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Your guide to investing

Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme

This guide is intended to help you if:

  • you're thinking about transferring your pension pot into the Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme and want to find out more about the investment options that are available to you. Remember, transferring your pension pot might not be right for everyone.
  • you've already transferred your pension pot into the Mastertrust and want to change the way it's currently invested.

When you put money into your pension, we invest it with the aim of helping your savings grow.

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to investing your money into a pension. And it can all seem a bit daunting if you’re new to investing or haven’t had a pension plan before.

How will my savings be invested if I don't make a choice?

As a member of the Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme your pension pot will remain invested in funds that allow you to take money from it on a regular or an occasional basis (from your selected retirement age). Before transferring your pension pot Mastertrust Pension Access Scheme, you’ll have the option to choose the funds in which it will be invested.

Investment Pathways

You can either choose from one or more of four investment pathways, and we’ll invest your pension for you in a way that supports your choice, or you can choose your own funds. Find out more about investment pathways. If you want to choose your own funds you can invest your pension pot in any of the funds currently available. You can also change the funds in which your pension pot is invested at any time, once you have joined the Mastertrust. 

Transaction costs

You may incur an irregular cost, known as a transaction cost, when buying or selling units in our funds. You can find out more about transaction costs by visiting legalandgeneral.com/transactioncosts.

Find a fund to suit you

Before you decide if you want to choose a different investment fund to your default you should understand more about investment funds.

Asset classes

Investment funds invest in a range of different asset classes. Company shares, commercial property, bonds and cash.

Shares and property prices can be very volatile. This means they can go down or up in value sharply. Sometimes, by large amounts compared to other less volatile investments. Property prices may take a long time to recover. In return, they both offer the potential for growth over the long term

Bonds are sensitive to interest rate movements and inflation. The value of your investment is likely to fall if interest rates rise and could increase if interest rates fall. The have moderate to high volatility.

Cash is widely regarded as the least volatile investment asset. Although it is less likely to go up and down in value, investment returns are likely to be low. If interest earned fails to keep pace with the rate of inflation, the value of your money will fall in real terms, although any fall in value is likely to be limited.

Risk versus Reward

Your preferred level of risk can have a big impact on your savings. Be aware you may not get back as much as you put in.

Before making an investment selection, you should be comfortable with the amount of risk you wish to take. You should consider how long you will be investing for and how you feel about the value going down and up. As well as how much the value changes and how often.

Our guide to risk and reward will help you understand how you feel about investment risk and how you might identify with one of our five customer risk profiles.

Find out more about investing by using the links below:

Other ways to invest your pension

You can find out more about the different types of investments available to you.

Your investment range

For more detail on your investment options

Learn more about investing

Some of the things you should be thinking about when making your own choices.

Responsible investing

Find out how our investment management business incorporates a responsible investing approach, considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in their investment process.

Planning tools

Our planning tools can help you manage your pension savings.