- This edition includes updated performance data, sector rankings, and Yodelar ratings for more than 3,000 UK-regulated funds.
- The best funds report identifies the funds that have consistently outperformed their sector peers over 1, 3, and 5 years.
- The sector analysis report ranks all 55 Investment Association sectors by performance over the past 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years and 5 year periods.
- The fund manager league table, based on over 4,000 funds, ranks 100+ fund houses by the proportion of consistently top-performing funds.
This edition delivers data-driven insight and practical analysis designed to help UK investors make more informed portfolio decisions. From assessing the measurable value of financial advice to identifying whether popular funds are truly delivering results, the October issue highlights the structural advantages that underpin stronger long-term performance.
Each article is grounded in independent fund data and sector-relative comparisons, offering clarity on where outperformance is being achieved and where hidden risks could be eroding returns. For investors looking to review their current holdings, evaluate the quality of advice, or refine fund selection, this edition provides the evidence needed to challenge inefficiencies and strengthen portfolio outcomes.
What's Featured In The Latest Magazine?
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1. The Value of Advice: Why Research Shows Advised Clients Build More Wealth
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Independent research from Vanguard, Quilter, the International Longevity Centre and Unbiased shows that investors who receive advice typically achieve stronger long-term outcomes. The uplift is not driven by speculative gains but by disciplined portfolio management, rebalancing, tax efficiency, and behavioural coaching. Vanguard’s Adviser Alpha research estimates that advice can add around 3% a year in net returns, and the ILC found advised investors were, on average, £47,000 better off over a decade..
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In this article:
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The analysis shows how DIY portfolios often suffer from fragmentation, poor diversification, and heightened risks that are not rewarded. By contrast, advice provides structure and clarity, aligning money with life goals and instilling confidence through behavioural discipline. It highlights that while advice has a cost, the evidence indicates it should be seen as a wealth-creation tool, with quality and transparency being the critical differentiators.
Summary:
This article quantifies the real-world benefits of advice, showing how quality guidance delivers more than higher returns - it provides structure, confidence, and better financial outcomes over the long term.
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2. The Hidden Advantage: How Fund Manager Oversight Shapes Smarter Investing
Performance tables tell investors what happened, but not why. This report explains why professional oversight is essential for smarter investing, as it goes beyond numbers to challenge fund managers directly. By engaging with managers face-to-face, firms like MKC Invest assess investment culture, process discipline, and governance—factors that determine whether success is repeatable.
In this article:
It examines how due diligence blends quantitative analysis with qualitative insights and operational checks. While private investors rarely have access to these insights, professional oversight helps to identify risks, test strategies under stress, and ensure managers remain accountable.
Summary:
Numbers show past results, but oversight shows whether they are sustainable. This article highlights why combining data with direct engagement provides a deeper, more reliable foundation for fund selection and portfolio management.
3. Will Today’s Stars Shine Tomorrow?
The temptation to chase top-performing funds is common, but evidence suggests it often leads to disappointment. This article explores why performance persistence is rare, with many funds reverting to average returns over time. It also highlights how inflows into popular funds can dilute future performance and how manager changes or mandate drift can undermine once-successful strategies.
In this article:
Drawing on studies from the Pensions Institute and the National Bureau of Economic Research, the report shows that underperformance tends to persist more reliably than outperformance. It also explains why even strong funds can disrupt portfolios through duplication or imbalance if not monitored closely.
Summary:
This feature challenges the assumption that today’s winners will remain tomorrow’s leaders, stressing that consistent oversight and structured portfolio management are essential to sustaining long-term success.
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4. The Most Bought Funds of 2025 Reviewed
Popularity and performance do not always go hand in hand. This review analyses 41 of the most purchased funds across leading DIY platforms, comparing their results to sector averages over multiple timeframes. The findings reveal sharp contrasts, with top performers such as Artemis Global Income, Ranmore Global Equity, and Artemis UK Select delivering strong sector-beating growth, while funds like Vanguard LifeStrategy 40% Equity, Fundsmith Equity, and Evelyn’s portfolios have lagged significantly.
