With around £60m already invested in Jump on behalf of some 20,000 children, Jump Child Trust Fund provider is the first choice for many parents who want to do the best for their kids.

Jump Child Trust Fund is based on Witan Investment Trust, a leading global investment fund that invests in hundreds of blue-chip stocks and shares, spread across the world’s markets to minimise risk. Over the long term, investments like these tend to outperform both bank and building society savings accounts. For an up-to-date of how well we are doing please click here, however please remember that past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment and the income from it can fall as well as rise as a result of currency and market fluctuations and you may not get back the amount originally invested.

Established in 1909, Witan is one of the UK’s largest investment trusts, successfully managing some £1.3 billion on behalf of more than 40,000 investors (as at 31.12.07), and listed as an investment company on the London Stock Exchange.

Witan adopted a multi-managed approach in 2004, by this we mean that we use a number of different investment managers from around the globe, all of who have long, successful track records in their particular markets.

And, because the Witan portfolio is invested across all the major global financial markets, we spread your risk by diversifying across geographical regions, industrial sectors and individual stocks. In this way, we achieve a balanced, low-risk equity investment opportunity for all Jump investors (who, we feel, already have enough concerns about the children in their lives: fingers in car doors, staggering down stone steps in Mum’s high heels and choking on fish fingers to name a few).

Our current ‘best of breed’ managers include:

Southeastern

Founded in 1975 and based in Memphis, Tennessee, Southeastern manages some £22bn* for a range of institutional, high net worth and retail clients. They aim to avoid capital loss while targeting an annual average return of at least inflation plus 10%. In the US they manage the Longleaf mutual funds which have been so successful and popular that it has recently become necessary to close them to new investors. Southeastern is 100% employee owned with all staff equity investment made exclusively in to the firm’s funds.

Comgest

Wholly owned by its principals and staff, Comgest is completely independent. Founded in Paris in 1986, Comgest also has offices in Hong Kong, Dublin and Tokyo and manages some £5.5bn* solely in equity (£4.3bn* in Asia/Emerging markets). Comgest uses a fundamental bottom-up approach, investing in firms that show exceptional characteristics and are likely to appreciate steadily over the long term. No specific sectors or geographical zones are favoured. Comgest’s objective is to achieve above-average returns at below average levels of risk over the long term, reflecting the excellent visibility and strong profit growth of the companies in which it invests.

Orbis

Orbis employs over 100 staff based at offices in Bermuda, London, Sydney and Seoul and manages approximately £9bn*. Orbis adopts a bottom-up approach to selecting a portfolio of typically 30-50 stocks, offering best value, diversification and liquidity. Orbis offers a range of equity-based pooled investment vehicles, including a range of equity funds, three of which are AAA rated by Standard & Poor’s. Witan invests in Orbis’s Australian Equity Fund, which since its launch in January 2006 has consistently outperformed its benchmark.

Wellington Management

Wellington is one of America ’s longest-established investment firms, dating back to 1928. Currently it manages £275bn* from its base in Boston. Independent company research is the cornerstone of Wellington Management’s investment process. They build a portfolio from the bottom up. Stocks are selected through a collegiate decision-making process, with input from teams of experienced sector analysts skilled at evaluating companies. Wellington is a partnership and all the partners work full-time for the company.

MFS

Boston-based MFS is a global business which also has offices in London, Tokyo and Singapore . Founded in 1924, it has some £100bn* under management on behalf of institutional and retail clients. Its investment philosophy is based on the premise that stocks of companies that provide substantial earnings growth and trade at a discount to their expected growth rate will outperform the market. The company believes that it is most likely to identify these stocks through its own proprietary research. MFS is 80% owned by Sun Life of Canada and 20% by its employees.

Brandes

Established in 1974, San Diego-based Brandes has some £61bn* under management on behalf of institutions, foundations and some individuals. They adhere to the Graham & Dodd bottom-up value approach to investing. Like MFS, they conduct detailed company research, focusing on out-of-favour companies. Stocks are only purchased if they are standing at a discount to intrinsic value. Brandes expects to hold stock in the long term for at least three to five years. In their own words, they “don’t follow the investment crowd. Indeed we search for overlooked opportunities that the world has passed by”. Brandes is owned 100% by its staff.

Henderson Global Investors

Henderson has been managing investments since 1934. Once part-owned by Witan, it has managed the Trust’s portfolio since the beginning. Currently it has some £61.5bn* assets under management and provides a full range of investment products and services to clients worldwide. Henderson has recognised expertise as an enhanced index manager and is recommended as such by investment consultants. Neil Hermon manages Witan’s UK smaller company portfolio as he has done successfully for the past three years. Henderson is a quoted company on the London Stock Exchange.

Thomas White International

Founded in 1992 by a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Asset Management, Thomas White has £450m* under management. With professionals in Chicago and Bangalore, India , Thomas White invests in 50 markets around the world using a disciplined value-driven strategy. Its analysts are aided in their stock selection by proprietary fundamental appraisal techniques applied to each company within an industry and/or country. This body of valuation knowledge has been refined over decades. Their unique analytical approach allows them to limit overall portfolio volatility and downside risk while delivering excellent long-term investment returns.

*Source Witan as at 31.12.07