Investment Bonds Review Offer - 2009

We are offering a free  initial review of existing investment bonds, in particular the following:

• All With-Profits bonds 

• Any other investment bonds which were taken out more than five years ago.

We also  extend the offer to cover your whole investments portfolio, i.e. including ISAs, PEPs, guaranteed or protected investments and fixed interest.

Why Review?

With Profits Bonds:  Many people are dissatisfied with the performance of their bonds over the past few years. Low (or nil) bonuses often mean that those who take an income from their bond (typically 5% of the capital invested) are seeing the capital value of the bond eroded. They may wish to switch their with-profits investments into a different kind of fund, (e.g. balanced managed), but face a penalty if they do so.

The  penalty is a "market value reduction" ("MVR"), so-called because the unusually long decline of the stock markets in recent years has meant that the assets of the with-profits funds were seriously depleted. Those wishing to leave are penalised, whilst those who stay may be subject to years of low returns whilst the with-profits funds rebuild.

However, a suitably advised bond-holder can sometimes still move their funds away from with-profits, even taking the penalty into account, and still come out ahead in a new bond.  Our review would tell if this looks viable for you. 

Charges:   Many people are unaware of the level of charges they are incurring within their investment bonds, which of course have a direct effect on net returns.  Others may not have reviewed their fund choice or fund performance for years. In these days of lower returns on equities and fixed interest investments, it is important to evaluate the charges incurred by your investment bond and the performance of the funds invested in to see where it is going in the longer term. 

Many people change their mortgage regularly by shopping around for the best deal. Why not move your bond to a better deal if it is in your interests to do so? 

How do I find out if my bond has high charges or poor performance?

Let us review it for you! Our investment adviser will analyse your bond's past funds performance and charging structure going forward, and compare it to alternative bonds in the market. Please send or fax us a copy of your last valuation statement and the policy document, and we can review it. We may need a simple authority letter from you which will let us obtain details direct from your current bond provider.

Our initial review of your current bond(s) is free of charge and requires no commitment  from you. After investigation, we will advise whether in our opinion you are better off staying as you are or whether a change seems warranted. If the latter, we will explain your situation and recommend the next steps. 

To take advantage of our offer and sign up for  a free initial evaluation of your bonds and other investments, just click the button to access the feedback page. 

You should remember that past performance is not necessarily a guide to future returns.