Behavioural Investing: Thinking Differently

Why are some investors prone to impulsive investment decisions…and how can a deeper understanding of these emotions help advisers enhance their client’s investment and retirement outcomes?

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Assessment of Value Reports

Overall conclusion: We continue to provide value to customers invested in our funds

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Latest Market Update From Columbia Threadneedle Investments

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Horizon Multi-Asset Funds Prospectus Update

View our latest published prospectus: Annual review and update

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Why Invest in the Embark Horizon Multi-Asset funds?

Due to fluctuations in the performance of individual investments, investing in a single asset class rarely meets investors’ objectives. However, a solution that actively invests across multiple asset classes can adapt to changing market conditions and help to spread risk. The Horizon Multi-Asset fund range consists of five purpose-built funds designed to match five typical attitudes to risk or risk profiles.

Signatory of Principles for Responsible Investment and defaqto 4 diamond logos

Each fund is managed with the aim of remaining within its respective risk profile. The funds invest in a number of underlying funds which in turn hold a mix of assets including equities, bonds, property and cash. The higher the risk profile of the Horizon fund, the higher risk of the underlying funds it invests in.

The five risk profiles, on a scale of 1 to 5, are built using EV’s long-term Strategic Asset allocation model, designed with a focus on delivering investment outcomes to meet specific investor needs. The overall impact of investment term should be considered when selecting a client’s risk profile. The calibration of the risk profile to a client’s preferred investment term can be reviewed using the EV risk assessor tool. We recognise that you may use several different profiling tools and risk profiling methods, and with that in mind, we have also mapped the funds to other models. Please note that the funds are managed to the EV 1-5 scales, therefore the mapping to other tools could change over time.

Columbia Threadneedle Investments is the Investment Manager of The Embark Horizon Fund range, with Embark Investments Limited as Authorised Corporate Director, overseeing the five Multi-Asset funds.

Robust three-layer process

EMBARK
INVESTMENTS

  • Oversees the management of all five funds
  • Due diligence guides by proposition
  • Actively monitors each portfolio to ensure it is managed in accordance with its investment strategy and investment limits.

EV

  • Provides the investment framework with forward-looking asset allocations.
  • Weightings are aligned to five risk profiles.
  • Asset Allocations are updated on a quarterly basis.

COLUMBIA THREADNEEDLE INVESTMENTS

  • Overlays its own views on asset allocation on those produced by EV.
  • Selects the right mix of underlying funds for each risk profile.
  • Actively manages the underlying funds to reflect where they believe the best opportunities lie.

The Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Funds

Five Globally Diversified – Volatility Managed – Risk Profiled Solutions – With Long Performance Track Records – And A Unique Three-Layer Investment Process:

1. Embark Investments: experienced and independent Authorised Corporate Director (ACD) for design and governance

2. EV: leading asset allocation provider delivering strategic (long-term) asset allocation and forecasting

3. Columbia Threadneedle Investments: globally recognised Investment Manager providing active security selection, tactical (short-term) asset allocation, and an integrated approach to ESG

 

Funds Overview

EMBARK HORIZON MULTI-ASSET FUND I

The Fund aims to grow clients’ investment over the medium to long-term, 5 or more years, and to stay within the designated risk profile. It is aligned to risk profile 1 on the EV five-point scale for long-term risk profiling and strategic asset allocation, the lowest in the range, meaning it aims to deliver income and growth through assets that demonstrate moderate price fluctuations, with greater emphasis placed on exposure to fixed income securities including high yield and emerging market bonds, and lower relative emphasis placed on exposure to equities including emerging market equities.

Risk profile – Cautious

EMBARK HORIZON MULTI-ASSET FUND II

The Fund aims to grow clients’ investment over the medium to long-term, 5 or more years, and to stay within the designated risk profile. It is aligned to risk profile 2 on the EV five-point scale for long-term risk profiling and strategic asset allocation ,meaning it aims to deliver income and growth through assets that demonstrate moderate price fluctuations, with an emphasis placed on fixed income securities including high yield and emerging market bonds, and a lower relative emphasis placed on exposure to equities including emerging market equities.

Risk profile – Moderately Cautious

EMBARK HORIZON MULTI-ASSET FUND III

The Fund aims to grow clients’ investment over the medium to long-term, 5 or more years, and to stay within the designated risk profile. It is aligned to risk profile 3 on the EV five-point scale for long-term risk profiling and strategic asset allocation, meaning it aims to deliver income and growth through assets that may demonstrate moderate to large price fluctuations, with a greater emphasis placed on equities including emerging market equities, and lower emphasis placed on exposure to fixed income securities including high yield and emerging market bonds.

