Investment trusts retain child savings association with introduction of Jisas

By JEFF SALWAY
Published on 28/10/2012 11:04

INVESTMENT trusts have a long association with child savings and that hasn’t changed with the advent of Jisas, with investment trusts quick to offer the new accounts.

Of the ten most popular Jisas on JP Morgan Asset Management’s online platform, seven are investment trusts. A similar trend is evident on the Alliance Trust Savings platform where, excluding cash, almost half of all Jisas are in investment trusts.

Annabel Brodie-Smith, communications director at the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), the sector trade body, said: “Investment companies can lend themselves well to saving for children because the long time horizon helps tap into the growth potential of the stock market whilst giving plenty of time to ride out some of the inevitable ups and downs along the way.

“With the ability to gear to enhance returns, an independent Board to represent shareholder interests, and a closed ended structure to enable managers to take a long term view, investment companies are worth a closer look.”

Investors have so far enjoyed modest but, given the uncertain climate, encouraging returns. The average investment trust Jisa has is up 6 per cent since launch last November, according to new figures from the AIC.

Among the fund managers offering Jisas for either lump sums or regular savings are F&C, Alliance Trust Savings, Witan, Fidelity and JP Morgan, with annual charges ranging between nil and £30 and minimum regular savings of between £30 and £50.

Over 18 years to 30 September, a £50 a month (£10,800 total) investment into the average investment trust would now be worth £22,751, AIC figures show. A lump sum investment of £10,800 would have produced £39,037, net of charges.