Fisher Investments UK - opinions?

[tricksandtips]

Does anybody have any comments, experiences, reviews, thoughts, or advice and opinions, regarding the company Fisher Investments UK based in Canary Wharf London? I would be very grateful for any information.

[Lootman]

I assume this is a UK outpost of Fisher Investments US which is a well-known fiduciary adviser there. I do not know much about them other than that they advertise constantly on American TV. Conclude from that what you may.

[csearle]

Does anybody have any comments, experiences, reviews, thoughts, or advice and opinions, regarding the company Fisher Investments UK based in Canary Wharf London? I would be very grateful for any information.

Welcome to The Lemon Fool!

This from the Telegraph website...

Fisher Investments UK helps investors analyze their individual financial situations, long-term goals and more in order to deliver personalised recommendations. Clients hire Fisher Investments UK’s US-based parent company for their portfolio management expertise. Fisher Investments is a fee-only investment firm that has been managing investments for large institutions since 1979, and they have worked with high-net-worth individuals since 1995.

Chris

[Laughton]

I asked many years ago for their information pack/up to date view on the markets.

There followed the hard sell telephone calls - "we have our investment director in your area next week, can he make an appointment to go over your portfolio with you and suggest just how Fisher Investments can do a better job".

They eventually caught me at a weak moment and I agreed but then saw sense and explained to the "Investment Director" that whilst I was happy to meet I had no intention of signing over my portfoloio to Fisher Investments. Suddenly he lost interest.

They still do call every now and again but I just continue with "I'm very happy managing my pension and investments myself and have no intention of appopinting a manager"

[Dod101]

I did much the same as Laughton some years back and formed the impression that they were probably not as bad as some of those who have tried the hard sell. In fact I enjoyed my chat with the guy who called on me . I was not actually interested in doing any business with them though and eventually he lost interest. So whilst I certainly cannot recommend them, I might have been willing to give them a go in different circumstances.

Dod

[JohnW]

First post. ‘Take a look at this business’. Legitimate issue. Marketing strategy? Bona fide enquiry? Time may tell.

[BullDog]

First post. ‘Take a look at this business’. Legitimate issue. Marketing strategy? Bona fide enquiry? Time may tell.

Indeed. Fair comment.

[monabri]

Trustpilot. Rated as " Poor" based on 28 reviews.

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/fisherinvestments.com

The Trustpilot reviews remind me of ITI Crapital's...in the majority the comments are very negative ( 1 star) and then you get several 5 star reviews thrown in.

[monabri]

The question for me is ..do they justify their management costs?

viewtopic.php?p=596260#p596260

"Even relatively intelligent friends seem happy with returns from Fisher despite me pointing out they're paying them £30k pa to underperform a tracker for the last decade."

viewtopic.php?p=336110#p336110
(Use of furlough money )

viewtopic.php?p=277415#p277415
(Fees for management..... )

[mc2fool]

viewtopic.php?p=336110#p336110
(Use of furlough money )

That post is referring to the marine services group, James Fisher & Sons, LSE:FSJ, not Fisher Investments.

[scrumpyjack]

The question for me is ..do they justify their management costs?

viewtopic.php?p=596260#p596260

"Even relatively intelligent friends seem happy with returns from Fisher despite me pointing out they're paying them £30k pa to underperform a tracker for the last decade."

viewtopic.php?p=336110#p336110
(Use of furlough money )

viewtopic.php?p=277415#p277415
(Fees for management..... )

Yes it's amazing that otherwise sensible people seem content to let these companies (eg SJP) syphon off huge fees for investments that are riskier and lower performing than trackers. I suppose it is because the reps that sweet talk them are very very good smooth talking salesmen.

[scotia]

A few years ago, since we were getting old, we thought it would be a good idea to hand over part of our portfolio to Fisher. Their UK representative was not at all pushy. We had several visitations, while he made sure that what he was offering would suit our circumstances, and indeed he more or less suggested we could do it ourselves. We transferred part of our ISAs from Hargreaves Lansdown to Raymond James, and they were re-invested in an OEIC - Purisima Global Total Return B which is managed by Fisher. The Initial fee at purchase was around 1.5%, and there is an annual holding fee of around 0.12%. We were allocated a Fisher contact in the USA, and he keeps in touch via emails and phone calls. We also receive periodical revues of the market, and details of the changes that are being made to the fund. And there are online discussion meetings (which we don't normally take part in).
Looking at 5 year total return figures (from Hargreaves Lansdown), and comparing it with Fundsmith and Vanguard VEVE, both of which I hold in my own managed portfolio (with Hargreaves Lansdown) we have:-
Purisima GTR B 62.75%
Fundsmith 55.05%
Vanguard Developed World Tracker VEVE 52.11%
Purisima GTR B is a large cap global fund, with 74% of its investments in the USA. A Fisher account with only Purisima is considered to be at the high end of their risk levels. I believe that they also provide lower risk portfolios which may include bonds, however given our other non-Fisher savings and investments, we were happy to go with an all equity solution.
Our current policy is to leave the Fisher portfolios alone - we are not extracting or adding to them. I'm still enjoying looking after our own (Hargreaves Lansdown) portfolios, but this could change as we get older.

[tricksandtips]

First post. ‘Take a look at this business’. Legitimate issue. Marketing strategy? Bona fide enquiry? Time may tell.

Its a genuine inquiry, I can assure you. Fisher Investments UK have been giving me the hard sell with phone calls. Having seen all the comments on here, I will not be investing with them.

[tricksandtips]

First post. ‘Take a look at this business’. Legitimate issue. Marketing strategy? Bona fide enquiry? Time may tell.

Indeed. Fair comment.

Its a genuine inquiry that I made in my original post, I can assure you. Fisher Investments UK have been giving me the hard sell with phone calls. Having seen all the comments on here, I will not be investing with them.

[tricksandtips]

Thank you to everybody who commented on this thread, the information has been very helpful for me to understand more and weigh up the various factors.

[MikhailLiebenstein]

I know this thread is a bit old, but looks like Purisima Global B has ridden the market recovery well. Just hit an all time high, whilst the NASDAQ is still 5-6% off peak.