In a world where market volatility has become the norm, investors seeking stability and steady growth face a delicate balancing act. This article dives into how top discretionary 

 category have performed over the past five years, illustrating the strategies they used to manage 

, rising interest rates, and geopolitical shocks while maintaining a strong focus on wealth protection.

 (MPI), the analysis reveals the collective strategies of leading managers who’ve mastered the art of preserving wealth through turbulent cycles, proving that caution, when applied wisely, can still deliver meaningful growth.  For these rankings, we have used MPI data sets 5 years up to Q2 2025.

A balanced portfolio typically aims to deliver a combination of 

. While not strictly defined, it often includes:

 - driving long-term growth through exposure to global markets.

 or fixed income - providing diversification and some income stability.

 and reduces volatility, with some cautious portfolios also allocating a small proportion to alternatives such as 

, or absolute return strategies for diversification

These portfolios appeal to investors with a medium risk tolerance who want steady long-term returns without the full volatility of 

Principles of Asset Allocation

That said, "balanced" means different things across firms, making direct comparisons an art as much as a science.

Even within the balanced category, approaches can diverge. Some managers favour a steadier mix of equities and bonds to smooth returns, while others add alternatives or tactical shifts to manage volatility and enhance resilience. Understanding these nuances is essential, and benchmarks provide useful context for comparisons.

Key Factors That Shaped the Last 5 Years (2020–2025)

The period from 2020 to 2025 was anything but stable. Yet top wealth managers delivered balanced portfolios that provided strong returns. Wealth managers had to navigate a series of transformative events, including:

The pandemic brought the global economy to a near standstill, with lockdowns and uncertainty halting growth before massive fiscal and monetary stimulus fuelled a sharp rebound. Top wealth managers in the UK were able to capture the recovery while tilting into resilient sectors.

 became one of the biggest challenges of the decade, eroding savings and driving sharp losses in both equities and bonds. Many investors without professional guidance saw their portfolios hit hard. By contrast, working with a wealth manager meant having a clear financial plan, regularly reviewed and adjusted to changing conditions. This proactive approach helped clients limit losses and stay aligned with their long-term goals 

Inflation and price indices

As interest rates surged to multi-decade highs, borrowing costs rose sharply, making it harder for businesses to secure credit and invest in growth. Yet for investors, the same environment opened opportunities, with bond yields and fixed income offering attractive returns not seen in years. Skilled wealth managers helped clients capture this upside while managing the risks, keeping portfolios resilient and income-generating through a challenging cycle 

Why the bond ‘rout’ might not be what it seems

From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to tensions in Asia and ongoing energy shocks, geopolitical risks reshaped markets and drove volatility across asset classes. While many investors struggled, the top wealth managers in the UK navigated these disruptions with adaptive, balanced strategies that protected wealth and maintained steady returns 

IMPACTS OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE ON FINANCIAL MARKET CONDITIONS AND RESILIENCE: Assessment of Global Financial Markets

Using the Results in Your Decision-Making

The rankings are not about finding a single “winner.” Instead, it provides context: a broad view of how professional managers in the growth category have performed through a period of rapid change.

For investors, the value lies in using the results as a benchmark:

Comparing how prospective wealth managers stack up against peers in the same risk category.

Asking sharper questions about a firm’s strategy, asset mix, and approach to risk management.

Understanding whether a manager’s results stem from tactical choices, long-term philosophy, or exposure to specific markets and sectors.

Ultimately, it is best used as a starting point. It highlights managers who have delivered strong performance, but it does not replace thorough due diligence. Assessing a manager’s process, team, governance, and client fit remains essential before making an allocation decision.

Performance matters, but context is crucial.

 The five-year returns shown highlight strong results from these wealth managers, but they don’t reflect the full picture.

Risk-adjusted returns can be more telling.

 A higher return isn’t always better if it came with significantly more volatility. Ask wealth managers about their Sharpe ratios or other risk metrics.

 Even within a standardised risk category, portfolio composition can vary widely across firms. Allocation differences affect performance and comparability.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 Market conditions change, and so does manager performance. What worked over the last five years may not work in the next five.

This should be a starting point, not a decision.

 Use this data to shortlist firms, but also evaluate service quality, investment philosophy, fees, tax planning capabilities, and personal rapport.

This article ranks the performance of discretionary wealth managers in the UK’s growth risk category over the past five years (2020–2025). 

