Case studies

Name: Alan and Susan

Occupation: School Principal and PR consultant

Age: 53 and 49

Situation: Retiring in 5-7 years

Their goal: Alan and Susan, having worked hard for many years, are looking forward to a retirement that is all about them. Travel and a holiday property are high on their priority list and, while they wish to see their money grow, they also want to feel secure that whatever lump sum they choose to invest remains safe.

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Investment approach and decision

• After determining how much and how long they were willing to invest, Alan and Susan began searching for potential investments that could meet their goals
• Recognising their need for medium-term financial products, they set about understanding the varying risks involved and reviewed a number of financial websites and products
• They discovered Barclays Investments offer a fixed term investment and learned that its features suited their objective to grow their money over the medium term without losing money
• After careful consideration, they put their money in a 6-year fixed term investment with Barclays, giving themselves the opportunity to make returns every year while ensuring that they would at the very least get their original investment back
• Additional returns depend on stock market performance and all investments carry some form of risk, but they were comfortable that their choice was a suitable match for their goals
• The online search and selection process was straightforward and they can now monitor their investment and top it up anytime they want

Afterwards

Now it’s about patience and commitment as Alan and Susan have effected a plan of action that could bring them closer to the life they want to live in retirement.

Please note: further investment considerations such as charges, tax and other risks have not been included in this case study.

Name: Amanda and Kevin

Occupation: Dentist and Nurse

Age: 39 and 36

Situation: Investing for their children’s education

Their goal: Amanda and Kevin have secure incomes but recognise they'll need a significant amount of additional money in the coming decade to get everything they want for themselves and their children.

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Investment approach and decision

• Amanda and Kevin wanted to set in motion an affordable 6- to 12-year plan that could help them pay university costs for their children aged 12 and 7
• They began researching investments and found that investing in funds had the potential to meet their goal
• They were pleased to discover a step-by-step process on the Barclays website to help them understand the differences between the investment funds Important information about risk, performance, fees and potential returns were all there on the screen and the selection process was straightforward
• They selected 2 Foundation range funds that fell in line with both their goal and the level of risk they were comfortable taking

Afterwards

Amanda and Kevin can track the progress of their investments online. They now feel that although risks remain they are not leaving their children’s education to chance and that they have a realistic solution to their goal.

Please note: further investment considerations such as charges, tax and other risks have not been included in this case study.

Name: Martin

Occupation: Public Sector Employee

Age: 40

Situation: Interested in starting his own business in 5 years

Goal: Martin would like to set up and run his own business and aims to enjoy the freedom of making his own decisions in the workplace.

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Investment approach and decision

• Martin was keen to commit to a well-structured plan that might get him the funds needed to start his business and to potentially retire early
• He knew he needed to strike a balance between keeping some of his capital secure and having the rest of it earn as much as possible
• He examined his investing options on the Barclays website and used the fund selector tool to select a portfolio of funds that contained a good balance of risk and reward
• He built a portfolio based on funds he understood and acknowledged that higher-return funds came with more risk
• He now has a portfolio he can monitor and top up or add to when he needs, giving him the kind of access and control he wants

Afterwards

Martin's choice of funds puts him on a clear path towards getting the returns he needs to secure his goal.

Please note: further investment considerations such as charges, tax and other risks have not been included in this case study.