If you are considering investing in a CTF account for your son or daughter, there are several things you should understand about how the fund works.
CTF Basics
The process is relatively simple. First of all, any child born on 1st September 2002 or later that receives Child Benefit will automatically be sent a voucher from the Government. As the child's parent, you can then decide where you would like to invest the fund on your son or daughter's behalf. You must choose from a list of select financial organisations. Once the fund has been invested somewhere, you can add money to it as you see fit. Money can be added in a one-off payment or as a monthly payment. You cannot, however, add more than £1,200 each year.
When your child turns 18, he or she will receive the contents of the fund in a lump sum payment. Under the current legislation, this sum will be completely free of all forms of tax. No amount of money can be withdrawn from the CTF account prior to the child's 18th birthday.
As the child's parent, you can choose to invest the money on your child's behalf in one of three types of accounts. CTF accounts can either be shares accounts, savings accounts, or stakeholder accounts. A shares account is an account in which the value of the fund is used to purchase shares which can go up or down in value over time. A savings account is simply an account where the value of the fund remains in cash form with fixed interest. Finally, a stakeholder account is an account in which the value of the fund is first used to purchase shares but then switches to cash with interest a few years before the fund matures.
New Legislation
Recent changes were made to the legislation regarding Child Trust Funds. In May 2010, the government announced that payments to such accounts would be reduced and eventually discontinued. As a result, only children born before January 2011 can qualify for these accounts. In addition, those children born between August 2010 and December 2010 will receive reduced Government vouchers.
Originally when a child reached age 7, the Government would make a deposit into the child's CTF account. However, under the new legislation, those children turning 7 after 31 July 2010 won't receive these additional payments. However, even under the new legislation all children born prior to January 2011 will retain their CTF accounts under the original rules even if they are not eligible for the full amount of Government vouchers. Parents, friends, family, and the child can all continue to contribute up to a total of £1,200 per year until the child reaches the age of 18, and no withdrawals can be made before this time.
Conclusion
For those families whose children were born during the appropriate time frame, the Child Trust Fund is an excellent way to ensure that your child starts their adult life with some security. The first deposit into the fund will be given to you by the Government, but where you invest the money and how much you add to it will be entirely up to you. You can choose to invest in three different types of accounts, and you can add up to £1,200 per year, but remember that no withdrawals can be made before the child's 18th birthday.
If you are interested in reading more information about child trust funds and investment plans then please visit the following links:
Scottish Friendly - mutual societies such as Scottish Friendly supply financial services products. Mutual societies are owned by customers, or members.
Association of Financial Mutuals - you can find out useful information about mutual and friendly societies by visiting http://www.financialmutuals.org/
Comments :
Post a Comment