3 December 2007
Winterthur is evolving its pre- and at-retirement proposition with the addition of two dynamic enhancements – Portfolio Rebalancing and an automated withdrawal facility on the Trustee Investment Plan (TIP).
- Portfolio Rebalancing: makes the management of clients’ portfolios more efficient, effective and responsive to changes in the market
- Automated withdrawal facility on TIPs: eliminates the need to make regular withdrawal requests manually
These market-leading enhancements are part of Winterthur’s commitment to support adviser needs with their key pre- and at-retirement clients.
Portfolio Rebalancing
By regularly rebalancing a portfolio at agreed frequencies, it is possible to reduce the impact of any market fluctuations and maintain a suitable allocation between the different funds to meet clients’ stated risk profile and investment objectives.
Winterthur’s proposition allows automatic portfolio rebalancing on both of its pensions (new and existing TIPs and unit-linked pension products taken out since October 13 2003) and the Investment Bond. There is no set-up charge and it is possible to create new instructions whenever clients’ risk profiles change.
Automatic withdrawal facility
Through the Winterthur TIP, clients can set up regular automated withdrawals, which can either be made as a monetary amount or a percentage of the fund at withdrawal date. There is no set-up charge, and the service can be set monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annually. Trustees can also request one-off withdrawals. Because the payments are made automatically, it puts the onus on Winterthur and not the IFA or the client.
Risk profiling and lifestyle investing have dominated portfolio management techniques over the past few years, and their importance and value continues to remain at the fore, and yet adviser services in this key market are underdeveloped. With this enhancement Winterthur believes it has developed two value-added features that will prove not only popular with advisers but ones that build on the company’s reputation for developing innovative market solutions.
David Thompson, Managing Director, Winterthur, said: “The enhancements to our pensions range are part of Winterthur’s ongoing commitment to make the management of pensions more efficient and relevant to the clients needs. Portfolio Rebalancing saves the IFA the onerous and time-consuming task of monitoring each individual portfolio, and the automatic withdrawal facility will make life easier for both the advisers and their clients. We believe the ‘dynamic duo’ will prove to be invaluable to our IFAs.”
These latest additions further enhance Winterthur’s range of adviser support tools for the under-serviced pre-retirement market. In October Winterthur launched its first-to-market Retirement Income Planner online planning tool, which is proving to be invaluable for IFAs as they are able to model varying income needs throughout retirement but also compare annuity purchase and income withdrawal retirement strategies.
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For further information:
Paul Riddell Winterthur Life, Press Office +44 (0)1256 798099
Becky Holmes Winterthur Life, Press Office +44 (0)1256 798310
Christine Wood FD +44 (0)20 7269 7253
Notes to Editors
Winterthur Life UK Ltd
Winterthur Life UK Limited is part of AXA UK.
Winterthur Life UK Limited is a provider of focused investment and retirement solutions and support services predominantly distributed through quality IFAs to their high net worth clients.
The company is recognised as having an innovative approach to financial products and its products feature simple, transparent charging with access to a wide range of carefully selected investment funds and fund managers via its Tailored Selection fund platform. Winterthur is also differentiated in the market through its focus on service excellence, which was reflected in the company winning Company of the Year and two Five Star service awards at the Financial Adviser Service Awards 2007.
www.winterthur-life.co.uk
AXA
AXA UK is a part of the AXA Group. AXA Group is a worldwide leader in Financial Protection. AXA's operations are diverse geographically, with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. For full year 2006, IFRS revenues amounted to €79 billion and IFRS underlying earnings amounted to €4,010 million.
The AXA ordinary share is listed and trades under the symbol AXA on the Paris Stock Exchange. The AXA American Depository Share is also listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol AXA.
Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
Any opinions expressed in this media communication are made as at the date of this publication but are subject to change without notice.
