Norwich Union is making a series of improvements to its investments products.
32 funds added to Portfolio bond and Forecast portfolio planning tool launched
Norwich Union is making a series of improvements to its investments products. On 23 May the company will:
- Add 32 funds to the range of funds available through its Portfolio investment bond
- Launch Forecast, an online portfolio planning tool designed to help advisers find the right portfolio mix for their clients
- Launch a range of manager of managers funds. (See separate press release).
Expanding the Portfolio fund range means customers will be able to invest in a further two internal, four manager of managers funds, and 26 external funds from leading fund managers including Fidelity, Gartmore, BGI, Jupiter, New Star, Investec and Newton. (See notes to editors). The new fund additions will ensure Portfolio offers a choice of investment styles across all major asset classes.
Forecast is designed to make portfolio planning easier and provide advisers with assistance in making portfolio recommendations for customers. It was developed in conjunction with DecisionsDecisions, a provider of online financial planning platforms, and will:
- Show the benefits of financial planning and demonstrate how a planned portfolio can produce better returns than an unplanned portfolio
- Encourage clients to spread investments through a range of holdings and sectors
- Educate investors about the impacts of portfolio changes and how this might affect risks and return
Neil Davies, head of investments at Norwich Union, said: "The key to successful investing is robust portfolio planning, but delivering the portfolio recommendations that clients need can be time-consuming and complex for advisers. More choice for consumers can mean more administration and research for advisers. Forecast can make this job easier for IFAs.
"More than 100 funds are now available through Portfolio and Norwich Union is determined to give advisers the high-quality information and tools needed to make effective decisions on behalf of clients. Forecast will help advisers build bespoke investment portfolios for clients while easing the compliance burden by assisting in keeping an audit trail."
-ends-
Press office contacts:
David Gwyer 01904 452828 Out of hours 07800 699508
Rob Pell 01904 452659 Out of hours 07800 699563
Louise Soulsby 01904 452617 Out of hours 07800 699526
Notes to editors
About Portfolio
Portfolio offers a flexible way to invest for growth or income. Its minimum investment is Ł5,000 and investors can choose to put their money in a selection of cash, bond, property, distribution, equity and with-profit funds, which are run by Norwich Union and other fund managers.
The new funds available on Portfolio are:
- Norwich Union Income Manager of Managers, Norwich Union Growth Manager of Managers, Norwich Union Balanced Manager of Managers, Norwich Union Cautious Manager of Managers, Norwich World Leaders and Norwich Property Investment Fund
- BGI American Growth, BGI UK Growth
- Fidelity American, Fidelity Special Situations, Fidelity European, Fidelity Japan, Fidelity MoneyBuilder Income
- Gartmore Emerging Market Opportunities, Gartmore China Opportunities, Gartmore Cautious Managed
- Invesco Perpetual Corporate Bond
- Investec American, Investec Cautious Managed
- Jupiter High Income , Jupiter Undervalued Assets, Jupiter Financial Opportunities
- Newton International Bond, Newton Managed, Newton Oriental, Newton Higher Income
- New Star Higher Income, New Star Managed Distribution, New Star Sterling Bond, New Star UK Alpha
- Schroder UK Alpha Plus, Schroder Mid 250
About the Forecast portfolio planning tool
Forecast will help advisers assess their client’s attitude to risk and allow them to choose the best investment strategy to meet their financial needs. IFAs should speak to their Norwich Union consultant for details.
- Norwich Union is the UK's largest insurer. It is the UK's largest provider of life, pensions and investment products and one of the leading IFA providers. IFAs provide around 75% of the company's long-term savings business in the UK.
- Norwich Union has strategic alliances with building societies and other leading UK brand names including Tesco Personal Finance and The Royal Bank of Scotland Group. Norwich Union’s news releases and a selection of images are available from Aviva's internet press centre at www.aviva.com/media.