Traditional methods of portfolio valuation have been criticised for their inability to adapt sufficiently in an increasingly complex market, providing, according to the critics, simplistic and inaccurate analysis for the client. This paper, while accepting the need to adopt more rigorous valuation techniques in certain areas, argues that new techniques alone will not produce better answers. When adopting an increasingly data‐rich quantitative approach, the valuation is only as good as the information to which the valuer has access. Where information is historic, lacking or distanced from the market, the resulting valuation may be meaningless. Only by being close to the marketplace can the valuer accurately reflect market fluctuations in the valuation and thus provide accurate and precise advice for the client.