Advisers slam BBC Panorama pension probe

For the more technically savvy amongst us here. How can one watch these videos from Switzerland? When I click on the link to the BBC report it says it's not available in my area. Same thing when I try to watch a documentary or news videos from Canada/US???

Yes, I've checked and they're all above board. Familiarise yourself with their Code of Conduct so you'll get a better understanding of the relationship between this firm and yourself as a client and the rights and obligations of each.

http://www.vermoegenszentrum.ch/getd...84cbd997e7/coc

There are threads about watching British TV (BBC) online from Switzerland. It's not legally possible.

"Das VZ informiert Kunden, Geschäftspartner, Anleger und die Öffentlichkeit umfassend
This doesn't say that they're transparent with clients about their own qualifications and about the actual investments. But perhaps they do this too.

Now on YouTube:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3 (where they focus on an offshore IFA company)

BBC press release: Panorama - Pension companies taking equivalent of 80% of money paid into some pension plans out in fees and commissions

Depends on the service you get really. Even at minimal growth of 4% per year (should really be averaging significantly higher than this over such a long period all things considered), 99,900 could be less than 1% per year. In order to manage a sum of money that small, IMO it's completely reasonable for HSBC to take that percentage. Panorama is laughable - especially the 40 year term example when the average pension term is around 25 years. Some of my favourite funds have around 1% AMC.

The FSA has rules on prescribed projection rates and they currently don't go beyond 9% (here). But it's difficult to believe that even 4% would be feasible every single year for many years, especially in the current climate. Some years it could be 1%. Some years it could be -1%. Even assuming 4% p.a. over a long period, the investment could be front-loaded with so much commission that it would take several years for the money invested to show any profit.

No, of course 4% isn't feasible ever year. Growth of any kind isn't feasible every year which is why shorter term investment carry more risk, even all other things being equal (investing for 1 year is China Fund X is more risky than investing for 10 years in China Fund X). But 4% on average over 40 years is really low - I'd expect 8% or so if the money was being managed properly. Some front load isn't all that bad as long as it's kept sensible - it can cover commission for the IFA which is important otherwise there's very little money in the pot to pay the IFA and it's crazy to fork out 300 quid for advice on 600 quid

Anyway, that's what front load is meant to be for. But here's what's really wrong with the situation. Pensions in the UK are crap. You get charged as if you were getting a great product with great service but you get neither. You don't get your 7 or 8% per year, you get 3 or 4 and you normally get automated fund switching or worse, a risk bracket portfolio. You pay a front load but instead of that going into service where it's meant to go it goes into somebody's pocket and the service stays poor.

I don't think pensions in Switzerland are and will be any better but at least not so much commission is robbed from the Capital.
The other thing that people don't look at is actually; the real return on the investment.
Don't forget; the amount you put into your UK pension is the net and the government then was adding 20 to 40% depending on your tax rate as you were getting releif for the contributions. When you then look at the return on the total capital put into your pension, it is a total joke.

People in the UK haven't worked out that their promised (including public sector pensions) will not be final salary based and probably in the long term won't be index linked either.
The pension age for anyone under 40 now will be a retirement age and pension payment age of 75 plus.
Though at the moment the UK government was talking about everyone getting£160 a week state pension. I cannot see that when they start working out the figures and I would also expect a lot more foreign scroungers to be moving into the UK for this.

The riots and trouble with the French increasing the pension age from 60 to 62 just makes the whole thing a laugh. Don't they know what is really going to happen.

I would advise everyone in Western Europe to learn Mandarin so that we can work in call centres in Europe for the Chinese.

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I do not have friends..........I have contingent liabilities

September 2010
February 2011: Cyprus regulator fines IAW
IAW owned by xxx. IAW member companies also operate in Switzerland.

You mean DV & Partners, who were can't talk about here.

They're the owners. Some member companies display this logo and/or this one.