Conventional with-profits fund explained

There are 2 types of bonus, a regular bonus we might add each year and a final bonus we might add when a plan ends.

More details are available in the "how we manage the with-profits 90:10 fund for conventional plans" booklet. We are not adding more regular bonuses to pension plans because they have a high level of guaranteed growth which has built up through past bonus additions. It is unlikely that future regular bonuses will be added to these plans as plan holders could get more than their fair share from the fund.

A final bonus is added, if appropriate, so each group of customers receives a fair share of the fund. Most pension plans do not get a final bonus because of the high rate of growth which has built up through past bonus additions. The only pension plans currently attracting a final bonus are Esitran pension plans as they don’t have such high guarantees.

In return for the payments you agreed to make over the plan term we gave a guaranteed amount at maturity, and/or a guaranteed amount at death (which may not be the same amount). We need to keep some of the money you pay us to cover the death benefit risk and some for expenses, such as commission to the adviser and administration. The remainder is available for us to invest on your behalf.

Included in the guaranteed sum at maturity was an allowance for growth. Every year, when the actual fund returns are known, we decide if we can increase the amount we guarantee by adding a regular bonus. As this is an actual amount we promise will be added at maturity, it also includes an assumption as to the growth we expect to achieve between the date it’s added and the maturity date. Your payments build up like this:

The profits and losses of the fund are shared out 90% to policyholders and 10% to Zurich. Overall, however, we can only pay out what the fund achieves. We add the profits of the fund to plans in 2 ways - regular bonuses and a final bonus. We don’t add all of the fund growth using regular bonuses. We hold some back and add it as a final bonus if the fund performance justifies it. This allows us to ‘smooth’ plan payouts so they don’t change significantly from year to year.

In setting a final bonus, we group plans together by age and type and look at the fund performance for that group to decide a fair payout. We usually set bonus rates once a year, but we regularly review the rates we pay out and sometimes change them more often. This makes sure each group of policyholders continues to receive a fair share.

Smoothing is a method of reducing the ups and downs in the value of your investment by paying out the returns through a system of bonuses. This is a special feature of with-profits.

Smoothing works by holding back some of the returns from good times to help pay out bonuses in poorer times. Equally, losses made in poor times may also reduce gains in good times. In the long term we can only pay out what the fund’s assets achieve. We will do this by increasing guaranteed payouts when it is prudent.

Any regular bonus increases the amount we guarantee to pay out. The regular bonus we add takes into account the guarantees built up in the past and our expectation of future investment returns. When your plan ends, we will consider adding a final bonus if the fund performance has been greater than the assumptions made when setting regular bonus rates.

The bonus statement we send each year, tells you the bonuses we’ve added and the minimum amount we guarantee at maturity/retirement.

If you want to know the current surrender or transfer value, please call us on:

• 0370 333 1500

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm excluding Bank holidays.

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

Your plan benefits are guaranteed provided you maintain any regular payments. Guarantees may apply only at a particular date, for example the maturity date or retirement date. Most plans also have a guaranteed amount payable on death. These are not necessarily the same as the guarantees at maturity. The bonus statement will tell you if guarantees apply to your plan. Some of these may be valuable and you should make sure that you understand them before taking any action. You can find more information on some specialised types of guarantee below:

Guaranteed annuity rates (on conventional with-profits self-employed or executive pension plans).

Some pension plans include a guaranteed rate for turning the plan value into an income at retirement. These are probably better than can be obtained anywhere else.

The guaranteed rates apply regardless of how much a plan is worth, and we still offer a favourable rate should you want to take your benefits early. Your bonus statement tells you the income we guarantee from your plan at the plan retirement date as well as the minimum age at which guaranteed rates apply.

Mortgage endowment guarantees (on plans that have accepted all recommended premium increases)

Some conventional endowment plans contain a review clause, the purpose of which is to monitor the performance of the plan and recommend necessary increases to ensure the plan remains on track. If all the recommended increases are taken up, then the plan is guaranteed to reach its target amount at the maturity date, subject to all premiums due being paid.

Life cover

A life plan will provide a guaranteed amount if you die before your plan ends.

Waiver of payment cover

You may have chosen to pay for cover to waive regular payments if you are unable to work through sickness or disability. See your plan documents for the exact details of the cover provided.

Your bonus statement shows the minimum guaranteed amount available at maturity if you continue making any regular payments. Any future regular or final bonus we add would increase the actual amount paid. We can provide an illustration based on current assumptions using different rates of investment return. These will give you a range of values for your plan using assumptions for investment growth and our expectation of future charges.

