct comparison with competitive alternatives within the same sector.
Summary:
This report supports evidence based fund selection and allows investors to identify both opportunities for improvement and areas of potential risk within their portfolio.
Download the Latest Investor Magazine
To access the complete data, fund comparisons and in depth analysis featured in this edition, download your copy of the Yodelar Investor Magazine. It provides the full insight required to assess fund performance, identify inefficiencies, and strengthen long term portfolio structure.
