In Finance Digest, Angus Dent discusses how education is key. Read his full blog here.
Tag: investing
Majority of savers misunderstand benefits of IFISAs
61% of UK savers acknowledge possibility of higher returns and better interest rates with Innovative Finance ISAs (“IFISA”), but majority still don’t understand the service
London, UK – 2 May 2018 – Over a third (36%) of UK savers would place their money in an IFISA if they had the money available. The question is, what does the industry need to do to gain the trust of the undecided two thirds?
While a large proportion acknowledge the prospect of higher returns (61%) alongside the allure of the tax-free wrapper and greater diversification, the IFISA is still a hard sell, according to research undertaken by P2P lending service ArchOver. In truth, the majority of UK savers (57%) still don’t fully understand the service. Unlike cash ISAs, money invested in an IFISA is not protected under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. As such, savers need to be confident in the strength and stability of the underlying businesses they are investing in. They must seek out lending schemes that provide deep insight into borrowers as well as all robust processes and security.
IFISAs present a greater risk when compared to a standard cash ISA, but the potential reward is exponentially higher. ArchOver CEO Angus Dent explains, “IFISAs are fundamentally different to cash ISAs in the way they operate. Meeting investors’ expectations and making them feel secure at the same time will require ongoing education. Our research shows that nearly half (48%) of savers are nervous about losing their money, so the industry needs to communicate the benefits and safeguards clearly”.
“The IFISA gives you the freedom and flexibility to choose your own investment. Investors must use that power to choose an option which combines the best elements of P2P lending: thorough due diligence, rigorous lender security and favourable returns. They must do their research to gain insight into the companies they’re investing in and should not ignore the job of diversifying their portfolio to balance out their risk.”
Over a quarter (26%) of savers say they are reassured by regulatory oversight such as the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) recent approval of a number of P2P providers, including ArchOver. Dent reassures concerned savers, saying that “although IFISAs have an associated risk like all investments, investors and savers can get a greater level comfort by choosing a P2P platform that carries out stringent due diligence and credit analysis of all potential borrowers”.
“Now is a crucial time for the sector to raise awareness around IFISAs and how they work. We must make sure that investors and savers have all the information they need when looking at IFISA options. Ultimately, we need to remember why P2P was created in the first place – to offer more choice and transparency when participating in project-by-project lending”, concludes Dent.
MILLENNIALS OUT-INVEST GEN X AND BABY BOOMERS
Millennials aged 18-34 are out-investing Gen X (those aged 35-54) and Baby Boomers (aged over 55) according to a new study by ArchOver, the peer-to-peer (P2P) business lending platform. The report, Next Gen: Investors and Savers, explores the UK’s attitude towards risk and investment in the current climate. The research of 2,000 UK adults revealed that two-thirds (67%) see themselves as savers, using deceptively ‘safe’ banking options like savings accounts and pension funds to sit on their cash. The remaining third (33%) see themselves as investors, using riskier avenues like stocks, shares and property to grow their investments.
However, in a challenging economic environment, there are signs both savers and investors need to broaden their options and embrace alternative forms of finance to secure higher yields. The Millennial generation is often portrayed as less financially savvy than the generations who preceded them. The common view of this generation is that they lack the foresight to build up a portfolio of savings, investments and pensions and are being driven out of the housing market. Yet this is also a group that is confident in their own financial abilities and acutely aware of the need to make their money work harder. Of the 2,000 people surveyed, 35% of Millennials are investing or saving more than £250 per month compared to 26% of Gen X and 25% of Baby Boomers.
“Despite claims that Millennials are stuck in a financial rut, trapped by high property prices and low-wage growth, this is a generation that has grown up in an era of record-low interest rates and recognise the need to secure better returns on their disposable income,” explained Angus Dent, CEO of ArchOver. “On the other hand, those aged over 35 are at risk of missing out on new avenues offering higher returns. Gen X and Baby Boomers could benefit from following in the footsteps of Millennials and introducing greater diversity into their investment portfolios to seek out higher returns.”
Millennials, who have been early adopters of social media and have a strong familiarity with technology, are using this knowledge to identify new online tools or platforms to invest over. The research reveals that 59% of Millennials trust technology and use automated services to help generate the best financial decisions. In contrast, just 40% of Gen X and 24% of Baby Boomers claim the same. As a generation of digital natives who are strongly connected online with access to a wide circle of information, Millennials are relying on reference points from their peers. Overall, 41% of 18-35-year-olds get investment advice from their friends, family or colleagues, while older generations are more hesitant to talk about money. Only 31% of Gen X and 19% of those over 55-years-old would turn to their friends or family for advice.
