Money Management articles from September 2008

Money Management archives from September 2008

Multi-manager spotlight - Comes at a price?
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke TERs are often highlighted as being much higher for multi-manager funds than regular investment funds, but as Geordie Clarke finds out, some managers are finding innovations to bring down these costs Much...

Variable market anticipates entrant.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw A feasability study is being conducted by Hargreaves Lansdown into launching its own third way annuity product. The Bristol based IFA said that it decided to conduct preliminary research having not been convinced by...

Charlie and the shockalot factory.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Janet Walford OBE When I finally put down my quill pen and retire, my husband has this romantic notion that I will sit down at my shiny new home computer and pen a best selling novel. I sigh and explain that, to be a successful...

Repossession figures misleadingly low.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Ed Beckett Charities criticise CML figures Figures released at the beginning of August on repossessions do not give the full picture of the troubled UK housing market, according to several leading debt charities. ...

Mortgage spotlight - Shaken, but not stirred.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Laverne Hadaway Buy to let has been a stalwart of the UK mortgage market, until now. Laverne Hadaway asked mortgage brokers how they thought it had been affected by the credit crunch Buy to let lenders and associated...

Drawing interest.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Mary Stewart With an increasing number of options in the retirement income market, Mary Stewart, marketing director at Hornbuckle Mitchell, considers why income drawdown is attracting greater interest than ever before. ...

Overlapping investments.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Christopher Traulsen UK equity funds carve up the UK equity universe along different axes. But how much do these funds have in common? The answers might surprise you, says Christopher Traulsen of Morningstar An adviser might...

SIPPs survey.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Jo Dymock SIPPs are renowned for their ability to hold any permissible investment as part of a pension, but their opaque charging structures can leave investors and advisers confused. Jo Dymock sheds a little light on the subject...

My goodness, my Guinness.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Multi asset funds EXCLUSIVE Iveagh Private Investment House, best known for managing the Guinness family's fortune, has made its first foray into the retail market with its offshore multi asset fund. The...

Going for growth.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Is it more beneficial to roll up dividends from income unit trusts for growth or to go for accumulation units, which reinvest automatically? Gareth Shaw looks at the options Many unit trusts have both income and...

Tax spotlight - investing for children.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Marcia Banner When investing or managing investments for children, taxation also needs to be considered. Marcia Banner of Clerical Medical looks at this and other issues that need to be borne in mind There has been much change...

Rates held at 5%.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Ed Beckett Interest rates were held at 5% this month by the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee, in response to market conditions, which saw CPI inflation hit 3.8% fuelling expectations of future rises. Interest rates...

Statistics - September 2008.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Click on any of the links below to view this month's statistics in a PDF file UK Registered Investment FundsUK Registered Investment Funds Investment TrustsInvestment Trusts Insurance FundsInsurance Funds...

FoFs declare increase.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Fund of Funds under management at the end of the second quarter of 2008 reached GBP33.3bn, up 2% from the first quarter of the year and 4% higher than the same quarter in 2007. Fund of Funds under management at the...

Top online stories.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Ed Beckett The top 15 most read Money Management online stories from the month 18 July to 13 August for Money Management, published either online only or in the magazine were as follows: The top 15 most read Money Management...

NU reattribution to go ahead.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Janet Walford OBE Claire Spottiswoode agrees deal Agreement has finally been reached between Norwich Union and Claire Spottiswoode CBE over the reattribution of the 60% balance of surplus assets to 1m CGNU and CULAC...

Form 59 transparency demand.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Small life offices keep policyholders in the dark EXCLUSIVE Small with profits providers are keeping policyholders in the dark by using FSA legislation as a reason not to disclose with profits surrender values. ...

Banking on a bounce.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Structured product American investment bank Lehman Brothers has confirmed another issue of its popular enhanced returns structured product. The sixth issue of the enhanced returns plan has a choice of two...

CTF provider in TV launch.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Nearly half of the British population in catchment for ad Children's Mutual is running its first full television campaign this summer to raise the profile of the brand, following a six week trial in January. ...

Lender pulls from Northern Ireland.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Hertfordshire based lender to concentrate on England and Wales EXCLUSIVE Prestige finance has withdrawn its products for intermediaries serving clients in Northern Ireland and Scotland. The specialist lender has...

LAUTRO 12 becomes 19.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Janet Walford OBE FSA research finds extra seven offices it overlooked As exclusively revealed on the Money Management website at the end of July, the FSA has admitted that 19 offices are involved in the LAUTRO mischarging...

Waste not, want not.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Alternative investments New Earth Solutions (NES) has partnered with asset management company The Premier Group to launch an alternative fund investing in waste management. The New Earth Solutions Recycling...

