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The ideas and conclusions within these blogs are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Octopus. They are for general interest only and should not be taken as investment advice or as an invitation to purchase or sell any investment. For our full terms and conditions, please click here.

Consolidation should be the key trend this ISA season

Simon Rogerson - 03 February 2011

As one tax year draws to a close the next begins, and with it comes the annual debate about where ISA savers should be investing to make the most of their yearly tax-free allowance.

The good news is that the annual allowance is on the up. From 6 April onwards the maximum savings limits for ISAs will be increased in line with the retail price index (RPI).  The bad news is that, although the ISA allowance might soon be pegged in line with inflation, the returns offered by cash ISAs are falling further behind.

A quick browse on Moneyfacts, comparing the best savings accounts, reveals just how uncompetitive cash ISAs currently are. The market-leading cash ISA pays an annual equivalent rate of just 2.9% on your savings, with that rate guaranteed for just twelve months. With the RPI currently at 4.8%, that’s a return well below the rate of inflation, which Bank of England Governor Mervyn King recently reminded us could rise to 5% by the end of the year. All of a sudden the idea of putting your hard earned savings into a cash ISA, and having it bitten into by inflation, seems rather pointless.

Of course stocks and shares ISAs have their critics too. The scramble of an annual ISA season has frequently led to fund purchases becoming a last minute, spur of the moment thing. As a result, investors have often fallen into the two classic investment traps: either buying last season’s top performing fund or this season’s ‘next big thing’ (such as technology back in 2000, or commercial property in 2006). In the race to avoid missing the boat, many investors have found themselves buying into the wrong products at the wrong time, not helped by the ease at which an ISA can be opened online without advice.

Such problems can get compounded over time. An investor who opened their first stocks and shares ISA back in 1999 could now have 12 different fund-focused ISAs up and running. Many of these will have likely been forgotten about and left gathering dust, when the money within could be put to much better use elsewhere.

There is an alternative, in the shape of ISA consolidation. Octopus Portfolio Manager is able to take all of a client’s ISAs, encash them and then transfer the funds into a single, well diversified ISA wrapper. This portfolio is then actively managed, rebalanced and updated to make sure it keeps pace with markets and stays in line with an investor’s attitude to risk. The tax status of the holding is not affected by the transfer, so investors continue to benefit from the tax advantages gained over the years.

ISAs should be great savings vehicles for everyone, but too often they have been sold as products (uncompetitive or unsuitable ones at that) with a short shelf life rather than longer term investment solutions. Perhaps this year it’s time to put an end to the endless cycle of ISA season and think about pooling your ISAs into a hardy perennial instead.

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