Fund Objectives

Type of FundRisk LevelPensionLifeOEIC
Ethical Adventurous v v v
European Medium / adventurous v v v
Far Eastern Medium / adventurous v v v
Gilt and Fixed Interest Cautious / medium v v -
High Income (UK Equity) Medium v v v
Index-Linked Gilt Cautious / medium v v -
International Growth Medium / adventurous v v v
Investment Trusts Medium / adventurous v v v
Japanese Medium / adventurous v v v
Managed Medium v v -
Money Cautious v v -
North American Medium / adventurous v v v
Pelican (UK Equity) Medium v v v
Property Medium v v -
Smaller Companies Adventurous v v v
Special situations Adventurous v v v
UK FTSE All Share Index-Tracking Medium v v
UK FTSE 100 Index-Tracking Medium v v
Guaranteed Equity Cautious / medium v v v
With Profits Medium v v v

Risk/return relationship explained:
Below are the different levels of risk explained to help you when you select your funds.

Cautious
Deposit and money market investments where capital is at low risk even if it means giving up potential growth. These funds generally provide a steady increase and easy access. These funds are categorised as below-average risk funds.  Please note that you may get back less than you invested.

Cautious/Medium
A balance of investments offering some security with potential for long-term growth/income. The value can go up and down.

Medium
A balance of investments offering a wide spread of investment with the potential for long-term growth/income. The value can go up and down.

Medium/Adventurous
Offering a narrower spread of investment in such areas as UK shares and international shares, the value of the funds can go up and down and potentially by greater amounts than the funds in the medium category.

Adventurous
Looking to maximise the potential returns from investments in stocks and shares, these funds involve a significantly higher risk. The ups and downs will potentially be more severe and frequent than the approaches described above.

Further Information:
Unit-linked Life and Pension Funds are managed by Scottish Widows Investment Partnership Limited (SWIP), a member of Lloyds Banking Group. These funds were managed by Equitable Life Assurance Society prior to March 2001 but were sold, along with other operating assets, in 2001 to businesses now part of the Lloyds Banking Group. 

Fund nameFund objective
Ethical

To achieve capital growth in the long term by investing in companies whose activities are considered ethical, both in terms of their primary activities as well as in the means of achieving them.

The fund will select an international portfolio of companies with above average potential for growth.  The majority of the portfolio will be invested in the following areas: pollution control; environmental protection; efficient utilisation of material and energy resources; clean fuels and alternative energy systems; healthcare services and medical technology; enabling technologies considered to be beneficial to society.

Additionally, the fund will strive to avoid those companies whose activities could be considered to be ethically unacceptable.


Back to top

European

To achieve capital growth in the long term by investing mainly in European companies excluding the UK.  The Halifax European Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax European OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on large companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in medium and small sized companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Far Eastern

To achieve long term capital growth by investing mainly in Far Eastern companies (excluding Japanese companies).  The Halifax Far Eastern Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax Far Eastern OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on large companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in medium and small sized companies with above average potential for growth.

Back to top

Gilt and Fixed Interest

The fund aims to produce a high level of income with the possibility of capital growth if, for example, interest rates fall, by active investment in gilt-edged and other fixed interest investments, including money on deposit.

The return is derived mainly from an actively managed portfolio of gilts and other fixed interest investments, including money on deposit.


Back to top

High Income (UK Equity)

The investment objective of this fund is to provide an above average income, together with prospects of capital appreciation over the longer term, derived mainly from a portfolio of securities in UK companies.  The Halifax High Income Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax UK Equity Income OEIC.

The fund will select companies with good prospects of providing a rising income and capital growth over the longer term.  Convertible stocks (corporate bonds which may include an option to be converted into equities at an agreed future date) and bonds which provide a higher yield than equities may also be considered for the portfolio.


Back to top

Index-Linked Gilt

The fund aims to maximise the overall return on a portfolio of index-linked securities issued by HM Government.

We aim to achieve the performance objective of the fund by investing primarily in index linked bonds as well as in a range of other fixed income asset classes.


