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Is this approach right for you?

Balancing caution and adventure. The middle risk choice out of our three growth approaches.

This fund has some sustainability characteristics due to being responsibly invested. Sustainable investment labels help UK investors find funds that have a specific sustainability goal. This fund doesn't have a UK sustainable investment label because it doesn't have a specific sustainability goal.


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Highlights

Balances risk and reward

Likely to be a bit more of a ‘bumpy’ ride than lower risk investments.

Aims for steady growth

A balanced approach to growing your money in the longer term.

All done for you

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

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How your money's invested

Typically 70% of your money goes into higher risk investments with higher potential returns and 30% into lower risk investments with lower potential returns.

Our experts review this mix regularly within the adjustment range, for higher growth potential.

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 70%

    invested for higher potential returns with higher risk

  • Typically 30%

    invested for lower risk with lower potential returns

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 30 June 2025.

Key:
Higher riskShares (emerging markets): 8%
Higher riskShares (UK): 5%
Higher riskReal estate investment trusts: 4%
Higher riskShares (overseas developed): 51%
Higher riskBonds (emerging markets): 4%
Higher riskBonds (high yield): 8%
Lower riskGlobal corporate bonds: 9%
Lower riskUK corporate bonds: 2%
Lower riskGlobal government bonds: 2%
Lower riskUK Government bonds (Gilts): 1%
Lower riskShort maturity bonds: 5%
Lower riskCash: 1%

Higher risk

  • 8% - Shares (emerging markets)
  • 5% - Shares (UK)
  • 4% - Real estate investment trusts
  • 51% - Shares (overseas developed)
  • 4% - Bonds (emerging markets)
  • 8% - Bonds (high yield)

Lower risk

  • 1% - Cash
  • 5% - Short maturity bonds
  • 1% - UK Government bonds (Gilts)
  • 2% - Global government bonds
  • 2% - UK corporate bonds
  • 9% - 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.

The following is up-to-date as of 30 June 2025.

  1. abrdn Evolve World Equity Fund
  2. abrdn Evolve Asia Pacific ex-Japan Equity Index Fund
  3. iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ESG Enhanced UCITS ETF
  4. abrdn SICAV I - Responsible Global High Yield Bond Fund
  5. abrdn Evolve European Equity Index Fund
  6. abrdn Evolve American Equity Fund
  7. abrdn Global Corporate Bond Screened Tracker Fund
  8. iShares MSCI Japan ESG Enhanced UCITS ETF
  9. abrdn Evolve UK Equity Fund
  10. Virgin Money Climate Change 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.

The following is up-to-date as of 30 June 2025.