In this article:
The report explains how visibility, branding, and past results drive popularity, but shows how these factors often mask duplication and weak diversification. Duplication in particular erodes true risk management while charging investors multiple fees for overlapping holdings.
Summary:
This article equips investors with the evidence to distinguish between funds that deliver and those that disappoint, highlighting why reliance on platform popularity lists can undermine portfolio efficiency.
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5. Invesco Fund Performance Review
As one of the UK’s most recognised fund houses, Invesco has a wide range of funds that feature heavily in retail portfolios. This review assesses 109 Invesco funds over 1, 3 and 5 years, using Yodelar ratings to rank them against sector peers. The findings show that while 36 funds achieved a strong 4 or 5-star rating, almost half were rated 1 or 2 stars, reflecting persistent underperformance.
In this article:
The analysis spotlights the 10 best-performing Invesco funds, including the Invesco Asian (UK) Z Acc, Invesco European Smaller Companies (UK) Z Acc, and Invesco Global Balanced Index (UK), all of which have consistently ranked in the top quartile of their sectors.
Summary:
This article highlights the variability across Invesco’s fund range, showing how brand recognition alone is no guarantee of quality and why fund-by-fund analysis remains critical.
6. Fund Manager League Table
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The Fund Manager League Table report offers a data-driven ranking of UK fund management brands, based on the proportion of their funds that have consistently outperformed sector peers over 1, 3, and 5 years. The report is compiled from an analysis of almost 4,000 funds and over 100 fund management brands, it uses Yodelar’s performance rating system to highlight which fund houses have the largest proportion of top performing funds and which have the lowest.
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Key Insights:
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The report shows how Artemis and Legal & General rank highly due to a large share of 4 and 5 star rated funds. In contrast, many widely recognised brands, including Rathbones and Hargreaves Lansdown rank among the bottom with a high concentration of underperforming funds.
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Summary:
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The Fund Manager League Table serves as an essential resource, offering an unbiased ranking of fund management brands based on objective performance data, aiding investors in distinguishing top performers from those with lower rankings.
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7. Sector Averages Report – IA Sector Performance Rankings
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This report provides a comprehensive overview of the average performance of all 55 Investment Association sectors, ranked by total return over 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years. It serves as a clear indicator of how each sector has performed across different market cycles - helping investors understand prevailing trends, identify opportunities, and assess potential portfolio imbalances.
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Key Insights:
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By ranking sector averages across multiple timeframes, the report highlights the sectors that have delivered the strongest returns and those that have underperformed. This analysis reveals how certain regions and asset classes have fared in both recent and longer-term conditions, enabling investors to align their strategies with sectors demonstrating strength or resilience.
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Summary:
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The Sector Averages report is a valuable tool for investors seeking to contextualise their fund holdings within broader market trends. It supports strategic asset allocation decisions by offering a sector-level performance benchmark over both short and extended periods.
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8. Best performing funds - Performance & Sector Ranking Tables
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This report is a valuable resource for investors seeking performance based fund selection. By focusing on long-term consistency rather than popularity, it helps identify high quality funds and fund managers with a history of strong performance, supporting more informed and efficient portfolio decisions.
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This edition includes a comprehensive performance report covering all Investment Association sector classified funds. This report provides the performance data, sector rankings, and overall Yodelar performance ratings across the full UK fund universe, enabling investors to evaluate the relative success of funds within each of the 55 IA sectors.
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Key Insights:
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The report highlights the top and bottom performing funds in each sector, helping investors pinpoint consistent outperformers while identifying those that have failed to keep pace with their peers.
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Summary:
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This edition provides a powerful tool for investors looking to review and refine their portfolios. With complete visibility across the IA universe, the report supports evidence-based fund selection and helps investors identify the funds that have a history of top and poor performance.
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Download The Latest Investor Magazine
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To gain the most from the in-depth reports, thorough fund comparisons, and insightful investment information, obtain your copy of the full Yodelar Investor Magazine.
