Page 1 of 5 Free emails (http://moneyweek.com/free-emails/ Newsletters (http://moneyweek.com/newsletters/ Latest issue (http://moneyweek.com/latest-issue/ Cruise 2015 (http://moneyweek.com/2015-moneyweek-cruise/ My Subscriptions Log out (http://moneyweek.com/ Search articles, share prices Home (Http://Moneyweek.com/ Investments (Http://Moneyweek.com/Investments/ Home (http://moneyweek.com > Lessons from the death bonds debacle Prices & Charts (Http://Moneyweek.com/Prices-News-Charts/ Property (Http://Moneyweek.com/Investing-In-Property/ Lessons from the death bonds debacle Gold (Http://Moneyweek.com/Investing-In-Gold/ 15/06/2015 Trading (Http://Moneyweek.com/Online-Trading/ 0 comments (#disqus_thread Economy (Http://Moneyweek.com/Economics/ The Big Stories (Http://Moneyweek.com/The-Big-Stories/ Funds investing in death bonds (or less melodramatically, traded life policies hit the Personal news again Finance this (Http://Moneyweek.com/Personal-Finance/ These funds buy life insurance policies from the ill and elderly in Blogs the (Http://Moneyweek.com/Merryns-Blog/ US. They pay the premiums, and when the original policyholders die, collect the payouts. It sounds a reasonable idea if macabre but the funds ran into trouble. People are living longer than expected (so payouts are slower in coming and more premiums have to be paid. And the market for the policies is illiquid, so selling them to allow investors to cash out has been a problem too. It arguably didn t help that in 2011 Britain s then-financial regulator, the FSA, described the investments as toxic, effectively leading to a run on the schemes, many of which are now frozen. Richard Dyson in The Daily Telegraph notes that investors are considering legal action against one provider EEA Life Settlements while Judith Evans in the Financial Times notes that the value of another fund the MPL Traded Policies fund has dropped by 60% in a year. This is a miserable situation for the investors involved, with no clear route to resolution amid the various parties arguing over what to do to maximise the value of the remaining portfolios. But there are a couple of broader lessons here for anyone who wants to avoid getting caught up in this sort of situation. Firstly, don t put all your eggs into one basket, and particularly not an exotic basket like this. The FT article talks to at least two investors who had invested hundreds of thousands of pounds between them, which they can ill afford to lose. FREE DAILY EMAIL: Receive our thought-provoking investment email every weekday morning & become a smarter investor. To sign-up click continue below. Continue >> (https://moneyweek.leadpages.net/leadbox/144d0b573f7 Popular 3A11babaf2e346dc/5660980839186432/ Latest Most commented Two absolute bargain wines (http://moneyweek.com/two-absolutebargain-wines/ By: Matthew Jukes (http://moneyweek.com/author/matthew-jukes/ Fund of the week: Neil Woodford s stunning solo career (http://moneyweek.com/fund-ofthe-week-neil-woodfords-stunning-solocareer/ Lessons from the death bonds debacle (http://moneyweek.com/lessons-from-thedeath-bonds-debacle/ Three reasons we re about to have a new FTSE takeover frenzy (http://moneyweek.com/three-reasonswere-about-to-have-a-new-ftse-takeoverfrenzy/ By: Matthew Lynn (http://moneyweek.com/author/matthew-lynn/ MoneyWeek magazine Latest issue (http://moneyweek.com/latestissue/: (http://moneyweek.com/latest-issue/ Do we need estate agents? How to sell up without one
