Re: 100K to put away
As there are so many answers to your questions, the list below is only a few of the many possibilities. I don't recommend any of the parties that I've named. Information memorandums / offering memorandums ("OM") are generally available on request which potential investors should read thoroughly and ensure they understand prior to making an investment. Areas of the OM that I focus on are:
- fees charged (entrance / exit and ongoing),
- restrictions on return,
- business rationale of the project / fund,
- past performance,
- investment restrictions / policy,
- restrictions on exiting investment,
- whether the promoter is regulated by IFSRA (Ireland), the FSA (UK) etc
- whether the individuals behind the promoter are reputable (do a google search on the individuals, check [broken link removed] to determine whether the promoter / principals behind the promoter are prohibited, disqualified or otherwise disreputable) etc,
- I'd also tend to get independent information (through web searches) to support (or challenge) the promoters claims.
How to invest money:
Pensions - invest in company defined benefit or contribution schemes. In addition, invest up to the maximum permissible for your age category into AVC's. Tax relief (from PRSI and PAYE) is available at the marginal rate.
Business Expansion Scheme - invest by making enquiries directly with companies seeking finance (they advertise in national newspapers) or in the Davys / BDO BES fund (risk is spread over many companies but Davys / BDO take a cut of your investment). Tax relief is available at marginal rate of tax.
Film investment - Anglo Irish Bank, among others, arranges finance for many films made in Ireland. It is structured such that a loss is incurred on your investment but tax relief brings you back into the black. You have to be paying income tax at 42% to be profitable.
Deposit interest - open one or any number of the high yielding deposit accounts available in the market.
Invest in shares or bonds directly - I use ameritrade (
www.tdameritrade.com) to buy US quoted shares and NIB ([broken link removed]) online account for shares quoted in any other market.
Invest in shares or bonds through investment funds - If you don't have the expertise to properly research quoted companies or the time to research a sufficient number of companies in order to be well diversified then let the professionals do it - rabodirect and Danske Bank / NIB offer funds online and the entrance / exit fees are much the same as the transaction costs of buying and selling shares directly. All of the Irish banks offer funds for investment and advertise these funds in newspapers now and again.
Property - home or abroad. Again companies often advertise developments which they manage and are open to investment by the public e.g.
The process for opening share trading accounts, investing in funds / BES companies etc varies - call them up / read their website / obtain the application form to find out exactly what you need to do. If you don't understand the investment opportunity then don't invest in it.
What happens after you have invested:
Your investment should be used for the purpose that was originally communicated to you i.e. as set out in the OM. Funds tend to have independent administrators that keep the books and records of the fund and a trustee that ensures that the investment manager complies with the investment restrictions as set out in the OM.
Pensions - trustees to the pension scheme issue statements on at least an annual basis which shows how many units you hold and the value of those units together with opening value, contributions made (employer and employee), investment return, closing value.
Investment funds tend to publicise their performance on their website - some funds are valued daily, others are valued once per week / month. Holdings in funds are recorded in book entry form which means you don't get a share certificate. However shareholders will get a periodic statement showing the number of shares held / value of shareholding.
Quoted companies - usually shares are held in electronic form (such as crest) and therefore you don't get a share certificate. The broker will provide you with periodic statements and /or you will be able to see your holdings in your online account.
BES - you will generally receive a share certificate. This share certificate is proof of your shareholding and therefore should be kept safe and will be needed when / if you decide to sell your shares.
Tax implications:
Tax is operated by way of self assessment => if you make a capital gain it is your responsibility for paying the correct amount of CGT by the due date. You will also need to complete a CGT tax return form. Similarly if you receive dividend / interest income etc you will need to include such income in your income tax return. Brokers / banks are not responsible for ensuring you are tax compliant. Where an asset (such as a share) was acquired before 2003, inflation relief (for CGT purposes) may be available, effectively adjusting the cost in line with a published inflation factor. Indexation relief is not available in respect of periods of ownership of the asset after 31 December 2002. Capital gains are generally taxed at 20%. Income from investments such as interest and dividends are subject to income tax and therefore would need to be considered together with other income in arriving at your total income tax liability.
Evaluating the investment return:
The return achieved could be compared to similar investment opportunities, stock market benchmarks such as FTSE, ISEQ etc, cash deposit rates etc. Yes there are highs and lows of every investment and there is no guarantee that an investment will recoup losses in the future - it's up to the investor to evaluate the investment themselves. If an investor is not able to assess for themselves the likely future direction of the investment returns then they shouldn't have invested in it.