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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 March 2024.

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: 5%
Lower riskUK corporate bonds: 4%
Lower riskGlobal government bonds: 21%
Lower riskUK Government bonds (Gilts): 15%
Lower riskShort maturity bonds: 22%
Lower riskCash: 17%

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

  • 17% - Cash
  • 22% - Short maturity bonds
  • 15% - UK Government bonds (Gilts)
  • 21% - Global government bonds
  • 4% - UK corporate bonds
  • 5% - Global corporate bonds
What do these terms mean?

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 March 2024.

  1. abrdn 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 TwentyFour Sustainable Short Term Bond Fund
  6. abrdn Short Dated Global Inflation-Linked Bond Tracker Fund
  7. abrdn Short Dated Global Corporate Bond Tracker Fund
  8. abrdn Sustainable Index American Equity Fund
  9. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Enhanced Units 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 March 2024.

Key:
£7.5k
£10k
£12.5k
  • Mar-19: £10,000
    Mar-19: £10,000
    2019
  • Apr-19: £10,015
    Apr-19: £10,013
  • May-19: £10,087
    May-19: £10,026
  • Jun-19: £10,202
    Jun-19: £10,038
  • Jul-19: £10,349
    Jul-19: £10,050
  • Aug-19: £10,467
    Aug-19: £10,064
  • Sep-19: £10,454
    Sep-19: £10,076
  • Oct-19: £10,352
    Oct-19: £10,088
  • Nov-19: £10,346
    Nov-19: £10,100
  • Dec-19: £10,333
    Dec-19: £10,114
  • Jan-20: £10,460
    Jan-20: £10,126
    2020
  • Feb-20: £10,430
    Feb-20: £10,138
  • Mar-20: £10,032
    Mar-20: £10,147
  • Apr-20: £10,294
    Apr-20: £10,155
  • May-20: £10,440
    May-20: £10,162
  • Jun-20: £10,535
    Jun-20: £10,169
  • Jul-20: £10,578
    Jul-20: £10,177
  • Aug-20: £10,547
    Aug-20: £10,183
  • Sep-20: £10,586
    Sep-20: £10,190
  • Oct-20: £10,571
    Oct-20: £10,198
  • Nov-20: £10,777
    Nov-20: £10,205
  • Dec-20: £10,853
    Dec-20: £10,212
  • Jan-21: £10,835
    Jan-21: £10,219
    2021
  • Feb-21: £10,646
    Feb-21: £10,225
  • Mar-21: £10,723
    Mar-21: £10,233
  • Apr-21: £10,810
    Apr-21: £10,240
  • May-21: £10,834
    May-21: £10,247
  • Jun-21: £10,910
    Jun-21: £10,255
  • Jul-21: £11,040
    Jul-21: £10,262
  • Aug-21: £11,095
    Aug-21: £10,270
  • Sep-21: £10,961
    Sep-21: £10,276
  • Oct-21: £11,026
    Oct-21: £10,283
  • Nov-21: £11,093
    Nov-21: £10,291
  • Dec-21: £11,073
    Dec-21: £10,299
  • Jan-22: £10,886
    Jan-22: £10,307
    2022
  • Feb-22: £10,756
    Feb-22: £10,316
  • Mar-22: £10,718
    Mar-22: £10,329
  • Apr-22: £10,538
    Apr-22: £10,341
  • May-22: £10,490
    May-22: £10,356
  • Jun-22: £10,211
    Jun-22: £10,372
  • Jul-22: £10,448
    Jul-22: £10,388
  • Aug-22: £10,290
    Aug-22: £10,410
  • Sep-22: £9,859
    Sep-22: £10,432
  • Oct-22: £9,944
    Oct-22: £10,458
  • Nov-22: £10,145
    Nov-22: £10,489
  • Dec-22: £10,053
    Dec-22: £10,523
  • Jan-23: £10,252
    Jan-23: £10,561
    2023
  • Feb-23: £10,140
    Feb-23: £10,598
  • Mar-23: £10,236
    Mar-23: £10,641
  • Apr-23: £10,262
    Apr-23: £10,680
  • May-23: £10,182
    May-23: £10,728
  • Jun-23: £10,174
    Jun-23: £10,774
  • Jul-23: £10,258
    Jul-23: £10,825
  • Aug-23: £10,209
    Aug-23: £10,878
  • Sep-23: £10,120
    Sep-23: £10,928
  • Oct-23: £10,077
    Oct-23: £10,984
  • Nov-23: £10,343
    Nov-23: £11,035
  • Dec-23: £10,641
    Dec-23: £11,086
  • Jan-24: £10,548
    Jan-24: £11,144
    2024
  • Feb-24: £10,545
    Feb-24: £11,194
  • Mar-24: £10,704
    Mar-24: £11,246
2019 2024
Virgin Money Defensive Fund comparisonMarch 2019 to
March 2020		March 2020 to
March 2021		March 2021 to
March 2022		March 2022 to
March 2023		March 2023 to
March 2024
This fund0.3%6.9%0.0%-4.5%4.6%
Performance Comparator*1.5%0.9%0.9%3.1%5.9%
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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