Insight Articles
Our straight-talking articles and guides are designed to cut through charity professional industry jargon and answer your pertinent questions.
August Market Reflection
Although Covid case numbers continue to rise in Continental Europe as lockdowns ease and holiday travel incr...
Smith and Williamson's Charity Insight Articles
A full list of our Charity Insight Articles can be found at this link under Related Content: https://smit...
What We Did During The Global Pandemic
We are content that the majority of our fund investments have outperformed their benchmarks in the first hal...
July Market Reflection
The equity market recovery stalled in July in the face of deteriorating news on the number of new Covid-19 c...
Nagitating the bumps
Ganesh, the ever-popular Hindu deity, is famous for his ability to dismantle obstacles, doubtless because he i...
Sustainability. Are we all on the same page?
When it comes to sustainability are we using the same word to describe activities that are inherently at odds ...
Dividends Update
As companies have sought to protect their cashflow in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, dividend pay-outs to ...
Too Low For Zero
Setbacks from the latest market wobble which have been caused by worries about the speed of economic recover...
trustEnews
Read the latest trustEnews trustEnews is an online news and information service aimed at trustees. We wil...
Coronavirus: Updates for the UK Charity Sector
New guidance to support the return of public fundraising With the recent easing of restrictions, the Fundraisi...
Learning To Live With The Worry
In financial markets, in any normal year we would now be turning our full attention to the second quarter re...
The UK’s biggest charities’ free reserves were falling even before the COVID-19 pandemic
This is the key finding of our third Charity reserves review. On average, charities were found to hold just tw...
The coronavirus crisis has affected all charities
As part of our programme of support for charities, and in response to the pandemic, we have co-created a serie...
Is Total Return still too terrifying?
Many charities that rely on investment income are having to make hard choices about their finances for this ye...
Protecting your charity’s income: is now the time to adopt a total return approach?
A total return approach to taking distributions from a portfolio gives stability and flexibility – and it also...
Mental health during Covid-19
CCLA initiated its mental health engagement programme in early 2019. Since then, the Covid-19 crisis has ...
The Next Wave
Short-term activity data is going to look very healthy in terms of month-to-month growth thanks to continued...
Market Commentary June
As the UK enters its third full calendar month of lockdown, many could be forgiven for thinking that things ...
Live after Lockdown
The initial shock of the lockdown in March to combat Covid-19 was a big blow to society and we abruptly got us...
Conducting an Investment Manager Review
With a number of different investment managers out there, where should you start with your selection proc...
May Market Reflection
John Wyn-Evans, Investec Wealth & Investment’s Head of Investment Strategy reflects on May’s market perf...
How to help charities in Covid crisis
Many charities are struggling in the wake of Covid-19. As we have observed before, the current tax regime allo...
The dividend income challenge for charities
The coronavirus has effectively halted swathes of the global economy. Charities have seen their income slashed...
COVID-19 BlackRock Investment Update
Market uncertainty around the potential for contagion of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is dominating global marke...
Interview with Catriona Williams of Children in Wales
David Myrddin-Evans talks to the recently retired Chief Executive about her distinguished career. Click o...
Charity collaboration with others
Robert Nieri explores a hypothetical scenario where a charity looks to engage with the business world in respo...
Value vs. Growth and what it means when investing for income
Alex Hulkhory discusses the different investment styles and what these can mean for charities seeking income.&...
How can your reserves policy help your resilience?
Gillian Benjamin highlights the importance of having a reserves policy, particularly in times of economic unce...
The challenge of climate change - profit vs. planet?
Paul Mathias examines the current thinking on climate change and the implications for charity investors. Click...
Remembering bear markets past
Guy Foster, our Head of Research, reflects on the last two bear markets and the lessons they provide for inves...
Comparing statistics in a Covid-19 world
Many charities will have received investment reports recently, outlining the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic o...
Charity Investment Update
Markets are shrugging off some of the worst economic data we’ve seen in decades, with governments around the...
Webinar: Managing investments in unprecedented times
As charities continue to struggle with the widespread financial implications of the Covid-19 crisis, Senior In...
PLANNING FOR - AND LIMITING THE DAMAGE OF - BEAR MARKETS
Richard Maitland SarasinThe bear market of 2000-2003 came as a shock to most investors; over the previous 20 ...
A reflection of a crisis on charity investment
Much has been said of the extreme shock the Covid-19 pandemic crisis has inflicted on the charitable sector in...
How the coronavirus is impacting small charities
All organisation across the UK are currently being impacted by covid-19, including small charities which provi...
UK Real Estate Impact of Covid-19 - April 2020
https://pitch.mayfaircapital.co.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/reports/property-income-trust-charities-q12020econ...
Ruffer Radio - episode 1
This week we have launched Ruffer Radio, a series of podcasts in which we’ll be exploring the investment...
Ask a Charity Fund Manager
To help charities understand the impact Covid-19 is having on their investments, the EdenTree Charity Team p...
What Coronavirus means to Charities
There’s no denying that the coronavirus pandemic will have thrown many charity’s operational and financial ...
What to expect when you're having your audit remotely
Due to current social distancing restrictions, everyone is required to work from home wherever possible. This ...
Weekly Digest
Welcome to this weeks edition of weekly digest; a topical in-house review of world stock markets and global ec...
Short of investment income? Some suggestions
Investors who rely on dividends and property income to fund their spending will be looking at the next twelve ...
