UK squanders 938 million a year through inefficient investment planning
So should you follow the 'Sell in May' maxim?
Call 0800 085 3250 for IFA Promotion's free guide to investing
UK investors will squander 938 million this year by not making the most of their ISA and Capital Gains Tax allowances, according to research from IFA Promotion*, the organisation promoting the
benefits of independent financial advice. To help people through the maze of investing, IFA Promotion has produced a guide "Thinking about your investments".
Following several months of trading turmoil, the question of what to do with your investments could scarcely be less clearcut for private investors. Should they be heeding the stockmarket maxim of "sell in May and go away", or does the current cut-price climate represent an ideal buying opportunity? The IFA Promotion guide explains:
- what investment is - and the difference between shares, bonds
and gilts; - what collective investment are and the differences between the
various vehicles; - the difference between index tracking and active fund
management; - why you should invest and how you can go about investing.
It also gives key questions you should ask your IFA when you first
consider investing, such as:
- which vehicle suits your particular needs best?
- how much it will cost?
- how long should you invest for?
- what are the risks of this particular type of investment?
David Elms, Chief Executive of IFA Promotion, commented: "Anyone weighing up their investment options could easily be put off by the current climate of market uncertainty. This guide helps to demystify investment, and I hope it will encourage people to realise that, with the help of an IFA, providing for their own financial security through investment is not such a daunting prospect."
For a free copy of the guide, together with details of three local independent financial advisers, call the IFA Promotion consumer hotline on 0800 085 3250 or complete a request form at
www.unbiased.co.uk.
For further information please contact:
| David Elms Chief Executive IFA Promotion 020 7833 3131/ 07803 603 659 | or | Richard Winder/ Shellie Wells Lansons Communications 020 7490 8828 |
Notes to Editors
1. Independent Financial Adviser Promotion
Independent Financial Adviser Promotion Ltd. was established in 1989 to promote the value and accessibility of independent financial advice to the public. It represents over 9,000 registered individual independent financial advisers across the UK and is sponsored by 31 leading financial institutions.
2. Independent Financial Adviser Promotion's sponsors
| Barclays Global Investors Funds BUPA Canada Life Clerical Medical Investment Group Dresdner RCM Funds (UK) Ltd. Eagle Star Family Assurance Friendly Society Ltd Friends Provident INVESCO Fund Managers Ltd Investec Asset Management Legal & General Merrill Lynch Investment Managers National Mutual National Savings Norwich Union Life NPI | Prudential Intermediary Division Scottish Amicable Life Plc Scottish Equitable Plc Scottish Life Assurance Company Scottish Mutual Assurance Plc Scottish Provident Institution Scottish Widows plc Standard Life Assurance Company Sun Life Swiss Life (UK) plc The Skandia Group of Companies Tunbridge Wells Equitable Friendly Society UNUM Ltd Winterthur Life UK Ltd Zurich Life Assurance Company |