Risk profile – Balanced

EMBARK HORIZON MULTI-ASSET FUND IV

The Fund aims to grow clients’ investment over the medium to long-term, 5 or more years, and to stay within the designated risk profile. It is aligned to risk profile 4 on the EV five-point scale for long-term risk profiling and strategic asset allocation, meaning it aims to deliver income and growth through assets that may demonstrate moderate to large price fluctuations, with greater emphasis placed on equities including emerging market equity and potentially some exposure to fixed income securities including high yield and emerging market bonds.

Risk profile – Moderately Adventurous

EMBARK HORIZON MULTI-ASSET FUND V

The Fund aims to grow clients’ investment over the medium to long-term, 5 or more years, and to stay within the designated risk profile. It is aligned to risk profile 5 on the EV five-point scale for long-term risk profiling and strategic asset allocation, the highest in the range, meaning it aims to deliver income and growth through assets that may demonstrate large price fluctuations, with the greatest emphasis placed on equities including emerging market equities.

Risk profile – Adventurous

Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and the value of investments (and any income from them) can go down, so an investor may get back less than the amount invested. No guarantee is given for the performance of the funds.

Where to invest

Today, the Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Funds are available on a wide range of different investment platforms, including the M&G Wealth Platform, with further plans to extend this reach in the future.

 

Meet the management team

Embark Investments is governed by a Board comprising of four Senior Executives and two Non-Executive Directors, with the daily running of the business overseen by the Management Committee led by the Chief Executive Officer, supported by the Chief Commercial Officer, Head of Investment Management Oversight and Solutions, Marketing Investment Manager, Head of Compliance, and Project Manager.

Environmental, Social and Governance statement

Embark Investments, as the Authorised Corporate Director (ACD) of the Horizon fund range, is a signatory of the United Nations supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI), a globally recognised benchmark for the consideration of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues. Embark Investments are committed to the integration of fundamental ESG principals into the Horizon Multi Asset Fund range and continue to evolve the Horizon Funds in line with changing investment markets and client needs.

The six principles for the PRI match the framework that Embark Investments employs to oversee the Horizon funds, helping us to embrace an international standard. The ACD monitors the funds through a number of ESG-related indicators on a monthly basis and proactively engages with the appointed investment manager, Columbia Threadneedle Investments.

The multi-asset fund managers responsible for the five Horizon funds at Columbia Threadneedle, as well as the portfolio managers of Horizon’s underlying sub-funds, are supported in their decision-making by Columbia Threadneedle’s Responsible Investment (RI) team. Their proprietary RI ratings tool provides insights into a company’s leadership, governance, culture and operational standards of practice, with a focus on issues that are material to its long-term performance. Their approach includes understanding linkages between sustainability opportunities on the one hand, and growth and competitive advantage on the other.

Columbia Threadneedle was a founding signatory of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI) in 2006, and is a signatory to the UK Stewardship code 2010.

 

Fund Prices

Share Class
Type
Price Date
Price (pence)
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund I
Share ClassI
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)62.14
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund I
Share ClassZ
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)61.80
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund I
Share ClassZ
TypeInc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)57.33
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund II
Share ClassI
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)70.86
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund II
Share ClassZ
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)70.45
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund II
Share ClassZ
TypeInc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)64.50
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund III
Share ClassI
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)80.37
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund III
Share ClassZ
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)79.87
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund III
Share ClassZ
TypeInc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)72.26
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund IV
Share ClassI
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)88.72
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund IV
Share ClassZ
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)88.14
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund IV
Share ClassZ
TypeInc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)80.29
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund V
Share ClassI
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)104.13
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund V
Share ClassZ
TypeAcc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)103.44
Embark Horizon Multi-Asset Fund V
Share ClassZ
TypeInc
Price Date18-Mar-24
Price (pence)96.94

About Embark

In the fast-changing investment and retirement savings market, you need a platform that can keep pace. A platform you can trust to deliver today and tomorrow for your business and its customers.

We’re an agile WealthTech company with the financial strength that comes with being part of Lloyds Banking Group.

We power some of the UK’s leading financial brands as well as a wide range of adviser businesses. And we pride ourselves on understanding client needs and providing platform solutions to fit.

We are WealthTech the way it should be.

£36.9bn↑

Assets under admin

483,000

Individual accounts

A

SUPERIOR AKG rating across platforms

6

Locations nationwide

*All figures as at end December 2023. AKG Rating as of January 2024.