Emma Wall: Hello and welcome to this Ask The Expert ISA special. I am Emma Wall and here with me today is Morningstar analyst Jackie Beard.
Hello Jackie.
Jackie Beard: Hi, Emma.
Wall: So this is a new tax year we've got a little bit more money to invest in our ISA allowance this year. And then come July 1 a little bit more money again as the allowance is raised to £15,000. But for now this 2014/2015 tax year where are you thinking about putting your money?
Beard: Okay. Well, just to set the scene I treat my ISA very much as my long term capital growth. I don’t need income at the moment, I have no plans to retire at the minute, so I really want the funds in there that are going to generate the maximum capital growth possible. So in that sense quite specialist and niche. So with that in mind it is three that I am going to have right now.
The first is Baring Emerging Europe (BEE). Bit different it's two-thirds Russia, quite punchy, not for the faint hearted. But it's one of those funds you want to just buy and tuck away – and I am talking 10 years when I am talking long term, you know multi-decade here. Barings have brought in Michael Levy to work alongside Matthias Siller, who runs the fund. Michael's background is very much Russia and it's really made a difference we are starting to see a lot more value being added by the two of them working together. So as a very long term capital growth option I think the one looks quite interesting at the moment.
Wall: I mean even putting aside the current issues in that region. Over the last 10 years Russia has been very volatile and there are times where the market's gone up and there are times where the market's gone down. So this is probably not a main holding in a portfolio, is it?
Beard: Absolutely not, but as I say whilst it is volatile, it's one that gives you quite a bigger option for growth longer term. So I'd much rather have that growth in a tax free environment than somewhere where I have to pay tax on it.
Wall: And what's your second ISA pick.
Beard: So my second one again very specialist is BlackRock World Mining (BRWM) run by Evy Hambro, Catherine Raw and the natural resources team of BlackRock. Again its very niche, very long term as far as I can see it. It is high risk again I like some of the things they are doing in the fund. They have been quite innovative with the way used gearing, they have bought royalties, its producing steady income stream; that’s not the reason I am looking at it. But I think in terms of overall return from that fund again looking at 10 or 20 years out I think it looks quite an interesting idea.
Wall: World Mining, the investment trust and also Gold & General, Hambro's unit trust, have had a very difficult couple of years, due in part to the gold price. You are saying the World Mining Trust is relying less on that commodity's price because of these innovative ways that they can invest.
Beard: Well, yes and also the team is very conscious of making the fund different there is no point replicating the Gold & General fund in an investment trust structure. Even in Gold & General they've played down the gold to some extent relative to the benchmark. So it's actually a broader representative mix of precious metals than just gold. Hence mining; it's diamonds and silver and so on.
Wall: What's your third ISA pick?
Beard: So my third I am taking a slightly different approach. I want something that’s a little bit more mainstream and I am actually looking at F&C Global Smaller Companies (FCS) but rather than do a lump sum I am thinking of setting that up as my monthly savings and I like pound cost averaging, I like drip feeding money into the market. I think smaller companies over the long term are going to be the area of capital growth more so than the mega-caps.
Wall: And the thing is, as you mentioned, that with drip feeding; smaller companies can be volatile – but if the price goes down it just means you are buying more units at a cheaper cost.
Beard: Exactly and with ownership of F&C having stabilized now with the Bank of Montreal deal I think Peter Ewins is in a very good position to keep delivering the performance that we’ve seen from him in the past, hence it has a silver rating.
Wall: Jackie, thank you very much.
Beard: Thanks.
Wall: This is Emma Wall from Morningstar. Thank you for watching.