Whether you’re sending your kids to university or preparing for retirement, meeting future financial needs can be a mighty challenge.
This is due to the many economic issues that eat away at your savings. Inflation, for example, is increasing the cost of gas, groceries, and other daily necessities. The COVID-19 pandemic, on the other hand, has thrown a wrench into many people’s personal finances.
Starting Your Investment Journey
This infographic from BlackRock introduces their MyMap range of multi-asset investment funds, and describes the benefits to first-time investors.
Today’s Savings Struggles
The above infographic highlighted three savings struggles that make it difficult to meet your future financial goals.
The first is inflation, which refers to the increase in prices of goods and services over time. To understand how inflation can erode the value of your savings, consider this example:
- £100 worth of goods in 2000 would cost £179 in 2021
- £100 worth of goods in 1980 would cost £456 in 2021
In other words, inflation reduces the purchasing power of your savings over time.
The second savings struggle is increasing longevity, also known as longer life expectancies. Living a longer life is generally a good thing, but it does increase the risk of outliving your savings. Coming up with a solid retirement plan is becoming more important than ever.
A third struggle is the COVID-19 pandemic, which appears to be having a long-term impact on UK households. In a December 2021 survey, UK families were asked to rate their financial situation following the pandemic. Of the 5,770 respondents, only 38% said they were “financially secure”.
How MyMap Can Help First-Time Investors
Investing has the potential to generate inflation-beating returns. This not only protects your wealth from erosion, but may help it grow over time.
Unfortunately, just 33% of Brits are currently investing in the stock market. To improve this ratio, BlackRock developed the MyMap range of investment funds, which are designed to be approachable for first-time investors. This means that simplicity is a top priority.
As shown below, each MyMap fund is diversified across several types of assets. Or to put it another way, diversification means spreading your savings across different types of investments, to mitigate the risk of any particular one performing poorly. In this case, diversification is achieved through a single product.
| Fund | Allocation to Equities (%) | Allocation to Bonds (%) | Allocation to Alternatives (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyMap 3 | 22% | 75% | 3% |
| MyMap 3 Select ESG | 26% | 74% | 0% |
| MyMap 4 | 45% | 52% | 3% |
| MyMap 4 Select Income | 33% | 67% | 0% |
| MyMap 5 | 64% | 33% | 3% |
| MyMap 5 Select ESG | 64% | 36% | 0% |
| MyMap 6 | 82% | 15% | 3% |
| MyMap 7 Select ESG | 100% | 0% | 0% |
MyMap funds also vary by the amount of risk they take, with a lower number signifying less risk. This is why MyMap 3 is heavily weighted towards bonds, which are relatively safer than equities. MyMap 6 takes the opposite approach by investing heavily in equities, which offer greater return potential at the cost of higher risk.
Generally speaking, MyMap 3 is suitable for shorter-term goals (like buying a new car), while MyMap 6 is suitable for longer-term goals (like retirement).
Putting Your Money to Work
For over 30 years, BlackRock’s mission has been to help people build better financial futures. The MyMap range embodies this by giving new investors a simple, one-stop solution for whatever their goals may be.
Sustainable options are available as well, through the MyMap Select ESG funds (3, 5, and 7). These are tailored to investors who are interested in aligning personal values with financial goals.
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