# Quinn Freeway



## Happy Girl (27 Mar 2007)

Can I have some feedback from those of you who have invested in Quinn Freeway. Basically are you happy with performance etc. Also what kind of allocations have been made given the recent shift particularly in the Irish market (Celtic). Any suggestions/recommendations of how I should split my 15k investment. I know there have been previous discussions on this but I just wanted more updated opinions.


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## BrenG (27 Mar 2007)

Loads of previous posts on this. just do a search


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## Happy Girl (27 Mar 2007)

Have looked at them. As explained I am just looking for more updated opinions given the slowdown in the Irish economy and the US situation and the recent slowdown in the China market.


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## CCOVICH (27 Mar 2007)

How long are you willing to leave your money invested?

If it's for 10-20 years, what has happended recently is of little relevance.

If you are taking a short-term view, then equity based investment is not for you.


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## Happy Girl (27 Mar 2007)

Definitely looking at putting the 15k away for 20-25yrs. Would Freeway be the best way to go over a term like this.


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## CCOVICH (27 Mar 2007)

may be a better place to seek opinions on this sort of question.


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## Happy Girl (27 Mar 2007)

Looking at going
Euro 40%
UK 40%
Japan 10%
China 10%
Anybody have any views on the above or what way have other allocated.


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## alpina (28 Mar 2007)

http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=44448&highlight=freeway


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## dublinman (29 Mar 2007)

Just think about currency risk and size of economies in that allocation, why 40% in UK?

Worlds biggest economies are usa (1), japan(2) and eurozone (3) in I believe (order of japan and eurozone may be wrong)

40% in one non-eurozone currency only looks risky?


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## Happy Girl (29 Mar 2007)

Am a real novice at this. Only way I was looking at this was how I predicted economies would perform in the future. didn't even consider currency risks. What way would others allocate their fund! would love to hear suggestions and reasonings.


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## ClubMan (29 Mar 2007)

At the highest level I would spread it across different investment terms, asset classes, risk-reward profiles and geographic regions (regardless of currency exchange risk issues). To arrive a specific investment strategy that suits your specific needs may require independent professional advice.


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## Nemesis (29 Mar 2007)

It would be great if someone here could tell you exactly the right funds and percentage allocation for your investment to ensure you get the very best returns but I don't think anyone can provide you with that unfortunately. Everyone has different opinions and no one can predict the future.

Speaking personally however, I feel it's a little strange to completely ignore the Irish market. I recall the prophets of doom pontificating about the coming property crash and its calamitous effects on the Irish economy and stock market at the time of the SSIA launch. I was influenced by their arguments and avoided Quinn Life Celtic Freeway which I had been considering. As a result my SSIA is worth a lot less than it might have been. Now, maybe they'll be right this time around but who knows? The Irish economy has a knack of confounding the sceptics against all the odds and it seems at least worth including it in such an investment mix. Also, remember you'll be paying 1.5% on China and Japan and 1.2% on UK in management charges whereas it's 1.0% on Celtic Freeway. And as mentioned by dublinman you have currency risk to think about, that won't arise with Celtic Freeway.

Just some things to think about. I'm sure there will be others who feel you're right to steer clear but that's just my reaction upon looking at your prospective allocation.


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## manukev (29 Mar 2007)

i have also found the celtic freeway to be the best over the last couple of years euro is good also,at the moment it would be hard to tell which would be the best way to go.according to the experts though whats happening at the moment should'nt matter if your in for the long term


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## Happy Girl (30 Mar 2007)

Can somebody please advise if I invested as following in Quinn Freeway
UK 20%
Celtic 30%
US 30%
Japan 10%
China 10%
Would I be paying charges as follows
1.2% on UK 
1% on celtic 
1.2% on US 
1.5% on Japan 
1.5% on Japan. 
Would this make a cumulative charge on the entire fund of 6.4%. Given that I was to understand that Quinn's products were known for their lower charges this seems to contradict this. Can someone clarify for me or have I the wrong end of the stick.


