It can be hard to look past day-to-day cares and worries and give proper thought to achieving a financially comfortable retirement. However, if you want to enjoy a decent quality of life after you bring your career to a close then you must devote more attention to your pension.Investment trusts, held within a SIPP (self-invested personal pension), can be a useful vehicle to help you achieve your g

Every sensible portfolio should ideally consist of a bedrock of investments which provide diversified access to steady growth, capital protection and income.This is relevant not just during challenging periods but most of the time. Just as solid foundations are essential for a safe building,they are also needed for an investment portfolio alongside patience.This article highlights five investment

The Bellevue Healthcare Trust (BBH) has built an enviable track record since launching in 2016. Shares believes the 5.6% discount to NAV (net asset value) presents investors with an attractive entry point.The trust has delivered three-and five-year total returns in NAV of 70.3% and 91.8% respectively, comfortably beating its benchmark (MSCI World Healthcare) returns of 48.6% and 71.2%.Dividends ha

It is becoming increasingly likely that major economies around the globe will plunge into a full-blown recession this year, the UK included.Analysts and economists fear the global economy's growth momentum will grind to a halt as central banks continue to raise interest rates in a desperate attempt to combat high inflation.If the UK and other major economies do fall into recession, what can invest

Recession concerns have been seeping into the investment narrative in recent weeks. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated supply shortages and added unexpected fuel to the inflationary fire.Inflation in basic non-discretionary goods crimps spending elsewhere and could put a big dent in the expected nascent global recovery.While recession isn't the base case for most economists, investors may do well

Growth-focused Polar Capital Global Healthcare Trust (PCGH) outperformed its benchmark by 6.1% in the year to September 2021, as the large cap healthcare stocks it looks for swung back into favour.Whilst the ongoing impact of Covid means the near-term outlook for healthcare and broader markets remains uncertain, co-managers James Douglas and Gareth Powell are convinced the healthcare industry 'wil

While it may be slightly out of favour with investors at present, healthcare is a good addition to any portfolio. It tends to be relatively insensitive to what's happening in the wider economy and demographic drivers, particularly in the West, are likely to underpin demand in the years to come as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.Investment Trust Polar Capital Global Healthcare (PCGH) trades at

This year has reminded the world about the importance of the pharmaceutical industry and investors have understandably become very interested in the sector's big players.With a vaccine for Covid-19 now being rolled out, the market's attention is moving on to earnings prospects for companies involved in this treatment as well as those tackling other illnesses.It's plausible that governments globall

The biotechnology sector has been in the doldrums relatively speaking over the last five years having under-performed the FTSE World index by 48% and the MSCI World HealthCare index by 39%.According to Bloomberg data the sector is trading on a one-year forward price-to-earnings (PE) multiple of just 9.9 times, the lowest in 25 years.We have delved into the issues that have been driving performance

Market corrections are often opportunities to bag quality assets at knockdown prices and this applies just as much to investment trusts as it does to individual stocks.Helpfully there is an easy way of telling when a trust might have reached a bargain level. A quick look at the industry body Association of Investment Companies' website allows you to check whether a trust is trading at a premium or

One of the most unfortunate certainties of life is that it ends. Fortunately pharmaceutical firms are working on life-saving treatments to improve our quality of life and hopefully extend it.Investing in the pharma sector can be rewarding if a company develops the next big blockbuster drug but this journey is filled with risks, as we explain later.In this article we explore how investors can gain

We believe large pharmaceutical stocks are starting to look interesting again. Evolving drug pipelines, the approval of new treatments and greater confidence in future earnings growth all suggest investors should take another look at the sector.We're coming out of a tough few years for drug companies, rocked by political intervention with price cap threats and many firms losing patent protection o

An increasing number of funds and investment trusts are making amendments to how they invest or operate. Investors should therefore keep a close eye on products in their ISA or SIPP (self-invested personal pension) as there is a chance your funds may not stay exactly the same in structure or focus as when you originally made the investment.Topical examples include Neil Woodford-run Woodford Patien

I am hoping you can possibly help me. I was wondering if you could direct me to or recommend some closed-end funds that operate in the US Pharmaceuticals market.Greg Faulkner, via emailMark Dunne replies: While we are not allowed to recommend any specific products, we can highlight funds that meet your criteria. I understand your interest in US pharmaceuticals. The global industry is expected to b

Battered from pillar to post by the credit crunch, the financial sector is still reviled by a big chunk of the public and shunned by retail and professional investors alike as simply too complex and opaque. Yet risk-tolerant portfolio builders who believe the financial sector is oversold and thus good value might consider putting money to work with the Polar Capital Global Financials Trust (PCFT),