BT expands platform fund menu

Rodney Greenhalgh, head of retirement at BT Financial Group, told ifa these funds have been added in response to adviser demand, and that BT has worked with advisers to determine which funds should be available for protection.

Wrap Capital Protection aims to help advisers to meet the needs of their clients who are concerned about the impact poor markets may have on their savings, according to Greenhalgh, with the solution helping preserve capital when markets fall.

“We effectively have an overlay over the portfolio to make sure that even if markets perform very poorly, that downside is managed, so [there is] more certainty,” said Greenhalgh.

He added with Wrap Capital Protection advisers can “answer the question” to their clients regarding the minimum outcome they can expect if markets perform poorly, which can be of concern for those around retirement stage.

Greenhalgh said this solution also provides access to market upticks, with recent performance demonstrating how Wrap Capital Protection allows investors to increase their minimum outcome in rising markets.

At the time of the first growth capture in February the average growth in the protected funds was 9.1 per cent, said Greenhalgh. In addition there was an average increase in minimum outcome of 5.0 per cent.

“Equity markets have performed strongly since we launched Wrap Capital Protection and many of the early users took the opportunity to restructure their portfolios to their preferred growth allocation and they have benefited from this strong performance,” said Greenhalgh.