Those aged over 35-years-old are also failing to take advantage of opportunities to diversify their portfolios and experiment with options offering higher returns. Nearly half (44%) of Millennials are investing using P2P and 57% are comfortable with alternative forms of investment that hold a higher level of risk. In comparison, just 16% of Gen X are investing using P2P platforms and only 29% are considering new or alternative investments with higher risk levels. For Baby Boomers, these figures sink even lower. Only 8% have invested over P2P platforms and just 14% would accept the higher level of risk that comes with new and alternative investments.
“Rather than admonishing Millennials for being irresponsible, the older generations could learn something from following the behaviour of a new generation,” concluded Angus Dent. “Millennials, who grew up during the deepest and longest recession in recent history are proactively looking for ways to balance security and risk in order to maximise returns but without putting their capital in too much danger. In an effort to secure higher yields, they are tackling the difficult financial climate head-on.”
We have entered a new age of investment. Millennials are leading the way in using their digital know-how to experiment with ways of growing their nest-egg and setting the pace. Now it’s up to Gen X and the Baby Boomers to decide if they want to follow their lead.
The research reveals that Millennials see opportunity where older generations see caution. Over half (52%) associate the words ‘risk’ and investment’ with opportunity, while 55% of Gen X associate it with ‘discomfort’ and 58% of Baby Boomers associate it with ‘uncertainty’. Gen X are too preoccupied with safety to take a new opportunity that could grow their money – 60% would only invest in traditional and proven investments, such as bonds, cash, equity and shares that have benefitted them in the past. While over three quarters (76%) of Baby Boomers make investment decisions based on the security provisions in place to protect their investments. However, investment habits need not be generational. If investors can find a comfortable balance between reward and risk then a bolder, more creative and diversified approach can pay dividends.
To read “Next Gen: Investors and Savers”, click here.
Brexit: Keep Calm and Carry On
The longer Brexit, and the impending doom it will apparently drag in its wake dominates the headlines, the more I find myself wondering: is it really relevant? There’s a tendency among the press – on every part of the political spectrum – to blame Brexit for just about everything. Taking a glance at the papers this week, you would be forgiven for believing Brexit is all that anyone cared about, and is the only significant factor at play in the whole of the UK and Europe. Increasingly, however, I think Brexit is just a political sideshow to the less headline-worthy forces that are driving fundamental, irrefutable change.
Take car manufacturing, currently a great success story for the UK. For a start, thanks must be given to Ratan Tata and an Indian appetite for risk, which is pretty far removed from anything Brexit or even EU related. But aside from this, the wind of change is certainly blowing through this industry. BMW, JLR and Tesla are all focusing their efforts ever more on electric cars, while Toyota, who has never built an all-electric car, is now heading for hydrogen. This is not a Brexit-inspired change. It was in 1925 that the founder of Toyota dreamed of freeing Japan from its dependence on imported oil by using hydroelectric power, decades before the European Union even came into being. It is perhaps more to do with a dwindling supply of hydro-carbons and a wish not to joke ourselves that we press ahead with this new technology, which will bring profound and lasting change the car manufacturing industry, and little more than coincidence that it is happening just as the UK drifts away from its neighbours on the continent.
Another story that has cropped up recently is Lloyd’s of London’s decision to establish their European base in Brussels. Surely motivated by Brexit, I hear you say! The press certainly thinks so, but in light of another, less prominent article about Lloyd’s, I would disagree. Here, they acknowledge that dramatic change, a euphemism for drastic improvements in productivity, is needed if they are to remain competitive. Likely this will involve a wholesale adoption of new technology. Meanwhile, Lloyds recognise that to underwrite large risks, and there are many large risks in Europe, you need to be able to meet and deal face to face, and to look the other party squarely in the eye. Again, it appears, Brexit is coincidental and is not driving change.
It’s safe to say, we will not be seeing an end to Brexit related news anytime soon. While it is easy to get swept up in the drama of the divorce, it is now down to the politicians and the civil servants to get it done. For us laymen, it’s a compelling sideshow. If we are to keep our chins up and our powder dry during this uncertain time, we would do well to remember that Brexit is not the only force at play. It’s just one more opportunity in a world of change, so let’s keep calm and carry on.