Investment Bond information

Using the FundTracker

To use the FundTracker, you'll need your latest statement to hand. Use the link below that relates to your bond's series number. The FundTracker will allow you to search by SEDOL number (shown on your statement) or fund name.

Account documents

FAQs

Get in touch

For fund information

Withdrawal

If you want to take regular withdrawals you need to complete a request form for your plan. You can find the form below.

You can set up, change or stop regular withdrawals at any time.

The minimum withdrawal you can take is currently £50 per withdrawal. You should bear this in mind when deciding how often to take withdrawals.

The following form will need to be printed off, completed and sent back to us.

Bond Switch

Download the Bond switch form and send the completed form to us:

Surrender

If you would like to make a full or partial surrender you need to complete the form below. Depending on which surrender method you choose, the tax consequences may be different so we recommend you speak to your adviser before making a decision.

All forms should be sent to the following address:

Sterling Centre
PO Box 461
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 8ZN

For more information on tax, please read the Sterling Investment Bond tax guide.

You can find more information located in the Helpful tools & information section below.

Take a look at the Investment Bond Terms & Conditions document for more information.

Sterling

The Sterling Investment Bond and the funds you invest in are provided by Zurich Assurance Ltd, trading as Sterling.

We work with a number of fund managers to provide our customers with a wide choice of investment opportunities. We aim to ensure the range of funds available meets the needs and expectations of our customers.

We regularly review the range of funds we make available to make sure we're offering a broad range of investments that offer appropriate value for money.

Fund managers

The role of a fund manager is to seek out the best investment opportunities in line with their fund's investment objectives.

Fund managers use their knowledge of the companies, markets and territories in which the fund can invest. They use this expertise to decide on where to invest, and when and how to adjust the relative proportions of different asset types.

The fund manager keeps these decisions under constant review, through continuing analysis, research and regular meetings with the companies in which the fund is making or considering investment.

Sterling Investment bond charges

We take a fund based charge. This is a percentage based on the value of your plan and the options you chose when you took out your plan. For details please refer to your plan's key features, key features illustration and your terms and conditions.

Fund expenses

These are deducted from the funds to pay for the day-to-day activities of managing each fund and are reflected in the unit price of the fund.

These include expenses, taxes, duties and other charges incurred in the buying, selling, valuation, management and maintenance of the fund’s investments including auditors’ and custodians’ fees.

Fund expenses are not fixed as they change each day based on what the fund has bought or sold on a particular day.

Annual management charges

Some of the funds have an annual management charge, which is a percentage of the value of the units in the fund.

It is deducted from the fund every day before unit prices are calculated.

They could change in the future.

Initial charges

There may be an initial charge on some funds before we buy units. This may be a one off charge or a difference between the daily buying and selling price which is often known as a bid/offer spread.

Fund transaction charges

On a day when you cash in your plan, more money may be moving out of the fund (or any of the funds it invests in) than into it. In this case, some of the assets of the fund (or funds) will have to be sold and the value of your plan may be reduced to reflect the impact on the fund unit price of the costs and charges associated with the sale.

You can only make monthly payments to the ISA and the Investment Account. The option is not available on the Investment Bond.

Investment Bond

You can make additional single payments at any time. The current minimum single payment is £1,000.

However, if your Bond is held subject to a Discretionary Discounted Gift Trust or a Discounted Gift (Bare) Trust, then you cannot make additional payments.

How do I make an additional payment?

If you’re making the payment by cheque, please enclose the cheque, made payable to ‘Sterling’ with the form.

Our contact details are available under the 'Get on Touch' tab.

We'll write and let you know we've received and invested your cheque.

You can make regular withdrawals or one-off surrenders at any time. If you make withdrawals from your bond or investment account, you need to consider any tax liability you may incur. You should speak to your adviser to find out how a withdrawal or tax may affect your investment.

All we need from you is a completed surrender form, which you can download below. We only accept completed surrender forms by post.

Please always refer to the Terms and Conditions of your policy as there may be exit penalties for taking one-off withdrawals.

We may need further supporting documents to make a payment such as Trust Forms, Power of Attorney Forms or Identification documents depending on your policy.

We may be able to make a payment direct to your bank account by the Banking Automated Clearing System (BACS). Please let us know your bank sort code and account number on the form. Alternatively, we'll send you a cheque to your address.

We will write to you confirming when the withdrawal has been paid.

Regular Withdrawal Requests

If you want to take regular withdrawals you need to complete a request form for your plan. You can find the form below.

You can set up, change or stop regular withdrawals at any time.

The minimum withdrawal you can take is currently £50 per withdrawal. You should bear this in mind when deciding how often to take withdrawals.

The current maximum amount you can set for regular withdrawals is 7.5% of the total fund value of the account each year, unless the account was opened before 6th April 2005, in which case you can withdraw up to 10%.

For information on how to make a complaint, please see our Making a complaint page.

Fund choice

Depending on your investment plan, you may link it to a different fund or funds available to that plan or investment.

You may also change the fund, or funds, for your regular payments and leave the units you have already bought in the fund, or funds, they are in.

Important information

  • You will need to complete a Fund Switch form.
  • Exact details of fund switching for your plan or investment are set out in the terms and conditions.
  • Before you make any decisions about fund switching, we strongly suggest you discuss this with your adviser.
  • If the plan or investment is written in trust, we may need each trustee's signature - check the provisions of your trust to see who needs to sign the form.
  • We accept faxed or emailed forms.
  • We'll confirm your new fund choice in writing.
  • We don’t currently make a charge for switching funds. If in future we decide to charge, we’ll tell you. However, switching may result in higher fund charges, depending on the funds you are switching between. If you are switching, you should contact your adviser for the latest fund charge.

