Investments
As an expatriate or an international investor, the world of investments, funds, and portfolios can be complicated. Deciding how to invest and what to invest in are challenges in today’s economic environment. However, cutting through the jargon and understanding the intricacies of managing your money to meet investment objectives is vital.
Whether you are a high net worth individual or just starting on the road to investing, securing the right advice and placing your hard-earned money in the best possible funds for the highest returns available is critical. A Savethroughus investments adviser can translate the jargon and simplify your intricacies.
Expatriates living abroad are best placed to enjoy the benefits of successful investments by moving their money offshore. There are now many financial wealth management companies to meet this need. It is wise, therefore, to secure a qualified, internationally experienced and professional adviser, up to date with current tax implications, who can guide you through the sales ‘noise’ and on to successful investing for your future.
Investing in different offshore jurisdictions may enable you to take advantage of the country’s tax-friendly policies. Choosing the proper jurisdiction is based on your nationality, your country of residence, additional countries you may wish to relocate to and if and when you will return home. Whatever your plans for the future, a Savethroughus investments specialist can show you how to get there.
Lump Sum Collectives
A ‘collective’ investment is a medium- to long-term investment by which you are offered access to a range of funds from many different areas, such as shares, property, equities and government/corporate bonds. Your cash will be added to other investors’ cash and ‘pooled’ or ‘collected’ to create a fund. The fund can be designed for income, capital growth or a mix of both and is usually regulated by independent auditors. A fund manager and his team brought in to ‘manage’ the fund would have access to information on market movements often not be available to individual investors. He or she would then buy and sell individual proponents of the fund almost daily and use their expertise to try and achieve specific targets.
An example of a pooled fund is a Unit Trust. A Unit Trust has a price you buy at, called the ‘bid price’, and a selling price called the ‘offer price’. The monetary difference between the prices for a typical equity fund would be about 5%.
There are, of course, many other forms of collective investments. Sameer Alam considers all forms for our clients, discussing, in detail, the specifics for each type before making a recommendation.
A key aspect to investing any money is to ensure and understand your personal ‘attitude to risk’ and the time horizon you are investing in. Your Savethroughus specialist investments adviser will discuss and explain this to you before sourcing and recommending appropriate funds and the reasons for doing so.
Investment Bond
- All administration of the funds is collated in one place
- The life company has a specific buying power to purchase funds at significantly reduced costs
- The ability to put the ‘wrapper’ into trust for a family member at a time when you no longer need the underlying capital but still need an income stream
- Investors can keep track of the value of their Investments at any time (Sameer Alam offers his clients a free full-access Online Valuation Service)
The term ‘Investment Bond’ is commonly confused with other bonds – for example, Fixed Term Bonds, which are usually a type of savings account run by banks that pay a fixed interest rate; Corporate and Government Bonds, which are financial instruments used by the aforementioned institutions to raise borrowing from investors and guaranteed to return the original amount borrowed.
The common objective of investing your capital for the medium to long-term is to try to keep up with or beat inflation or improve returns on an income stream. Historically, investing in equities or commercial property has been proven to offer inflation-beating returns over the medium to long term.
Achieving the right mix of these funds is time-consuming and often tricky. Investors’ attitudes to risk and time horizons change from one year to the next. Hence, it is so important to use the services of a professional investment adviser to help you achieve your goals and keep on track with your overall financial objectives.
Portfolio Management
Portfolio Management is a service for the investor who is perhaps unsure of the specific funds they should invest in and wants to take a less active role in choosing the ‘collectives’ for a portfolio.
A Savethroughus portfolio service advises on the construction of one or more portfolios, usually with varying degrees of ‘risk’ and assembles various collective investments of different quantities to give the right blend of funds. Each portfolio would include a targeted return depending on the risk level.
Investors’ portfolios are monitored by Sameer Alam on a regular basis to make sure they are rebalanced to meet each of their core aims. If a particular sector is flourishing, but the risk to achieve this is greater than risk agreed at the outset, then funds are bought or sold to maintain the original risk level agreed.
Online Fund Advisory
Most of Sameer Alam’s investment clients are international and maintaining access to the performance of their investments is paramount. To this end, Savethroughus has designed a unique Savethroughus Valuation Service. Free to all clients, it shows, at a glance, how each investment is shaping up.
The service allows clients to build a complete picture of all assets and liabilities – even those not connected directly to monetary investments – the value of personal items and investments. Savethroughus commands direct links to all investment companies, making the online valuations real-time. The service also allows the respective financial adviser to monitor and adjust assets if the client so wishes. Adjustments can be made in minutes.
Sameer Alam also monitors and advises on the various stock exchanges, a knowledge that clients can tap into at any time.
General Savings
An emergency cash fund is always necessary, especially for those based internationally. The fund should be instantly available for unforeseen events such as a flight home, car maintenance or, for example, Christmas or Eid holidays.
Sameer Alam advises on all types of onshore and offshore short-term savings options across myriad financial institutions. Using expert knowledge, we can explain the intricacies of the security of your savings, access facilities and options available, covering everything from instant access to fixed interest accounts.
Saving on a Regular Basis
In our other main guides on Pensions and Education Fees, we have highlighted the regular savings vehicles that can be used. These same plans can also be used to save for virtually any long-term (5+ years) savings objective.
YOUR NEXT MOVE…
Sameer Alam consistently delivers unbiased and professionally tailored investment solutions, continuously providing clients with the best advice at all levels. Contact us for a bespoke service with one of our highly qualified international investment specialists and find the way to start and significantly grow your portfolio.
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