TRUSTNET
magazine
Issue 6 / April 2015
EDITOR’S LETTER
W
Gold blend
Swindler’s list
Build your own
pension portfolio
Don’t get caught out
by conmen
Bond bombshell
Bond funds that won’t blow
up in your face
ISSUE 6
CREDITS
TRUSTNET MAGAZINE (FORMERLY
INVESTAZINE) IS PUBLISHED BY
THE TEAM BEHIND FE TRUSTNET IN
SOHO, LONDON.
WEBSITE: WWW.TRUSTNET.COM
EMAIL: [email protected]
CONTACTS:
General
Josh Ausden,
Head of FE Trustnet Content
T: 0207 534 7661
Anthony Luzio
Editor
T: 0207 534 7680
Art Direction & Design
Javier Otero
W: www.feedingcrows.co.uk
Editorial
Gary Jackson
News editor (FE Trustnet)
T: 0207 534 7680
Alex Paget
Senior reporter
T: 0207 0207 534 7697
Daniel Lanyon
Reporter
T: 0207 534 7640
Sales
Richard Fletcher
Head of publishing sales
T: 0207 0207 534 7662
Richard Casemore
Account manager
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Jack Elia
Account manager
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Photos supplied by Thinkstock and
Photoshot
Cover Illustration: Javier Otero
ith the UK about to go to
the polls in one of the most
unpredictable general
elections in living memory, you could
be forgiven for thinking we would
focus our efforts in this month’s
edition on how a swing to the political
right or the left could affect your portfolio.
At Trustnet Magazine, however, we like to be a bit
different and instead have decided to focus on what may
turn out to be one of the final major changes made by
the current government – the pension reforms. Under
new rules, anyone aged over 55 now has unprecedented
access to their pension pot, allowing them to withdraw
it slowly, put it into drawdown straight away, keep it
invested, or blow it all on a Lamborghini. I know which
one I would do – that’s right, keep it invested (I’m really
quite a boring guy).
But is this new-found freedom really such a good
thing? Head of Trustnet Direct John Blowers certainly
seems to think so, pointing out that you wouldn’t let
the government or your employer tell you what to
do with your salary, so why let them do it with your
pension? Some financial advisers are not so sure,
however, pointing out that people who are not so
financially savvy and suddenly come into possession of
a large amount of money naturally begin to attract the
attention of conmen. Turn to page 2 to find out how to
avoid becoming a victim.
Elsewhere in this issue, Cherry Reynard looks at how
to create your own retirement portfolio with the right
blend of capital protection and income-generating
characteristics, while Pádraig Floyd finds out why the
so-called death of annuities may have been greatly
exaggerated.
Away from this month’s major theme, Adam Lewis
looks at the various bond sectors, and with rate rises just
around the corner, likens finding the right bond fund for
you to navigating a minefield.
Anthony Luzio
Editor, Trustnet Magazine
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