For Immediate Release: Tuesday 27 February 2001

HOW TO INVEST WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK: AUTIF'S FREE GUIDE TO MONTHLY SAVINGS

Unit trust and OEIC savings plans are a highly efficient way of building up capital with just a small monthly outlay. Savers don’t need to invest a lump sum in order to take advantage of the growth potential of the stock market, but can invest regularly, often with less than £50 per month. To help investors understand the benefits of regular savings, AUTIF has updated its free fact sheet, Monthly Savings – A guide to building up capital in investment funds.

Over the long term, investment funds have historically produced much better overall returns than deposit accounts. Investing £50 per month in, one of the more conservative sectors, such as UK Equity Income, the average fund would have given you a return of £3,725 after five years and £10,762 after ten years. A similar investment in a building society deposit account would have risen to £3,252 and £6,991 respectively.

Clare Arber, PR Manager at AUTIF commented:

"For those of us who do not have the luxury of investing a large lump sum, regular monthly saving is the ideal alternative. Not only is it an affordable way to invest, but it can also help to smooth out the effects of fluctuations on the stock market. The price you pay for your units may be higher or lower depending on the level of the market on that particular day."

AUTIF’s fact sheets are available free from the Unit Trust Information Service (UTIS) on +44 (0)20 8207 1361. Literature can also be obtained on the AUTIF web site.

For further information please contact:

Clare Arber, PR Manager, AUTIF - +44 (0)20 7831 0898
Helen Stephenson, AUTIF - +44 (0)20 7831 0898