US Growth Trust
Growth from the world’s largest economy, the USA
Good for...
Giving investors access to the world's largest economy and a chance to invest in companies which are known all around the world. The fund also allows investors an opportunity to spread their investment risk outside of the UK to diversify their portfolio.
Nothing in life is risk-free, but you should remember this is a different type of investment to a bank or building society account. The value of an investment can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.
“The fund allows me to invest in the world’s largest economy, the USA, and some of the best US companies, who are leaders in their industries. For example, I invest in Apple, who are at the forefront of digital media, with their iPod and iTunes digital music store, and the revolutionary iPad and iPhone.”
Linda Desforges, Fund Manager
Fund detail
Launched |
19th February 2001 |
|---|---|
Fund manager profile |
Linda is Head of External Funds and is a key member of the asset allocation team; she has been managing customer portfolios since 1993. In 2003, Linda was appointed Head of North American Equities and in 2006 expanded her experience to cover a broad range of asset classes including UK and overseas equity, bonds, property and alternatives. |
Risk profile |
Adventurous |
Fund aims and objectives |
This fund looks to increase the value of your money over the medium to long term by investing in the US markets. The fund invests in some of the world’s largest and best-known companies like FedEx and Amazon which have excellent long-term growth prospects. |
You should read this brochure before you invest in any of our funds:
(Documentation will open as a PDF in a new window).
Fund facts
Who can invest?
You must be over 18 to invest. This investment can be held jointly by up to four named people.
Investment limits
You can invest:
- a lump sum (minimum £1000)
- regular monthly contributions (minimum £50)
- or a combination of both.
There is no maximum investment limit, but if you wish to invest in a Stocks & Shares ISA, the total ISA allowance is £10,680. If you wish to invest more than this, simply choose to invest part of your investment inside the ‘ISA wrapper’ and the rest outside the ‘ISA wrapper’ in a unit trust.
Flexibility
There is no fixed investment term and you can choose to increase or decrease your monthly payments, as long as you let us know in advance. And you can even take up to two ‘payment holidays’ in a year if you like.
Income
You can receive an income from this investment on a half-yearly basis. You can choose to add this income back to the fund for greater capital growth or you can receive a cheque/bank transfer into your account.
Withdrawals
You can make partial withdrawals from your investment but you should remember that making any withdrawals will not only reduce the value of your investment, but also any income you receive from it.
Valuations
We will send you a half-yearly statement to let you know how your investment is performing, or you can request a valuation of your investment at any time by calling us on 08457 46 46 46.
You can also check the daily unit price online.
Latest information
How has US Growth Trust been performing?
Take a look at the latest fund factsheet:
(Documentation will open as a PDF in a new window).
- US Growth Trust
fund factsheet (PDF - 0.2Mb)
Remember that past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance and the value of an investment in this fund can go down as well as up.
Performance since launch
US Growth Trust was launched in 2001. This graph shows the percentage change in value of a lump sum investment with income reinvested, on a buying to selling (offer to bid) basis, from 30/09/01 to 30/09/11. (Source: Lipper).
Annual performance for the past 5 years
| 30/09/10 - 30/09/11 | 30/09/09 - 30/09/10 | 30/09/08 - 30/09/09 | 30/09/07 - 30/09/08 | 30/09/06 - 30/09/07 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fund | 0.0 | 7.9 | 6.0 | -16.3 | 3.3 |
The table shows the percentage growth for single year periods, bid to bid price (selling price to selling price), with income reinvested and no initial charges.
Sector mix (as at 30th November 2011)
Fees, charges and taxation
When you invest in US Growth Trust, as either a unit trust investment, or a Stocks & Shares ISA, we will look after and manage your money, to give it the best chance of achieving your investment goals.
There are charges made for this - which are a percentage of the value of your investment at the time.
Here is a summary of the important information:
| Charge (% of the investment value at the time) | What’s this for | How and when is it deducted? | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial charge | If you apply online without receiving financial advice from us. (You may also request a postal application by telephoning us). | 1.5% of your initial investment | The charge for opening a unit trust (or Stocks & Shares ISA) with us. |
One-off charge on ‘day one’ of your investment. You buy units at the buying price and sell them at the selling price. The difference between the two is the initial charge. |
| AND | Annual Management Charge |
1.5% per year | The annual cost of us managing your money and investing it on your behalf. |
Daily, from the income earned on your investment. |
| AND | Additional Management Charge |
About 0.1% per year | For the additional costs of managing the Trust, such as the Trustees fees and audit expenses. |
Once a year, from the income earned on your investment. |
We aim to keep these charges to a minimum and we will notify you if there are any changes to these.
What about tax?
You will find more information about taxation in our brochure, Important Information about the Co-operative Investments Unit Trusts and ISA. You should read this before you invest to make sure you understand your tax position and if you need further guidance, you should seek specialist advice.
- If you invest in this Trust through a stocks & shares ISA, you will have no further tax to pay on your investment.
- If you invest in this Trust outside the ‘ISA wrapper’, any income you earn from an investment in this Trust is taxed as an ‘interest distribution’ so you will pay tax on it subject to your personal income tax liability. You may also have to pay capital gains tax when you sell your units. This will depend on whether you have exceeded your annual capital gains tax exemption.
