I have a love-hate relationship with unit trusts. The idea behind them is amazing — but funds in this country come with charges that are too high. I long for the day when a true low-cost fund manager like Vanguard comes to town.
Anyway, unit trusts are similar to Amanah Saham. A big group of investors (you and me) put their money into a gigantic fund, then the fund manager invests in stuff and hopefully makes money (and still takes his/her fees regardless of whether the fund goes up or down).
There are a huge number of unit trusts in the market, investing in lots of different things. So whether you wanna invest in South American bonds, European banks or commodities like Oil/Gold — you have lots of options. Take your time to choose a good fund and fund manager. (Hint: historically it’s usually the one who charges you the least fees.)
p.s. In case the huge number of options confuses you, Warren Buffett suggests the average investor would do well just investing in low-cost index funds.
p.p.s. Sometimes when you buy insurance, they’ll tell you there’s an “investment” or “savings” portion. Well, this portion is usually invested into unit trusts, plus a big fee
Typical Returns :
Because there are unit trusts for so many different things, it’s hard to give an “estimated return.” Also, the riskier/more volatile things we get into — the harder it is to estimate. Remember, even if something has given you 8% for the past 100 years, there’s no guarantee it won’t crash tomorrow.