Regular Savings

Why Invest?

Whether you’re saving for retirement or just growing your capital, our advice is to get started. Since the beginning of the “noughties” recession, savings have tripled from 4% of income when times were great, to approx 12% of income, so we are all trying to get a bit more money into the bank to deal with unforeseen financial shocks as we have all experienced in the last few years.

By investing regularly, one of the biggest benefits when investing in funds, is that you will spread the risk of buying in at the wrong time, so for example, if you put €10,000 into a fund just as shares were flying, and the market then drops, you could be nursing a big drop. When you invest regularly you will smooth out the rises and falls in the market. Remember share prices always outperform cash returns in the long term, and don’t forget you have the option to switch to a safer fund if markets have performed well. Every company we deal with will offer several free fund switches per year.

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Understand your attitude to risk and return

Investing typically involves a trade-off between risk and reward. What factors affect risk tolerance? Your age, stage in life, personal temperament, financial goals, planning time horizon and investment experience each play a role. You may be a cautious investor and are willing to accept a lower level of return for a high degree of capital security. On the other hand, you may be a more adventurous investor and are willing to accept a higher level of risk for the potential of a greater level of return. Or you may sit somewhere in between or want to spread your investments between a mix of cautious and higher risk funds. By selecting Spectrum Bond, you can be confident that no matter what your attitude to risk and return or what your preferred asset class or fund manager we have fund options to suit you.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

We've all heard the old saying. The same can be said of you investment portfolio. Diversification is an investment technique that involves building a portfolio of funds that includes options both across and within different asset classes. Ideally, you would like to hold the top performing asset class each year, whether that's equities, bonds, cash or properties. However, as history has shown, there is no way of predicting what asset class will be the star performer each year. That is why diversification is key. By balancing risk and return through diversification, you can

Participate in market gains
Minimize the effect of market downturns on any one asset class
Achieve more consistent and steadier returns over the long-term rather chasing market winners.
Reduce the risk profile of your portfolio

Don't ignore inflation

Inflation is simply a measure of the increase in the price of goods and services in a region. Inflation can seriously erode the purchasing power of your investments. Investing in equity and property assets has historically provided the best insulation against the impact of inflation.

Take a long-term view

Establishing financial goals and staying the course during market highs and lows can help you achieve your investment goals. Time, not timing, is the most important thing to consider when investing. Of course we would all like to sell when the market has peaked, just before the market moves downward and then get back into the market at the bottom, just before the recovery begins. However, getting this timing exactly right is near impossible, even for seasoned investors. Historically, markets have always recovered following periods of market decline to deliver strong long-term returns. To achieve your long-term financial goals, the best time to invest is as soon as possible so your money has plenty of time to grow.

Get advice from an expert

As Qualified Financial advisers, we can provide many levels of assitance:

Help you identify your financial needs and set short and long-term investment goals
Assist you in builidng a portfolio of investments that meets your goals, objectives and risk tolerance
Set realistic expectations for your portfolio by explaining the risk and rewards of each investment
Monitor your portfolio and help you evaluate its performance
Regularly review and adjust your portfolio to reflect changes in your financial needs and economic conditions

The Benefits

You have access to the widest range of funds in Ireland
You have access to your money whenever you want it as there is no lock period or early encashment penalties
You kick-start your savings by investing a lump sum at the start.
You have the flexibility to increase or decrease your contributions as often as you wish (remember not to decrease below the minimum amount)
You can take even take a ‘savings holiday’ by stopping your savings for while and restarting them at a later stage.

Who is it for?

Anyone between the age of 18 and 85 and who wants to invest for the medium to long term and seeking a range of investment fund options.