Graham Bentley: So how do you name your model portfolios?

Behaviours, animals or something else?

clock • 6 min read

It would be helpful to advisers and their clients if funds and model portfolios had some sort of common risk-grading system but, as Graham Bentley points out, we are currently a long way away from that being the case

What do you call your model portfolios? Do you use subjective human behaviours such as ‘Cautious', ‘Balanced', ‘Aggressive' … ‘Psychopathic'? Or do you prefer a zoomorphic approach, perhaps using degrees of cuddliness - ‘Bambi', ‘Baloo', ‘Banzai' or ‘Balrog'? The regulator is concerned that portfolio names may not reflect varying exposures to equities, clients thus finding themselves in portfolios that may hold greater risks of capital loss than they were led to expect. Yet this represents a fundamental misinterpretation of the issues. ‘Asset allocators' such as Distribution Technolog...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

What advisers need to know as SpaceX fuels space investing interest

What advisers need to know as SpaceX fuels space investing interest

WisdomTree’s Mobeen Tahir unpacks the space economy theme

Sophia Panayi
clock 14 August 2026 • 1 min read
How markets have developed in 2026 so far

How markets have developed in 2026 so far

'Active allocation does not mean constant trading or short-term market calls'

James Flintoft
clock 12 August 2026 • 3 min read
How sustainable funds have beaten the index this year

How sustainable funds have beaten the index this year

'ESG funds benefit from access to some of the livelier parts of the market'

Ian Aylward
clock 10 August 2026 • 3 min read