Investing for the future - it's important to stop and take stock

Irish Life has a range of funds designed to suit the needs of different types of investors -find out more

With our busy lives, planning for the future can often take a back seat to the needs of the moment. This can be especially true when it comes to financial matters. Unexpected expenses always seem to crop up – a wedding, a broken phone or a new gas boiler for your home. Every once in a while, it is important to stop, take stock and think about what you might want or need a few years down the road. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that there is a place your money can go, where the amount could be growing over time, enabling you to live the life you want in the future?

A fund to suit you

Irish Life MAPS are a range of five multi-asset portfolio funds, available across Irish Life’s investment plans, developed to suit the needs of different types of investors. As the name suggests, each fund is multi-asset, investing in shares, bonds, cash and alternatives. Irish Life MAPS were launched four years ago and in that time, more than 45,000 investors in Ireland have invested over €2.6 billion in these funds.

“A lot of people have left money on deposit because it’s simply easier to do than to make the decision to invest,” says Teresa Carolan, Investment Funds Manager at Irish Life.

“But what we also see is that nearly one in two of people we’ve researched have told us they don’t feel their money is working hard enough for them on deposit. If you want your money to work for you, you need to look at investment funds.¹

“A good reason to choose a multi-asset fund is that old adage about putting your eggs in one basket. Spreading your money among lots of assets should mean a smoother return over the long term - as you’re not relying on one particular country, or one particular industry, or one particular company.”

The successful investor

There are some things you can do yourself to begin your investment journey - visit the Irish Life website and see what fund might suit you. After that, you should speak to a financial broker or adviser. Carolan says: “They will be able to tell you how much you can afford to invest, looking at your other obligations, what you need to spend in the next year or so, what you earn, what you borrow. They can give you a recommendation.”

Getting expert advice is one of the key traits of successful investors, according to Carolan. Another is knowing why you want to invest - what you’re hoping to achieve. “Are you investing to have a particular amount of money in 15 years’ time? Are you investing simply to beat bank deposit rates? Are you saving for your kids’ college fund down the line or saving to have money in retirement?”

At the end of the investment term, if you have achieved what you set out to, that is the ultimate sign of a good investment.

Frequently asked questions

How will I know which investment will suit me?

Irish Life has three easy steps to help people get comfortable investing. First you take the investment profile test; depending on your answers, it matches you to a fund that might suit you, depending on your level of risk. Then it lets you see the range of returns you could expect. You can visitirishlife.ie to start your investment journey.

How long should I invest for?

“We would always recommend a five-year investment period, or longer. If you have something coming up next year - say you need to buy a new car - that’s not money to put in an investment fund now. That’s what your deposit account is for.”

Do I have to commit to a specific term?

“If you do want to have access to your funds before five years, you can do that although we wouldn’t recommend it – or you may leave it invested for longer than you originally intended.”

How involved do I need to be after making the initial decision to invest?

“You can be as involved or uninvolved as you want to be,” says Carolan. “Our website allows you to check the value of your investment every day if you like, but you don’t need to. We do recommend that at least on a yearly basis you talk to a financial advisor – to check in, especially if some of your circumstances have changed.”

Find out for yourself why over 45,000 people have already invested with Irish Life MAPS and start your investment today seeirishlife.ie or contact your financial broker or adviser.

Warning: The value of your investment may go down as well as up.

Warning: If you invest in these funds you may lose some or all of the money you invest.

Warning: Past performance is not a reliable guide to future performance.

Warning: These funds may be affected by changes in currency exchange rates.

¹Irish Life Research October 2016. All other information April 2017.

Irish Life Assurance plc is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.