SIPP Property & Alternative Investments | ROC Investments

1/2/12 – Warning over plunging bonuses on with-profits funds after Standard Life issues 1.5% cut

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:22:22 +0000

Long-suffering with-profits investors should brace themselves for further payout cuts this year — despite a rise in value of their underlying funds.

Standard Life yesterday revealed the value of the payout on a 25-year endowment fell by 1.5 per cent year on year to £28,439 — and down by 25 per cent compared to five years ago.

Yet the fund in which policyholders’ money is invested clocked up annual 4.9 per cent growth.

Patrick Connolly, from independent advisers AWD Chase de Vere, says: ‘Regardless of the investment performance of with-profits funds, the on-going trend in payouts is downwards and this is likely to continue for many years to come.’

Standard Life has 106,000 endowment mortgages maturing this year and nearly 104,000 of them are expected to miss their target. With-profits pension payouts are also down.

Standard Life is the first of the major insurance companies to reveal what they will pay to with-profits investors whose policies mature this year.

Others, including Aviva, Co-op and Prudential, will follow over the next two months.

24/12/2011 How did Britain become addicted to self-storage?

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:43:21 +0000

Giant, gaudy warehouses sprout up across the land – and often we can’t even remember what we’re paying to keep in them.

It’s easily done. About five years ago, when we sold our house and moved into a rented cottage, we put half our worldly goods into storage. It was only a year later, when we had bought, moved into and filled up a new house, that we remembered we still had all those other crates and boxes full of… what? We couldn’t recall.

Some books and records, probably. Old copies of Country Life. That moth-eaten rocking horse that looked antique, but wasn’t. That gopping great modernist mirror we never liked. And what about that filing cabinet we lost the key for? Was that in there?

Well, it seems we weren’t alone. Since the craze for self-storage took off about a decade ago, some 800 vast, brightly coloured warehouses with fun-sounding names have appeared around the country – as many as in the rest of Europe put together. And the strange thing is that, according to a new survey, an increasing number of us are paying to store things – about £50 a month – and not coming back to collect them.

What is this about? One explanation is that we simply have too much of everything. It was telling that some of the recent looters couldn’t explain why they had taken items they neither wanted nor needed, not least because they already had them at home. Another explanation might be the growth of TV shows such as Cash in the Attic. We are reluctant to throw things out, or take them to charity shops, in case they one day become valuable (they never do, of course).

cont.

This article was published by the Telegraph on 3rd September 2011. To read the full article click the following link:-

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/nigelfarndale/8739578/How-did-Britain-become-addicted-to-self-storage.html

23/12/2011 The self-storage craze

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 20:40:43 +0000

People are leaving their possessions in self-storage warehouses for longer than ever. But why are people paying to store stuff they rarely use?

It’s a monument to our acquisitive society – the brightly lit shed on the edge of town offering “storage solutions”.

Society has always had its hoarders. But in the 21st Century people are farming out their junk to the growing number of self-storage facilities.

It begins as a temporary solution. You load up the car with the retired pushchair, an African sculpture you never found room for, old letters, bin bags full of clothes, Betamax tapes and your cherished back issues of National Geographic.

Shortly afterwards you’re at one or other of the huge hangars offering space for your beloved objects.

This article was taken from the BBC website posted 1st September 2011 to read the full article click the link below:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-14718478

5/12/11 – Pension scheme deficits soar to £80bn in November

admin — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 09:48:25 +0000

Mercer data shows accounting measures of defined benefit pension schemes in the UK have fallen in November.

Pension scheme accounting deficits stood at £80bn at 30 November, representing a major deterioration from £60bn at 31 October, according to Mercer.

This represented a three per cent fall in the funding levels over the month from 89 per cent to 86 per cent, despite the sharp rally in share prices following the central bank intervention announced on 30 November.

Before the intervention funding levels hit 83 per cent earlier in the month.

Ali Tayyebi, senior partner and pension risk group leader of Mercer, said: “As well as the month-on-month fall in the accounting deficit there was considerable intra-month volatility, with funding levels falling by as much as 6 per cent at one point during the month.

“We are beginning to see the bad economic news catch up on the accounting numbers which had so far been relatively protected in the midst of the general economic turmoil.

“The relentless fall in Gilt yields, due to the eurozone debt crisis and quantitative easing the UK, is now also pushing down the real yield on high quality corporate bonds.

