Difficulty Evaluating Ireland Funds (versus US Mutual Funds)

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ScottSF

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Can anyone explain why fund information seems to be incredibly limited for Irish funds versus what I can find for mutual funds in the USA (any elsewhere?). Is it simply a lack of a legal regulation here in Ireland? Is there a minimum standard in Ireland or the EU?

Take Irish Life as an example. They seem to offer only a one-page fund report on their website, not a comprehensive prospectus. That makes it difficult to compare it with other fund investment options in Ireland and abroad.

In the USA with Vanguard or Fidelity (or even the smaller funds), the public fund information available online is incredibly detailed as I'm sure you all know. I can view all holdings, reporting over many years using different measurements, comparison to global indices, and charting with powerful financial tools such as Google Finance or Morningstar.

Is there an equivalent financial comparison tool for Ireland based funds? How do you research and analyze whether an Irish based fund is an ideal investment? Any advice is much appreciated.
 
I can't explain it at all. Some insurance companies in Ireland still don't offer online access to their clients. This is just to view their fund value!

I am not aware of any free comparison tools that are available in Ireland. I use FE Analytics myself but I pay for that.


Steven
http://www.bluewaterfp.ie (www.bluewaterfp.ie)
 
If you were looking for a TER (total expense ratio) for an Irish fund you won't be able to receive same. The CB or regulator don't deem it necessary to ensure this information be made available (shame on them). The foreign funds operating in this country under normal circumstances usually make this information readily available. If the info not available, walk away, but if you're already invested negotiate your way out.
 
Thanks for the tip @Raskolnikov about quotes on Bloomberg. I guess (for example) Irish Life funds are listed there but not in Google Finance or Morningstar. I can't imagine why one and not the other but good to know.
The purpose of my post was that I was hoping that I was missing something obvious. It seems that Irish fund information isn't always easy to find or required to be disclosed to investors in Ireland. This situation is surely in serious need for improvement if we want more people to invest for the future and get the most for their savings.
 
As far as I can tell, Ireland sucks big time for investing in funds outside a pension wrapper. Nonsense tax in ETFs, opaque life products, sky high charges for mutual funds. It's very annoying when compared with other countries where investment is encouraged, outside of just property.
 
username123 said:
As far as I can tell, Ireland sucks big time for investing in funds outside a pension wrapper. Nonsense tax in ETFs, opaque life products, sky high charges for mutual funds. It's very annoying when compared with other countries where investment is encouraged, outside of just property.
Click to expand...

Tax of 1% on all investments made to insurance companies, paying tax after 8 years of investing, 41% exit tax and the same for DIRT. I think you can say that investment definitely isn't encouraged in this country. :rolleyes:

Steven
http://www.bluewaterfp.ie (www.bluewaterfp.ie)
 
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