Are you finding it hard to be optimistic in the current economic climate? Well just imagine how your clients feel when they listen to the media going on about volatile stockmarkets, low interest rates and people struggling to maintain their standard of living.

High street names disappearing almost every week and the virtual nationalisation of banks have rocked confidence. We have the lowest interest rates since the late 17th century and unbelievably some zero interest accounts on the UK high street. And on top of all that, a year of rampant volatility with 12 of the biggest one day market moves in history, have left many clients concerned about their security of their investments.

So what could give your clients some peace of mind? What about a product that could provide a secure investment and a guaranteed return of your client’s initial capital. Well we may just have the answer. It’s called Investment Control.

Guarantees, guarantees, guarantees

Investment Control offers the security of a Protected Investment Option which returns your client’s initial investment. It is designed around two guarantees:

• Money-back guarantee from year five
  If your client cashes in their bond any time from the fifth anniversary, we’ll pay the
  higher of:
  
  • the total investment made, less any withdrawals
  • the cash-in value of the plan
• Money-back guarantee on death
  From day one, a lump sum will be payable to your client’s estate when the last person covered dies. This will be the higher of:
  
  • the total investment paid, less any withdrawals
  • 100.1% of the cash-in value of the plan

The only way is up

That’s not all. Your client will also benefit from our step-up feature which increases the above money-back guarantees if the bond grows. On the tenth anniversary, and every five years after that, we review the policy. If the cash-in value is higher than the initial investment (less any withdrawals), we’ll set this as the new higher money-back guarantee.

Each year, we also pay an anniversary bonus which increases with fund size, and it’s payable from year one for any fund size of £25,000 or more.

Who is it suitable for?

Investment Control is particularly suitable for clients who:

• are becoming more risk-averse
• have money sitting on deposit and want to supplement their retirement income
• have taken tax-free cash and want a safe investment with growth potential
• want a capital guarantee, for example for future university fees

Please note: The only circumstance in which the guarantee wouldn’t apply is if Scottish Equitable plc failed. In this unlikely event, the benefits from your plan may be affected.

The bottom line

Safety sells, but with Investment Control, your clients get so much more – a flexible investment vehicle that shelters them from market volatility and offers investment growth at the same time.

To find out more about Investment Control or any of our other guaranteed products contact your usual AEGON Scottish Equitable representative or visit www.aegonse.co.uk/investmentcontrol

This communication is for professional financial advisers only. It isn’t for private customers and shouldn’t be given out to, or relied on by, them.