Moneycube is designed to put you, the investor, in the driving seat. As part of that, we have identified six levels of risk appetite.
In the investment world, risk and reward are linked. In general, to deliver higher long-term returns, you need to take more risk. That said, there are options out there for all sorts of investors.
Once you have a good idea where you want to be on the risk/ reward spectrum, you’re well on the way to making an appropriate choice. Try our quiz to think about what risk means to you. Before we start, a warning: this does not constitute financial advice.
Take our risk personality quiz
So what does this mean in practice? We’ve described each level below.
No risk appetite
We’ll start with an easy one. If you are not willing to accept the risk of losing any money, then investing’s not for you.
You’ve accepted that fact that inflation may erode the value of your savings over time.
Cautious
You can only afford the possibility of losing a small amount of money. You understand that this means the lowest potential for growth in the long run.
You’ll probably want to keep most of your money in cash. After that, you might place some savings in government bonds, and perhaps allocate a small portion to company shares.
Moderate
You are happy to accept some risk in return for the potential of higher investment gains over the long run. In the short term, you can afford to lose some money, if you could feel pretty sure you would make it back later.
A multi-asset fund is often a great choice if you have a moderate appetite for risk. It gives you an exposure to a variety of asset types in different proportions.
Balanced
You are happy taking on risk for decent potential returns in the long run. You get that there may be significant fluctuations in the value of your Moneycube, particularly over the short term.
Here, a multi-asset fund can also work well, with the majority of it invested in company shares.
Dynamic
You want a chance of strong long-term potential investment returns. you know this comes with a higher possibility of losing money in the short term. You also know that your investment may move up and down sharply at times.
Dynamic investors may prefer funds 100% invested in equities, rather than the multi-asset approach appropriate for investors with moderate and balanced risk appetite.
Adventurous
You want the best chance of strong long-term returns. You know that this means the greatest chance of losing money in the short term. You can afford this, and you’re expecting your investment to jump up and down.
You keep a minimal proportion of your assets in cash, and have a strong focus on investing into equities, likely over the long term.
Next steps
Risk appetite sorted? There are two other questions in order to decide how much investment risk you should take: how long you’re investing for, and your financial situation and ability to ride out dips in the market.
We’ll be dealing with these questions in future blogs…
