22nd May 2023

S-Invest Plus, one way to diversify your savings

The news on the financial markets, inflation and geopolitical disruptions have left customers feeling unsettled and insecure. Why is it important to keep a cool head and think carefully about a savings strategy that diversifies your investments? We asked Tânia Rei, branch manager in Diekirch, why she recommends the S-Invest Plus savings plan, an investment option that meets this need for savings diversification.

S-Invest Plus, one way to diversify your savings

When the markets are highly volatile, I recommend a product like S-Invest Plus to my customers, with the recommendation to invest small amounts of capital instead of one large amount.

This allows them:

to remain flexible

Possibility of selling all or part of the investment at any time, free of charge. Possibility of reinvesting at any time.

to cancel their standing order at any time

in case of short-term projects or unforeseen events (e.g. a major car repair or a higher than expected bill)

 

Through regular small investments and close contact with their advisor, the client can take advantage of market fluctuations and buy more by taking advantage of falling prices.

It’s a little like buying when there are sales.

Historically, in times of crisis and falling markets, investing in the stock market can be very attractive and, at times like that, it is even more important to diversify your savings.

What’s important for the customer is that we “work” only with the money he has set aside, for which he has long-term vision and which he is investing in order to carry out a plan in the future.

How do you assess the customer’s risks?

I think the only risks the customer faces are:

  • investing too large an amount;

  • being forced to sell at the wrong time.

So I need to work with my customer to carefully analyse how much of his capital he will be able to invest without needing to access it in an emergency.

Tânia REI, branch manager à Diekirch

Tânia, a customer can start with some initial capital or just with the intention to save regularly. What do you advise?

Imagine a customer who wants to invest EUR 30,000 of his EUR 100,000 in capital. It’s his first investment and he’s a bit lost and upset about the news, so I recommend that he first invests a smaller amount to start with in order to gain some experience.

S-Invest Plus’s clear advantage is that advice is part of the product. This means I can adapt the strategy to my customer’s highly individual needs. Every customer is unique and we have a number of resources, such as the Suitability Test, to help us adapt to our customers’ needs.

We can therefore consider the customer’s personal preferences, in terms of sustainability for example, where we have a 100% green option, among others.

With S-Invest Plus, we invest in funds in different sectors, allowing the customer to:

  • diversify his portfolio;

  • minimise his risk(s) of loss;

  • invest in different currencies;

  • benefit from the average purchase price.

Personally, I think that S-Invest Plus’s main advantage is that the minimum monthly investment amount is EUR 40, which means you can take your first steps as investor, even with small amounts.

Tânia, what do you see as your main obligations as an advisor?

My personal motto is “your security and trust are important to me”. I like to help my customer diversify his savings and I am committed to “limiting his risks”. Sometimes I even must hold my customer back when he wants to “put too much money on one horse”.  

It is very important to diversify one’s savings and to invest in several different products:  

A savings account, to have quick access to his savings;  

One or more term deposits with different terms, for example, 1 month, 6 months, 12 months;  

And a savings plan such as the flexible S-Invest Plus product because the assets invested are not locked up. This is not a contract, there are no restrictions, and the customer can resell some or all his investments at any time to take advantage of market fluctuations and, of course, of upturns.  

My role, as an advisor, is also to give young customers long-term investment options through S-Invest Plus.  

I think the advantage of the S-Invest Plus investment plan is having a real project from the beginning. A customer who is still a student may want to save for a first home, a car, a big trip, or something else. I advise him to save to make his dream come true! Then we agree that he will not touch this investment and that he will let his money grow.  

Many customers do not know how to build up long-term savings. They leave their money in a savings account and end up spending it over time.  

Investing in a savings plan like S-Invest Plus often encourages them to be more disciplined about saving.

Tânia REI

With all the insecurities of the moment and all the information about promising investments on social media, why do you recommend investing in S-Invest Plus with Spuerkeess?

Beware of investment promises on social media! 

For European banks, strict regulations were put in place and strengthened after the 2008 financial crisis: directives like UCITS, whose main objective is investor protection, and MiFID II, which regulates the financial markets.  

Our Spuerkeess advisors seek to provide customers with comprehensive and transparent information. Personally, I even feel a financial literacy obligation: an informed customer will make better choices for his money.  

Our S-Invest Plus product is transparent and, apart from subscription charges, there are no hidden fees. Once a year, you will also receive a clear and transparent report that shows you how your investment is doing in a way that is easy to understand.  

And above all:  

  • Spuerkeess is a lead manager bank, which means an investment bank that manages the share subscription process in collaboration with other syndicate banks;  

  • The Luxembourg State is Spuerkeess’s sole shareholder; 

 

Thanks for sharing, Tânia. 

Disclaimer: 

The product presents a risk of capital loss. The redemption value may be less than the amount initially invested. The performance data include the fees associated with financial instruments as well as management fees.

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