Ruffer Review 2020
The latest copy of the Ruffer Review is now available to download from our website. This publication
How to be a good trustee during a period of rapid change
Fleur Holden, PartnerBy the time you are reading my article, events in the external social and economic enviro...
Investing through the Pandemic
Some things will stay the same, but a lot will change. There is no doubt that we are living (and investing) in...
Charities and Coronavirus: Reflections on the sector following the 2008 financial crisis
It is impossible to predict the extent of the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on our societies, but the ro...
Charities, Coronavirus and Regulatory Compliance
(1) Charity Commission FilingsThe Charity Commission has issued a welcome statement that its approach to reg...
Coronavirus: key government measures to assist organisations
Although at the time of writing a charity sector specific support package has not yet been announced, operati...
An update on EdenTree’s charity funds
Following last week’s update from our CEO Sue Round, we thought it helpful to provide additional commentary fr...
An update on markets and recent volatility for charity investors
With the continued proliferation of the coronavirus, the world is clearly facing a health emergency which is u...
We all need LUV
After the ongoing pandemic crisis impacts on the economy, the question is what shape will the recovery be; L, ...
How Endowments and Foundations can approach the world of repsonsible and sustainable investing
David Osfield shares his responses from a recent interview with a climate change consultant. - See more at: h...
Active or Passive: Which strategy is suited to ESG investing?
With more than half of the net £1.3bn invested in sustainable strategies in January being allocated to a singl...
Coronavirus: Philanthropy and charities
With the Coronavirus crisis now officially a pandemic by World Health Organization standards, there is nowhere...
The Just Transition
The Just Transition is an idea that emerged out of trade union movements, has been advocated by environmental ...
How do charities approach investing in line with their purpose and values?
The Charity Commission recently published a blog post that discusses how charities may approach inve...
Getting your investment policy right
A well thought-out investment policy is essential to achieving your charity’s goals and demonstrating that Tru...
Can charities benefit from investment in UK real estate in 2020? James Lloyd
The Conservative Party’s election success in December 2019 removed one of the key risk factors holding back th...
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations
Environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are changing the investment landscape. Charities are...
The Future of Road Transport
Transport is key to providing people with the access that they need to lead full and involved lives and theref...
Mind The Gap
I met a lovely fundraiser at an event last week who told me that one of the board of Trustees for her charity ...
6 key considerations for Charity Trustees when reviewing Charity Investments
Whether you are new to being a Charity Trustee, an experienced Trustee or simply someone interested in becomin...
Writing a responsible investment policy statement for charities
Writing a responsible investment policy can be daunting and offering advice in this area is not always straigh...
How can charities approach responsible investing for the first time?
Whilst it is not yet a regulatory requirement for charities to invest responsibly and sustainably, it is becom...
Where’s the ‘F’ in ESG?
We too easily forget the progress that has been made on ESG over the last decade, to the extent that I suspect...
Engaging on Modern Slavery in the UK’s Construction Sector
Modern Slavery – a term which covers forced labour, child labour and child slavery, forced/early marriage, deb...
The links between lunch and risk
There is a famous study in which judges are found to hand out harsher sentences before lunch rather than ...
How comparable are investment manager returns?
In spite of the best efforts of the regulator, and warnings that ‘past performance is no guide to the future’,...
My terrible mistake!
In honour of Trustees’ Week, here’s a cautionary tale. So there I was, sitting in front of the ...
ESG Investing for Endowments and Foundations
David Osfield, Fund manager at EdenTree with responsibility for managing investments globally for charities, w...
Good Governance in Minutes
Trustees must act in the best interest of the charity. One of the most effective ways to demonstrate this is t...
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR TRUSTEES AND YOUR ORGANISATION
Reputable and committed Trustees are incredibly important to charities and community groups. However, it is im...
The Charity Chair – Some Practical Considerations
The role of a charity’s Chair of Trustees is often crucial in setting the tone, standard and good practice wit...
The Importance of Reserves to the Charity Sector
Recent research indicates that the majority of charities only have reserves policies based on 3 – 6 months of ...
The climate for investing
Climate change has become a global emergency, with individuals, corporations, charities and policymakers incre...
Is cash still king?
It is a topic that is increasingly pressing for charities; is sitting on cash still a ‘safe’ option? As intere...
Property is an important diversifier for charity funds
In the past, most charities' investment portfolios have consisted mainly of equities and bonds, but in today...
Five ways your investment process can go wrong
Even the best-laid portfolio plans can be derailed by financial market caprices, but charity investors can giv...
Ruffer Review 2019
Read the first edition of the Ruffer Review, a selection of thought pieces from across the business.
Jargon busting: what you really need to know
The investment industry is fond of jargon. Deciphering this alphabet soup of acronyms can give the impression ...
The Brexit conundrum
The newspaper headlines have been, understandably, full of Brexit stories. With such a significant political e...
A Crisis of Confidence
The Charity Commission has been tracking public confidence in the charitable sector for over a decade. It is c...
What do the Finance (No3) Bill 2018 and the 2018 Budget mean for charities?
A number of changes for the charity sector have been put forward by the UK government:- The simplification of ...
Investing Your Charity's Money For The First Time
Waverton has been managing charity assets since its inception and we have learned a lot along the way about th...
Income at any price?
In a world of distorted interest rates and high asset prices, protecting capital and producing strong be mutua...
Responding to fraud in charities
Charities are not immune to fraud. In some instances charities are specifically targeted by criminals due to t...
Divestment and engagement: different shades of green
Climate change is not a new phenomenon, but having been passionately debated for a number of decades there has...