Page 2 of 5 You d have to be stone-hearted not to feel sympathy, but it very painfully flags up the dangers of taking big bets on one asset class. The reality is that decent diversification can be achieved for most investors by spreading your money across a mix of shares, bonds, property and cash, with a bit of gold for insurance anything more elaborate should be treated with caution and a sceptical eye. Secondly, even if you are taking financial advice, you have to understand what it is you re investing in and where the potential risks lie. For example, many of the celebrities who have recently been caught out in tax-avoidance scandals probably didn t grasp the details of the various film schemes their advisers were putting their money in but they re the ones who paid the reputational price when the news broke and the schemes went sour. If your adviser can t or won t explain a recommended investment in a way that you can understand, then don t invest in it. And get a new adviser. The UK's best-selling financial magazine. Take a FREE trial today. Claim 4 FREE Issues (http://moneyweek.com/moneyweekfree-trial FINANCIAL GLOSSARY (http://moneyweek.com/financialglossary/ From ADRs (http://moneyweek.com/glossary/adr/ to Z scores (http://moneyweek.com/glossary/z-score/ all the terms you wish you understood, but were too embarrassed to ask about. FREE daily investment email from MoneyWeek Receive our thought-provoking investment email Money Morning every weekday morning, plus occasional promotions, & become a smarter investor. To sign up, enter your email address: Email address Subscribe d Your Disqus account has been created! Learn more about using Disqus on your favorite communities. Get Started 0 Comments Merryn Somerset Webb interviews small-cap stock expert Gervais Williams about how penny shares outperform blue chips 'again and again'. Roger Bootle: Europe is a complete disaster Britain must leave Gervais Williams: if you want real dividend growth, buy small-cap stocks (http://moneyweek.com/pennyshares-gervais-williamsinterview/ (http://moneyweek.com/penny-sharesgervais-williams-interview/ (http://moneyweek.com/roger-bootleinterview/ See all Merryn's interviews here (http://moneyweek.com/merrynsomerset-webb-interviews/ More from MoneyWeek FREE REPORT: How to make pension freedoms work for you (http://moneyweek.com/pensionsfreedom-report/freedom- (http://moneyweek.com/pensionsreport/ A beginner's guide to investing in gold (http://moneyweek.com/a-beginners-
Page 3 of 5 guide-toinvesting-ingold/ guide-toinvesting-ingold/ FREE REPORT: MoneyWeek's top share tips for 2015 (http://moneyweek.com/topshare-tips-2015/ (http://moneyweek.com/top- share-tips- 2015/ When it comes to buying shares and funds, there are several investment platforms and brokers to choose from. They all offer various fee structures to suit individual investing habits. Find out which one is best for you Which investment platform? (http://moneyweek.com/onlinebrokers-cost-comparisontable/ (http://moneyweek.com/online-brokers-costcomparison-table/. TODAY IN HISTORY (HTTP://MONEYWEEK.COM/THIS-DAY-IN- HISTORY/ 15 June 1215: Magna Carta is sealed, curtailing the power of the king (http://moneyweek.com/15- june-1215-magna-carta-issealed-curtailing-the-powerof-the-king/ (http://moneyweek.com/15-june-1215- magna-carta-is-sealed-curtailing-thepower-of-the-king/
Page 4 of 5 On this day in 1215, King John submitted to the demands of England's rebel barons and affixed his seal to the Magna Carta, assuring the rights of 'free men', and subjecting the king to the law of the land. INVESTING FOR THE LONG TERM (HTTP://MONEYWEEK.COM/KIDS- PORTFOLIO-FOUR-TOP-FUNDS-FOR-YOUR- CHILDREN/ The Kids' Portfolio: the four best funds to buy for your children (http://moneyweek.com/kidsportfolio-four-top-funds-foryour-children/ (http://moneyweek.com/kidsportfolio-four-top-funds-for-yourchildren/ Investing for your children's long-term future is an excellent idea. But what should you buy? The Kids' Portfolio is a simple collection of four funds intended to be tucked away for 20 to 40 years. How to invest Investing in bonds Personal finance Commodities Investing in gold Property (http://moneyweek.com/howto-invest/finance/in-gold/ (http://moneyweek.com/bonds/ (http://moneyweek.com/personal- (http://moneyweek.com/commodities/ (http://moneyweek.com/investing- (http://moneyweek.com/investingin-property/ (http://moneyweek.com/bonds/ (http://moneyweek.com/commodities/ (http://moneyweek.com/how- From corporate bonds (http://moneyweek.com/personal- Oil, gas, industrial and (http://moneyweek.com/investing- to gilts and Treasuries, the ins and outs of the bond markets and how to profit from them. to-invest/ Expert investment strategies, from easy to understand videos on the basics to advanced techniques for traders. finance/ Isas, Sipps and moneysaving tips. Everything you need to know to grow your money in a world of ultra-low interest rates. precious metals and agricultural produce. What the commodity markets are and the best ways to profit from them. in-gold/ Whether you're buying gold bullion, mining stocks or spread betting the gold price, here's all you need to know about investing in gold. (http://moneyweek.com/investingin-property/ Where are Britain's house prices going next? What's the best way to invest in property - and where? Find out here. Investments... and more Videos Free emails Newsletters Help/ About Corporate and Economy Merryn Somerset Money Morning The Dividend Letter About us government bonds (http://moneyweek.com/economics/ Webb interviews FREE daily investment (http://moneyweek.com/dividendletter/us/ (http://moneyweek.com/bonds/ Merryn s blog (http://moneyweek.com/merryn- email Stockmarkets (http://moneyweek.com/merrynsblog/interviews/morning-articles/ (http://moneyweek.com/lifetime- (https://contactus.moneyweek.com/mw/ somerset-webb- (http://moneyweek.com/money- Lifetime Wealth Contact us (http://moneyweek.com/stockmarkets/ How to invest MoneyWeek video MoneyWeek Trader wealth/ Register Share tips (http://moneyweek.com/howto-invest/ (http://moneyweek.com/videotrader/ (http://moneyweek.com/the- Help tutorials (http://moneyweek.com/moneyweek- The Price Report (http://moneyweek.com/register/ (http://moneyweek.com/sharetips/ Financial glossary tutorial/ The New World price-report/ (http://moneyweek.com/aboutus/website-help/ Funds (http://moneyweek.com/financialglossary/ tutorials new-world/ (http://moneyweek.com/research- MoneyWeek Apps Spread betting video (http://moneyweek.com/the- Research Investments (http://moneyweek.com/funds/ Commodities Performance tables (http://moneyweek.com/spreadinvestments/ (http://moneyweek.com/apps/ (http://moneyweek.com/commodities/ (http://moneyweek.com/pricesbetting-videotutorials/ (http://moneyweek.com/fleet- receive our emails Fleet Street Letter How to ensure you Gold news- (http://moneyweek.com/investingin-gold/tables/ Metals and Miners us/how-to-help- charts/performance- street-letter/ Currencies (http://moneyweek.com/metalsand-miners/ensure-you-receiveour-emails/ (http://moneyweek.com/currencies/
Page 5 of 5 Contracts for Special reports difference (CFDs (http://moneyweek.com/specialreports/ (http://moneyweek.com/cfds/ Forex trading Spending It (http://moneyweek.com/forextrading/it/ (http://moneyweek.com/spending- Share dealing Book reviews (http://moneyweek.com/onlinetrading/reviews/ (http://moneyweek.com/book- Spread betting (http://moneyweek.com/spreadbetting/ Isas (http://moneyweek.com/personalfinance/isas/ Pensions (http://moneyweek.com/personalfinance/pensions/ Profit Hunter Complaints (http://moneyweek.com/profithunter/us/complaints/ Red Hot Penny Shares Privacy & cookie (http://moneyweek.com/redhot-penny-shares/ policy Red Hot Biotech Alert us/privacy-cookie- policy/ (http://moneyweek.com/redhot-biotech-alert/ Terms & conditions True Value (http://moneyweek.com/truevalue/conditions/us/terms-and- The Zurich Club Advertising in (http://moneyweek.com/thezurich-club/ MoneyWeek us/advertising-in- moneyweek/ Copyright MoneyWeek 1999-2015. All rights reserved Registered office: 8th Floor, Friars Bridge Court, 41-45 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NZ. Registered in England with company no. 04016750 and VAT no. GB 629 7287 94. MoneyWeek and Money Morning are registered trade marks. This website uses cookies to create the best user experience possible for our customers. By continuing to use our website, you confirm your consent to our use of cookies OK More info us/privacy-cookie-policy/