AIC launches Knowledge base for financial advisers
Six guides to investment companies written for investment professionals.
The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has enhanced its educational materials for financial advisers and other investment professionals. The AIC’s new Knowledge base is a free resource consisting of six guides covering topics such as discounts and premiums, gearing, income, regulation, tax, platform availability and costs, REITs and VCTs.
“The free training and educational materials we offer financial advisers are an important part of our vision that investment companies should be understood and considered by every investor.”
Nick Britton, Research Director at the Association of Investment Companies (AIC)
A full list of topics covered by the guides can be found below. They can be accessed by financial advisers who are registered on the AIC’s website, a simple process that takes less than one minute (to register, go to https://www.theaic.co.uk/financial-advisers/register).
The resource forms part of the AIC’s financial adviser centre, which also contains e-learning courses for investment professionals within Learning Zone. Professionals can gain CPD and work towards completing the Investment Company Accreditation, a certificate from the AIC demonstrating their knowledge of investment companies.
Nick Britton, Research Director at the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), said: “The free training and educational materials we offer financial advisers are an important part of our vision that investment companies should be understood and considered by every investor. More than 1,500 advice firms use investment companies for their clients and we are always happy to help advisers who want to learn more.”
Knowledge base: the six guides and the topics they cover
| Guide | Key topics covered |
|---|---|
| Introducing investment companies | An overview of investment companies and how they are different from other funds. |
| Why use investment companies? | Income advantages, performance benefits, access to less liquid assets and the risks of investment companies. |
| Structural features of investment companies | Discounts and premiums, gearing, governance, trading on the stock market, income features. |
| Practical considerations when using investment companies | Fees, costs and expenses; researching investment companies; platform availability and costs. |
| Regulation and tax | How investment companies are regulated; investment companies and the NMPI rules; tax issues. |
| REITs, VCTs and non-UK investment companies | Non-UK investment companies vs UK investment trusts, real estate investment trusts (REITs), venture capital trusts (VCTs). |
You can visit Knowledge base here.
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Notes to editors
- The Association of Investment Companies (AIC) represents a broad range of investment trusts and VCTs, collectively known as investment companies. The AIC’s vision is for closed-ended investment companies to be understood and considered by every investor. The AIC has 308 members and the industry has total assets of approximately £274 billion.
- For more information about the AIC and investment trusts, visit the AIC’s website.
- Disclaimer: The information contained in this press release does not constitute investment advice or personal recommendation and it is not an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity. You should seek independent financial and, if appropriate, legal advice as to the suitability of any investment decision. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of investment company shares, and the income from them, can fall as well as rise. You may not get back the full amount invested and, in some cases, nothing at all.
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