Stocks & Shares ISA

You can open a Cash ISA and a Stocks & Shares ISA, in addition to a Lifetime ISA if you are eligible, in a single tax year. But you have to make sure that all the combined contributions for that year don’t exceed your total annual ISA allowance. It’s possible to hold ISAs from previous years too, as it’s only the contributions you make to your ISA in the current tax year that go towards this year’s annual ISA allowance.

Please note that tax rules may change and depend on individual circumstances.

Cash ISAs are basically savings accounts available to anyone aged 16 and over, where all the interest paid is free of income tax. Unlike a Stocks & Shares ISA the value of your capital can’t fall. There are two types of Cash ISAs:

• Instant Access – you have direct access to your money and can make withdrawals whenever you need to.
• Fixed Rate Cash ISAs – encourage you to lock your money away for a set period of time. Generally, the longer it’s in there, the more potential there is for a higher rate of interest.

A Stocks & Shares ISA, like this one, is designed more for longer-term investments and is available to anyone aged 18 years old and over. You may find it delivers a better return over time than a Cash ISA because it’s invested in a range of ways – but that all depends on the performance of the asset types your money may be invested in. The value of your investments can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the full amount originally invested.

Yes, you can transfer an existing ISA into our Stocks & Shares ISA and then continue to save for your future with Foresters Friendly Society.

Moving an existing ISA over to a Stocks & Shares ISA invested with Foresters Friendly Society is easy. If you are opening a new ISA with us, all you need to do is select the Transfer option in the online application. You’ll need to download and complete the Transfer form, then send this to us by post. We’ll then contact your existing provider and let you know when the funds have been added to your Foresters Stocks & Shares ISA.

If you are transferring into an ISA you already hold with us, you can start this process online by clicking here, providing your existing Foresters ISA policy number, and selecting Transfer in the payments section. You’ll find a Transfer form there which you’ll need to complete and return to us by post. We’ll then do the rest and let you know when the transferred funds have been added to your Foresters ISA.

To talk about transferring an ISA in more detail, call our UK-based team on 0800 622 417 or email us at [email protected] and we’ll be more than happy to help.

The money you pay into the Stocks & Shares ISA is invested in Foresters’ consistently well performing With Profits Order Insurance Fund. The fund’s aim is to deliver investment growth for you. Dependent on the performance of Foresters’ fund, there is the potential for annual bonuses and a possible final bonus to be added to your ISA.

Once invested, your money is spread across various types of investments including property, equities, cash and UK government bonds. This is done to reduce risk and increase the potential for healthier returns. You don’t need to be an investment expert – fund managers will handle the fund for you.

For the latest information on the investment strategy for Foresters’ With Profits fund, please see the Principles and Practices of Financial Management (PPFM).

As a friendly society, it’s particularly important to Foresters that your money is managed in an ethical and responsible way. As signatory of the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) it demonstrates their commitment to responsible investment, to reducing their impact on the environment and mitigating climate change risk in their investment portfolios.

When you open a plan, you can be confident that investing with Foresters means your money will be invested in a trustworthy and environmentally conscious way. The PRI is the world’s leading supporter of responsible investment and promotes a better understanding of the investment implications of environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors.

Find out more about the 6 PRI principles Foresters have signed up to here.

Rather than receiving interest your investment has the potential to grow through the addition of bonuses which depend on the performance of Foresters’ Order Insurance Fund. Any profits may be used to award an annual bonus to your ISA and possibly a final bonus when you eventually withdraw your money.

Foresters’ Order Insurance Fund has paid annual bonuses on the Stocks & Shares ISA for the past 19 years.

• In 2022 the annual bonus rate was 1.25%.

This annual bonus is applied to the amounts you have invested, less the amounts you have withdrawn, and any annual bonuses that have been previously added.

We recommend you read our Principles and Practices of Financial Management (PPFM) to find out more about the addition of bonuses and how Foresters’ Order Insurance Fund is managed.

From time to time, the product might change slightly to meet the needs of our policyholders. This may affect the timings and amount of any bonuses in the future. Therefore, the above bonus rate is provided for information purposes only. It shouldn’t be considered as an indication of likely future performance.

Every year there is a management charge to pay – it’s set at 2% of your ISA’s value. It’s there to cover our costs in administrating the plan for you. We’ll always deduct the charge before we declare any bonuses. This way there are no additional fees for you to pay and our bonus rates are declared after the charge has been taken. Although this charge could increase in time, we guarantee it’ll never be more than 3% of the value of your ISA in any one year.

For more details, please read the relevant Stocks & Shares ISA Key Information Document and Important Information.

You can make regular and one-off withdrawals just as long as the remaining balance of your ISA does not fall below £500. After two years you can make regular withdrawals at fixed points in time such as monthly or quarterly, and one off withdrawals can be made at any time.

Please take a few minutes to read the Important Information document for further information on making withdrawals.

As a with profits investment, your ISA will benefit from the potential for growth the longer it is kept invested. However, you can cash it in at any time. What you get back will depend on how much you’ve invested, any amounts you’ve withdrawn and any annual bonuses.

In good investment conditions you may also receive a final bonus. However, in less favourable conditions, a Market Value Reduction (MVR) may be applied which will reduce the ISA’s value and may mean you get back less than was paid in.

For more details please take a few minutes to read the Important Information document.

Of course. If you have a change of heart and want to close your ISA within the first 30 days, simply complete the cancellation form and return it to us.

After the 30-day cancellation period is over you can cash-in your ISA whenever you choose. However, due to the nature of the investment and the length of time you may have invested for, you may find you get back less than you have paid in.

For more information please see the Important Information document.

If you’re still unsure if this plan is suitable for you, then you should seek advice from a Financial Adviser. Please be aware that you may have to pay for this advice.