Investor Snapshot - Laura Foll, Joint Portfolio Manager - Janus Henderson Investors

What was your first experience of investing?

I ended up as a Fund Manager because my dad invested in investment trusts throughout his working life – he didn’t work in finance, but he was passionate about investing. When I got a bit older he saw that I had the same interest and he would try and teach me the basics using the back pages of his Financial Times. So I effectively grew up with investing in the background and I saw the benefit it could bring to people.

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

One of the best pieces of advice I received at the start of my career was ‘be a sponge’, and I think the same applies to investing. I would say read and listen to anything you can – I like to listen to podcasts (one I particularly like is Merryn Talks Money), and the consumer platforms (eg Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell) have great free information pages where you can learn about the likes of investment trusts versus open ended funds. Once you get a bit further along, fund manager websites often have interesting videos you can watch from fund managers about their approach, what they’re buying and selling etc. There is a huge amount of free resources available so I would say cast your net as widely as you can (although with a warning to stick to reputable sources, be wary of social media).

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

With my own finances, I invest entirely in shares (I own the three trusts I manage alongside a handful of other trusts). This would, I suppose, be considered ‘risky’ because I haven’t diversified with other asset classes (such as bonds or alternatives), but I’d like to think I’m still young (just about) so volatility doesn’t matter as much, because I’m still earning and I have a long time horizon. So my personal investments would probably look ‘risky’ to an outsider, but its what works for me.

What’s next for your investing journey?

I need to be more organised with using tax allowances fully, and in particular taking up the Child ISA each year.

What would you tell your 20-something self about investing?

The most important thing is time in the market, not timing the market. I used to try and be clever with market timing, nowadays I worry less and invest pretty much when I can (for example in ISA season).

Thanks Laura!