Download a Bond switch form and send the completed form to us at:

Sterling Centre
PO Box 461
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 8ZN

If you would like to make a full or partial surrender you need to complete a bond surrender request form. Depending on which surrender method you choose, the tax consequences may be different so we recommend you speak to your adviser before making a decision.

If you can't find your fund or are having problems with your bond, don't hesitate to get in touch.

Call

Our opening hours are 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 12.30pm on Saturday, excluding Bank Holidays.

Email

Write

Sterling Centre
PO Box 461
Bishops Cleeve
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL52 8ZN

Fax

0370 909 6080

If you are unhappy with our service, you can let us know here

What are funds and why are they important?

Funds allow you to choose how and where your money is invested. Some funds invest in shares, others in property or other types of assets.

The amount you get from your Sterling bond will depend upon the performance of the funds your bond is invested in. It is important that you choose funds that are right for your circumstances, investment objectives and attitude to risk. Over time these may change, so it is important to regularly review your fund choices. We do not charge you for changing your fund choices.

For a detailed look at all the funds available through us, and some additional information and tools that you may find useful, please scroll down to the Fund factsheets sections below.

If you don't feel comfortable choosing funds that are right for you then you should consider contacting your adviser. If you don't have one you can find one near you by visiting www.unbiased.co.uk and reading reviews of financial advisers by visiting www.vouchedfor.co.uk. You may have to pay for any advice you receive.

Climate-related investment information

Climate change is becoming more and more important to all of us. We've prepared two reports to help you understand how we manage climate-related risks in relation to customer investments.

Property Fund changes

We’ve updated the investment objectives of the Zurich-managed Property funds to allow them to invest in residential property and hotels. This is to adapt the fund to changes in the way we live with more people working from home and shopping on-line as the population grows and ages. This helps spread the risk that any individual asset class may adversely impact the fund.

Funds in Suspension or Wind Up

Russian/Ukraine conflict

As a result of the conflict in Ukraine, and the sanctions imposed by the UK, US and European Union (amongst others), it is not currently possible for fund managers to trade (buy or sell) any Russian investments.

This led to the suspension of the Sterling JPM Emerging Europe Equity funds in March 2022.

Subsequently, where it has been possible to do so, investors holdings in these funds have been switched to an alternative fund. The funds chosen were defined in customers product terms and conditions. However, they invest in different assets and offer different potential risks and returns to those of the suspended fund.

We’ve written to all affected customers confirming the changes which have taken place. We’ll write again when there is a significant change or update to the fund.

If you invested in a Sterling JPM Emerging Europe Equity fund at the time it was suspended, you’ll be affected by these changes. We recommend you review your existing fund holdings to ensure they still meet your investment needs.

If you want to invest in different funds, you’ll need to send us your instructions by completing a Fund Switch form. You can return the completed form in the post or email by attaching a scan or photograph of the signed form using the contact details on the letter.

Wind Ups

When a fund enters wind up, it’s not possible to buy or sell units in the Sterling fund (or the underlying fund it invests in). During a wind up, the fund manager will sell the remaining investments in the fund and distribute the proceeds of these sales to customers. The wind up process may take some time to complete and customers will be updated each time sales proceeds are made available in their bond, normally by way of a switch confirmation.

A list of funds that are in a wind up phase is as follows:

  • Sterling Woodford Equity Income
  • Sterling Woodford Equity Income 2

Following Court approval of the compensation Scheme for the underlying LF (Woodford) Equity Income fund, we have now received an initial payment. We will ensure that payments to eligible customers (via a method appropriate to the status of their plan) are made as soon as possible, though please bear with us as it may take some time to process these.

Further information can be located on the FCA website:

  • Sterling Aviva Investors UK Property
  • Sterling Aviva Investors UK Property 2

According to the most recently published Interim Report & Accounts (31/03/23) the underlying fund (Aviva Investors UK Property fund) has 1 property left to dispose of before the winding up of the fund can be completed.

We have previously written to all customers with investments in these funds. If you have any questions on how these wind ups may have affected your investments through us, please contact your financial adviser or call us on the number below.

Funds with Russian Exposure

Some funds, mainly emerging market funds, will have an exposure to Russia. A list of these funds, with an approximate percentage exposure to Russia, can be found in the link below:

It is not currently possible for a fund manager to buy or sell Russian investments and we are not able to predict if and when the current restrictions will be lifted.

A fund which had a larger Russian exposure have been suspended and it is not possible to switch out of this fund at present. This are detailed above in the section “Funds in Suspension or Wind Up”.

The remaining funds in the link above are global equity and emerging market funds which continue to operate as normal. Where a fund had Russian exposure any drop in value will already be reflected in current valuations. If your overall portfolio includes a range of funds, it is likely that the Russian exposure is only a small part of its overall value. Switching into, or out of, these funds will neither increase or reduce exposure to Russian investments whilst they are unable to be traded.

If you have any questions on how your funds may be impacted by events in Ukraine, please contact your financial adviser or call us on the number below.

Sterling Bond

Our opening hours are 8.30AM to 5.30PM Monday to Friday and 09.30AM to 12.30PM Saturday, excluding Bank Holidays.

We may record or monitor calls for training and quality purposes.

Investment commentaries

Further information about the economic outlook, including views and opinions on the financial markets, can be found at www.zurich.com/en/economics-and-markets/publications

More information

Helpful tools and information

Want to know more about investing and funds in general?

Fund factsheets - Investment Bond Series 1

Fund factsheets - Investment Bond Series 2

Sterling Investment Funds guide

Fund factsheet guide

Multi-manager Protected profits fund

Multi-manager Protected profits fund (Generation 2)

Multi-manager Protected profits fund (Generation 3)

Sterling Tracker Protected Profits fund