St. James’s Place (SJP) has announced a series of enhancements to its Worldwide Income Unit Trust, including the appointment of Acadian Asset Management as investment adviser, a move to a more diversified investment approach and a reduction in ongoing charges.
The changes are designed to strengthen the Fund’s long‑term investment outcomes, improve diversification and enhance value for clients, while maintaining its core objective of delivering a sustained level of income alongside capital growth.
A more diversified and systematic investment approach
As part of the changes, SJP has appointed Acadian Asset Management as the new investment adviser to the Fund. Acadian will adopt an active systematic investment approach, combining advanced data‑driven modelling with human expertise to identify global income opportunities.
Reflecting this change, the Fund’s portfolio will become significantly more diversified, expanding from around 30 holdings today to approximately 500 companies. This broader approach is intended to reduce concentration risk and provide a more consistent and resilient source of income across market environments.
Lower charges and greater clarity
Alongside the change in investment approach, the ongoing charges for the Fund will be reduced by 0.30 percentage points across all unit classes, effective from 20 July 2026.
The Fund will also be renamed the St. James’s Place Global Equity Income Unit Trust, with updates to its investment objective and policy to provide greater clarity on how the strategy is implemented.
This includes a clearer description of the Fund’s focus on achieving, over a five‑year period, a level of income exceeding that of the MSCI All Country World Index, with the potential for capital growth.
Commenting on the changes, Justin Onuekwusi, Chief Investment Officer at St. James’s Place, said: “These changes reflect our commitment to continuously evolving our investment approach to deliver long-term outcomes for clients. By combining a more diversified portfolio with a systematic, data-driven process, we believe the Fund is positioned to provide a consistent level of income while managing risk effectively. The reduction in ongoing charges is also an important step in improving value for clients.”
Kelly Young, Chief Executive Officer at Acadian, added: “We are delighted to partner with St James’s Place to provide this innovative, systematic investment solution for their underlying investors. With this appointment, we will implement Acadian’s proven, cutting-edge systematic process, with a focus on achieving an attractive level of income for investors whilst utilising a robust risk-controlled framework.”