Family Investments to offer UK’s first Junior ISA available from 1^st November 2011
The Family Investments Junior ISA is simple, accessible and affordable for all families
Premiums start from just £10 per month

Family Investments, the UK’s award winning Child Trust Fund provider, has confirmed its commitment to the new Junior ISA by becoming the first company to outline the details of its Junior ISA account for children.

The announcement follows confirmation of product regulation by the Treasury which paves the way for providers to offer the Junior ISA from November 1^st. Family Investments will ensure that its account is open for business from day one.

The Family Investments Junior ISA will be an investment based Junior ISA with monthly premiums from just £10. The low monthly premium makes the product affordable for the vast majority of parents and offers access to stock market growth over the long-term.

John Reeve, Chief Executive of Family Investments said: “Children’s savings are a long-term financial commitment and to help growth potential it is important to invest in the stock market which historically offers greater returns than cash.

“Having conducted research* amongst parents we know that the majority want to generate a reasonable return with 74% of the parents we surveyed saying that they wanted their kid’s savings to outperform a cash savings account. As a result we are offering an investment Junior ISA instead of a cash account to provide the greatest potential for growth.

“We welcome the government’s announcement today that the annual contribution limit for the Junior ISA will be higher than expected at £3,600, and that the limit for Child Trust Funds will also increase from £1,200 to £3,600 per year from November 1^st 2011. However, we do understand that many parents have modest means and may not be able to take advantage of these higher limits, that’s why we’ve designed our Junior ISA to enable customers to invest a low monthly amount starting at just £10.

“Combining the low premium with an investment in the stockmarket will help ensure that children born today have the best possible chance of entering adulthood with a financial asset to meet unprecedented costs such as new university tuition fees and deposits for a first home.”

As many parents thinking about investing for their child’s future want to do so ethically, Family Investments will also offer an ethical Junior ISA option. Both products will allow parents to manage the account online.

Junior ISAs will be available to anyone aged under eighteen who has missed out on the Child Trust Fund. The proceeds of every Junior ISA will be held in the child’s name and will automatically roll over into an adult investment ISA when the child is 18.

Family Investments is a mutual with over 35 years experience of managing money on behalf of families and is the UK’s largest CTF provider managing 1.2 million accounts. The Junior ISA will fill the gap left by the CTF and will be particularly welcomed by the parents of 700,000 children born between January and November who have just missed out on the CTF.

Parents who would like to pre-register their interest in a Junior ISA in order to take out the product from November 1^st can do so here – www.familyinvestments.co.uk

Family Investments’ Junior ISA – key product features:

An investment Junior ISA invested in a balanced fund
Low monthly premiums starting at just £10
Parents can manage their Junior ISA account online which allows them to download a statement, manage contributions and check investment performance.
Family Investments Child Trust Fund customers, who also open a Junior ISA account for another child, can manage both accounts online with the same login.
An ethical version will also be available

Junior ISA features as announced today by the UK Government, which will also be available from the Family Investments Junior ISA account:

Annual tax efficient allowance of £3,600
Account must be opened by a parent or legal guardian
Any member of the family, including grandparents, can make a contribution
Proceeds will roll into an adult ISA when the child turns eighteen
Annual contribution limit for the Child Trust Fund has raised from £1,200 to £3,600 in line with the Junior ISA

– Ends –

Notes to editors

* Family Investments research amongst 700 parents – Customer Expectations Survey April 2011

** Family Balanced International Fund managed by Santander Asset Management

About Family Investments

Family Investments is dedicated to being the trusted supplier of financial solutions for the family.
Family Investments currently looks after around £3.2 billion of family money for more than 1.75 million people in the UK
Family Investments is a mutual with over 35 years experience providing investments for families. They are owned by their customers which means that they are directly answerable to them
Family Investments is the UK’s favourite Child Trust Fund provider with 1.2 million Child Trust Fund accounts
Their Child Trust Fund was voted best at the 2010 Moneyfacts awards
Family Investments offers an Ethical CTF which tracks performance of companies included in the FTSE4Good UK 50 Total Return Index
Their expertise is widely trusted and recognised, which is why we provide the Child Trust Funds for these high street names; Barclays Bank, Post Office, Sainsbury’s Bank, Yorkshire Bank, Clydesdale Bank, Northern Bank, Skipton Building Society and National Childbirth Trust and additionally provide Post Office ISAs
Family Investments won the Business in the Community Award in the 2009 Sussex Business Awards. This recognised Family’s highly successful community and volunteering work
Family Investments is the trading name of Family Assurance Friendly Society and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

Visit our website: www.family.co.uk