Investor Snapshot - Emma Wall, Head of Platform Investments - Hargreaves Lansdown
As part of our WIN* - Widening Investor Networks initiative, we asked people in our network, at all points on their investment journey, to share their Investor Snapshot. Here is Emma Wall, Head of Platform Investments at Hargreaves Lansdown.
What was your first experience of investing?
My first experience of investing for myself was through a workplace pension – this was long before autoenrollment and my boss persuaded me of the benefits of signing up. Retirement seemed a long way off at 21 but I am very glad he did.
Have you had any investments that have performed extremely well or extremely poorly? If yes, what were they?
I have had very mixed success with stock picking – extremes include LVMH which has done extremely well, and Mulberry on which I have made an 80% loss! Selecting stocks is usually best left to those who do it full time, and therefore the majority of my investments are in collectives – funds, investment trusts and ETFs. These have fared better and been much less volatile. Spreading your risk across different companies, geographies and asset classes is a better approach for most investors.
What’s next for your investing journey?
Near-term goals include the annual re-balance of my SIPP. Thinking longer term, I will tax planning for the next generation in light of the changes in the Budget. I have a Junior ISA for my son, but a friend already has Junior SIPPs for all their children – that is proper long-term investing!
Thank you Emma.
This interview is for information only and it is not investment advice. It is for use in the United Kingdom only. Investments and/or investment services may not be suitable for all investors. Capital is at risk and past performance is not an indicator of future performance.
