Financial Services NewsletterIssue no. 3, 1999 Authorised by the Law Society to conduct Investment business PROFIT FROM WITH PROFITS At a time of low interest rates and high share prices, many investors are turning to the attractive returns and relative security of With Profits Investment Bonds. During the 1980s With Profits endowment policies became the most popular means of repaying mortgage loans, and their success was such that the insurance companies which offered them decided to make their With Profits funds available for lump sum investments as well as regular savings plans. Half of the typical With Profits fund is invested in UK shares and the rest in Government fixed interest securities, property and cash. This provides a sound basis for spreading risk and optimising returns. However, the extra ingredient of protection offered by With Profits arises from the fact that these Bonds are structured as life insurance policies. In the same way as with regular premium policies, the insurance company issues bonuses to its With Profits policyholders each year. These bonuses are based on the expected long-term investment returns, rather than the current actual value of the fund, which may be temporarily depressed or inflated by stock market fluctuations. So the return to the investor is smoothed- out. Furthermore, these bonuses, once declared, cannot be taken away; which means that the value of the investment is protected. Clearly, the insurance company can only operate this smoothing process if it can be confident that its investors, also, are taking a long-term view. So in the interests of all their With Profits policyholders, companies will penalise investors who withdraw their money early. In the case of Investment Bonds the penalty might typically apply during the first five years. Investment Bonds are the only form of lump sum investment providing access to With Profits funds. They also have another advantage, in that because they are technically structured as life insurance policies, the investment returns generated by the managers are taxed at the insurance companies' rate of Corporation Tax, which is much lower than the higher rate of Income Tax payable by individuals. A further advantage is that life policies do not produce any income as such, but an amount equal to 5% of the original investment can be withdrawn from an Investment Bond each year, by equal monthly payments if required, and these payments will not be subject to any immediate personal tax in the hands of the investor. These features make Investment Bonds an ideal investment:
When choosing which With Profits Bond to recommend, advisers will have regard not only to past investment performance, but also to the financial strength of the product provider. Because With Profits involves a guarantee by the provider that accrued bonuses will be paid out at maturity, a proportion of the investments in the fund must be held in securities such as Government stocks, which have a guaranteed value. But unless a sufficient part of the fund is invested in shares, future performance is likely to suffer. Consequently, a balance must be held between funding the guarantees and maximising the investment performance: and only the strongest companies are in a position to achieve this. Clearly, this is an area in which it is essential to take independent advice - preferably from your solicitor financial adviser! Continues on page 2
No responsibility can be accepted for the accuracy of the information in this newsletter and no action should be taken in reliance on it without advice. The value of units and the income from them may fluctuate and past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. |