Friends Provident adds 18 new funds to its Wealth Solutions bond

Friends Provident, the FTSE 100 life and pensions company, has added a further 18 new funds to its recently launched FRIENDS Wealth Solutions Bond, as part of its plans to boost its wealth management offering.

The newly extended range, now available, will offer clients an exciting new area of investment with Absolute Return funds from BlackRock and Insight Investment, as well as many other high quality single fund solutions, and further choices for socially responsible investors from Schroder and F&C. From mid-December investors will also be able to choose from a select range of funds, which provide regular natural income distribution.

Christine Foyster, head of wealth management marketing at Friends Provident, said: “We launched the FRIENDS Wealth Solutions Bond in a move to streamline our products into a ‘One Bond Vision’. These additional funds have been hand picked in response to customer feedback, and to reflect current needs in the market.”

Alex Hoctor-Duncan, Head of UK Retail at BlackRock said: “We are delighted that the BlackRock UK Absolute Alpha fund has been selected by Friends Provident for inclusion in their FRIENDS Wealth Solutions Bond product. The fund has achieved exactly what we set out to deliver – consistent low volatility returns and the recent introduction of daily dealing means the fund is now more accessible in the market. Launched only two and a half years ago, this is a great testament to the manager Mark Lyttleton and his stock picking skills.”

Martyn Gilbey, director, third party distribution, Insight Investment said: “Insight is committed to developing innovative solutions to suit the investment needs and risk profiles of investors. Volatility in global markets has underlined the need for solutions that aim to cushion investors against such market movements. In our view, the case has definitely now been made for absolute returns as the way in which investors can meet future goals and we are delighted that investors in the FRIENDS Wealth Solutions Bond can now benefit from access to Insight’s Diversified range of funds.”

The FRIENDS Provident Wealth Solutions Bond has 24 investment partners offering more than 130 funds.