14 August 2008                            

ALLIANCE TRUST PUBLISHES ‘HOW-TO’ FACTSHEET AND WEBCAST ABOUT INVESTING IN UNQUOTED SHARES

PLEASE NOTE: A special preview of the webcast for journalists only is available at www.alliancetrust.co.uk/pressplayer

 

Alliance Trust Savings has published a webcast and bulletin to explain to advisers the pros and cons they should consider when looking at investing in shares of unquoted companies in a SIPP. The bulletin and webcast also detail the process involved in making this type of investment in a SIPP, the taxation issues, including ensuring tax charges on taxable property are avoided.

 

Pensions Development Manager Steve Latto said, “Investing in unquoted shares through your SIPP can be a complex process, which is why we have produced a webcast and bulletin to help advisers through the process, when guiding their clients on making this type of investment.

 

“Investing in unquoted shares can be ideal for those with a large pension fund who have an appetite for risk and are looking for an investment that has significant growth potential. It can also be a good investment opportunity for employees of the particular company allowing them to access the tax advantages that come with a pension. If an adviser's client already invests in unquoted shares in their own name, they may want to move them into a SIPP to take advantage of the tax-friendly environment of a pension. This will also provide people with protection from capital gains tax.

 

“Two of the biggest considerations advisers need to make when advising clients on these investments are how voting rights are going to be dealt with and whether the liquidity of the pension fund will be an issue. As the trustee of the SIPP will be the shareholder, advisers need to understand how the trustee will deal with any voting rights attached to the shares, as these are often of great importance when investing in unquoted companies. Also advisers need to evaluate the liquidity of the SIPP and its ability to sell the shares, particularly if the SIPP needs to pay out benefits."

 

Advisers can read the analysis in the Pensions Bulletin called ‘SIPPs: investment in unquoted shares’ and view the webcast that is available on the Adviser Centre of Alliance Trust’s website at www.alliancetrust.co.uk/adviser

 

Advisers can request future e-newsletters from Alliance Trust Savings by emailing businessdevelopment@alliancetrust.co.uk and they can register for all additional services on the adviser centre at www.alliancetrust.co.uk/adviser

 

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Contacts

Jane Holligan, Media Relations Manager          Anna Schirmer / Stuart Lerman / Anna Moulds

Alliance Trust                                                   Lansons Communications

Tel  +44 (0)1382 306064                                   Tel  +44 (0)20 7294 3605 / 3674 / 3681

Mobile  07745 783212                                      Email  alliancetrust@lansons.com

Email  jane.holligan@alliancetrust.co.uk      

Web  www.alliancetrust.co.uk

 

 

 

 

  1. Alliance Trust Savings offers investment dealing and pensions to individual investors and their advisers through its enhanced wrap platform. Alliance Trust Savings provides sharedealing, investment wrapper accounts such as ISAs, a full range of Self-Invested Personal Pensions, and accounts for investing for children such as First Steps and its Children’s SIPP.

  2. Alliance Trust Savings is one of the UK’s top ten SIPP providers by number of accounts. It offers a full range of SIPPs from the sharedealing Select SIPP, which allows a choice of more than 3,000 investments, to the Full SIPP that permits investment in commercial property and other assets.

  3. Alliance Trust Savings administers assets on behalf of more than 53,000 customers (at end March 2008)

 

  1. Photographs of Steve Latto and the Pensions Bulletin factsheet are available on request.