The ranking is compared using companies balanced portfolio data , which benchmarks how top-performing wealth managers have navigated major macro events, recoveries, and policy shifts over that period. 
Compare Wealth Managers

It reflects strategies focused on compounding returns through meaningful equity exposure, selective use of alternatives (e.g. private equity, private credit), and disciplined diversification. 
Compare Wealth Managers

The article isn’t about finding a single “winner,” but about providing context for how professional managers in the growth space performed — useful as a benchmark when comparing prospective wealth managers.

5 Top Performing Wealth Managers

Best UK Wealth Managers for Balanced Portfolio Performance

Cautious portfolios are designed to limit volatility while delivering consistent, if moderate, returns. They often include:

 for controlled exposure to market growth

 or fixed income for stability and income

However, there is no single formula. One manager’s “cautious” portfolio may lean more towards bonds, while another may hold a slightly higher equity weighting to seek better returns, resulting in different performance patterns and levels of risk.

Even within a standardised risk category, investment philosophies vary widely. Some managers adopt a defensive posture, prioritising stability and downside protection. Others may take a more opportunistic approach, tilting towards equities or alternatives when conditions seem favourable. These differences underscore why benchmarks like the Cautious Portfolios are useful for setting expectations and framing comparisons.

For cautious investors, the last five years underscored the importance of capital preservation, steady income, and diversification. Wealth managers with a disciplined, defensive approach helped clients protect wealth through an unusually turbulent period.

The pandemic’s market shock highlighted the value of capital protection. Cautious portfolios, with allocations to high-quality bonds, cash, and defensive equities, provided stability when volatility spiked. Wealth managers helped clients avoid panic selling and benefit from the gradual recovery that followed.

2. Low-Rate Environment and Diversification

For more than a decade after the global financial crisis, near-zero interest rates left cautious portfolios struggling to generate meaningful income. That backdrop shifted dramatically after 2021, as inflation and tighter monetary policy pushed yields higher. Wealth managers used the opportunity to rebuild fixed-income allocations while reinforcing diversification with infrastructure and 

 to cushion portfolios against volatility 

The debt landscape has flipped

The rapid series of rate hikes from 2022 initially hit bond markets hard, driving down prices and testing conservative investors. But for skilled managers, this volatility created a rare entry point. By actively adjusting duration and credit quality, they locked in attractive yields and transformed a short-term headwind into a foundation for long-term income 

How interest rate moves drive bond returns

Persistent inflation eroded the value of cash and low-yield bonds, creating an added challenge for capital-preserving strategies. To protect clients, wealth managers incorporated inflation-linked bonds, dividend-paying equities, and select alternatives, ensuring cautious portfolios could maintain real returns without straying from their defensive mandate 

UK inflation rises to 10-month high of 3% in January

5. Geopolitical Volatility and Diversification

The invasion of Ukraine in 2022, energy supply disruptions in Europe, and ongoing US–China tensions created prolonged uncertainty for global markets. These shocks drove volatility in equities and commodities, but cautious portfolios benefited from allocations to defensive assets such as infrastructure, utilities, and gold. Wealth managers who emphasised diversification were able to protect capital and deliver steadier returns through periods of geopolitical stress 

The influence of ‘geoeconomics’ is growing

Using the Results in Your 
Decision-Making

 We’re showing how top performing, cautious portfolios have behaved over the past decade, but context is critical.

 Volatility, drawdowns, and other factors can be as important as returns when assessing long-term value.

 Asset allocations can differ significantly across managers, influencing both stability and growth.

 Even cautious portfolios are impacted by market cycles, interest rate changes, and geopolitical events.

This article ranks the performance of discretionary wealth managers in the UK’s growth risk category over the past five years (2020–2025). 

The ranking is compared using companies cautious portfolio data , which benchmarks how top-performing wealth managers have navigated major macro events, recoveries, and policy shifts over that period. 
Compare Wealth Managers

It reflects strategies focused on compounding returns through meaningful equity exposure, selective use of alternatives (e.g. private equity, private credit), and disciplined diversification. 
Compare Wealth Managers

The article isn’t about finding a single “winner,” but about providing context for how professional managers in the growth space performed — useful as a benchmark when comparing prospective wealth managers.

3 Top Performing Wealth Managers

Best UK Wealth Managers for Cautious Portfolio Performance

 (MPI), the analysis reveals the collective strategies of leading managers who’ve mastered the art of preserving wealth through turbulent cycles, proving that caution, when applied wisely, can still deliver meaningful growth. For these rankings, we have used MPI data sets 5 years up to Q2 2025.

Growth portfolios are designed to achieve above-inflation, long-term returns while accepting a moderate to high level of risk. They often include:

 — driving long-term growth through exposure to global markets.

 or fixed income — providing diversification and some income stability.

alternatives and cash — including allocations to infrastructure, 

There is no single definition, however. One manager’s “growth” portfolio may lean heavily into global equities, while another may incorporate a broader mix of alternatives. These differences explain variations in performance, volatility, and drawdowns.

