Building an investment portfolio may not be something you’ve ever given much thought to. But the world we find ourselves in today means you don’t need to be an expert to potentially get more from your money.

You probably already have an investment portfolio of sorts without even knowing it. If your store your money as cash in your bank or savings account – that’s your current portfolio. But it may be that you could benefit from a more varied setup.

Interest rates are currently low on savings accounts. That means it’s hard to make any real returns on money held in a savings account.

When it comes to your retirement financial goals – it might be worth considering spreading your money around different types of investments.

Experts usually recommend you apply the golden rule of ‘diversification’ to your investment portfolio. Put simply, this means splitting your money across the various asset classes.

A financial adviser can help you to understand the asset classes and explain how they perform differently. As this is something they are highly knowledgeable on, their expertise could come in very handy here.

Of course, you could opt to fly solo when it comes to allocating your money to different assets in a way that suits your needs. But there are a number of important factors to consider, and taking time to talk these through with someone who really knows their stuff, could make all the difference in your choices.

This is where the helping hand of an expert could really help. It’s an adviser’s job to understand your attitude to risk so they can recommend options that are suited to you.

Skipton’s advisers are here to lend a helping hand in planning the next chapter of your life. We offer appointments over the phone – or via our award-winning and easy-to-use video chat service, Skipton Link.

To see if you could benefit from financial advice from Skipton going forward, request a call back or call today on 0345 607 9722.

It all starts with a free telephone consultation on whether financial advice might be right for you.

The next step would be to arrange a review with one of our advisers – who can meet you at your local Skipton branch, or through Skipton Link.

We will research and present recommendations, personalised to your needs.

There is no pressure to act on our advice – or an upfront fee to pay to hear them. You’ll only be charged if you decide to act on our recommendations and these will be made clear to you.

Skipton’s recommendations are likely to include stock market-based investments. These are not like bank and building society savings accounts, as your capital is at risk and you may get back less than you invested. The value of your investments and any income from them may fall as well as rise.