Investments through AIA

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  1. #1

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    Investments through AIA

    I have a not insignificant chunk of my savings invested in funds mainly concentrated in assets in the Asian region through AIA, which I understand is a subsidiary of AIG.

    I just checked their value today and they are about 65% of what I paid for them in September last year - the surrender value is even less :/ (yes I know it pretty much reflects market performance I guess, am not looking for pity)

    Just wondering about the dangers of leaving my investments through them? I'm somewhat worried about their financial situation and don't know if it could mean I lose all of my investments through them. Cashing out is a bit of a worry too at this point in the market. I heard about the US gov bailout amount announced today but still am quite nervous. I have already been contacted by someone at Manulife and I can speak to him, my friend at AIA who helped me organise this, or my financial planner, but I am not sure if they will give unbiased views (my FP is linked to certain funds) and really I am hoping to get some independent views..

    Last edited by muse07; 17-09-2008 at 08:04 PM.

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by muse07:
    I have a not insignificant chunk of my savings invested .............
    Are you saying you do have a significant chunk or not???

  3. #3

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    Not insignificant.. I guess that means significant, but not the majority of my savings, thank goodness


  4. #4

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    Are the investments in AIA itself or did they simply place the investments on your behalf? If it's the latter then you have little to worry about. I'm sure prices will go down further but hang in there and consider it a longer term investment!


  5. #5

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    it doesnt hurt to move your investment to another bank. It's a lot easier doing it now than when shit hits the fan.


  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by muse07:
    I have a not insignificant chunk of my savings invested in .............
    She used a common turn of phrase. I don't understand your criticism.
    This is not english. Maybe acceptable in other languages.
    My question was not a criticism. Not everything is a critisim. I just want to clarify because "I have a not insignificant" makes no sense.

  7. #7

    muse07, let us clarify.

    Your financial planner is AIA. The funds you bought invest in stocks (or bonds) in the Asean region.

    So you essentially have two decisions to make: whether 1) to change your financial planner AIA to another firm; and 2) to redeem your fund investments or not.

    1. The parent company AIG has essentially been taken over by the FED, the central bank of the US. I doubt you can now find an financial institution with better security than that.

    2. Regarding the funds, you had bought them in 2007 when it was probably the peak of the performance of Asian-focused equity funds. Year to date, most Asian funds have mirrored the plunging performances of Asian stock indices, so the 35% fall you had suffered sounds about right. I am assuming you had bought into the funds directly and not a principal protected notes linked to these funds.

    If you have bought the funds directly, well, no one knows which direction the stock markets are going in future. So it depends on your level of tolerance if you want to cut your losses and redeem or hold on to them. If you have bought a structured version which offers some form of principal protection, holding on would be a better idea.

    Last edited by The BeeDees; 22-09-2008 at 03:27 PM.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by thundacatchergo:
    This is not english. Maybe acceptable in other languages.
    My question was not a criticism. Not everything is a critisim. I just want to clarify because "I have a not insignificant" makes no sense.
    Can't seem to find the poster who mentioned that it is a "common turn of phrase" as quoted in the above message, but yes, that is right (and in the English language) thanks.

    Googling the exact term "not insignificant amount", I just got 25,400 hits. This does not mean it may sound a bit funny to some people - I can accept that.

    A linguistic discussion of this phrase is here
    Variation in the Form and Use of ... - Google Book Search
    Last edited by muse07; 22-09-2008 at 10:34 PM.

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by The BeeDees:
    muse07, let us clarify.

    Your financial planner is AIA. The funds you bought invest in stocks (or bonds) in the Asean region.

    So you essentially have two decisions to make: whether 1) to change your financial planner AIA to another firm; and 2) to redeem your fund investments or not....
    Thanks for your input BeeDees, I think I will just stick with things at the moment and hang on and hope for the best at this point in time..
    Last edited by muse07; 22-09-2008 at 10:43 PM.