Short sentences, clear words
We use everyday words and short sentences wherever possible. If a technical term is unavoidable, we explain it in the same breath, and the list below covers the most common ones.
Plain English
Plain English policy
Money matters are complicated enough without difficult words. On this website, in our reports and in every conversation, we promise to write and speak in plain English, and this page is our policy on how we do that.
Our promises to you
No small print tricks
Fees, risks and limitations are stated plainly and up front. Nothing important is hidden in dense wording, and every report we send is written so you can act on it without a dictionary.
Ask us anything
If anything we say or send you is unclear, tell us and we will explain it differently until it is clear. A partner, not a call centre, answers every question.
Plain English by default
New pages, letters and reports are checked against this policy before they are published or sent, and this website is written and maintained in plain English throughout.
Common money words, in plain English
Here are the words we are asked about most often, with the plain meaning we use on this site.
- Portfolio
- Everything we look after for you in one place: the mix of investments we manage on your behalf.
- Diversification
- Not putting all your eggs in one basket. Money spread across many companies, countries and kinds of investment.
- Rebalancing
- Gently nudging your investments back to the agreed mix when some grow faster than others.
- Volatility
- How much prices bounce up and down. More bouncing means a bumpier ride, not necessarily a worse outcome.
- Custodian
- A separate company whose only job is safekeeping. It holds your assets so nobody, including us, can misuse them.
- Fee-only
- We earn money only from the fee you pay us. No commissions and no payments from anyone selling products.
- Discretionary management
- We make the day-to-day buying and selling decisions for you, within the plan we agreed together.
- Return
- What your money earns over time, from growth in value and from income such as interest or dividends.
- Benchmark
- A measuring stick, such as a well-known market average, used to judge how investments are doing.
- Liquidity
- How quickly an investment can be turned into cash without losing value.
Spotted something unclear?
If any page on this site fails the plain English test, tell us and we will rewrite it. Contact us and a partner will read your message.