We are delighted to host a breakfast briefing focusing on the implications of Brexit on Irish companies and on your investments.
Our guest speaker Danny McCoy, CEO of Ibec, will give his insights on the Irish economy and the opportunities Brexit may present.
Terry Devitt will give Harvest’s view of the possible impact of Brexit on your investments.
To reserve your place on our guest list please contact justask@harvestfinancial.ie or call Mary McCabe on 01 2375500.
This is a must attend event for company directors and professionals managing their businesses and personal finances through Brexit. If you would like to invite a colleague or friend to attend please feel free to extend the invitation to them.
We are delighted that Harvest Financial Services has been shortlisted at the Irish Pension Awards for the Independent Retail Broker /Pensions IFA of the Year for the 3rd consecutive year. Having won this award in 2015 & 2016, we hope the continued innovations and improvements we have made in 2017 to help our clients secure their financial future will be recognised.
We have also been shortlisted in the category of Property Manager of the Year.
Our associate company, Harvest Trustees Limited, have been shortlisted for the Independent Trustee Firm of the Year award.
The Irish Pension Awards honour excellence within the pension industry, and acknowledges our advice led approach to working with our clients to meet their retirement and investment planning needs.
Why Harvest are shortlisted for Independent Pension Broker Award –
Our aim has always been to put our client’s interests first in everything we do. We focus on the creation and maintenance of long-term relationships with our pension clients, during the accumulation phase through to drawdown and succession planning.
Over the last number of years, the challenges facing our clients who are funding privately for retirement have become increasingly more complex and we have adapted our service offering, developing innovative solutions to deal with these issues.
These challenges have included:
Seeking investment returns in a low risk, low interest rate environment
Understanding risk to deliver an income in retirement
Managing investment costs to maximise investor return
Technical pension issues around retirement planning.
Seeking investment returns in a low risk, low interest rate environment
As deposit interest rates have plummeted across the world, the wisdom of holding long term cash deposits for retirement planning purposes has come in to serious question. We have effectively reached a point now in the developed world where inflation is running ahead of deposit interest rates.
Understanding risk to deliver an income in retirement
As part of the solution to help clients understand the risks of holding cash deposits as a long term investment strategy we produced a brochure ‘Harvest Financial Services Guide to Retirement Income’. This document sets out the options available to clients at retirement and helps them to understand the main risks to securing their income in retirement, i.e. inflation, longevity and investment returns.
Managing investment costs to maximise investor return
All quoted investments on our recommended list are accessible through a low cost online stockbroker. This allows us access the institutional share class (‘clean share class’) for investors which can result in a significant discount on the retail price. When advising our clients we quote the Total Expense Ration (TER) as the cost of the investment. We believe that this gives greater transparency to our clients and the savings will result in a better outcome in retirement.
Technical pension issues around retirement planning
From dealing with Excess Fund Tax liabilities, to structuring pensions to avoid the annuity trap on death in service, we have been working with our clients to put in place structures and plans to ensure that they, and their dependants, get the maximum benefit from their pension schemes.
Our approach to dealing with our clients is advice lead. We believe that listening, and helping them determine their needs and objectives for retirement leads to better income outcomes in retirement and happier clients.
To deliver a return significantly above the rate paid on cash deposits while delivering a very low level of volatility.
Strategy Overview
Base Currency EUR
Total Net Assets €2,140m
Annual Distribution Target (Net) 3.5%
Avg Annual Mgt Charge 0.65%
Total Expense Ratio 0.82%
Liquidity Daily
Performance of Cash Alternative Strategy V Cash Year to date
Why should you consider the Harvest Cash Alternative Strategy?
You should consider the Harvest Cash Alternative Strategy if you wish to receive better returns than are currently available for cash deposits while minimising the volatility in your portfolio.
The components of this strategy will be monitored by the Investment Department on an ongoing basis but it is not envisaged that there will be regular changes.
The Harvest Cash Alternative Strategy may be of particular interest to clients with pre and post retirement arrangements:
who want a positive return in excess of cash deposits in the medium term: and / or
who are looking for alternatives to holding cash in their portfolios.
It may also be of interest to clients who have stepped back from investing as they reach the Standard Fund Threshold.
How do I find out more about the Harvest Cash Alternative Strategy?
To find out more about the Harvest Cash Alternative Strategy and to determine if it is suitable and appropriate for your portfolio please speak to your Client Manager, call us on 01 237 5500 or email justask@harvestfinancial.ie
In line with our recent communications about flat (to negative) interest rates, we have taken on board client requests to structure a product capable of delivering sustainable income, with an element of (conditional) capital guarantee and lower level of volatility than direct equities.
The main features of the Harvest Income Note are as follows:
Fixed return of 3% per annum
Conditional capital protection: Capital at risk if at maturity date, any of the underlying indices are at or below 65% of their initial level.
Guarantor: EFG International AG (credit ratings “A3” by Moody’s; “A” by Fitch).
Underlying Indices: Eurostoxx 50 Index (Europe); SP/ASX 200 Index (Australia); iShares MSCI ACWI ETF (MSCI World).
Term: 5 years
This investment may be of interest to pre (SSAP) and post (ARF) retirement pension schemes with an objective for a fixed income payment of 3% per annum, as a proxy or alternative to current cash deposit rates. This investment is also available to Personal clients, Companies and Charities.
You can view a summary of the Harvest Income Note here, alternatively, for further information, you can contact us on 01 2375500 or email justask@harvestfinancial.ie
How to Fund your Child’s Education ? – The €50,000 degree and how to fund it.
Well done to all the students who received their leaving cert results last week! For many the excitement continues with CAO offers being issued this morning and decisions to be made about third level courses!
For students living away from home, funding a four year degree will cost just under €50,000 according to estimates in the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Cost of Living Guide survey (2017/18).
Cost of Academic Year
Students renting in Dublin €12,495
Students renting outside Dublin €11,766
Students living at home € 6,789
So how can you fund this?
For those with young children (or grandchildren) there is time to plan. Take for example a parent setting up a savings account to save the monthly children’s allowance of €140 per month. Over 18 years, with an average deposit rate of 2% per annum, this will grow to €36,424 after 18 years.
Given the long time horizon for the investment, if the money was saved monthly in to a well diversified investment fund with an average return of 6% per annum, this could grow to €54,501 after 18 years.
Annual Growth
2%
6%
Monthly Saving
€140
€140
Term (years)
18
18
Expected Value
€36,424
€54,501
The difference in return of over €18,000 would fund an extra year and a half of the degree!
If you’re looking at way to help fund your grandchildren’s education, the Small Gift Exemption allows you to gift €3,000 per annum to each grandchild without it impacting on their inheritance tax thresholds. Investing this money, rather than saving it in a deposit account, can have a significant impact on the amount available when it is needed for third level.
Annual Growth
2%
6%
Annual Saving
€3,000
€3,000
Term (years)
18
18
Expected Value
€65,522
€98,280
Investment accounts for children need to be set up a certain way to ensure that the benefits accrue in the child’s name rather than their parent/grandparent. This will avoid any future gift tax liability when the child turns 18 years and receives the funds. The investment decisions remain with the parent/grandparent.
For more information on how you can make your savings work harder for you, please contact your Harvest Financial Services Client Manager or call us on 01 2375500.
