Question:
Which is better for investment and access to ready cash — money market or Allan Gray unit trusts? I have heard that Allan Gray's unit trusts have been the best performing for the past five years. Please advise.

Answer:
The quick answer is both, depending on what you intend doing with the money. If you want quick access to your cash, then investing in a money market account is your best option.

Investing in unit trusts is more of a long term proposition. Even though you can access the money from a unit trust fairly quickly (two to three days), the markets may be down when you want to cash in, running the risk that you may lose capital value.

It is true that Allan Gray have done very well performance-wise but bear in mind that past performance does not necessarily lead to future gains. Moreover, in your case, you will not get good returns from unit trusts if you treat them as short term investment vehicles.