Liontrust is changing the name of some of its fund and portfolio ranges “to better reflect the way they invest and to bring consistency”, the company said on Monday.
With effect from April 2023, the MA Passive fund range will be renamed MA Dynamic Passive. The multi-asset investment team, headed by John Husselbee (pictured) and James Klempster, actively manages the range. While the underlying holdings are passive securities and vehicles, the dynamic management of the funds “has led us to change the name of the range”, the firm added.
Another change sees the MA Passive Dynamic Fund become the MS Dynamic Passive Adventurous Fund to “better reflect the fact that the fund has the highest risk profile within the range”, Liontrust said.
The names of the managed portfolio service (MPS) ranges will also change:
- MPS Growth Portfolios → MPS Blended Growth Portfolios
- MPS Income Portfolios → MPS Blended Income Portfolios
- MPS Dynamic Beta Portfolios → MPS Dynamic Passive Portfolios
Asset allocation flexibility and access
In tandem, Liontrust has appointed Hymans Robertson as its strategic asset allocation (SAA) provider, while Defaqto picks up the role of risk profile oversight services provider.
Hymans Robertson will work to ensure Liontrust can utilise the broadest range of asset classes and combine them for the benefit of the SAA and meet the suitability requirements of investors.
Head of the Liontrust multi-asset team, Husselbee, said: “Numerous studies have demonstrated that the SAA drives the majority of the risk and return of investment funds over the long term and both providers have key roles in ensuring our funds and portfolios meet investors’ suitability requirements.
“These changes are also being made because we believe the next 10 years of investing will be different from the previous decade. This requires investors to have greater flexibility over asset allocation and access to asset classes.
“Hymans Robertson has a strong track record with an over 100-year history in independent pensions and financial services. The company provides us with access to a large team of professionals and systems to support Liontrust and therefore our investors.
“Defaqto has been operating for over 25 years, employing more than 60 analysts who spend 400 hours a day monitoring the market. Defaqto analyses over 18,000 funds including fund performance, risk-adjusted return ratios and costs.
“Both Defaqto and Hymans Robertson have demonstrated that they can add significant value to the Liontrust Multi-Asset team and therefore advisers and their clients.”
Liontrust will be managing each of the target risk funds and portfolios in line with their stated risk profile and these profiles will now be measured and overseen by Defaqto, with an associated Defaqto risk profile. They will continue to map to a range of widely used third-party risk profiling providers.
