New figures from the Investment Management Association (IMA) have showed that investment funds under management saw an 18 per cent year-on-year increase in December, reaching £410 billion.
Within this, ISA sales were in a strong position, seeing sales of £107 million during the month - much higher than November’s £3.1 million outflow - although this was in fact a 16 per cent decrease on the figure for December 2005. (more…)
Investors are keen to put their money into ‘green’ ISAs ahead of the April 6th deadline, according to Co-Operative Financial Services (CFS).
The firm says that a commendable 67 per cent of those who expect to use their ISA allowance in the next two months will consider putting it into a scheme which offers environmental benefits. (more…)
Next Wednesday, January 31st, sees the deadline for discussion of the government’s proposed reforms – and there is considerable uncertainty about what will come to pass thereafter.
Peter Shipp, technical director at Pima, told Investment Week that a swift announcement after the deadline would benefit the industry. (more…)
Brits could rake in an extra £100 a year by switching ISA products, according to figures from F&C Investments.
Despite this, 57 per cent of us are not aware that we can switch to a different provider – even though a person switching a typical savings amount from a low-rated cash ISA into a stocks and shares ISA tracking the FTSE 100 would have seen their decision yield £300 before dividends last year on the capital growth of the investment. (more…)
UK equity income and multi-manager products are likely to remain popular for investors when the new ISA season kicks in, according to a leading funds information provider.
Rob Fisher, head of FundsNetwork marketing, noted that diversity is the buzzword for investors this year, while the specialist sector looks likely to dominate proceedings in the near future. (more…)
If you’re looking to invest your money through an ISA, the forest of options and figures to wade through could seem confusing or even intimidating – so here is a quick guide to what the various types of ISA entail and what they can do for you and your money.
The essence of an ISA is that it allows for investment with tax savings – effectively acting as an umbrella encompassing products which receive benevolent tax treatment. People over 18 can invest up to £7,000 annually (those between 16 and 18 see a limit of £3,000), with this limit set until 2009 amid plenty of clamour for it to be increased. Once you have invested the full amount you cannot put any more in that year, even if you withdraw a certain amount before the 12 months is out. (more…)
Brits could lose £462 million in interest by delaying using their yearly ISA allowance, research carried out by Abbey suggests.
A typical ISA customer who fails to put the maximum £3,000 into a Cash Mini ISA between January 1st and April 5th could miss out on interest of some £38.54 – and when this is factored into the country’s 12 million ISA savers that means huge amount of money is going begging. (more…)
The public is still pushing for the government to increase the ISA limit to £10,000, according to the latest research from F&C Asset Management.
The figures showed that 70 per cent of the public believes that the government does not do enough to encourage them to save – and more than half want to ISA limit bumped up as a result.
This comes as a 3.1 per cent drop in net sales of fund-based ISAs was revealed for November by the Investment Management Association, although F&C said that its findings are not intended to coincide with this statistic. (more…)
Next to come under our ISA spotlight is Barclays, which offers three primary kinds of ISA which all benefit savers in different ways depending on their outlook and requirements.
The bank describes its Mini Cash ISA as a kind of “umbrella”, sheltering the interest you earn on your savings from the predatory advances of the taxman. This investment lets you save up to £3,000 per annum without paying tax on the interest, and prides itself on the instant access a saver has to their money. It also has a tiered set of interest rates - meaning that the more somebody saves, the more they earn. (more…)
Legal & General is offering a rebate of its 2007 annual management charge to ISA customers who fulfil a certain set of stipulations.
Customers who make direct investments of at least £4,000 into one or more of its geographical index-tracking trusts within an ISA before the end of April are eligible for the rebate, provided that they do not cash in part or all of their investment and that they hold this investment in the same trust without switching to any eligible or non-eligible trust until the end of next year. (more…)
