New AVC site

reedy · Post by **reedy** » 04 Jul 2019, 16:01

Have to say iam enjoying the flexibilty the new site gives. I had a decent amount in the cash fund but not earning alot.The new site has allowed me to move some money out and into the other funds. So overall now you have control of your investment choices at a push of a button.

linntroika · Post by **linntroika** » 04 Jul 2019, 17:34

Just been on the site and it looks really easy to do , tempted to move a large percentage of my cash fund into balanced /cautious - do you know if there are any charges incurred for doing so ?

reedy · Post by **reedy** » 04 Jul 2019, 18:26

No i didnt get charged for moving. I moved into the Sharia Law fund as it seems to be doing quite well but this is not advice and you must make your own choices as to what to invest in.

linntroika · Post by **linntroika** » 04 Jul 2019, 18:28

reedy wrote:No i didnt get charged for moving. I moved into the Sharia Law fund as it seems to be doing quite well but this is not advice and you must make your own choices as to what to invest in.

Thanks for the reply , i have nearly 50% invested in cash fund , maybe Robert T will shed some light

reedy · Post by **reedy** » 04 Jul 2019, 18:32

Many factors to take into account. Your age , how long to retirement , what your views are on risk.How active do you want to manage your money. There is the lifestyle option and then it is all done for you

Post by **RobertT** » 04 Jul 2019, 18:51

linntroika wrote:Thanks for the reply , i have nearly 50% invested in cash fund , maybe Robert T will shed some light

I'm not sure I can add much to Reedy's last post other than to suggest you have a good read of the 'Guide to AVC's' available on the RMPP website in conjunction with performance of the various funds on offer here.

linntroika · Post by **linntroika** » 04 Jul 2019, 18:58

RobertT wrote:
linntroika wrote:Thanks for the reply , i have nearly 50% invested in cash fund , maybe Robert T will shed some light
I'm not sure I can add much to Reedy's last post other than to suggest you have a good read of the 'Guide to AVC's' available on the RMPP website in conjunction with performance of the various funds on offer here.

Thanks for the advice - just to clarify , definitely no charges for moving funds ?

Post by **RobertT** » 04 Jul 2019, 19:12

There are no charges when changing funds.
Although it says in the 'changes to AVC's'' booklet we got a few months ago, that you still have to contact the PSC in Sheffield if you want to change the percentage of future contributions or the proportion of your AVC which is currently invested in the Growth, Balanced, Cautious and Ethical funds.

reedy · Post by **reedy** » 04 Jul 2019, 19:16

As far as i can see i havent been charged obiviously Scottish Widows are making money on the spread when they sell then buy. If you unsure id contact them but i havent noticed anything. Ive decided to put 90% of my cash fund which i had saved for many years into growth and sharia funds to try and get some extra growth then look to move back into cash nearer to retirement.I pay £70 a week and 50% goes into growth and 25% each into cash and Sharia Law. I guess the lifestyle option does this in a similar vein but i enjoy actively managing my money. As before this is not advice and you must make your own choices or get professional advice.

linntroika · Post by **linntroika** » 04 Jul 2019, 19:22

Many Thanks reedy & Robert T , just transferred 50% of my cash to balanced /cautious , i contacted RM pensions today to increase future funds - cheers guys

Post by **RobertT** » 04 Jul 2019, 19:36

Generally, the thing to do is to put your money into the riskier funds during the accumulation phase and then transfer to the safer ones as you near retirement as the 'guide to AVC's' explains. But it obviously also comes down to attitude to risk, etc too.

The lifestyle option does that for you, but doesn't recognise what the markets are doing at any particular time, so doesn't necessarily move your money at the correct time from an investment point of view – just when you reach a certain amount of time before before your chosen retirement age.

Personally I've had all of my Flexiplan money in the Growth fund and the Aviva equivalent before Zurich took over. But fairly recently have split it between Growth, Balanced & Cautious as I no longer pay into Flexiplan due to already having enough to fund the lump sum and wanting to protect my gains.
I will make further changes over the coming years along the same lifestyling lines.

Decky Boy · Post by **Decky Boy** » 05 Jul 2019, 22:24

I note that Scottish Widows are now managing our AVC accounts

It was news to me when I logged into my account today. What happened to Zurich ?

maisymoo04 · Post by **maisymoo04** » 06 Jul 2019, 04:57

just popped on to the site is it still being updated ?? my last payment was 20 june ????? were now on 6 july

Post by **milly** » 06 Jul 2019, 06:59

maisymoo04 wrote:just popped on to the site is it still being updated ?? my last payment was 20 june ????? were now on 6 july

I telephoned Zurich/Scottish Widows yesterday about this and they said that the payments were paused due to the embargo on trading whilst they were making all their changes.
The money is supposed to be released by payroll next week so hopefully it will be resolved very soon.

maisymoo04 · Post by **maisymoo04** » 06 Jul 2019, 09:27

cheers milly