Press Release

Moneyspider.com

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION

6 September 2007

EXPATS RISK ENDING THEIR DAYS IN FINANCIAL HARDSHIP IF THEY DON'T KEEP TRACK OF THEIR INVESTMENTS WARNS MONEYSPIDER.COM

-                        Around 5.5 million Britons live abroad .BUT.

-                        ..Real time portfolio monitoring impossible for most

-                        Daily fund watch made easy with Moneyspider.com

EXPATRIATE Britons living abroad need to keep a very close eye on their investments - 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 good, the bad and the ugly?" 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 comments.

"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. When was the last time a fund manager disclosed that a fund in his stable of funds underperformed all his peers?

"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.

"As the table (below) illustrates, if an investor holds Invesco Perpetual's Latin America fund, for example, he or she will probably be delighted - despite recent volatility - as the fund has one of the highest possible Moneyspider.com ratings, as does its High Income fund.

"But were a portfolio also to include Invesco Perpetual's popular North America fund, the investor would be gravely disappointed, as it carries the lowest Moneyspider.com 'E' rating, compared to the 'A' rating in the other sectors," adds Ahearne.

"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."

(1) Age Concern July 2007

(2) Institute for Public Policy Research December 2006

(3) Investment Managers Association (IMA) June 2007

Source: Moneyspider.com / Financial Express 25.07.07.

- Ends-

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 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.