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## IrlJidel (30 Mar 2007)

Your effective charge would be 

(UK 1.2 * .20 ) + ( Celtic 1 * .30 ) + (US 1.2 * .30) + (Japan 1.5 * .10) +  (China 1.5 * .10) 
= 1.2%


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## Nemesis (30 Mar 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> Can somebody please advise if I invested as following in Quinn Freeway
> UK 20%
> Celtic 30%
> US 30%
> ...



Don't forget about Euro in the allocation (though perhaps you're just using the above as an example to calculate charges). That's also at 1.0% and no currency risk and yet still provides you with a bit more diversification from the Irish economy.

On a related issue, I also remember looking at the Quinn Life option when I was taking out my SSIA and was a little put off by the lack of choice at the time with only Euro and Celtic available. In the end, I went with EBS as I felt there was probably more diversification and choice available through their funds with the Global Leaders Summit Fund being a new addition to their existing Growth and Balanced Funds. I gained nothing from this extra choice and the Global Leaders fund underperformed (currency risk with the dollar had a big effect here too). Luckily, I didn't put everything into it and switched new contributions from it about two years ago so I did alright in the end. But the thing that the whole experience highlighted for me is that sometimes you can have too much choice and it doesn't necessarily benefit you anything extra. Now Quinn have launched all these new more exotic funds (for which you're paying considerably more in charges) but no one really can say if they're going to rocket ahead and leave the boring old Celtic and Euro trailing behind. It could quite easily turn out the opposite. With that in mind the issue of management charges seems to acquire greater weight.

I'm not saying go 50% Euro 50% Celtic, I don't know what's the best allocation but there may be a good case for including them both with a significant allocation based on management charges alone as it's the one thing you do have some control over.


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## Happy Girl (1 Apr 2007)

Yeah just using that as an example. Still haven't made my mind up what split I am going for. Any other recommendations on this much appreciated.


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## messyleo (1 Apr 2007)

fwiw (prob nothing!) i went for a 50% euro, 50% celtic and 10% china split as i wanted to avoid large currency risk. however i do feel im overexposed to the irish market given that i live and work here as well! so maybe thats sth to bear in mind. i do think perhaps i also should have stuck a bit in the uk freeway but im happy enough to leave things for the time being.


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## CCOVICH (1 Apr 2007)

gravitygirl said:


> fwiw (prob nothing!) i went for a 50% euro, 50% celtic and 10% china split



????? 50%+50%+10%=110%


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## Happy Girl (1 Apr 2007)

Just completing form for Freeway and now making my final allocation. Based on all the foregoing advice and information (for which I am most grateful) I have allocated as follows:
Euro Fund 40%, 
Celtic 30%, 
UK 15% 
US 15%.
Any other suggestions/comments before I sign on the dotted line and post off.


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## messyleo (1 Apr 2007)

CCOVICH said:


> ????? 50%+50%+10%=110%


 
yeah dont you know about the 110% allocation offer with Quinn CCovich?  

thanks for that, i of course meant 50% euro, 40% celtic and 10% china!


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## F. Kruger (2 Apr 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> Any other suggestions/comments before I sign on the dotted line and post off.


 
Just curious. Why have you excluded all other asset classes(other than equities) from your investment?


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## dublinman (2 Apr 2007)

Its quite ok- just my personal opinion
I'd have a split as follows

40% euro
20 % celtic
15% US
15% japan
10% UK

either way, i'd have aprox 60% 0r 2/3ths in euro denominated funds, and i'd have the remaining 40% or so spead across at least 2 non- euro currencies, not one non euro currency only; rem dollar has depreciated by ?30% in last few years against the euro for example.


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## Happy Girl (2 Apr 2007)

F. Kruger said:


> Just curious. Why have you excluded all other asset classes(other than equities) from your investment?


