Group Standard Life Pension

Dungirl

Hi,

This is my first post on here so bear with me.

I am a member of my company's group pension scheme (Standard Life) and like many group pension schemes I've watched my pension decrease in value year on year.

I would like to know if it would benefit me to change my investment funds (I can do this) and would it be better if I seek advice from an IFA.

At the moment funds invested are as follows:
Pension Millenium With Profit Fund
Pension With Profit Fund
Pension Cautious managed One Fund
Pension Managed One Fund

At this stage in my life I'm not sure I can take too many risks with my pension.


Thanks in anticipation.

EdInvestor

Could you posts some details such as your age, and your employer's contribution amount (%) to the pension?

It certainly would be a good idea to change the fund mix. The two WP funds will not perform going forward, and despite the fact that the 2nd one has a 4% guarantee, IMHO you should move on, 4% after all being less than what you would get in the B/S.

The Standard PP has some excellent "external funds".Can you post the ones that are open to you, and some suggestions can be made.

Dungirl

Thanks EdInvester. I will try and get you the information tomorrow.
I am about to go to my bed!

Dungirl

Edivestor, I am 54 years old (female) and will be retiring (I hope!) at 60.
My company contribute 8 and 3/4% to my pension which I match.

I've listed funds that are available to me (sorry its long):
Fund Prices & Information


Fund Names
*********

Aberdeen Balanced Fund
Aberdeen Corporate Bond Fund
Aberdeen Managed Portfolio Fund
Aberdeen Property Share Fund
BGI >15yr Gilt Index Fund
BGI >5yr Gilt Index Fund
BGI Ascent Life European Equity Fund
BGI Ascent Life US Equity Fund
BGI Consensus Index Fund
BGI European Equity Index Fund
BGI Global Equity 50:50 Index Fund
BGI Japanese Equity Fund
BGI Pacific Rim Equity Index Fund
BGI UK Equity Index Fund
BGI US Equity Index Fund
BGI World Ex UK Index Fund
Baillie Gifford Managed Pension Fund
Baillie Gifford UK Equity Pension Fund
Baillie Gifford Worldwide Equity Fund
Credit Suisse CS MM Cautious Managed Fund
Credit Suisse CS MM Constellation Fund
Credit Suisse CS Monthly Income Fund
Fidelity European Fund
Fidelity Global Special Situations Fund
Fidelity Multimanager Growth Fund
Fidelity Multimanager Income Fund
Fidelity South East Asia Fund
Fidelity WealthBuilder Fund
Gartmore Cautious Managed Fund
Gartmore Corporate Bond Fund
Gartmore European Selected Opportunities Fund
HSBC Life Amanah Pension Fund
Insight Wealth Builder Balanced Fund
Insight Wealth Builder Growth Fund
Invesco Perpetual Corporate Bond Fund
Invesco Perpetual High Income Fund
Investec Cautious Managed Fund
Investec Sterling Bond Fund
Investec UK Blue Chip Fund
JO Hambro UK Equity Income Fund
JP Morgan Life Global Equity Fund
JP Morgan Life Moderate Fund
Jupiter Corporate Bond
Jupiter Distribution Fund
Jupiter Income Trust
Jupiter Merlin Balanced Fund
Jupiter Merlin Growth Fund
Jupiter Merlin Income Fund
Jupiter Merlin Worldwide Fund
Jupiter Undervalued Assets Fund
Liontrust Distribution Fund
Liontrust First Income Fund
Liontrust First Large Cap. Fund
M&G Corporate Bond Fund
M&G Global Basics Fund
M&G Property Portfolio Fund
M&G Recovery Fund
Merrill Lynch UK Dynamic Fund
Merrill Lynch UK Income Fund
Merrill Lynch UK Special Situations Fund
Morley Property Fund
New Star European Growth Fund
New Star Managed Distribution Fund
New Star Property Fund
New Star Sterling Bond Fund
New Star Tri-Star Fund
New Star UK Growth Fund
Newton 60/40 Global Equity Fund
Newton Global Balanced Fund
Newton Income Fund
Newton International Growth Fund
Newton Managed Fund
Newton Phoenix Fund
Old Mutual Corp Bond Acc Fund
Old Mutual UK Select Mid Cap Fund
Pension Balanced Manager of Managers Fund
Pension Cautious Managed One Fund
Pension Cautious Manager of Managers Fund
Pension Corp UK Select One Fund
Pension Corporate Bond One Fund
Pension Ethical One Fund
Pension European Equity Tracker One Fund
Pension European One Fund
Pension FTSE* Tracker One Fund
Pension Far East One Fund
Pension Fixed Interest One Fund
Pension Global Equity 50:50 One Fund
Pension Global Equity 50:50 Tracker One Fund
Pension Global Equity Manager of Managers Fund
Pension Index Linked One Fund
Pension International One Fund
Pension Japanese One Fund
Pension Managed One Fund
Pension Millennium With Profits Fund
Pension North American One Fund
Pension Overseas Manager of Managers Fund
Pension Overseas One Fund
Pension Overseas Tracker One Fund
Pension Pacific Basin One Fund
Pension Property One Fund
Pension Protection One Fund
Pension Sterling One Fund
Pension Stock Exchange One Fund
Pension UK Equity Manager of Managers Fund
Pension UK Equity One Fund
Pension UK Opportunities One Fund
Pension US Equity Tracker One Fund
Pension With Profits One Fund
Rathbone Income & Growth Fund
Rathbone Income Fund
Rathbone Special Situations Fund
ResoAsset Argonaut European Alpha Fund
ResoAsset Corporate Bond Fund
ResoAsset UK Property Fund
SL Pension Global Equity Select 60:40 Fund
Schroder Global Emerging Market Fund
Schroder Tokyo Fund
Schroder UK Mid 250 Fund
Standard Life Investments Dynamic Distribution Fd
Standard Life Investments Global Selector Fund
Standard Life Investments Higher Income Fund
Standard Life Investments Select Property Fund
Standard Life Investments UK Equity High Income Fd
Standard Life Investments UK Smaller Companies
Standard Life Pension Long Corporate Bond Fund
Threadneedle American Select Fund
Threadneedle European Fund
UBS Global Optimal Fund
UBS Life Global Equity Fund
UBS Life Managed Fund

