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Structured Products

Structured products is the name given to a group of investments designed to deliver a known return for given investment circumstances and combine two or more underlying assets in order to offer growth or income potential, whilst usually offering some degree of capital protection.

Such investments normally share the following characteristics:

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Fixed terms, meaning they are not as liquid as deposit accounts or investments in equities;

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All of the return or interest only is linked to the performance of stock market indices;

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Enhanced returns available because of the additional risk taken;

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Growth or income options, or both, are available;

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Can be held within a variety of product wrappers including ISAs;

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Varying degrees of capital protection may be available; and

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Offered only for a limited period and for a limited amount of funds.

A structured product can take two forms – a structured deposit and a structured investment. Structured deposits and structured investment products with some capital protection are often purchased by those looking for alternatives to saving accounts and other deposit-based products. Structured deposits are sometimes referred to as ‘capital guaranteed’ products, as they guarantee the return of original capital at maturity. Structured investments are sometimes referred to as ‘capital at risk’ products as they do not guarantee capital repayment at maturity.

These products offers growth linked to stock market performance – usually via an Index, such as the FTSE 100 Index, although the amount of return you may receive is sometimes capped.

Some structured products expose your capital to risk, although these plans are often set up with a “safety net feature”, which means the stock market can fall by a certain percentage without affecting your capital return.

Other structured products protect your capital and are designed to return that irrespective of what happens to the stock markets, albeit with the caveat of offering lower rates of return. As with all investments, the rewards or potential rewards offered are closely linked to the level of risk taken. Many products offer a choice of income – monthly, quarterly or annually – or growth, and this is often a fixed percentage in each case.

There are no specific limits on the level of investment other than those that may apply to the wrapper (i.e. ISA or SIPP) for the investment. Also, providers may set their own minimum levels of investment per application.

For more information, click on the most suitable link:

Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS’)
GIAs, Unit Trusts and OEICs
How We Invest Money
ISAs
Savings and Investments
Investment Bonds
Inverstment Trusts
Junior ISAs
Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)

The value of investments and the income from them can go down as well as up and you may get back less than the amount invested.