Back to top

International Growth

The investment objective of this fund is to achieve capital growth in the long-term by investing in a diversified global portfolio of companies.  The Halifax International Growth Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax International Growth OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on large companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in medium and small sized companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Investment Trusts

The investment objective of this fund is to achieve capital growth in the long term by investing mainly in investment trust companies.  The Halifax Fund of Investment Trusts Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax Fund of Investment Trusts OEIC.

The fund will select companies which invest in attractive markets and have a manager who is expected to out-perform the relevant asset category.  The portfolio will also include trusts that are likely to benefit from reconstruction.


Back to top

Japanese

To maximise total returns from investments in a broad range of Japanese companies.  The Halifax Japanese Life and Pensions funds invest directly into the Japanese OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on large companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in medium and small sized companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Managed

The investments are made at the discretion of the investment managers, whose objective is to maximise the overall return from investments covering the UK and overseas equities, gilt-edged and fixed interest stock and property.

UK and overseas equities, gilts and fixed-interest stock and property are acquired through investment in the other Halifax funds and/or by direct investment.


Back to top

Money

The investment is in short term deposit instruments, thus allowing sufficient liquidity in a fund that is principally a short-term investment vehicle for investors when switching between equity funds.

The fund invests in all forms of interest-bearing money instruments where the capital is at low risk normally in the UK.


Back to top

North American

To achieve capital growth in the long term by investing mainly in North American companies.  The Halifax North American Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax North American OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on blue chip companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in diversified companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Pelican (UK Equity)

The investment objective of this fund is to achieve long-term capital growth by investing mainly in UK companies.  The Halifax Pelican Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax UK Growth OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on large companies whilst maintaining a reasonable presence in medium and small sized companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Property

This fund aims to achieve long-term capital growth by investing in a carefully selected portfolio of properties from the office, shop, factory and warehouse sectors of the market in the UK, let on long term leases to quality tenants with regular rent reviews.

The value of property assets is generally a matter of a valuer's opinion rather than fact.  We reserve the right to defer the cancellation of units and to postpone the date on which the unit prices are calculated by up to six months.  This is because the underlying assets may not always be readily realisable.

Particular attention is given to the location of such properties.  We may also invest in authorised property unit trusts.

The property fund is a medium risk fund but as it is highly specialised and is always invested in one sector, it will be very dependent on the performance of this sector as a whole.


Back to top

Smaller Companies

To achieve long term capital growth through investing mainly in smaller companies, principally in the UK.  The Halifax Smaller Companies Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax Smaller Companies OEIC.

The fund will concentrate the core of the portfolio on smaller companies with above average potential for growth.


Back to top

Special situations

The investment objective of this fund is to achieve capital growth by active investment in UK companies with above average potential for growth.  The Halifax Special Situations Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax Special Situations OEIC.

To select and actively manage a portfolio of large, medium and small sized companies with above average potential for capital growth.  Advantage will be taken of opportunities offered by management pressures, recovery situations and market anomalies.


Back to top

UK FTSE All Share Index-Tracking

The investment objective of this fund is to aim to match as closely as possible, subject to the effect of charges, the capital performance and net income yield of the FTSE All-Share index.  The Halifax All-Share Index Tracking Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax FTSE All-Share Index Tracking OEIC.

The fund is to invest primarily in companies and other securities comprising the FTSE All-Share Index.


Back to top

UK FTSE 100 Index-Tracking

To match as closely as possible, subject to the effect of charges and regulations in force from time to time, the capital performance and net income yield of the FTSE 100 index.  The Halifax FTSE 100 Index Tracking Life and Pension funds invest directly into the Halifax FTSE 100 Index Tracking OEIC.

The fund is to invest primarily in companies and other securities comprising the FTSE 100 Index.


Back to top

Guaranteed Equity

This fund invests in a mixture of fixed interest deposits and financial options. It consists of four sub-funds, each of which operates on an annual basis. The bid price for each sub-fund on any annual date, will be the same as one year earlier, increased by a proportion of the rise, if any, in the FTSE 100.

Back to top