Pension Performance Review Key Concepts

The first step of The Pension Performance Review is a detailed look at your pension plans. We look at your asset allocation, the investments in the portfolio, and the level of risk. Each existing investment is measured for its flexibility, the range of available funds, and its past performance. The analysis gives you an accurate review of how your plan has performed up to the present time.

To enhance the potential of your pension plan, it is important first to establish your risk profile, your investment objectives, and your expectations. With this information, we are more able to give you appropriate recommendations on your pension, and help you enhance the performance of your investments.

Before we make any recommendations to potentially improve investment performance, it is important first to examine any obstacles. For example, we need to find out if your pension plan provides the following:

• Do you have a wide range of funds available to you?
• Are these funds performing well?
• How easy is it to get information about how your funds are performing?
• Do you have online tools that allow your professional adviser (after consultation with you) to switch between funds instantly and at no cost, or do you rely on an inefficient and costly paper trail system?
• Do you have access to a wide range of proven fund management companies?

At this stage, having determined your personal parameters, we are able to advise the best investment strategies for your situation. We put each of your pension plans under a microscope to determine whether or not it fits into your strategy.

The key is control. Experience shows most investors want to be in control of their investments.

• They want to know what they have invested;
• Where it is;
• Why it is there rather than somewhere else; and
• How well it is doing.

They also want to know that they can adjust their portfolio easily and economically when they choose. That's why putting you in control is one of the key principles of The Pension Performance Review.

With your goals and strategies in place, it is now time to review all of your options and alternatives. We explain your current situation, and give you a selection of possible strategies based on different levels of risk tolerance. We look at different investment options, and help you select the funds that suit your personal situation. At the completion of this stage, you will feel fully informed and empowered to make the right decisions.

To increase the performance of your pension plan, it may be necessary to change some of the investments in your portfolio We analyse the effects of transferring each of these investments, giving you a full report detailing the implications, and advising whether or not such a transfer would be in your best interests. At this stage, you decide what changes you want to make to your pension plan portfolio.

Dealing with investment providers can often be time consuming and frustrating. If you desire, we can take charge by project managing any changes you wish to make. You are still in control and make all of the decisions, but we handle all of the details.

To maintain control over your pension investments, it is necessary to review your pension plan regularly. During these regular sessions, we review your objectives, identify any new obstacles, and determine if you should make any changes to your plan.