About the expert

Ryan Hughes is AJ Bell's Managing Director of AJ Bell Investments. He joined AJ Bell in 2016 as Head of Fund Selection before moving on to become Head of Investment Partnerships and later, Investments Director.

Ryan started his career in 1999 working as a Financial Adviser before moving into investment research. He spent eight years as a Senior Fund Manager at Skandia Investment Group, where he was a member of their Investment Committee and Global Asset Allocation Committee. Before coming to AJ Bell, he was working as a Fund Manager and Discretionary Portfolio Manager for a leading global investment management firm, Apollo Multi Asset Management.

He's responsible for all elements across AJ Bell Investments solutions including the fund range, managed portfolio service (MPS) solutions and bespoke managed portfolio services for advisers. Ryan is also responsible for the oversight of the investment research process.

Ryan is regularly asked to judge industry awards and provide commentary on key industry events as an expert voice. He has appeared on TV, radio and national newspapers for more than 20 years. He has a degree in Business Studies from The University of the West of England and wrote his university dissertation on the topic of ethical investments in the 1990s - long before it was fashionable like it is today!

Latest articles from Ryan Hughes

  • 26 November 2025

    How to rebalance your portfolio

    Having a balanced portfolio is a widely accepted strategy for creating solid returns for your investments without taking too much risk.

    The goal of balancing a portfolio is simple: create a diversified portfolio that isn’t overly exposed to any single element, so you can ride out market dips with a little less stress. But how exactly to go about...

    5 min read
    Author
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  • 30 October 2025

    The golden rules of investing

    The market is always changing, with developments around new products, innovation, and geopolitics to consider. But interestingly, the behaviours that lead to successful investing have looked very similar throughout the years.

    These behaviours are just as important for someone that’s been investing for 30 years as they are for a first-time investor...

    7 min read
    Woman with financial advisor
  • 14 November 2024

    AJ Bell reduces charges on multi-asset income range

    AJ Bell has reduced the ongoing charges for its multi-asset income funds, the VT AJ Bell Income Fund and VT AJ Bell Income & Growth Fund. The annual charges, previously 0.65%, have been cut by 15 basis points to 0.50%, effective as of 1 November this year.

    The funds have demonstrated strong performance since their launch in March 2019, with the VT...

    2 min read
    Author
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  • 18 January 2024

    AJ Bell funds rebalancing

    The AJ Bell funds are managed by the team at AJ Bell Investments, with one aim: helping you invest. We look after the funds, and make the daily decisions to keep your money working hard for you.

    That means, from time to time, we’ll make updates to the funds in response to differing market conditions. In this article, we’ll take you through the...

    5 min read
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  • 24 July 2023

    Investment Trust - July 2023 update What is the AJ Bell Investment Trust Select list?

    The AJ Bell Investment Trust Select list is designed to lighten your research load. There are hundreds of investment trusts out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of trusts we believe can deliver on their objectives over the long-term. To make the list, each...

    4 min read
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  • 24 July 2023

    Favourite funds update - July 2023 What is the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?

    The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to lighten your research load. There are thousands of funds out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our robust...

    3 min read
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  • 30 June 2023

    Investment Trust Select list update - June 2023 What is the AJ Bell Investment Trust Select list?

    The AJ Bell Investment Trust Select list is designed to lighten your research load. There are hundreds of investment trusts out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of trusts we believe can deliver on their objectives over the long-term. To make the list, each...

    3 min read
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  • 22 September 2022

    FCA takes aim at Link with £50m fine

    News that the FCA has issued Link Fund Solutions a draft Warning Notice in relation to its activities with the Woodford Equity Income fund hopefully indicates that the investigation is now moving towards its final phases. The draft notice informs Link that a penalty of £50m is proposed for its failings in the oversight and operation of the fund and...

    2 min read
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  • 20 May 2022

    Passive Favourite fund updates - May 2022 What is the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?

    The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to lighten your research load. There are thousands of funds out there – we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our robust, independent...

    3 min read
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  • 2 March 2022

    Stand out funds for this year’s ISA allowance

    The 5 April deadline for using this year’s £20,000 ISA allowance is rapidly approaching and with Cash ISA rates remaining low, many investors will be turning to the stock market to try and ensure their savings can outpace rampant inflation. Individuals will be looking for fund options that suit the amount of risk they want to take in their...

    4 min read
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