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At a glance

When stability is more important than growth, this lower risk and slower growth approach is designed to keep things steady.

Our experts invest your money globally to give it more chances to grow and to spread the risk. They use Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations to help select what to invest in.


Download Key Information

Highlights

Lower risk

Likely to be a much less 'bumpy' ride than with our growth approaches.

Lower growth, more stability

Keeps things steady if you're okay with limited potential for growth.

All done for you

Managed for you by our dedicated team of investment experts. All in one neatly packaged approach.

How your money's invested

At least 75% of your money is invested in lower risk assets with potentially lower returns. The rest is invested in assets that aim to provide a higher potential return but carry a higher level of risk.

Our experts review this mix regularly within the adjustment range and in line with the investment objectives.

Investment Mix

Adjustment rangeThe adjustment range gives our experts the flexibility to make investment changes based on their assessment of the market outlook, but they always aim to stick to the balance of risk and reward for the approach.
  • Typically 15%
    invested for higher growth potential with higher risk
  • Typically 85%
    invested for lower risk with lower growth potential

Remember, the value of investments can go up and down, so you may get back less money than you put in. Tax depends on your individual circumstances and the regulations may change in the future.

Where your money's invested

Our experts manage the mix of investments, within the adjustment range and to achieve the approach objectives.

Here’s the detail at 31 December 2023.

Key:
Higher riskShares (emerging markets): 5%
Higher riskShares (UK): 1%
Higher riskReal estate investment trusts: 1%
Higher riskShares (overseas developed): 7%
Higher riskBonds (emerging markets): 1%
Higher riskBonds (high yield): 1%
Lower riskGlobal corporate bonds: 3%
Lower riskUK corporate bonds: 2%
Lower riskGlobal government bonds: 21%
Lower riskUK Government bonds (Gilts): 16%
Lower riskShort maturity bonds: 26%
Lower riskCash: 16%

Higher risk

  • 5% - Shares (emerging markets)
  • 1% - Shares (UK)
  • 1% - Real estate investment trusts
  • 7% - Shares (overseas developed)
  • 1% - Bonds (emerging markets)
  • 1% - Bonds (high yield)

Lower risk

  • 16% - Cash
  • 26% - Short maturity bonds
  • 16% - UK Government bonds (Gilts)
  • 21% - Global government bonds
  • 2% - UK corporate bonds
  • 3% - Global corporate bonds

How the fund invests

Your money is invested in a group of funds, rather than directly in stocks and shares. This is known as a fund of funds.

Top holdings

The following is up-to-date as of 31 December 2023.

  1. Aberdeen Standard Liquidity Fund
  2. Vanguard UK Government Bond Index Fund
  3. abrdn Global Government Bond Index Fund
  4. abrdn Global Inflation-Linked Bond Tracker Fund
  5. Vontobel Fund TwentyFour Sustainable Short Term Bond Fund
  6. abrdn Short Dated Global Corporate Bond Tracker Fund
  7. abrdn Short Dated Global Inflation-Linked Bond Tracker Fund
  8. abrdn Sustainable Index American Equity Fund
  9. iShares MSCI EM ESG Enhanced Fund
  10. L&G ESG GBP Corporate Bond 0-5 Year Fund
How the fund is invested

What you could've earned already

The graph below gives you an indication of how much you could've earned, after charges, if you had invested £10,000 in this approach five years ago. Remember, past performance isn't a reliable guide to future performance.

Here's the detail at 31 December 2023.