If you have an endowment plan, we will send you an illustration each year showing you if it’s on track to meet the target amount at maturity. Find out information about the illustrations we send out on mortgage endowments.

• Mortgage Endowment

You can see this in the ‘Your plan details’ section of your bonus statement or if you have a mortgage endowment, this can be found in the ‘Your plan now…’ section of your plan update letter. Alternatively, to find out call us on:

• 0370 333 1500

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm excluding Bank holidays.

We may record or monitor calls for training and quality purposes

Yes. We’ll need the written instructions of all the plan owners and the plan documents. To make sure we only deal with the plan owners, we’ll also ask for evidence of identity such as a bank statement or copy driving licence. The confirming your identity leaflet will give you more information about this process.

If you have a pension plan, you will normally have to wait until 55 (age 50 for offshore pension plans) before you can start taking your pension income. The guarantees applicable to some plans may not be available until age 60, so please check with us before making any decisions. If you belong to a pension scheme, you will need to deal with the scheme administrators or if this is your own plan, call us for more details of your options.

• 0370 333 1500

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm, excluding Bank holidays.

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

You may also want to consider the alternative choices available under your plan detailed in the Understanding your choices section.

If you want more information about the plan, please talk to your adviser or call us we’ll be pleased to help. If you haven't got an adviser, here are details on how you can find one.

• 0370 333 1500

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm excluding Bank holidays.

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

You can let us know your change of address by calling us.

Your circumstances and needs may have changed since your plan started and you should also be aware that the investment strategy of the Zurich with-profits funds has changed over the years. Your adviser will be able to help you decide whether the plan still meets your needs.

Like many other with-profits funds, the Zurich funds don’t invest in equities to the extent they did before the stock market falls in 2000-2002. Pension plans other than Esitran do not have any exposure to shares or property.

We let you know each year how the fund is invested for your plan.

The guarantees on your plan apply at maturity, so if you end your plan early you won’t receive as much. However, we aim to pay a value that is fair to you and to the other policyholders remaining in the fund. There is no specific penalty for leaving early. Ask us for a value now and at maturity before you decide what to do. If you’re not sure, ask an adviser.

No. Unit linked funds are not available on conventional plans.

Yes. Contact us for an illustration of the reduction it will cause to your final plan value and the amount of life cover. You should note that if you decide to stop making payments to the plan, you won’t be able to restart payments at a later date.

This depends on your plan terms & conditions. On most endowment plans, we set up the missed payments as a loan so the full amount of life cover can continue. The loan accrues interest at 11% each year, but can be repaid at any time. If you make payments net of tax (LAPR), you can only claim this relief if you pay the outstanding amount within 13 months. Any unpaid interest is added to the loan each year, and is repaid when your plan ends. If the surrender value is insufficient to cover the amount of the loan and interest outstanding, the plan will stop without a value and life cover stops.

Yes. We can let you know the transfer value if you contact us. Some conventional pension plans include valuable guarantees which would be lost if you transfer your plan to another provider. These include guaranteed growth until retirement date and in some cases a guaranteed rate which could give you a higher income from us than other providers. The bonus statement tells you when these guarantees are available. Make sure you understand what you could get back before transferring your plan elsewhere and take advice if you're unsure.

You should also take account of any set up charges for a new plan. We recommend you seek advice if you are considering this option.

Some companies buy endowment plans, so it may be possible to sell the plan and receive a greater amount than the cash-in value. Other types of plan cannot normally be sold. If you wish to consider this, we recommend that you speak to an adviser to help explore whether this option is available and suitable for your circumstances. If you don’t have a financial adviser, you can find one near you by going to unbiased.co.uk and read reviews at vouchedfor.co.uk. You may have to pay for any advice you receive.

Before deciding whether to accept any offer you should check what the relevant company's requirements are and how long it might take for them to pay out the money. You may need to pass over the original plan documents.

Some plans allow you to borrow using the plan surrender value as security. This allows you to maintain the life cover (less the loan and interest outstanding). The current interest rate is 11% each year and this rate is fixed for the duration of the loan. Interest is payable yearly or can be added to the loan. The loan can be repaid in full or part at any time or will be deducted when your plan ends. If you do not keep up your regular payments, your plan could stop without any value.

If you want more information about the plan, please talk to your adviser or call us - we'll be pleased to help. If you haven't got an adviser, here are details on how you can find one.

• 0370 333 1500

Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm excluding Bank holidays.

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