Information for the General Public

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Also in this section:

• How to choose an investment manager
• Understanding investment risk

Questions to ask an investment manager

• Do you make your own investment decisions or are there controls laid down as a matter of policy by the firm? If so, how much or how little freedom do you have to stray from the firm's investment process?
• Will you be managing my investments or will they be managed by someone else somewhere else?
• How do you and how should I measure the performance of my investments under your care? How closely is this benchmark related to my own investment objectives? How would you describe your performance against these benchmarks for existing clients?
• Can you give me a layman's explanation of your investment process? How do you construct a portfolio for someone with my needs and how do you select individual investments?
• Do you use any types of investment which mean that you receive a commission from a third party? If so, how do I know what it is and what happens to it?
• In whose name will the investments be registered? If this is a nominee company, will my account be separately designated from others? Can you give me an assurance that this means that I will remain the beneficial owner at all times?
• How does the firm control signature of documents or other forms of authority, particularly those which transfer my money or securities?
• What compensation rights do I have if something goes wrong in your organisation and some or all of my investments are lost? What is the limit on the amount of compensation I could receive?