This Savings and Investment video was provided by Zurich Life Investments

Your aim should be that over the long-term any investment you make will go up in value. But of course the value could also go down and you may have to accept some level of risk when you make an investment. To invest in the right funds, you should first decide how much risk you are comfortable with.

What is an investment fund?
An investment fund is made up of investments bought with money from a number of individual investors.The individual investors choose which type of fund to invest in, based on the types of assets it holds, and the level of risk. A fund manager oversees the fund and makes the decisions about which assets it should hold, in what quantities and when they should be bought and sold.

What are the benefits to investing in funds?
​There are several benefits to investing in funds, rather than choosing individual assets or investments:The fund manager picks investments for you.
  • Less administration as the fund manager does it all for you.
  • Can be cheaper than buying investments individually.
  • More choice and, as part of a group of investors, access to a wider range of investment opportunities. 

​There are five main types of investment: cash, bonds, equities, property and alternatives. These are called asset classes and it is important to understand which assets the fund you choose invests in.
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Before investing, you should decide:
  • What you want to achieve with your investment.
  • What levels of investment risk you're comfortable with.
  • How long you're happy to invest your money for. ​
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We have many different types of funds you can invest in, and so deciding what you want to achieve with your investment is important because it will help you make decisions about where to put your money.

​If you're ​​not sure what sort of investor you are, our handy risk profiler questionnaire can help you understand more about investment risk and what levels of risk you feel comfortable with. Based on your answers it will also help us suggest some funds that are suited to you.

Once you've answered the risk profile questions, you'll be categorised into one of seven risk profiles. You'll then be able to choose investments that match your risk profile, with the help of one of our Financial Broker.
  • 1 - Very low risk' investors: unwilling to accept any significant risks, accepting the prospect of low returns to achieve this.
  • 2 - Low risk' investors: likely to accept limited risks and want to try to avoid large fluctuations in the investment value, accepting the prospect of more modest returns to achieve this.
  • 3 - Low to medium risk' investors: likely to accept some risk in return for the potential of higher investment gains over the long-term. Try to avoid large fluctuations in the investment value, but accept there will be some fluctuation.
  • 4 - Medium risk' investors: likely to accept significant risk in return for the potential of good investment gains over the long-term. Accept significant fluctuations in the investment value, particularly over the short-term, but want to limit the amount of money held in more risky investment.
  • 5 - Medium to high risk' investor: likely to understand that the investment can go down and up sharply with the potential for greater returns over the long-term.
  • 6 - High risk' investor: likely to aim for high possible returns and accept higher levels of risk, recognising that the investment value may fluctuate very sharply, particularly over the short-term.
  • 7 - Very high risk' investor: likely to aim for the highest possible returns and accept the highest levels of risk, recognising that the investment value may fluctuate very widely, particularly over the short-term.​​
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Albert Einstein famously said that compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe. He said, “Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it, he who doesn't, pays it.” ... Einstein suggests that compound interest can work for you or against you.
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Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance. Benefits may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.
​The value of your investment may go down as well as up. If you invest in these funds you may lose some or all of the money you invest.