 
Sorry Kruger as stated earlier I am novice at this. Afraid I don't understand what you mean here. Surely I am splitting country funds rather than asset types here. I don't have the choice


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## CCOVICH (2 Apr 2007)

You do.  Quinn offer cash and bond funds as well.


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## Happy Girl (2 Apr 2007)

Sorry now I get the gist of what you mean. Because I am going long term 20+ yrs with this fund I felt that I should go with the higher risk options at this stage.


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## lotus (2 Apr 2007)

I guess I am in a similar situation. 

My Quinn Life SSIA expires this month and I am considering my options. This is my plan and I would appreciate any comments or advice. I'm aware that you cant predict the markets. My aim is to have a balanced fund with no major exposure to any one particular market: 

       -continue to keep €20K of my SSIA invested in the Quinn life Euro Freeway fund as I have for the last 5 years.

       -increase my monthly contribution to €500 per month and invest it using the following breakdown:

                       20% Celtic freeway
                       20% UK
                       20% Japan
                       20% Emerging markets
                       10% US
                       10% China

I decided not to include the Euro freeway in this mix because I feel I am already exposed to this market enough with my €20K lump sum.

I decided not to put more than 20% towards the Celtic freeway as I feel I am exposed enough to the Irish market with an investment property here.

All comments and advice appreciated.


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## Happy Girl (2 Apr 2007)

Lotus, looking at replies to my query earlier it would also appear that you are way over exposed to non euro zones. That is why I readjusted my allocation to take account of this.


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## lotus (2 Apr 2007)

Thanks Happy Girl for response.

I thought having lump sum of €20K invested in Euro freeway and then 20% of my savings going forward invested in Celtic was OK.......

..........maybe I am over exposed to currency risk though...........was thinking of going with the  breakdown I laid out in my first post for a year or 2 and then re-evaluating.............Any thoughts?


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## lotus (3 Apr 2007)

I think I will chance the investment split I have outlined in my post on this thread...........it seems to be pretty balanced and after that I guess equities are luck of the draw.............

Anyone have any final advice before I sign up?!


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## Joe Bloggs (3 Apr 2007)

To add more percentages !! 
I took the SSIA from Quinn (50% Celtic/Euro) when it paid out Jan/07 and rolled the whole amount back into Quinn funds. This time with a more diverse spread; 
        BioTechnology   5%
China   30%
Emerging Markets   10%
Euro   30%
Celtic   25%

Then with the dip at the end of Feb I got tempted to put some savings in. I wouldn't say that this will definitely prove to be the wisest move I've ever made but we'll wait and see, and medium term I can afford to leave the money there and wait out any bumpy graphs. Here's hoping anyhow.

              China 25%       
Emerging Markets   25%       
Euro   50%   

Watching the China daily percentage in/decreases takes a bit of getting used to though !


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## hhhhhhhhhh (3 Apr 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> Just completing form for Freeway and now making my final allocation. Based on all the foregoing advice and information (for which I am most grateful) I have allocated as follows:
> Euro Fund 40%,
> Celtic 30%,
> UK 15%
> ...


Go to a discount broker,
they will give you a 103.5% allocation rate
and 1% management fees
with some of the other insurance companies, that offer the same sort of products.


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## messyleo (3 Apr 2007)

hhhhhhhhhh said:


> Go to a discount broker,
> they will give you a 103.5% allocation rate
> and 1% management fees
> with some of the other insurance companies, that offer the same sort of products.


 
such as...?


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## hhhhhhhhhh (4 Apr 2007)

gravitygirl said:


> such as...?


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2007)

hhhhhhhhhh said:


> Go to a discount broker,
> they will give you a 103.5% allocation rate
> and 1% management fees
> with some of the other insurance companies, that offer the same sort of products.


Am I missing something? The terms outlined above are not mentioned on that page.


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## Happy Girl (4 Apr 2007)

Not very user friendly. How do I activate discount code?


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2007)

Happy Girl said:


> Not very user friendly. How do I activate discount code?


Huh!?


