Personalised GuidePath
Personalised GuidePath is an innovative investment strategy that provides the essential peace-of-mind employers require, while making it clearer and easier for employees to get involved in their Company Pension without having to be experts themselves.
An innovative approach
No other option in the market makes it as easy for individual employees to personalise their investment strategy to suit their very specific needs and preferences. The Personalised GuidePath investment strategy is the default investment option of the Zurich Master Trust, as selected by the trustees. Personalised GuidePath has won an innovation award* and accolades for its innovative design and is transforming the way trustees, employers and members engage with their scheme investments.
How Personalised GuidePath works
At the heart of Personalised GuidePath is an automatic process that gradually moves a member’s money into less risky investments as they move towards their chosen retirement age. This process happens gradually over the course of their working life.
In the early growth stage, when a member has a long time to go to retirement, their money is invested in higher risk assets. Then, as they move closer to their retirement, through the mid growth stage and into the retirement planning stage their money is gradually moved into lower risk assets, so that by the time they come to take their retirement benefits, their money is invested in assets that are appropriate to their stage of life.
Personalised GuidePath benefits
Risk appetite and retirement benefit preferences can vary significantly between employees. Personalised GuidePath means employees no longer need to settle for a ‘one size fits all’ solution. You can be reassured that in a few simple steps, each employee will have a strategy to suit their personal needs. Personalised GuidePath allows members the choice to modify their own risk profile, while retaining the safeguards of being in a set de-risking strategy.
Personal and flexible
Members can personalise three key aspects of their journey to retirement and to alter these as circumstances change. These are:
- Their preference in terms of the level of risk and potential return they are prepared to take while accumulating their pension fund
- What mix of benefits they would like when they reach retirement
- When they wish to retire (subject to the scheme rules) – this may be earlier or later than the scheme retirement date.
Members also have the ability to target something different with their Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC).
Engagement
Personalised GuidePath is clear and easy to understand. The online journey and paper-based prompts give members every opportunity to engage and become more involved in their pension.
Online access
Prisma funds
Personalised GuidePath is built on Zurich’s successful Prisma Multi-Asset Funds. The Prisma funds target long-term growth, with different asset mixes that can deliver volatility and returns appropriate to individual risk profiles.
* Awarded ‘Best Innovation in Financial Services 2017’ at the Longboat Analytics awards.
