Appointing us as agent explained

If you hold existing investments, you will have either purchased them directly from the investment company or via an intermediary or agent like ourselves. Either way, once you’ve made your investments, you have the choice to either stick with the original provider/agent or to appoint a new agent to act as a ‘servicing agent’ for those investments.

Appointing us as your agent is simple. There’s no cost, no catch, no obligation and no risk and your investments are not affected in any way. All you need to do is complete a short form instructing the investment company to appoint us as your agent and send it to us. We then process that instruction, and assuming your investments pay renewal commission, we will offer you a combination of a one-off cash rebate and services which include free fund monitoring and valuation reports sent to you on a regular six-monthly basis.

Your investments will always be held with the relevant provider and never by us as we do not handle clients' money.

In the event that you no longer require our services, you are free to transfer away from us at any time.

For a full list of benefits you will receive for appointing us as agent, please click here.

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Appointing us as agent Frequently Asked Questions

• Why should I use Elson Associates?
• Is Elson Associates’ service suitable for everyone?
• Will my investments be affected in any way?
• What happens when you receive my Agency Appointment Forms?
• How can I maximise the value of my cashback payment?
• Can I use Fund Supermarkets?
• Are there any conditions attached to the cashback?
• Are there any investments which do not pay renewal commission?
• If we gain, who loses?
• Any other questions?

• Why should I use Elson Associates?
• We have been arranging investment discounts since 1994 and are today one of the UK’s major investment discount houses with over 80,000 investing clients. We give choice and value for money to our clients. Alongside this, we offer personal service in a way that continues to reflect our family founded origins.

• Is Elson Associates’ service suitable for everyone?
• Elson Associates does not offer advice. Our service is designed for investors who are happy to make their own investment decisions.

• Will my investments be affected in any way?
• If you appoint Elson Associates as the agent for your investments, they will not be affected in any way. You will not incur any cost and you will still receive information from the fund managers as usual.

• What happens when you receive my Agency Appointment Forms?
• When we receive your forms, we will contact the fund managers to confirm that future renewal commission will be paid to Elson Associates (it will in about 90% of cases) and ask them to provide details of your investments so that we can send your annual fund information. When all the fund managers have replied, this could take up to a month, we will send you a confirmation letter with all the details.

• How can I maximise the value of my cashback payment?
• Fund managers pay renewal commission on almost all funds held in ISAs. Also, it is increasingly common for them to pay renewal commission on funds held outside of ISAs, i.e. Unit Trusts and OEICs. If you are unsure as to the type of investment that you hold and would like clarification, please telephone us on 0800 0961111. We cannot promise that you will benefit from payments on all your investments, but it is in all our interests to maximise the value of your cashback.

• Can I use Fund Supermarkets?
• If you have already consolidated your investments using a fund supermarket, you can still benefit from our offer. You can use the Agency Appointment Forms for Cofunds, Fidelity FundsNetwork, Skandia Multifunds and Standard Life Fundzone.

• Are there any conditions attached to the cashback?
• With this offer you really are getting something for nothing and we promise to pay you the cashback as explained. We are also committed to providing you with free ongoing services. However, as our rebate is paid to you up-front, usually before any commission is collected, we do require that you retain Elson Associates as your agent for a minimum period of 1 year. Of course, you are free to transfer your investments away or cash them in at any time, but if you do so within 1 year, we reserve the right to claw-back any monies paid to you. You are however free to switch funds or transfer between companies so long as you retain us as the servicing agent and the same level of renewal commission is being paid.

• Are there any investments which do not pay renewal commission?
• There are certain products that do not pay or transfer renewal commission. Please do not send Agency Appointment Forms for any of the following:
• Bank/Building Society Accounts
• Investment Trusts
• Life Policies
• Pensions
• Single Company Shares
• With Profit/Investment Bonds

• If we gain, who loses?
• If you decide to accept our offer, somebody is going to lose out. There are two possibilities:
1. You originally arranged your investment directly with a fund manager. In this case, the fund manager will lose out. Fund managers regard renewal commission as payments to give customers ongoing service and no fund manager has ever raised the issue of lost revenue with us.
2. An IFA or Discount Broker arranged your investment. The IFA or Discount Broker that arranged your investment may not be happy if it loses future renewal commission. But renewal commission is paid to brokers in order to provide customers with ongoing service. You can compare renewal commission with the service that your IFA or Discount broker is giving you. If you are happy that you are getting value for money, you might not want to accept our offer. But you do have a choice. So, why not try our service out? You have nothing to lose, but potentially a great deal to gain.

• Any other questions?
• If you have any other questions, please call using our FREEPHONE number 0800 0961111, otherwise proceed to our agency transfer download pages to download your forms.

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