Lump Sum Investments

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Lump Sum Investments

If you are lucky enough to have a lump sum to invest then it can pose a number of questions that need careful consideration.

The first is what sort of investment to choose. Should it be cash, national savings products, bonds, shares, property or maybe alternative investments?

A second question might be, how much do I invest in short term instruments such as instant access accounts so that I can withdraw it quickly if I need the money?

A third question to ask, if you are an ethical investor, is once the first two questions are answered, where can I place my lump sum so that it will be invested in a socially responsible and perhaps environmentally friendly way?

As far as cash savings are concerned, this would mean saving with a bank or building society that has a strong ethical policy.

When it comes to investment funds the manager to choose is one that specialises in ethical investment. Typically such fund managers will use three broad criteria to select the companies they invest in:

• Humanist - where companies behave in a moral way, for example in not dealing with oppressive regimes, are not involved with armaments, tobacco, alcohol, pornography or gambling

• The second criterion has to do with animals. A fund would not invest in companies that carry out tests on animals for example.

• Thirdly, the environment. fund would screen companies for good environmental practices and leave out those that behave irresponsibly.

Screening those companies that provide investment advice and other services to help you get the best out of your lump sum investment is the name of the game when it comes to investing it ethically.

• For details of the companies who specialise in socially responsible investments, see our providers' pages. Click here for details.