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## messyleo (4 Apr 2007)

and also I believe those offers refer to single premium policies only, rather than regular contributions.


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## hhhhhhhhhh (4 Apr 2007)

ClubMan said:


> Am I missing something? The terms outlined above are not mentioned on that page.


*You know about discount brokers and what they offer.*

"In general our service will result in an enhancement in the region of 3 to 5% of                                      the amount invested in the form of an increased allocation of units, an                                      increased allocation rate, or a reduced annual management charge, which will be                                      clearly stated on your policy document."



Happy Girl said:


> Not very user friendly. How do I activate discount code?


You have to choose your policy and then contact them.



gravitygirl said:


> and also I believe those offers refer to single premium policies only, rather than regular contributions.


The op is talking about a single premium


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## messyleo (4 Apr 2007)

sorry i thought regular savings were involved as well, my mistake.


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## ClubMan (4 Apr 2007)

hhhhhhhhhh said:


> *You know about discount brokers and what they offer.*
> 
> "In general our service will result in an enhancement in the region of 3 to 5% of                                      the amount invested in the form of an increased allocation of units, an                                      increased allocation rate, or a reduced annual management charge, which will be                                      clearly stated on your policy document."


So - if they offer a 103.5% allocation rate (as you mention above) and charge €150 for their services then this is actually less than 100% for a lump sum investment of up to c. €4,300 and only above that do you start getting an actual topup on your investment? Not exactly clear from what you posted above or the link that you posted.


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## lotus (5 Apr 2007)

OK so instead of rolling over my SSIA into Quinn Life (20K) it sounds like it could be more economical for me to buy one of these single premium policies through a discount broker.  Am I correct in thinking this?  Can I buy into one of these Quinn funds or a combination of them through this single premium policy?

I could then continue to put my regular savings directly through Quinn Life and once I have built up maybe 10K or so, transfer over to a single premium policy and start over again.

Am I missing something here?!


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## hhhhhhhhhh (5 Apr 2007)

lotus said:


> OK so instead of rolling over my SSIA into Quinn Life (20K) it sounds like it could be more economical for me to buy one of these single premium policies through a discount broker.  Am I correct in thinking this?  Can I buy into one of these Quinn funds or a combination of them through this single premium policy?
> 
> I could then continue to put my regular savings directly through Quinn Life and once I have built up maybe 10K or so, transfer over to a single premium policy and start over again.
> 
> Am I missing something here?!



What I have done but using your 20K example.

I invested in the Eagle Star Matrix Funds (My Choice)
So instead of investing *20K* I invested *20700* and got the managemnet charge reduced to *1%* per annum from *1.5%*
You cannot withdraw your money for 5 years or there are exit penalities to claw back the extra allocation.
This will cost you *€150* to setup.

It worked out very good for me.

I also wanted to add money to the fund at a later date, I was not charged by the broker to add extra money and still got the extra allocation rate & mang. fee


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## F. Kruger (7 Apr 2007)

The product referred to on this www.bond.ie site may also suit. It is underwritten by Standard Life. The minimum is €10,000 and you can top-up with €5,000 increments.

There are no entry charges or fees and the management charges vary on the 32 Funds available. 22 of them have a 1% AMC, of which 9 are Index-Trackers. You have access to Equity, Property, Gilt and Cash Funds.

If you invest before 31/05/2007 then 0.10% of the AMC will be added back to the policy on each policy anniversary. This means that the 1%amc effectively becomes 0.90%pa and if you invest in something like the Global REIT Fund(1.45%amc) then the charge is reduced to 1.35%pa.

It's just another option.

I have a connection with the site.


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## Round Tuit (11 Apr 2007)

New to all this lingo - Possibly a stupid question but I can't find it answered in plain english anywhere - is there any percentage of your investment protected with these Freeway funds or is there an unlikely possibility that you could lose the lot?


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## ClubMan (11 Apr 2007)

In common with many/most unit linked funds there is no capital guarantee at all.


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