Fisher Investments ??

That's what I've been saying all along but I guess that some people just don't take feedback on board.
 
Some stocks you will find in a low cost index

British American Tobacco

Following the acquisition of Reynolds American, British American Tobacco is neck-and-neck with Philip Morris International to be the largest listed global tobacco company--slightly larger than PMI on net revenue, but slightly smaller on total tobacco volume.



Oil & Gas companies
ExxonMobil
BP
Shell
Chevron



It is estimated that just 100 companies are estimated to be responsible for 71% of all greenhouse gas emissions.

Arms manufacturers

Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and BAE systems all feature on the ranking of the world's largest arms-production companies

Even Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway only makes it into 5% of the world’s 328 ESG and sustainability ETFs—fewer than oil producer Exxon Mobil. Berkshire also has the second-worst Sustainalytics Rank of S&P 100 companies, ahead of only Netflix. Part of the issue is Berkshire’s lack of environmental and social data. That leaves the G for governance, where Berkshire gets penalized for a board that’s only 57% independent—well below the 85% average. Berkshire also has investments in utilities and power producers that get 41% of net generation from coal.
 
Has anybody actually asked about "ethical" investments?
Seems like a total non-sequitur.
 
Has anybody actually asked about "ethical" investments?
Seems like a total non-sequitur.
The Sustainable Finance Directive introduces additional disclosure obligations for manufacturers of financial products and financial advisers toward end-investors. The Regulations require impacted firms to integrate sustainability into their investment processes and to consider the adverse impacts of their investments on sustainability factors. The Regulations apply regardless of whether the client has indicated an ESG preference or not.
 
What's the relevance of all this to this specific thread?
 
Three seems like a lot of mouths to feed (An Adviser fee, a Platform fee, and an Investment Management fee).

I’m also shocked at the 1% upfront fee. That is very hard to justify.
 
Three seems like a lot of mouths to feed (An Adviser fee, a Platform fee, and an Investment Management fee).

I'm curious as to why there's an Investment Management fee, an Adviser fee and more fees for the funds themselves and the platform. Does the Investment Management fee and the Advisor Fee all go to the broker? If so, that's 1.05% annual trail commission. But as I said in a previous post, I applaud Marc's transparency in putting together a document that shows all the charges in both percentage terms and in Euros.
 
That is interesting. Thanks for posting the link.
Do I need an agent to advise / implement the likes of the Aviva ARF?
If so, what would be the expected fee?
 
The SFDR is a relevant regulation which has pushed up the costs of investment portfolios recently
That’s hilarious!

Vanguard manage over $7 trillion (that’s seven million million!) in assets and I would be stunned if their entire group budget for complying with SFDR disclosure requirements exceeded $500k.

This is a complete and utter red herring.

SFDR has had zero impact on the cost of investing in index funds.
 
Do I need an agent to advise / implement the likes of the Aviva ARF?
You would need a broker, yes - a few posted on the linked thread.

Commissions vary and I guess it depends on the size of your pot. But it’s really the ongoing annual fees that are of most concern.
 
You would need a broker, yes - a few posted on the linked thread.

Commissions vary and I guess it depends on the size of your pot. But it’s really the ongoing annual fees that are of most concern.
Thanks for that.
I will see how I get on next week with my agent.
 
I will for sure.
Thanks everyone for your help so far.
Ok Folks, An update.
Met with my local agent and discussed things.
Cut to the basics,
He offered me a mix of four Irish Life funds.
Retirement Portfolios 4 and 5 , Setanta Equity Dividend and Indexed World Equity.
He said that these should make a diversified investment for my ARF.
Over time it should be able to pay my 4% per annum and fees and hopefully hold its ground.
Fees would be 1.15%. and I could move funds around without charge.
We would take out the first three or four years of my 4% income in case of volatility and invest the rest.
Another guy promised me .75% for the Index World Equity Fund alone.
Any feedback would be great.