FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I invest?
While shares in many Offshore funds are available by direct application to the managers, the decision to invest in them is likely to be made within the context of broader financial planning. This, plus the desirability of expert guidance, makes an approach through an appropriate financial adviser highly to be recommended.

What happens then?
Sit back. Your chosen investment vehicle will tell you, through its prospectus and subsequent communications, what your options are. Your own planning, along with the recommendations of your financial adviser, will help to determine if and when it's time to make any further move.

How do I monitor performance?
One of the conditions of FSA recognition is that the share value of your investment must be published via an accessible organ of record. Since you are looking at FE Trustnet, you are already connected to our extensive and constantly updated database. There are also plenty of paper-based financial publications available; one that covers this area with clarity and depth is the magazine International Investment.

Can I change from one fund to another?
This depends on the constitution of your particular fund, and it's important to understand what your options are from the outset. Most major management groups recognise the need to switch between lower and higher performance, with lesser or greater volatility, according to the investor's evolving station in life and attitude to risk. As a result, a common structure is the 'Umbrella' fund, within which there will be established a number of sub-funds covering a range of asset classes and geographical areas. The ability to switch between these sub-funds is usually restricted to a limited number of changes per year, but free of charge.

How do I sell?
As with investments in traditional UK Unit Trusts and OEICs, there is no publicly-traded market in the shares in these instruments. They have to be sold back to the managers who issued them and who, for the sake of clarity, are obliged to take them at their published prices.

How will I be taxed?
Please see the section Tax Matters, in this guide.

What happens if something goes wrong?
As in all such matters, prevention is better than cure, and it's important to be well researched and advised from the outset. There are legal safeguards to protect your investment, and official regulatory bodies to enforce them - the fund literature should make clear what and who these are. Recourse in the first instance, though, is probably best sought through the intermediary or provider who set up the investment.

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