Cautious choice.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Structured products Norwich Union is offering capital protection alongside growth linked to the FTSE 100 with the release of its latest capital protected plan. The Norwich Capital Protected Plan 2 offers the...

PMI mutual in IFA push.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Insurer sees year on year business more than double EXCLUSIVE National Deposit has increased its intermediary support team in an effort to meet increased demand from IFAs following the launch of its Group...

Ageing Britons reliant on parents.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Deteriorating economic conditions increase expectations Britons are still reliant on their parents for financial support well into their 40s and even 50s, according to research released from Norwich Union. ...

Ray of light for with profits?
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Sheffield Mutual leads providers with boosted sales and premium income EXCLUSIVE Current economic conditions are making with profits products an attractive investment prospect again, say two providers that have...

Moving onshore.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Absolute return funds Henderson Global Investors aims to beat LIBOR by 250 basis points with its newly launched absolute return fund. The Henderson Absolute Return Fixed Income fund is an onshore version of...

Fuelling interest.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Energy funds Fundamental Asset Management intends to capitalise on rising global demand for energy with its forthcoming OEIC fund launch. The Fundamental Energy & Equipment Services fund is due for release...

First US lender returns to sub prime.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath New launch could be short lived after severe writedowns EXCLUSIVE American International Group (AIG) has become the first US lender to return to the UK sub prime mortgage market, after agreeing to fund the launch of...

Going for Gulf.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Gareth Shaw Exchange traded funds Lyxor Asset Management is giving investors the opportunity to invest in a booming economy by launching the Lyxor ETF Kuwait. The exchange traded fund will track the FTSE Coast Kuwait 40...

ISA switching proving costly.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Fund switching and ISA transfers damaging, statistics show EXCLUSIVE ISA investors are losing thousands by attempting to time when they switch funds, according to statistics from T Bailey. Research carried...

PMI provider hits the shops.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Tesco launch is part of Axa's multi channel strategy EXCLUSIVE Axa PPP is to launch a marketing campaign with supermarket giant Tesco, to promote its range of private medical insurance (PMI) products this autumn....

Hot commodities.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Structured products A selection of soft and hard commodities is at the core of Meteor Asset Management's latest release. The Galaxy 7 Commodities Plan invests in an assortment of eight equally weighted...

Life lessons face Edinburgh FD.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Choppy market conditions await Standard's newest director EXCLUSIVE Standard Life has appointed a new financial director, Craig Cameron, to its banking arm. He will take over full responsibility for all financial...

No recompense for angry advisers.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath Rally for compensation after major mortgage service problems EXCLUSIVE A group of IFAs have launched a campaign for Cheltenham and Gloucester (C&G) to reimburse them for a series of errors and delays to mortgage...

Protection spotlight - Sand, sea and sunstroke.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Helen Pridham Retiring abroad is an increasingly popular option. But many people overlook the need for health insurance. Helen Pridham considers the options Record numbers of people are leaving the UK to live abroad according...

Online options.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Chris Smeaton With the UK electronic SIPP market rapidly growing, it is becoming increasingly difficult to know when an eSIPP is the right choice. Chris Smeaton, propositions and ecommerce manager at James Hay, considers the...

Proceed with caution.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Chris Smeaton With an increasing number of variant products being launched into the SIPP market, Chris Smeaton, propositions and ecommerce manager at James Hay, weighs up the pros and cons Growth in the SIPP market has...

A matter of ethics.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Geordie Clarke Ethical funds are more popular than ever, with nearly 100 on offer. But does it pay to go green? Geordie Clarke reports Ethical investments still seem to fall victim to the old adage that the nice guy finishes...

Shopping for SIPPs.
September 1, 2008... Byline: John Moret Given the recent debate over charges and pricing, John Moret, sales and marketing director at Suffolk Life, looks at what should be considered when hunting for the ideal SIPP. Although the SIPP success story...

Q & A.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Richard Ellis Much has been made of the opportunities that the flourishing SIPP market now offers, but with more options than ever before, is there a risk that some people might get swept up in the hype? Merchant Investors talked...

Pensions spotlight - Equitable Life - compensation time?
September 1, 2008... Byline: John Chapman The Parliamentary Ombudsman gives hope to unlucky Equitable pensioners, but bypasses the dark side of with profits operations, reports John Chapman In her 15 July 2008 report, 'Equitable Life: a decade of...

Taking stock - identifying probabilities.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Russell Taylor The economic structure of the world has been transformed, says former investment banker Russell Taylor and, although there are current dangers, there are also future opportunities Council taxes, food and utility...

PMI survey 2008.
September 1, 2008... Byline: Joe McGrath PMI providers are discovering the benefits of targeting different demographics, as Joe McGrath finds out With all the much publicised problems of the NHS, it would seem logical that take up of private medical...