How David Took Control of His Pension Investing in 2026
There is a point in many investors’ lives when they start asking a fairly simple question:
Do I really understand what is happening with my investments? For David Hare, that question became particularly relevant when he left his former employer.
David had built up a pension through his employment, but he says he was “a little bit underwhelmed by the returns and the growth” he was seeing through the funds he had been investing in.
Rather than simply continuing with the same approach, David saw an opportunity to become more involved in his own investment decisions. “I was keen to get some good quality advice, good quality educational materials, and really importantly, the mentoring from Alpesh as part of that,” he explains.
For David, the attraction was not simply about finding somewhere else to invest. It was about understanding more about investing and becoming more involved in managing his own pension.
Moving from uncertainty to understanding
One of the biggest changes David describes is the way he thinks about market movements.
Investing can be noisy. Markets move, headlines change and there is always another opinion competing for an investor’s attention.
David explains:
“So this is a long-term investment portfolio that I’ve built for myself. There’s a huge amount of noise in the market every single day, and the ability to tune some of that out and as I said, don’t panic, don’t get bored. This is not a trading program. This is about long-term investing.”
For David, learning to step back from the day-to-day noise has become an important part of his approach to investing.
He also highlights the role that ongoing support has played in giving him greater confidence in his approach:
“And having Alpesh alongside me and hearing his updates is a huge part of the program that allows you to sleep a bit better at night and take comfort in your investments that they’re on the right track.”
Changing the way he thinks about markets
Perhaps the most significant change David describes is his move towards a longer-term perspective. Rather than attempting to constantly adjust his portfolio around market movements, he says he has learned to focus on the underlying investments and give them time.
“Definitely not chopping and changing what I’m investing in, definitely not trying to catch the top or bottoms of markets.”
For David, this means concentrating on the quality of the portfolio and allowing time to play its part. “This is about being in the market for the long term with a very good quality portfolio.”
That does not mean ignoring investments. David makes an important distinction: investors still need to pay attention to their portfolios, but that is different from reacting to every market movement. “And just allowing those returns to compound on themselves and to continue to grow the portfolio without needing to panic or to obviously, one needs to pay attention to your portfolio, but it’s not about changing it day in, day out.”
The value of education
David also highlights the educational side of the programme. For him, having access to ongoing market information and mentoring has been part of developing his own approach rather than simply following short-term market movements.
He describes the support as helping him stay engaged with what is happening in markets while maintaining a longer-term perspective. That distinction matters.
The bigger pension lesson
David’s experience illustrates something that is easy to overlook. Becoming a more confident investor does not necessarily mean becoming a more active investor.
For him, it has meant learning to take greater responsibility for his own portfolio, understand the investments he holds and avoid being distracted by every short-term movement in the market.
As he puts it: “Just allowing those returns to compound on themselves and to continue to grow the portfolio without needing to panic.”
That is David’s experience. It is not a promise of future investment performance, nor does it mean the same approach will be suitable for everyone. But it does highlight an important question for any investor: Do you understand your investments well enough to stay focused when the market gets noisy?
Disclaimer: This article is based on David Hare’s personal account of his experience with the Great Investments Programme. It is provided for educational and informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as personal investment advice or a recommendation to invest in any particular investment or programme. Investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Investors should consider whether an investment is suitable for their individual circumstances and seek appropriate professional advice where necessary.
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