Investor Snapshot - Jemma Jackson, Head of Media Relations and Campaigns, Abrdn

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 Jemma Jackson from Abrdn.

What was your first experience of investing?

My first investment decision was both very smart and supremely stupid! Very young, I didn’t want to be in the company’s workplace pension, so I persuaded them to pay their employer contributions into a SIPP, which I set up. So far, so good – I chose a globally diversified range of investment trusts. The stupid part was being razor focussed on saving for a deposit on a house, so much so that I didn’t contribute into the pension myself. At all. It was a non contributory pension (showing my age). That SIPP has performed incredibly strongly – but it would now be worth twice the value today, had I made some contributions myself. Confession: I have never rebalanced it!

Has there been a person or resource you have found most helpful in your investment journey?

Without doubt, it has to be the AIC’s website. Second to that is Trustnet for pure hard data.

Have you had any investments that have performed extremely well or extremely poorly? If yes, what were they?

The best investment I probably made was in a post-natal haze during the 2008 financial crisis. I had a premmy baby with gastric reflux, and I hadn’t paid too much attention to the global financial crisis, or the fact that investment trust discounts were at their widest in years, particularly in real assets. So, when grandparents gave us a couple of thousand pounds for the baby, I split it between an Asia, Global and Private equity investment trusts without much thought, and not realising some of the mega bargains I was picking up. That £2,000 has now grown to about £30,000 with no additional contributions. So, the sicky premmy baby – now a strapping 6 footer – should be able to put that to good use if he goes to university – or blows it all on new guitars. His choice!

When baby number 2 arrived 22 months later, it took me about 6 years to get around to investing for her. She’s had some catching up to do (she’s blissfully unaware!), but is catching up – I’ve had to make things right for her.

What has been the riskiest investment you have made, or considered?

The riskiest investment I have ever made was actually supposed to be very pedestrian. I haven’t lost my shirt, but it is the only long term investment that I am yet to recoup losses on – for now at least. It’s been a strange few years.

What’s next for your investing journey?

Investment trusts are still core, but I’ve ventured into money market funds for short term goals, and I’ve introduced a chunk of passive funds into my SIPP. It’s important to be open minded!