My Top Tips for Building a Bulletproof Investment Strategy

Let’s Talk About What Really Works

When it comes to investing, most people think the hard part is picking the right stock, fund or property. But if you’ve built wealth—or you’re on the path to it—you already know that real success comes down to something deeper: having a clear, resilient strategy that works in your life, not just in theory.

Here’s what that looks like.

1. Define Your Asset Allocation—and Let It Guide You

Your asset allocation is more than a pie chart—it’s your plan in action. It reflects your long-term goals, your comfort with risk, and the stage of life you’re in. Once it’s set properly, it shouldn’t change unless your goals do.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t do anything. Quite the opposite.

The key is to stay actively engaged—monitoring how each part of your portfolio performs, trimming profits where needed, and re-investing when allocations drift. It’s not about reacting to headlines. It’s about staying aligned to you.

2. Get the Structure Right Before You Start

This is something I often see overlooked: before you invest, take the time to get the right legal and tax structures in place. With guidance from your accountant, solicitor, and adviser working together, you can set up a framework that protects your assets, minimises tax, and makes future decisions simpler—not harder.

Some structures are better suited for growth, others for income. Getting this right up front will save you time, stress, and money down the road.

3. Borrowing Can Help—But Only On Your Terms

Using leverage can be a powerful tool to grow wealth—but only when it’s done carefully and for the right reasons.

Generally, I recommend considering borrowing where the client has a desire to use their existing financial ‘strength’ to accelerate wealth creation potential, or if they want to achieve a financial goal sooner. However; the investment timeline must match your ability to ride out short-term volatility. In other words, overstretching yourself is recipe for disaster.

4. Own Your Investments Directly, Where You Can

There’s a lot to be said for transparency and control. That’s why I often prefer direct ownership—whether that’s domestic or international shares, property, or fixed income tailored to your goals.

It lets you know exactly where your money is, what it’s doing, and provides flexibility to make changes on your terms. And that’s especially important when you’ve worked hard to build the capital in the first place.

5. Know What You Need—and When You’ll Need It

Your investments should support your lifestyle—not the other way around. That means knowing your short- and long-term cash flow needs, so you’re never in a position where you have to sell an investment at the wrong time.

We build liquidity buffers into every strategy we design, so you always have access to funds when life happens—or when opportunity knocks.

6. Don’t Go It Alone

There’s a big difference between information and insight. Having the right professionals around you—people who know the markets, understand structures, and care enough to ask the right questions—makes all the difference over the long term.

At Hewison, we don’t outsource that responsibility. Our internal Investment Committee, research team and advisers are hands-on, and always working to keep you one step ahead.

7. Take the Long View

Finally, the most bulletproof strategy in the world is only effective if you give it time to work. There’ll be market dips, economic noise, and headlines that try to distract you. But staying the course, when everything around you says otherwise—that’s where the real gains are made.

Let’s Make Sure You’re Set Up for Success

If you’re wondering whether your current strategy is really built for the life you want—now and in the future—I’d be happy to have a conversation. No pressure, just a thoughtful look at what’s working, what could be improved, and where you might go from here.

Disclaimer: Any information, financial product or advice provided in this post is general in nature. It does not take into account your needs, financial situation or objectives. Before acting on the advice, you should consider whether it is appropriate to you in light of your needs, financial situation and objectives.