The wisdom behind the answer:

The rates of return for the sector averages for the 5 years to June 2010 are as follows:

• UK property -6.23%
• UK shares +15.50%
• US shares +11.12%
• European shares +21.57%
• Asian shares +95.01%
• Emerging markets shares +110.75%

Thus, if you had invested £5,000 in the average emerging markets fund 5 years ago, your investment would now be worth £10,537.50.

Of course, this is not guaranteed to repeat itself, and with some of these returns came much greater volatility and risk. It is for this reason that we recommend that you assess the risks you are prepared to take with your investments, and then create a diversified portfolio to take account of the risks but also that different markets perform better at different points.

If you are interested to assess your own investments or pensions, we are offering a free review of your current situation.