Best place to start a regular investment

[lbray92]

In around September I started buying ETFs monthly on Trading 212 after reading the Simple Path to Wealth. I was aware of the tax nightmare but thought I would just deal with it or maybe keep records and pay an accountant to do it in 8 years. However the more I think about it the more I realise I do not want to have to deal with the headache of deemed disposal.

What are my options for regular, monthly investments? I've spoken to AIB about the options they offer with Irish Life but they aren't really what I'm looking for (even their MAP6 fund is not risky enough for me currently). The one advantage of investing with someone like AIB is they take care of the tax so it is nice and simple that way.

I have looked at government bonds but they don't really allow for monthly investments and taking advantage of compound growth.

Ideally I would like to find a company that would allow me to choose to invest my money in something like VWRL while still taking care of the tax for me. I wouldn't mind paying a fee for this given that we don't have much choice in this country.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I have now got around €2000 to invest and would be making monthly contributions on top of this.

Note: I am already maxing out my tax-free pension contributions.

 

[Steven Barrett]

The Irish Life method of directing EVERYONE into one of their MAPS funds is a joke, especially seeing as the funds are more expensive and underperform their peers.

Just use a life company to invest the money for you in a regular investment plan. I use Zurich Life for my clients. Plenty of fund choice available for equity investors.

Equity Funds

www.zurich.ie

Steven
www.bluewaterfp.ie

 

[lbray92]

Thanks I'll take a look at this! Yes, the MAPS funds leave a lot to be desired. They only have 7 years worth of performance data too which doesn't leave me filled with confidence

 

[Gordon Gekko]

I would venture, with respect, that you seem totally out of your depth. You mention looking at government bonds! Why?!

You should chat with someone like SBarrett of this parish and set-up some form of investment account with advice.

 

[lbray92]

I would venture, with respect, that you seem totally out of your depth. You mention looking at government bonds! Why?!

You should chat with someone like SBarrett of this parish and set-up some form of investment account with advice.

I only mentioned government bonds because I wanted to indicate that I have explored other options. How would I know they are a bad choice for me without looking at them?!

Quite honestly I am a bit out of my depth but I know more than I did a few months ago and my forum post here is an attempt to gain some advice from people who know more than me. The point of my post is to chat and get advice from people here.

 

[RedOnion]

I have looked at government bonds but they don't really allow for monthly investments and taking advantage of compound growth.

Well, actually you can invest in state savings monthly:

Ireland State Savings - 6 Year Instalment Savings | Products | State Savings

Our 6 Year Instalment Savings product offers a convenient way to save on a regular basis.

www.statesavings.ie

I think one of @Gordon Gekko point was it's a completely different proposition to an equity investment, so discussing the 2 together seems confusing.

In terms of mechanics, I use a Zurich product like SBarrett linked to to squirrel away a bit of money each month. Yes, fees are higher than if I invested in ETFs, but the money is taken by DD every month, and I can forget about it, no tax headaches.

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any life type platform that lets you invest in ETFs outside of pension structures.

 

[Jim2007]

Thanks I'll take a look at this! Yes, the MAPS funds leave a lot to be desired. They only have 7 years worth of performance data too which doesn't leave me filled with confidence

They are not providing 7 years performance data, they are providing a suggested set of possible outcomes over a seven year period. The annualized return on this found is more like 5% - 6%.

As someone else suggested, you seem to be out of your depth. I don't know SBarrett beyond his posts, but from why I have seen, it would appear that he might be a reliable source of advice for you.

 

[lbray92]

They are not providing 7 years performance data, they are providing a suggested set of possible outcomes over a seven year period. The annualized return on this found is more like 5% - 6%.

As someone else suggested, you seem to be out of your depth. I don't know SBarrett beyond his posts, but from why I have seen, it would appear that he might be a reliable source of advice for you.

Ok when I spoke the Irish Life on the phone they told me they only had 7 years of data on performance as the MAP6 has only been in existence since 2013.

As mentioned, I know I am out of my depth hence my post of this forum. But thank you for pointing it out again!

 

[Steven Barrett]

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any life type platform that lets you invest in ETFs outside of pension structures.

Lots of life company have index funds through their regular savers plans. Zurich has the Global Index with Blackrock, Standard Life have the Vanguard funds, New Ireland has State Street and Aviva has L&G.

People use ETFs as a synonym for index investing and not to distinguish between actual ETFs and funds, so I presume they would be happy with these options.


Steven
www.bluewaterfp.ie

 

[candyman]

Is it possible to setup a regular monthly investment plan with zurich directly or do you have to use a broker? Their site is not the easiest to find details on a regular investment plan.....

 

[GSheehy]

Is it possible to setup a regular monthly investment plan with zurich directly or do you have to use a broker? Their site is not the easiest to find details on a regular investment plan.....

You can do either.

You could ask both what the allocation rate and annual management charge will be on the product they will offer you and choose the best priced one.

If you need flexibility with regard to not having early exit charges or being able to add occasional lump sums you could find that out too.

Gerard

www.SaveAndInvest.ie

 

[Dave Vanian]

Is it possible to setup a regular monthly investment plan with zurich directly or do you have to use a broker? Their site is not the easiest to find details on a regular investment plan.....

You'll probably get better charges by going to a low-cost intermediary like www.saveandinvest.ie than by going directly to Zurich Life. Zurich Life pay commission to their direct sales staff. You should compare the two to be sure.

 

[candyman]

Thank you both