CTF discussion area

mistral_2

Yes the forresters are a friendly society and have been around for ages , just watch out for the charges applied

lost_2

Thanx, as far as i am aware the charges are capped at 1.5%

lost_2

BTW how would i compare CSI against Forresters?? any tips

davidjwest

lost wrote:

BTW how would i compare CSI against Forresters?? any tips

Who are CSI?

Which For(r)esters? Foresters

Forresters

Confused yet?

Charges are only capped at 1.5% on stakeholder CTFs so be careful!

lost_2

No not just yet!

Sorry my bad, youre right it is FoResters (just the one R!!)

CIS = Co-op Insurance Society (along with Childrens Mutual offer an ethical investment CTF)

Hope this helps you (so in turn you can help me!!!)

davidjwest

OK here goes, I've posted the main features from each site, if it's in quotes then it's directly quoted from the relevant website.

Foresters (Teddy Trust)

"Guaranteed Security

All the money invested in a TeddyTrust CTF is safe. We guarantee to at least give the child all of the money that has been saved by the time they are 18."

It's a "with profits" fund.

No mention of charges on the site from what I can see so pack requested.


Childrens Mutual (Baby Bond) - I'm assuming you are looking at the non-stakeholder option?

Choice of 4 funds,

Charges - "Q4. What are the charges? What do they cover?
A. Our charges cover all routine and management expenses. These will slightly reduce the value of the account. Charges differ slightly between funds."

Hmm, not exactly very forthcoming and I can't find the exact charges on the site, I've requested an info pack.

So the jury is out as neither site is forthcoming with charges info, unless I've missed it - maybe we should lobby the FSA to make companies more transparent about their charges? It's quite a common them that the charges are either not on the site or confusing.

On the face of it, without the full details, the Foresters Teddy Trust looks better if you are risk averse, but I' not a qualified IFA etc etc etc.

And I've not got enough info to make an informed decision, it's just my initial thought.

Anyone else?

jo_b_2

Has anyone actually made a decision and opened an account yet?

davidjwest

Yes, some people have, not me, I plan on making my decision this week and will keep you informed.

Still waiting some product information from the slower providers, but I've decided on giving them until the end of this week to post me the stuff!

Ickle_Steve

Some newspaper articles on this subject. In no particular order.


Can I invest CTF for growth?

Where experts will invest their child vouchers

Will yours be top of the class?

Will shares bloom for our Lily?

If you would prefer to play safe ...

If you're prepared to take a risk ...

Can you trust them to spend it wisely?

Little choice for small savers

Weigh up the risk factor

Looking after the pennies

'Many Parents Wary of Child Trust Funds'

Wary parents take the cash option


Now I just need to find time to read them :eek:

lost_2

Halifax claim that their Halifax ftse 100 tracker ctf is ethical??? anyone????