Even within the growth category, approaches can diverge. Some managers adopt a more aggressive equity tilt to capture upside, while others use alternatives to balance risk and improve diversification. Understanding these nuances is essential, and benchmarks provides useful context for comparisons.

The Q2 2020–2025 period presented both extraordinary opportunities and challenges for growth-focused investors. Wealth managers with a long-term, equity-driven outlook were able to harness market rebounds and secular trends, while carefully managing heightened volatility.

The pandemic triggered one of the steepest market crashes in history, but also one of the fastest recoveries. Technology, e-commerce, and healthcare innovation drove extraordinary gains as investors anticipated long-term digital adoption. Growth portfolios that stayed invested captured these tailwinds, delivering outsized returns compared to more conservative allocations 

Driven by big tech's pandemic gains, S&P 500's 2020 surge masks uneven recovery

From 2021 onward, rising inflation and interest rates caused sharp sell-offs in growth stocks, especially in unprofitable tech firms whose valuations relied on distant earnings. Wealth managers navigated this by shifting towards established growth companies with solid cash flows and durable business models, keeping portfolios exposed to innovation while limiting downside risk 

Central Banks Hike Interest Rates in Sync to Tame Inflation Pressures

The sharp rise in global interest rates from 2022 tested growth portfolios more than any other style, as higher borrowing costs and discount rates reduced the appeal of future earnings. Many high-growth companies saw valuations compress, but wealth managers adapted by reallocating towards resilient themes such as energy transition, healthcare innovation, and 

 technology. This ensured portfolios stayed invested in structural growth while avoiding the most fragile parts of the market 

Tech stocks slip as investors rotate towards defensive sectors

As public markets faced volatility, private equity, 

 became important drivers of growth portfolios. These asset classes gave investors access to early-stage innovation and long-term structural themes, while adding diversification beyond listed equities. Wealth managers who incorporated 

 provided clients with opportunities that traditional portfolios could not reach 

Global Private Markets Report 2025: Braced for shifting weather

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, energy price shocks across Europe, and ongoing US–China trade frictions injected persistent uncertainty into global markets. While these events created volatility for growth-heavy portfolios, wealth managers who adapted sector allocations, such as tilting towards defence, energy security, and advanced manufacturing, helped clients benefit from emerging opportunities while managing geopolitical risk 

How bad is the Ukraine war for the European recovery?

 have navigated market shocks, recoveries, and policy shifts over the past five years.

, but strategies vary, helping explain the performance differences between Best Performing Wealth Managers in the UK.

 have shaped outcomes, rewarding managers with diversified and flexible approaches.

 has become a hallmark of many leading UK firms, as managers expand beyond bonds and equities to enhance long-term returns.

This article ranks the performance of discretionary wealth managers in the UK’s growth risk category over the past five years (2020–2025). 

The ranking is compared using companies growth portfolio data , which benchmarks how top-performing wealth managers have navigated major macro events, recoveries, and policy shifts over that period. 
Compare Wealth Managers

It reflects strategies focused on compounding returns through meaningful equity exposure, selective use of alternatives (e.g. private equity, private credit), and disciplined diversification. 
Compare Wealth Managers

The article isn’t about finding a single “winner,” but about providing context for how professional managers in the growth space performed — useful as a benchmark when comparing prospective wealth managers.

Best UK Wealth Managers for Growth Portfolio Performance

, an independent platform that helps investors objectively compare 

. The site provides clarity in an industry that can often appear opaque, giving individuals the information they need to make 

well-informed decisions about wealth management services

, Will brings a rigorous, data-driven approach to assessing the 

. This ensures that reviews and comparisons are transparent, reliable, and focused on the factors that matter most to investors seeking trusted, long-term results.

Will Goodhew

Bio

Articles from author

Best UK Wealth Managers for Balanced Portfolio Performance

Best UK Wealth Managers for Cautious Portfolio Performance

Best UK Wealth Managers for Growth Portfolio Performance

Start your journey to your
Financial well-being

FIND OUT MORE

LEGAL

CONTACT US

Will Goodhew

Bio

Articles from author

Best UK Wealth Managers for Balanced Portfolio Performance

Best UK Wealth Managers for Cautious Portfolio Performance

Best UK Wealth Managers for Growth Portfolio Performance

Start your journey to your Financial well-being

FIND OUT MORE

LEGAL

CONTACT US

Start your journey to your
Financial well-being