Key:
£7.5k
£10k
£12.5k
£15k
£17.5k
  • Jun-20: £10,000
    Jun-20: £10,000
    2020
  • Jul-20: £9,913
    Jul-20: £9,988
  • Aug-20: £10,089
    Aug-20: £10,200
  • Sep-20: £10,138
    Sep-20: £10,228
  • Oct-20: £9,978
    Oct-20: £10,078
  • Nov-20: £10,622
    Nov-20: £10,631
  • Dec-20: £10,796
    Dec-20: £10,781
  • Jan-21: £10,713
    Jan-21: £10,699
    2021
  • Feb-21: £10,688
    Feb-21: £10,664
  • Mar-21: £10,909
    Mar-21: £10,905
  • Apr-21: £11,166
    Apr-21: £11,178
  • May-21: £11,129
    May-21: £11,115
  • Jun-21: £11,384
    Jun-21: £11,421
  • Jul-21: £11,387
    Jul-21: £11,480
  • Aug-21: £11,628
    Aug-21: £11,715
  • Sep-21: £11,488
    Sep-21: £11,518
  • Oct-21: £11,585
    Oct-21: £11,740
  • Nov-21: £11,661
    Nov-21: £11,853
  • Dec-21: £11,828
    Dec-21: £11,944
  • Jan-22: £11,350
    Jan-22: £11,581
    2022
  • Feb-22: £11,172
    Feb-22: £11,340
  • Mar-22: £11,449
    Mar-22: £11,519
  • Apr-22: £11,214
    Apr-22: £11,146
  • May-22: £11,086
    May-22: £11,123
  • Jun-22: £10,616
    Jun-22: £10,720
  • Jul-22: £10,993
    Jul-22: £11,262
  • Aug-22: £11,035
    Aug-22: £11,184
  • Sep-22: £10,464
    Sep-22: £10,646
  • Oct-22: £10,550
    Oct-22: £10,809
  • Nov-22: £10,955
    Nov-22: £11,183
  • Dec-22: £10,840
    Dec-22: £10,797
  • Jan-23: £11,210
    Jan-23: £11,196
    2023
  • Feb-23: £11,146
    Feb-23: £11,038
  • Mar-23: £11,116
    Mar-23: £11,194
  • Apr-23: £11,151
    Apr-23: £11,200
  • May-23: £11,099
    May-23: £11,200
  • Jun-23: £11,240
    Jun-23: £11,406
  • Jul-23: £11,461
    Jul-23: £11,573
  • Aug-23: £11,285
    Aug-23: £11,476
  • Sep-23: £11,174
    Sep-23: £11,360
  • Oct-23: £10,902
    Oct-23: £11,160
  • Nov-23: £11,374
    Nov-23: £11,622
  • Dec-23: £11,873
    Dec-23: £12,053
  • Jan-24: £11,827
    Jan-24: £12,093
    2024
  • Feb-24: £11,999
    Feb-24: £12,420
  • Mar-24: £12,319
    Mar-24: £12,708
  • Apr-24: £12,170
    Apr-24: £12,439
  • May-24: £12,273
    May-24: £12,656
  • Jun-24: £12,502
    Jun-24: £12,924
  • Jul-24: £12,536
    Jul-24: £13,022
  • Aug-24: £12,639
    Aug-24: £13,094
  • Sep-24: £12,799
    Sep-24: £13,172
  • Oct-24: £12,742
    Oct-24: £13,255
  • Nov-24: £12,983
    Nov-24: £13,710
  • Dec-24: £12,868
    Dec-24: £13,592
  • Jan-25: £13,246
    Jan-25: £13,956
    2025
  • Feb-25: £13,108
    Feb-25: £13,862
  • Mar-25: £12,719
    Mar-25: £13,317
  • Apr-25: £12,605
    Apr-25: £13,172
  • May-25: £13,017
    May-25: £13,528
  • Jun-25: £13,246
    Jun-25: £13,809
2020 2025

June 2020 to
June 2021		June 2021 to
June 2022		June 2022 to
 June 2023		June 2023 to
June 2024		June 2024 to
June 2025
This fund13.8%-6.8%5.9%11.2%6.0%
Performance Comparator*14.2%-6.1%6.4%13.3%6.8%
This fund changed strategy in October 2021. 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 the strategy change. The simulated return takes into account the current annual charge of 0.45% 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 comprises 60% shares and 40% bonds. Shares are represented by the MSCI All Countries World Index GBP, whilst bonds are represented by the Bloomberg Global Aggregate Bond Index – GBP Hedged. The fund invests differently to the performance comparator therefore returns will always be different. For example there are differences in the way the fund is built vs. the comparator, along with the cost of investing, which is included for the fund return, but not the comparator. You cannot invest in the performance comparator.

Source: Lipper, year on year, it runs from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2025, bid to bid with net income reinvested.

Key information

In our important documents you’ll see our Balanced Growth approach referred to as the Virgin Money Growth Fund 2. Before applying, please make sure you’ve read the following:

Apply for Balanced Growth approach

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Our other approaches

Learn about our Investment Mix

Careful Defensive approach

To minimise and defend against ups and downs.

View approach

Cautious Growth approach

A slower, cautious approach to growing your money.

View approach

Adventurous Growth approach

For higher growth potential, but more ups and downs than with our Balanced Growth approach.

View approach

Want someone else to drive?

Switch to our steered-for-you Navigator pension. It’s like sat nav for your retirement journey.

Explore Navigator
Let someone else do the driving

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

We make things easy to help you understand and choose the approach that’s right for you. There are guides to get you started and if anything needs a bit more explanation, just give us a call on 03455 28 88 52.

We can’t give you financial advice though, so if you need advice you could try:

Use the app or sign in to Online Service and track the performance of your investments – we update your account balance every day. You'll also get a statement every six months.

Yes. It's a good idea to review your investments regularly – and it's simple to switch all or part of your money to a new approach. Just sign in to Online Service and follow the on-screen instructions.

View more questions and answers