Hargreaves Lansdown has launched a new index to chart the performance of the 20 most popular funds held by investors in its own-branded self-invested personal pension (SIPP).

The Bristol-based financial services group found that the biggest 20 Sipp funds have on average risen by 89 per cent over the five years to December 2010.

This compares to an average 26 per cent return from the biggest 20 pension funds and 24 per cent from the FTSE 100 over this period. 

Over all 36 periods considered the SIPP funds had on average outperformed the pension funds.

Reluctant investors in default funds may become unstuck as a result of abolition of the Default Retirement Age, according to the companies analysts.

Laith Khalaf, pensions analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said the performance of the investments within a pension is a key determinant of how much income you have in retirement.

He added, ‘There are now many resources available to pension savers which allow them to pick their own funds, thereby choosing investments which reflect their individual circumstances and attitude to risk.’

The biggest 20 funds in the SIPP were spread across 11 sectors including higher risk but higher growth areas such as emerging markets and natural resources.

Some of the funds in these areas have posted exceptional performance over the last five years. Most of the biggest 20 pension funds (representing over £100 billion of assets) are Balanced Managed funds, investing more conservatively and therefore expected to return less over the long term.

The unit trusts popular with Sipp investors are run by companies who live and die by their investment performance.

By contrast pension funds can get away with less than dazzling performance because many investors do not review their pensions often enough, if at all.

Research from Barings found that 48 per cent of working age people had never reviewed their pension plan.

The 20 funds in the Hargreaves Lansdown Sipp during December were:

- Aberdeen Asia Pacific
- Aberdeen Emerging Markets
- Artemis Income
- AXA Framlington Managed Balanced
- BlackRock Gold & General
- BlackRock UK Absolute Alpha
- First State Asia Pacific Leaders
- First State Global Emerging Mkt Leaders
- First State Greater China Growth
- Invesco Perpetual Corporate Bond
- Invesco Perpetual High Income
- Invesco Perpetual Income
- Invesco Perpetual Monthly Income Plus
- Invesco Perpetual UK Equity Pension Fund
- JP Morgan Natural Resources
- Jupiter Financial Opportunities
- Jupiter Global Managed Fund
- M&G Global Basics
- Neptune Global Equity
- Neptune Russia & Greater Russia