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​This Month’s Fund in Focus 

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W1M Conservative Managed Portfolio Service

A New Platinum Standard for Managed Portfolios

This Month's Investment in Focus – November 2026

W1M Conservative MPS Portfolio

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A New Benchmark for Managed Portfolio Excellence

November marks an important milestone for QuantQual, with the W1M Managed Portfolio Service becoming the first MPS range to achieve our prestigious Platinum rating, representing our highest level of investment conviction.

For this month's Investment in Focus, we have chosen to highlight the W1M Conservative portfolio, a strategy that demonstrates why we believe the wider W1M proposition deserves this recognition.

Conservative investing is often misunderstood. It is not simply about holding fewer equities and more bonds, nor should it be judged solely by the absence of volatility. Successful conservative portfolio management requires a carefully considered balance between capital preservation, income generation, inflation protection and the ability to achieve meaningful long-term returns.

We believe W1M's investment philosophy addresses these challenges through a disciplined and genuinely diversified approach to portfolio construction, supported by a comprehensive investment process and an emphasis on managing risk.

For advisers seeking a lower-risk investment solution, these characteristics are particularly valuable.

A Different Approach to Portfolio Construction

One of the distinguishing features of W1M's investment philosophy is its approach to diversification.

Rather than relying exclusively upon a conventional combination of equities and fixed income, W1M structures its investment approach around four principal building blocks: Sterling Bonds, Strategic Equity, Absolute Return and Real Assets.

Each has a distinct purpose within the wider investment framework.

Sterling Bonds provide opportunities for income generation and defensive positioning, while Strategic Equity offers participation in long-term corporate growth. Absolute Return strategies seek to introduce alternative sources of return that are less dependent upon traditional market direction, while Real Assets can provide additional diversification and potential protection against inflation.

The importance of this approach has become particularly apparent in recent years.

Traditional assumptions about the relationship between equities and bonds have been challenged by inflation, changing interest-rate expectations and geopolitical uncertainty. Investors have experienced periods in which both asset classes have fallen simultaneously, demonstrating that simply combining the two does not always deliver the diversification expected.

For the Conservative portfolio, we believe W1M's broader investment framework provides a valuable foundation for managing these challenges.

The objective is not to eliminate investment risk, which is neither realistic nor desirable, but to ensure that the risks being taken are understood, appropriately diversified and consistent with the portfolio's intended investment objectives.

Why We Like It

Following our comprehensive due diligence, QuantQual has awarded the W1M MPS range our Platinum rating, the highest level within our investment research framework.

This is particularly significant because W1M is the first Managed Portfolio Service range to achieve this distinction.

Our assessment reflects our conviction in the quality of the investment proposition, rather than simply its historical performance.

What particularly appeals to us is the combination of:

• A clearly defined and disciplined investment philosophy.

• A diversified portfolio-construction framework incorporating four complementary investment building blocks.

• A strong emphasis on risk management and achieving appropriate outcomes for investors.

• The flexibility to respond to changing market conditions and investment opportunities.

• A robust investment research and portfolio management process.

• A focus on delivering a consistent investment experience across different market environments.

We particularly value the attention given to the role each investment plays within the wider portfolio.

For conservative investors, this is essential. An investment that appears relatively low risk in isolation may not necessarily improve the resilience of a portfolio if its performance is closely correlated with other holdings.

Equally, holding defensive assets should not mean abandoning the opportunity to generate long-term returns.

In our view, W1M demonstrates a thoughtful approach to balancing these competing requirements, supported by an investment framework that recognises the importance of both diversification and disciplined risk management.

Why Now?

The current economic environment provides a compelling illustration of why portfolio construction matters.

Government borrowing remains elevated, inflation continues to present uncertainty, and interest-rate expectations are subject to change. Meanwhile, equity markets face questions surrounding valuations, economic growth and the increasing concentration of returns within a relatively small number of large companies.

For conservative investors, these conditions present a particular challenge.

Holding excessive cash may provide short-term stability, but it also introduces the risk that inflation gradually erodes purchasing power. Fixed income offers more attractive yields than were available during much of the previous decade, although interest-rate sensitivity and credit risk remain important considerations.

Equities continue to provide opportunities for long-term capital growth, but can introduce volatility that may be inappropriate for investors with a lower tolerance for risk.

This is where we believe a carefully constructed multi-asset portfolio can demonstrate its value.

W1M's investment framework seeks to combine different sources of return within a coherent portfolio, rather than depending excessively upon any single asset class or economic outcome.

The Conservative portfolio is particularly relevant for investors who require a measured approach to investment risk but still recognise the importance of maintaining exposure to assets capable of generating returns over the medium to long term.

We do not expect a conservative strategy to outperform equity-heavy portfolios during strongly rising markets. Indeed, that would generally be inconsistent with its intended risk profile.

Instead, we believe the quality of a conservative investment proposition should be judged by its ability to balance participation in positive markets with appropriate downside risk management, particularly when conditions become more challenging.

QuantQual View

The W1M Conservative MPS Portfolio represents what we believe is a high-quality approach to lower-risk multi-asset investing.

Our conviction is founded upon the strength of the investment philosophy, the quality of the portfolio-construction process and the emphasis placed upon managing risk through genuinely diversified sources of return.

For us, the Conservative portfolio illustrates an important principle: successful investment management is not simply about maximising returns, but about achieving an appropriate balance between risk and reward.

This is especially important for lower-risk investors, where avoiding significant losses can be just as valuable as participating in rising markets.

The decision to award the wider W1M MPS range our Platinum rating represents a significant milestone for QuantQual. As the first MPS range to receive our highest level of recognition, W1M has established a new benchmark within our managed portfolio research.

Of course, a Platinum rating does not mean that the portfolios will outperform in every market environment, nor does it remove the possibility of investment losses. It reflects our conviction in the people, philosophy and processes responsible for managing investors' capital.

At a time when economic uncertainty, changing interest rates and market concentration are creating increasingly complex investment conditions, we believe the W1M Conservative portfolio offers advisers a compelling solution for clients seeking a disciplined, diversified and risk-conscious approach to long-term investing.

For November, we are delighted to recognise W1M Conservative as our Investment in Focus and celebrate the wider W1M MPS range becoming QuantQual's first Platinum-rated Managed Portfolio Service.

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