Investments

Whether its because you've won money on the lottery or built up a tidy nest egg by saving on a regular basis, your money should be wisely invested so that its spending power is protected for the future. Leaving large amounts of money on deposit in banks or building societies may not be the long-term answer.

Although this might be seen as the traditional safe haven, recent years have seen interest rates being reduced sharply and deposit accounts may not now even be keeping the value of your money in line with changes in retail price inflation.

Many people recognise that to achieve better long-term protection for their money against the effects of inflation, it is often worth considering 'equity' related investments. These are ones that are linked to changes in the value of company shares. You could gain access to the 'equity' markets either directly through buying shares or indirectly by investing in investment products like Unit Trusts, Investment Trusts or maybe even a Life Assurance policy.

You should be aware that your capital is not as secure in shares as it would be in a bank or building society account. There is a high risk that you will lose money and not get back the full amount invested.

This section provides access to information on many of the available investment products.