Press Release
Moneyspider.com
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
15 February 2008
Expats urged to double check their investments or face impoverished old age, warns MONEYSPIDER.COM
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5.5 million Brits live overseas |
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But real time portfolio monitoring impossible for most |
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Daily fund watch now made easy with Moneyspider.com |
EXPATRIATE
Britons living abroad need to keep a very close eye on their investments
following the downturn in global stock markets - or risk a severely
compromised retirement, warns online investment funds analyst Moneyspider.com.
As more and more older
Britons return to the UK (1) because they have effectively run out of
capital to sustain them abroad, Moneyspider.com says that regular
portfolio health checks are vital to make sure expat investments are
on track.
"Some of the best known
fund managers have some of the worst performing funds but how do expats
distinguish between the pedigree funds and the hounds," says Moneyspider.com
director Tony Ahearne.
"The recent round of
market volatility is an uncomfortable reminder of just how crucial it
is to monitor stock market-based investments, including ISAs, PEPS,
Unit Trusts and OEICS," he adds.
"There are now around
5.5 million Brits living overseas (2), many of these very elderly and
dependent on their investments for income and living expenses as well
as capital growth to offset the pernicious effects of inflation.
"But for those living
abroad, getting meaningful information on how their funds are performing
and crucially how they compare with the multitude of other funds in
the market is not easy. By registering their funds with Moneyspider.com,
they will benefit from their entire portfolio being updated daily.
"Moneyspider.com
compares the performance of all 2,000 or so funds and provides a unique
rating for each one. For expatriates this could make the difference
in retirement between financial well being and penury," adds Ahearne.
While Britons currently
living abroad are known to be keen investors (3), too many are kept
in the dark by the managers who run their investment funds.
"Many will not realise,
for example, that while a big brand fund manager may be doing well in
one sector, another fund run by the same group can be a complete turkey,"
he remarks.
"It's important to
be aware of the fact that some of the best performing funds are from
the least well-known fund managers.
At the core of Moneyspider.com's
service is an easy to follow ratings system which indicates how the
investor's funds are performing. The unique Moneyspider Rating® System
(see Editor's Notes) ranks every fund from A (very high rating) to
E (distinctly poor).
"Any expat with a portfolio
of D and E rated funds has a problem of which he or she is probably
completely unaware. Where money is concerned ignorance is certainly
not bliss - rather it is potentially disastrous," he says.
"In addition to rating
each fund our personalised reports also show the current value of a
portfolio and give details on the performance of an expat's funds
compared to others in the same sector and in other sectors.
Updated daily, it is
an invaluable tool, and for the typical expat, thousands of miles away
from these shores, can be a financial lifeline."
ends
(1) Age Concern July 2007
(2)
Institute for Public Policy Research December 2006
(3) Investment Managers Association
(IMA) June 2007
Editor's notes
Moneyspider
was launched in April 2004 and is a totally independent investment
research and information company for private investors. Moneyspider
constantly monitors all 2,000 or so funds available to UK investors
and provides online personal reports that are updated on a daily
basis showing current valuation and performance of all funds in one
place.
The Moneyspider Rating® provides a unique
assessment of the performance of each fund measured against four key
parameters:
-
Sector ranking: a comparison with all other funds in the same sector as your
fund (based on the sector definitions used by the Investment Management
Association).
-
All funds ranking: a comparison with all other 2000 or so Unit Trusts and Open
Ended Investment Company funds available to UK investors.
-
FTSE 100: a comparison of the total return of the fund with the total return of
the FTSE 100 index (comprising the UK's 100 largest companies), providing a
consistent benchmark for each fund.
-
Cash: a comparison of the fund's performance with the return from an equivalent
amount deposited in a 90 day non-high interest access account.
Moneyspider's unique computer system calculates
the results, with specific weightings allocated to each of the four
categories, with each one analysed and compared over 1, 3 and 5
years. Although the rating is generated from a highly complex,
computer-based performance analysis, involving 34 separate
computations, it produces a simple and straightforward result;
scoring each of your funds from A (a very high rating) to E (a
distinctly poor rating).
Behind these easy-to-understand ratings is a
percentage score which is calculated to four decimal points. Each
day Moneyspider's system calculates this percentage score for every
single one of the 2000 or so funds on our database, thus providing a
comprehensive ranking for all funds. The 'Rank in Sector' for each
fund on the Moneyspider Report, is based on the ranking of these
percentage scores.
Moneyspider is an appointed representative of
Anthony, Bryant & Company (Investment Consultants) Limited of 25
Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1NS, which is authorised and regulated
by the Financial Services Authority. The contents of this press
release are not intended, and should not be construed as, advice, a
recommendation or as an inducement to buy or sell any investment.
Moneyspider relies on information regarding investments that is
provided by third parties and accepts no liability (including that
arising from negligence) for the accuracy of such
information.
A DAVID ANDREWS MEDIA LTD RELEASE February 2008
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