“If 30 November conditions are mirrored at 31 December then many companies will be seeing an increased deficit on their balance sheet at the year end.”

Full article http://www.ftadviser.com/2011/12/05/pensions/group-pensions/pension-scheme-deficits-soar-to-bn-in-november-wASpDZ87rGN7UyDORWdPxK/article.html

By Emma Ann Hughes, FT Adviser

30/11/11 Cape Verde property market defies the odds

admin — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:32:28 +0000

The Telegraph

By Saundra Satterlee

Despite ongoing world economic woes, pockets of good news are emerging out of Africa

An example comes from the property market on the tiny island of Sal in the former Portuguese colony of Cape Verde, an archipelago of 10 tropical and desert islands located mid-Atlantic between Senegal and Brazil.

To read full article goto:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/expatproperty/8877312/Cape-Verde-property-market-defies-the-odds.html

28/11/11 – Champagne Bar Opens at Melia Tortuga, Cape Verde

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:28:31 +0000

Since opening in May, Tortuga Beach Resort and Spa has enjoyed spectacular reviews, and yet further enhancements are still being made. The latest is the upgrade of My Bar to become Cape Verde’s first and only champagne bar!

Stunningly stylish and indulgent, it will be renamed The Late Bar and will be the place to be at night. Its luxurious surroundings including a DJ booth and VIP area and guests can enjoy a variety of evening entertainment, with live music and dancing.

In total half a million Euros has been invested to further enhance the Resort and add even more luxury.

28/11/11 – Latest images from Melia Tortuga Cape Verde

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 21:26:26 +0000

An oasis of tranquility and unmistakably luxurious, MELIÃ Tortuga Beach is in a class of its own on the sun-drenched Island of Sal in Cape Verde. An idyllic location, impeccable service and exquisite resort facilities make it the perfect choice for couples and families looking for an unforgettable Cape Verde holiday experience.

The Resort is the first development in Cape Verde by The Resort and is now open and fully operational.

The Resort opened the weekend of May 7th & 8th 2011 with a spectacular launch party that included special celebrity guest performances by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, DJ Danny Rampling and Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity.

The latest photos from the Resort including the Bali Beds on the beach and around the resort. (Click the images to make larger)

St Lucia named by Telegraph as property safe haven

admin — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:14:44 +0000

The spectacular Caribbean island of St Lucia, renowned worldwide for its idyllic beaches, relaxed lifestyle and crystal-clear waters, has recently been named by the Telegraph as an overseas property safe haven. With an impressive 350,000 sun-seekers visiting the 238sqm island annually and five star tourism ever-popular, it’s little wonder that this jewel of the Caribbean continues to be considered a solid investment hotspot.

Telegraph journalist Graham Norwood explains, “This Caribbean island has long been popular with Britons. There are rugged mountains, rainforests and coral reefs. Barbados, but with lower prices.”

Easily accessible from the United States, the UK and across Europe, St. Lucia enjoys a luxurious climate, friendly locals and a wonderful coastline which draws in increasing numbers of visitors year-on-year. When considering property investment on this beautiful island, the Telegraph recommends that you research the more popular locations on the island and select high end properties in this setting.

“The best tactic is still to purchase more expensive homes in prime locations. This means you will see the best the country has to offer, and your investment stands a better chance of securing good returns.”

High end properties currently available for purchase on the island include the stunning L’Avant Mer, situated on the waterfront at Rodney Bay Marina. Seventy-three high-end luxury properties set in stunning gardens with three pools, two restaurants and a champagne cocktail bar will make up this exquisite resort. These secluded homes offer waterside access with available boat slips and stunning sunset views.

14/11/11 – Construction progress at Dunas Beach Resort

admin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:38:28 +0000

Photos taken at Dunas Beach Resort in Cape Verde 14th November 2011 courtesy of The Resort Group Plc.

Click thumbnail to enlarge image

First Harlequin Air Plane Finished

admin — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:30:10 +0000

We’re glad to announce that the first aircraft of the Harlequin Air Fleet is now finished. Awiting deployment to St Vincent the plane is currently in St Lucia. The plans are coming together to create the Harlequin resorts in the Caribbean with first class travel for inter island resort transfers for guests. The first phase of Buccament Bay is open with H Hotel in Barbados and The Hideaway Dominican Republic scheduled to be open in 2012.