SEI Master Trust

Update to the self-select fund range for the SEI Master Trust

We’re excited to share that we’ve expanded the self-select fund range to offer greater choice to those of you who wish to manage your investments yourself, or who feel the SEI Master Trust Flexi Default Investment Option (DIO) doesn’t quite fit your needs.

As a reminder, the self-select range covers

Risk-rated, multi-asset funds: Ideal for those after a specific risk profile for their investments, without the need to take on asset allocation decisions.
Regional equity funds: For members who want to target specific regional allocations
Individual asset class funds: Great for those who want to build and maintain their own pension portfolio.

Here you can find details of the new funds we’ve introduced, plus what’s currently available for you to choose from if you want to select your own funds.

The Trustee also expects that the funds it makes available to members positively influence Environmental, Social and Governance (‘ESG’) factors through various types of engagement. That may be through our appointed third-party managers or by directly engaging as shareholders in the individual companies that we invest in, and with a limited amount of screening. But we also understand and appreciate that some members might want to specifically invest in socially and/or sustainably focused funds.

That’s why we’ve introduced four additional funds that are focused on Socially Responsible Investing (‘SRI’). These are designed for members who prefer funds that screen out certain types of investments and/or lean towards investments that focus specifically on environmental, social and governance issues.

Risk-Rated, Multi-Asset Funds

The self-select list contains five SEI multi-asset funds designed to meet a wide range of financial goals and appetites for risk. These funds invest in a mix of assets, including shares in companies (Equities), debt issued by governments and companies (Fixed Income), assets that are sensitive to inflation or expectations around future inflation (Inflation Sensitive), strategies that aim to deliver performance regardless of the market conditions (Absolute Return) and cash (Liquidity). These funds provide you with access to a fully actively managed solution that encompasses asset allocation, high levels of diversification and access to SEI’s internal capabilities blended with some of the world’s best managers.

Fund	Typical Equity Allocation	Objective
SEI Defensive	8%	Defensive and Moderate are our stability-focused funds that seek to better manage downside risk (ie the risk of loss), and may be appropriate for members saving over shorter time horizons or have a more conservative risk profile.
SEI Moderate	34%
SEI Core	50%	Core, Growth and Aggressive are our growth-focused funds, and may be appropriate for members who want to accumulate assets over the longer term, while tolerating a greater degree of risk than the stability-focused funds. These funds seek long-term growth in line with the broad equity and fixed income markets.
SEI Growth	80%
SEI Aggressive	100%

Individual Asset Class Funds

For members looking to tailor their pension portfolio, the self-select list offers a diverse selection of funds, covering various asset classes, to help members (or their advisers) build an asset allocation that reflects their specific needs.

Fund	Style	Objective
SEI Factor Allocation Global Equity	Active	This fund uses a quantitative style of investing which involves taking a model-based or systematic approach to making investment decisions. This approach selects securities based on certain characteristics (‘factors’) such as volatility, value, size or share price performance. Additionally, SEI take into account environmental, social and governance factors when constructing the fund.
SEI MT Global Equity	Active	An actively managed strategy that blends best-in-class managers, primarily investing in shares issued by companies located in developed and emerging market countries globally and across all market sectors.
SEI Small Cap Select	Active	An actively managed strategy that blends SEI’s internal quantitative capabilities with best-in-class fundamental stock pickers to give members exposure to smaller sized companies based around the world.
SEI Emerging Market Equity	Active	An actively managed strategy that blends SEI’s internal quantitative capabilities with best-in-class fundamental stock pickers to give members exposure to companies listed or traded in emerging market countries.
SEI UK Equity	Active	An actively managed strategy that blends best-in-class managers to provide members with a diversified portfolio of shares issued by U.K. companies.
SEI MT Shariah Compliant	Index Tracking	A strategy that aims to deliver performance in line with an index of 100 of the largest stocks traded globally that pass rules-based screens for adherence to Islamic investment guidelines.
SEI MT Sustainable Equity*	Active	This is an actively-managed global equity fund that seeks to invest in high-quality companies that are set to benefit from the opportunities created by the move to a more sustainable world. The fund also looks to ensure the companies it invests in are managed responsibly and consider multiple stakeholders.
SEI MT Global Impact Equity*	Active	This is an actively-managed global equity fund that seeks to create a measurable, positive social and environmental impact alongside its objective of creating long-term growth. It seeks to make investments in companies whose products and services are positively contributing to addressing sustainability-related issues. These include environmental protection, supporting the greening of the economy and improving healthcare.
SEI MT Climate Transition Equity Index Tracker*	Index Tracking	The fund seeks to track a modified version of the FTSE All World Developed Index. This modified index first excludes all stocks related to controversial weapons, coal, nuclear, tobacco, and other controversies. The remaining stocks are tilted to give greater weight to those with stronger climate credentials and less weight to those with weaker climate credentials. The analysis of a company's climate credentials considers both backward looking factors (such as fossil fuel reserves) and forward looking factors (such as a company's plans to transition to more climate-friendly operations).

* New fund added as part of the 2024 self-select fund range review.

Regional Equity Funds

We’ve added new funds that give you cost-effective access to major equity markets worldwide. The self-select list now includes access to UK, Europe excluding the UK, North America, Asia Pacific excluding Japan and Japan equity markets. These funds aim to track the performance of each region’s equity market.

New funds
SEI MT UK Equity Index Tracker
SEI MT Europe (ex UK) Equity Index Tracker
SEI MT North American Equity Index Tracker
SEI MT Asia Pacific (ex Japan) Equity Index Tracker
SEI MT Japan Equity Index Tracker

Fixed Income

Fund	Style	Objective
SEI UK Core Fixed Interest	Active	The fund aims to provide income and growth by primarily investing in sterling priced, investment grade fixed income securities issued in the U.K. and Europe across various sectors of the market, including government, government related and corporates.
SEI Global Fixed Income	Active	The fund will primarily invest in investment grade fixed income debt issued by governments globally.
SEI Global Opportunistic Fixed Income	Active	The fund will primarily invest in investment grade fixed income debt issued by companies globally, as well as government related and mortgage and asset-based securities.
SEI MT UK Conventional Gilts over 15 years	Passive	The fund aims to track the FTSE Actuaries UK Conventional Gilts over 15 years Index, an index consisting of bonds issued by the UK government bonds that make fixed interest payments and have a maturity of 15 years or more.
SEI MT UK Index Linked Gilts over 5 years	Passive	The fund aims to track the FTSE Actuaries UK Index-Linked Gilts over 5 years Index, an index consisting of bonds issued by the UK government where the interest payments are adjusted for inflation and that have a maturity of 5 years or more.
SEI MT UK Ethical Corporate Bond*	Active	This is an actively-managed fund that invests predominantly in high-quality sterling-denominated corporate bonds. It includes exclusions relating to fossil fuels, tobacco, armaments and companies that are deemed to have inappropriate or inadequate policies and systems around animal testing, human rights and environmental factors.
SEI MT Sterling Liquidity	Cash	The fund aims to maintain safety of principal by investing in short term money market instruments and fixed deposits.