Summary of Milford
Milford is a New Zealand fund manager founded in 2003 by an experienced group of individuals who recognised the need for an investment company that provides New Zealanders with a world class investment partner they can trust. Milford is privately owned, the majority by staff and board members (and founder’s family), and is one of New Zealand’s largest wealth managers.
The firm is led by Mark Ryland, who joined Milford in 2014 and become the CEO in 2019. The investment team are located in Auckland and Sydney and led by Chief Investment Officer, Wayne Gentle and deputy CIOs Jonathan Windust and Paul Morris. Milford adopt a highly active approach to investing, with tactical asset allocation and bottom-up research as a core part of the firms philosophy.
Milford’s Investment Philosophy
- Active Management: Milford actively monitor, analyse and respond to ever-changing market conditions, managing risk and continuously taking advantage of opportunities across market cycles.
- Proprietary Research: Milford does their own investment research, looking at detailed analysis of the companies they invest in as well as big-picture global trends backed up by rigorous peer review.
- Managing the Downside: The team strives to reduce risk by taking action to minimise capital losses if they think market conditions pose significant risk.
- Sustainable Investing: Milford is committed to creating a more sustainable future by driving companies they invest in to improve the sustainability of their practices.
- Investing alongside you: Strong partnerships are at Milford’s core. As an employee-owned business, staff are fully invested in their mission and invest in Milford’s funds right alongside their clients.
Why invest with Milford?
- Active Fund Management: Hands-on approach to investing means they are continually re-evaluating where your money is invested, pursuing the best returns possible. Milford’s ability to move quickly means they can take advantage of opportunities as they arise and manage risk along the way.
- Strong Performance: Milford’s strong investment performance is independently supported by their Morningstar KiwiSaver Fund Manager of the Year awards for 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 and their Canstar KiwiSaver Provider of the Year award and Outstanding Value KiwiSaver Scheme Award both for 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020.
- Detailed Research & Insights: The investment team at Milford carry out hundreds of company visits every year, conducting rigorous reviews and detailed financial analysis.
- A Trusted Team Who Invests: Milford believes in their investment strategies so much that their investment experts and wider staff invest their own money in the same funds as their clients.
Summary of the funds:
GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Milford Active Growth Fund
The Milford Active Growth Fund is an absolute return style fund which targets an annual returns of 10% over the minimum recommended investment time frame. This is a core diversified growth fund and will suit investors with a longer investment horizon. The fund is well diversified across asset classes with a higher allocation to credit securities and small caps than peers. It is a highly active strategy and there will be periods where the performance will differ to peers, so we suggest taking a long-term view and holding during periods of volatility.
GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Milford Balanced Fund
This is a core diversified fund allocation and could be an investor’s sole investment. The fund is well diversified across asset classes with a higher allocation to credit securities and small caps than peers. It is a highly active strategy and there will be periods where performance will differ to peers, so we suggest taking a long-term view and holding during periods of volatility.
GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Milford Conservative Fund
This is a core diversified fund allocation and could be an investor’s sole investment. The fund is well diversified across asset classes with a higher allocation to credit securities and small caps than peers. As an active strategy, there will be a period where performance will differ to peers, although the focus on down-side protection and bias to high quality credit makes this a suitable investment option for shorter investment horizons.
This summary is provided for general information purposes only. The information provided is not intended to be financial advice. The information provided is given in good faith and has been prepared from sources believed to be accurate and complete as at the date of issue, but such information may be subject to change. Nikko Asset Management New Zealand Limited is the manager of the GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Scheme. A copy of the Product Disclosure Statement for the GoalsGetter KiwiSaver Scheme Milford Asset Management Fund is available here.
*Information above is as at 31 May 2024