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

EdInvestor

At the moment funds invested are as follows:
Pension Millenium With Profit Fund
Pension With Profit Fund

Can you dump the first WP fund but keep the second one? IIRC it has a 4% guarantee, so provides a reasonable low risk slot for some of the money.

Of the available other funds if it were me (this is NOT advice!) I would put half the remaining money into 2 Equity Income funds - the Invesco Perpetual High Income and the Rathbone Income (Jupietr also has one which is quite good). These are a lower risk way of investing in the stockmarket, they are "defensive" in the event of any crashes.(Not that crashes are expected at present.)

The other two funds I would select are two property funds at Standard Life - the Property One (if still open) and the Select property fund.Property is lower risk than shares but still provides reasonable growth.

This is the kind of portfolio you could put into a SIPP at retirement and take an income from it, rather than buying an annuity immediately. Annuity rates are very bad for young women like yourself these days.

Dungirl

Thanks for the young girl bit, made my day but most of all thank you for the 'non advice'!

One question, do you mean you would dump the Pension Cautious managed one fund and pension managed one fund in favour of the two property funds?

EdInvestor

Yes, I suggest you should drop all but the WP fund with the guarantee, and reinvest in the two Equity Income and the two property funds, so you would have 5 funds in all.

Just one thing, what proportion of the money is in the guaranteed WP fund?
You wouldn't want more than 25% of the total in that fund, preferably a bit less. Ideally 20% in each of the 5 funds.

Dungirl

Many thanks Edinvestor. Hopefully my pension will now be worth a bit more!