Wealth Club today announces the launch of its new service: the Quality Shares Portfolio, a discretionary portfolio of global shares managed by Charlie Huggins.

Charlie previously managed the £300+ million HL Select UK Growth Shares Fund, which generated a total return of 64.7%, versus 38.7% for the peer group (ranking the fund 26th out of 209 funds in the sector) in his five-year tenure (from launch to Dec 2021).

The Quality Shares Portfolio is not a fund, so there are no constraints, quarterly performance targets nor imperatives not to stray too far from a benchmark. Charlie’s decisions are solely driven by where he sees the very best long-term growth opportunities, in the UK, North America and Europe.

The result is something markedly different from anything else an investor might hold: a high-conviction, global portfolio of 15-20 exceptional businesses picked for their resilient business models, deep competitive advantages, exceptional cash generation and strong culture.

Charlie Huggins, Head of Equities at Wealth Club said: “We’ve called this the Quality Shares Portfolio because that’s exactly what investors get. A small number of exceptional-quality shares chosen and managed by me, with a significant portion of my own money invested alongside theirs.”

“The companies I’ll invest in provide critical goods and services such as chemicals for premium skin creams, data that insurers and lawyers rely on every day to make decisions, and even employee card/badge readers. They’re the type of businesses where you can bury the share certificate, dig it out 10 years later, and find the profits and cash flows are materially higher. Or at least that’s what I hope. Companies like this are few and far between. I’ve rejected hundreds of good ideas, to focus on the very best. And I’ve been totally uncompromising – fewer than 20 have made it into the portfolio.”

“The Quality Shares Portfolio will deliver an unrivalled level of transparency and service to clients. I’ll communicate with investors regularly, discussing what’s worked and what hasn’t. They will see every share in the portfolio and I’ll explain why I invested.”

Alex Davies, CEO and Founder of Wealth Club said: “Charlie is one of the most talented fund managers I’ve come across. I have known him for 12 years: I gave him his first job at HL fresh out of Oxford University and have been waiting for an opportune time to work with him again. After a year of behind-the-scenes work, I’m delighted the portfolio is now ready and I am investing a significant amount of my own money.”

“In an investment landscape dominated by closet trackers, often too focused on what’s trendy right now or what might make the fund look good at the next quarterly review, Charlie’s approach is a breath of fresh air.”

His style embraces patience, common sense and simplicity, cutting out market noise and focusing on the culture of an organisation. Rather than drowning out the performance with a typical 50 or so companies, Charlie will be concentrating on 15 to 20 truly exceptional ones which could provide equally exceptional long term returns. The result is something unlike any other investment you own.”