Since we launched 8AM AQ Classic MPS five years ago, the level of client assets within platform MPS solutions in the UK has more than trebled according to Platforum.
Five years later, we continue to maintain our position as MPS experts, focused purely on managing model portfolios, with our AQ strategies and custom mandates available on all leading UK platforms, to meet the demands of financial advisers and their clients.
Our performance speaks for itself, but how can 8AM help you and your clients?
The 8AM AQ investment process is an intelligently structured, evidence-based process designed to deliver clarity, consistency, and measurable results for clients of Financial Advisers. Grounded in data and seeking to mitigate human bias, the process is both transparent and repeatable. Here’s how we’ve achieved 5 years of success for advisers like you.
Data-driven fund selection
Every month, the 8AM AQ process captures comprehensive data on all Investment Association funds. These funds are ranked using relative factor analytics, ensuring choices are backed by rigorous quantitative evidence — not intuition or emotion. That data is combined with our systematic, rules-based tactical asset allocation to create our range of risk mapped models.
Rule-based rebalancing
Portfolios are reviewed and rebalanced every two months (with ad‑hoc adjustments if needed), following a transparent ruleset to control risk and maintain target allocation bands.
Portfolio construction avoiding assumption
Our portfolios are designed from the ground up to leverage the latest technology available to us. Our proprietary “Floating Asset Allocation” process enables us to adjust our assumptions based on current active trends, utilising curated crowdsourcing and in-depth data sampling to keep our portfolios positioned relative to current views, not assumptions made using market data from 20 years ago!
Align our portfolios with your clients’ needs. Our methodology is consistently applied across all our portfolios, providing three distinct AQ MPS suite options:
- AQ Classic: Six risk-rated model portfolios targeting consistent benchmark outperformance
- AQ Sustainable: An ESG‑screened variant designed for investors focused on sustainability, using the Morningstar ESG framework
- AQ Global: The most recently launched MPS providing defined equity exposures and equity allocation built off MSCI ACWI (but still making use of AQ asset allocation process) (60%, 80%, 100%)
Transparent reporting & adviser support
We always deliver, plain‑English reports detailing portfolio changes, drivers, and context, where advisers can quickly see what changed and why. We host monthly webinars to talk through shifts and strategy as well as CPD qualifying educational webinars on the matters advisers tell us are affecting their business, partnering with industry experts.
Cost‑effective oversight
We charge a simple 0.15% management fee and carefully negotiate access to institutional share classes and passive exposures where appropriate, a low overall average OCF (<0.30%) ensures affordability without compromising on quality.
In Summary…
Performance trends feed back into the system, sharpening processes over time and reinforcing our mantra:
“Assume nothing. Buy what works. Sell what doesn’t. Tell clients clearly. Repeat.”
The 8AM Global AQ process merges quantitative fund analysis with a repeatable, rule-based investment framework — delivering well-governed model portfolios that are clearly reported, cost-effective, and designed to outperform through consistency of process rather than simply ‘buying Beta’.
This content is intended for financial professionals only. These are the author’s views at the time of writing and may be subject to change. This content is not intended to provide the basis for any investment advice or recommendation. Any forecasts, figures, opinions, tools, strategies, data, or investment techniques are included for information purposes only.
The information presented is considered to be accurate at the time of production and has been obtained from or based upon sources believed by the author to be reliable and accurate, but no warranty of accuracy is given and no liability in respect of any error or omission is accepted. Please visit our Regulatory Information and Terms of Use pages for more information.
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