As global markets evolve and UK regulatory pressure on cost and value intensifies, delivering consistent returns and effective diversification in multi-asset portfolios is becoming increasingly challenging for UK advisers. Traditional approaches are under strain, with clients demanding stronger outcomes, greater transparency, and better value for money. Enhanced index investing offers a compelling solution-bridging the gap between passive efficiency and active return potential. This session explores how enhanced index strategies could strengthen multi-asset portfolios by expanding the opportunity set and improving diversification. Using systematic, rules-based approaches, these strategies target proven drivers of return - such as value, quality, and momentum - with the aim of outperforming traditional market-cap indices over time. Crucially, they seek to deliver excess returns at a lower cost than traditional active management, helping advisers meet growing fee scrutiny without compromising on performance. With broad exposure across factors, sectors, and regions, enhanced indexing reduces reliance on single sources of return and introduces a more consistent, scalable framework for portfolio construction. Join us to learn how enhanced index solutions could help you build more resilient, diversified multi-asset portfolios - targeting improved risk-adjusted returns while maintaining cost discipline and supporting better outcomes for clients over the long term.

New World / Same Brain explores why modern financial markets can be so difficult for human investors to navigate. Delivered by George Cliff, Co-CIO & Director of Research at CleverIM, the session examines how ancient behavioural instincts — such as loss aversion, herding, anchoring, overconfidence and action bias — can become costly in a world of instant news, frictionless trading and always-on investment technology. The session considers how these biases show up in real client and adviser behaviour, including panic selling, performance chasing, holding losing investments too long, and staying loyal to funds that were once strong but are now no longer fit for purpose. It then positions systematic, rules-based and data-driven portfolio management as a practical way to reduce emotional decision-making, improve consistency and support better client outcomes. The central message is simple: clients are not irrational; they are human. The adviser’s opportunity is to combine empathy, communication and disciplined investment process to help clients cut through the noise, focus on the data and avoid costly mistakes — consistent with CleverIM’s rules-based, data-driven approach.

Learning Objectives

• Identify the key behavioural biases that influence investor and adviser decision-making in modern markets.
• Explain how technology, instant access and market noise can amplify emotional investment decisions.
• Apply a systematic, data-led investment process to help reduce behavioural drag and improve client outcomes
  

How can investors navigate a world that feels more uncertain and complex than ever? Rather than trying to predict exactly what markets will do next, success comes from preparing for different outcomes. This session will explore three key areas. First, portfolios need to be built to cope with inflation, so that investments continue to grow in real terms over time. Second, behaviour matters just as much as investment returns - helping clients get invested and stay invested through market ups and downs is key to achieving long term goals. Finally, investors often focus too much on the risk of a market crash, and not enough on the risk of falling short over time. Being too cautious can mean missing out on opportunities, so it’s important to plan for both scenarios and strike the right balance.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the key macro challenges shaping portfolios
• Recognise the importance of behaviour in achieving client outcomes
• Develop a more balanced approach to risk and return
  

When all investors crowd into the same trade, bad things happen. And unless you’ve been trying hard not too, your clients are probably exposed to the same crowded trade. What is the trade? How big is the crowd? And how can you protect your clients – and your business - from it reversing? Simon Evan-Cook, founder and fund manager of the MGTS Downing Fox Funds, will explain all.