Key:
£7.5k
£10k
£12.5k
  • Dec-18: £10,000
    Dec-18: £10,000
  • Jan-19: £10,126
    Jan-19: £10,014
    2019
  • Feb-19: £10,139
    Feb-19: £10,025
  • Mar-19: £10,310
    Mar-19: £10,038
  • Apr-19: £10,339
    Apr-19: £10,050
  • May-19: £10,427
    May-19: £10,064
  • Jun-19: £10,565
    Jun-19: £10,074
  • Jul-19: £10,706
    Jul-19: £10,088
  • Aug-19: £10,834
    Aug-19: £10,100
  • Sep-19: £10,799
    Sep-19: £10,112
  • Oct-19: £10,679
    Oct-19: £10,126
  • Nov-19: £10,651
    Nov-19: £10,138
  • Dec-19: £10,665
    Dec-19: £10,150
  • Jan-20: £10,814
    Jan-20: £10,164
    2020
  • Feb-20: £10,807
    Feb-20: £10,176
  • Mar-20: £10,323
    Mar-20: £10,184
  • Apr-20: £10,590
    Apr-20: £10,191
  • May-20: £10,771
    May-20: £10,198
  • Jun-20: £10,856
    Jun-20: £10,206
  • Jul-20: £10,938
    Jul-20: £10,214
  • Aug-20: £10,887
    Aug-20: £10,221
  • Sep-20: £10,945
    Sep-20: £10,228
  • Oct-20: £10,912
    Oct-20: £10,234
  • Nov-20: £11,134
    Nov-20: £10,241
  • Dec-20: £11,202
    Dec-20: £10,249
  • Jan-21: £11,161
    Jan-21: £10,256
    2021
  • Feb-21: £11,010
    Feb-21: £10,263
  • Mar-21: £11,068
    Mar-21: £10,271
  • Apr-21: £11,157
    Apr-21: £10,277
  • May-21: £11,204
    May-21: £10,284
  • Jun-21: £11,261
    Jun-21: £10,292
  • Jul-21: £11,406
    Jul-21: £10,299
  • Aug-21: £11,429
    Aug-21: £10,307
  • Sep-21: £11,290
    Sep-21: £10,314
  • Oct-21: £11,380
    Oct-21: £10,321
  • Nov-21: £11,448
    Nov-21: £10,328
  • Dec-21: £11,430
    Dec-21: £10,336
  • Jan-22: £11,246
    Jan-22: £10,344
    2022
  • Feb-22: £11,159
    Feb-22: £10,354
  • Mar-22: £11,045
    Mar-22: £10,366
  • Apr-22: £10,875
    Apr-22: £10,379
  • May-22: £10,783
    May-22: £10,394
  • Jun-22: £10,573
    Jun-22: £10,409
  • Jul-22: £10,784
    Jul-22: £10,426
  • Aug-22: £10,571
    Aug-22: £10,448
  • Sep-22: £10,150
    Sep-22: £10,472
  • Oct-22: £10,282
    Oct-22: £10,496
  • Nov-22: £10,505
    Nov-22: £10,527
  • Dec-22: £10,375
    Dec-22: £10,564
  • Jan-23: £10,606
    Jan-23: £10,599
    2023
  • Feb-23: £10,486
    Feb-23: £10,637
  • Mar-23: £10,593
    Mar-23: £10,682
  • Apr-23: £10,590
    Apr-23: £10,722
  • May-23: £10,500
    May-23: £10,768
  • Jun-23: £10,520
    Jun-23: £10,817
  • Jul-23: £10,603
    Jul-23: £10,864
  • Aug-23: £10,550
    Aug-23: £10,918
  • Sep-23: £10,447
    Sep-23: £10,971
  • Oct-23: £10,407
    Oct-23: £11,023
  • Nov-23: £10,660
    Nov-23: £11,075
  • Dec-23: £10,982
    Dec-23: £11,124
2018 2023

Dec 2018 to
Dec 2019
Dec 2019 to
Dec 2020
Dec 2020 to
Dec 2021
Dec 2021 to
Dec 2022
Dec 2022 to
Dec 2023
This fund
6.6%5.0%2.1%-9.2%5.9%
Performance Comparator*
1.5%1.0%0.9%2.2%5.5%
This fund launched in November 2020. To help you compare it with other funds we have replicated the performance of the markets the fund invests in, to indicate what the performance may have been prior to its launch. The simulated return takes into account total annual charges of 0.40% and that the mix of assets are rebalanced once per month, but does not include the separate account fee of 0.30% per year.

*The fund doesn’t use a benchmark as a guide for investing or as a target to beat. But we do use a performance comparator which investors may want to compare the fund’s performance against. This is the Bank of England Base Rate +0.75%, which represents an incremental return over and above cash savings, in keeping with the lower risk / defensive nature of the fund

Source Lipper, total return (income reinvested).

Key information

In our important documents you’ll see our Careful Defensive approach referred to as the Virgin Money Defensive Fund. Before applying, please make sure you’ve read the following:

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