"However, as may well be obvious, this was a volatile period, with some primary fund sectors returning a substantial growth, such as 57.3 per cent for Technology & Telecoms.
"The past 12 months have been impacted by a variety of influences and this reaffirms the necessity for investors to keep an eye on their investment but not to make drastic decisions to switch without getting advice."
Springall added: "As inflation continues to soar and the Bank of England raises interest rates, it will be interesting to see how savers will respond and where they place their cash.
"It’s clear to see how cash Isas are being eroded by rising inflation, but consumers may not feel confident enough to invest in the stock market quite yet."
3. One mustn’t forget (almost) £1trn in old pensions
More people are saving for pensions. Many clients will carry multiple pension pots built up over their working life. When one is managing a client's finances, one must remember to look at all pension pots, not merely the current pot the client has.
It has been estimated that £940bn sits in pensions that are no longer receiving contributions, and have not yet been accessed. If it did belong to a client back then, it still belongs to them today. And you have options over how you can manage it.
Andrew Page, chartered financial planner at Old Mill, said: “These days it is increasingly difficult to keep track of all the pension pots that you have accumulated from jobs over the years.
"Quite often the decision to join a pension scheme was made in the very early days of joining a new firm and then never thought of again.
“A good first step is to list all your previous employers and then try and tie up the pile of correspondence from the “safe place” with that list. If there are gaps, it is possible to locate these using the Pension Tracing Service."
To ensure all pensions, especially the older ones, continue to represent value for money, have a look at the charges each pension is carrying. If you conclude that a better pension could be secured elsewhere, you could consider transferring a client’s old pension.
This could be a very valuable action, but it also represents a significant action that may not be reversible.
