Trustnet Magazine Issue 30 June 2017 | Page 28

SCOTTISH AMERICAN INVESTMENT COMPANY / PLATFORMS / A ROUGH CALCULATION providers, which may seek to exploit clients who can pay more once their home is included in the calculation of savings and wealth. THE SERIOUS ILLNESS LOTTERY What is clear is that a policy that seizes assets above £100,000 of those unlucky enough to lose out in the serious illness lottery is likely to draw criticism. Someone with dementia who stays at home or enters residential care could find that their suffering is multiplied by state charges of between £200,000 and £300,000 after a four- or five-year stay. Sir Andrew Dilnot’s 2011 report suggested a £35,000 cap on care charges. His plan encouraged individuals to save towards the cost of long-term care, but the government scrapped it, believing it would be difficult to persuade people to put money aside for this purpose as well as a pension. Those who suffer the most debilitating long-term illnesses will lose the most from May’s initiative while those who win in the health lottery will win big, especially as the inheritance tax threshold for couples is due to rise to £1m. So, what should you do? My advice would be to save for the worst possible scenario and if you don’t suffer a debilitating illness requiring long-term care, then you can keep going on those holidays, eating out and playing golf. Let’s assume that you need to 26 “A policy that seizes assets above £100,000 of those unlucky enough to lose the serious illness lottery is likely to draw criticism” save enough money to pay for long-term care at some point in your retirement and that you need enough of a pension pot to last you until the age of 90. You’d need a monthly income of around £6,150 before tax to fund a £50,000 per annum long- term care bill (assuming £50,000 p.a. care costs and £10,000 p.a. additional living costs excluding state pension and tax as the latter depends on a) your personal circumstances and b) how long- term care is taxed – but you still need to account for this). To generate this level of income, you will need a pension pot at retirement of £1,070,000 (calculated using the Trustnet Direct Retirement Planner). This will deliver an income of £6,150 per month – or £73,800 per annum – until you reach 90 years old, assuming the pot will continue to grow at 5 per cent per annum through retirement. If you want to insulate yourself from the punitive costs of long- term care, you can take matters into your own hands and plan ahead, consider long-term care insurance or take your chances that you might not need any care at all. Of course, if you have a partner, the risks multiply that one of you will need care at some point, so best make at least some effort to save for all eventualities. You can then hedge against the likelihood that the government won’t plunder your savings and house to cover the cost of care in old age.  AGE AT WHICH YOUR PENSION POT WILL RUN OUT £1200K SAINTS’ CORE BELIEF IS THAT INCOME, GROWTH AND DEPENDABILITY MAKE A POWERFUL COMBINATION. AGAIN AND AGAIN. SAINTS (The Scottish American Investment Company) was founded way back in 1873 to invest in American railways but these days aims to deliver dividend growth ahead of any rise in infl ation, mainly from a portfolio of global equities, though investments are also made in bonds and property. The Trust, which is managed by Baillie Gifford, seeks out attractive, quality companies which offer long-term growth potential rather than merely providing a high yield. SAINTS pays out a regular dividend every quarter. It has successfully grown its dividend every year for 37 years – over the last 10 years SAINTS has increased its dividend by 46% compared to a 25% rise in the Consumer Price Index.* 5% £1050K £900K £750K £600K Total dividend per ordinary share (net) – pence per share* £450K £300K £150K 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 9.8 10.2 10.5 10.7 10.825 Past performance is not a guide to future returns. £0K 65 69 73 77 81 85 89 93 69 Please remember that changing stock market conditions and currency exchange rates will affect the value of your investment in the fund and any income from it. The level of income is not guaranteed and you may not get back the amount invested. For an investment that aims to beat infl ation over the medium to long term, call 0800 917 2112 or visit www.saints-it.com Middle rate 5% 90 Assumes monthly drawdown of £6,150 and 5% annual growth Source: FE Analytics trustnetdirect.com Long-term investment partners *Source: Baillie Gifford & Co, data as at 31 December 2016. Your call may be recorded for training or monitoring purposes. The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. is available through the Baillie Gifford Investment Trust Share Plan and the Investment Trust ISA, which are managed by Baillie Gifford Savings Management Limited (BGSM). BGSM is an affi liate of Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, which is the manager and secretary of The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C.