M&G Fixed Interest
Experienced at leading the way in bonds
M&G launched the UK’s first corporate bond fund in 1994 and we’ve led the way in bonds ever since.
The award-winning M&G Fixed Interest team has an enviable track record. Decisions such as being underweight in banks ahead of the credit crunch and minimising exposure to peripheral eurozone countries before the European debt crisis have helped to keep M&G a step ahead of the competition.
With £124bn* of fixed interest assets under management, M&G is one of Europe’s largest bond fund managers. The ability of the team to select the winners and side-step the poor performers continues to play an important role in today’s fixed interest markets.
Offering you a more secure long-term investment
If you’re looking for an investment that generally offers you more security than equities, take a look at bonds. Governments and large companies issue bonds to raise money and buying these bonds is like lending your money to the issuer. A bond usually pays a fixed amount of interest (usually twice a year) and has a fixed life, at the end of which your initial capital is repaid, so they are seen as relatively secure investments that are more suitable for people investing for income.
Corporate bonds (issued by companies) generally earn higher interest than government bonds because they’re considered more vulnerable to credit risk, the level of which will depend on the performance of the company.
When you invest in an M&G bond fund, your money is pooled with other investors' money and invested in a wide range of individual bonds. This way any risk to your investment is reduced, since you aren't reliant on the fortunes of a single company or government. What's more you also benefit from having an experienced bond fund manager watch over your investment.
When investing do not base decisions on past performance of stockmarkets. Bond prices may fluctuate and you may not get back your original investment. Bond funds provide a variable level of income. The value of your investment will fall if the issuer defaults or is perceived as an increased credit risk.
Spin-free guide to fixed interest
If you are unsure of any terms used in this video refer to our glossary (46 KB), which will open in a new window.
Fixed Interest - Fund in Focus
M&G Optimal Income Fund
Whatever happens to interest rates in the future, there is one fixed interest fund that has the freedom to go wherever the best value lies. A fully flexible bond fund that seeks to provide strong returns in a wide variety of bond market conditions.
Fund Manager
Richard Woolnough
Meet the Fixed Interest team
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Richard Woolnough
Fund Manager
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Jim Leaviss
Fund Manager
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Mike Riddell
Fund Manager
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Ben Lord
Fund Manager
Richard Woolnough
Fund Manager
Richard joined M&G in January 2004 and has over 20 years experience in investment management. Today, Richard is one of the leading bond fund managers in the UK managing combined assets in excess of £12bn.
Jim Leaviss
Fund Manager
Jim Leaviss joined M&G in 1997. He is a fund manager and head of retail fixed interest. After graduating in 1992, Jim joined the Bank of England as an analyst of monetary statistics and PSBR. He later moved within the Bank to become a gilt and money market trader, a position he occupied for three years. Jim graduated from Manchester University with a BA in economics. He is a member of UKSIP.
Mike Riddell
Fund Manager
Mike Riddell joined M&G’s fixed income team in 2003, originally as a portfolio analyst. In March 2010, he was promoted to fund manager of the M&G Emerging Markets Bond Fund, the M&G International Sovereign Bond Fund and the M&G Index-Linked Bond Fund. Prior to joining M&G, Mike worked as an assistant portfolio manager at Premier Asset Management within the private client department, covering both equities and fixed income. Mike graduated from Birmingham University in 2001 with a BSc honours in money banking & finance, and is a CFA charterholder.
Ben Lord
Fund Manager
Ben Lord joined M&G in 2007 and was appointed fund manager of the M&G Short Dated Corporate Bond Fund in February 2009. He is also the co-fund manager of the M&G UK Inflation Linked Corporate Bond Fund together with Jim Leaviss. Ben previously worked at Gordian Knott as a credit analyst covering financial institutions. He obtained an MA in philosophy from the University of Edinburgh and is a CFA charterholder.
