When you're first enrolled in a Smart Pension scheme, we invest your contributions into the Smart Growth - Medium risk investment option by default. This is a lifestage strategy designed to suit most of our members.
You can change where your pension savings are invested at any time, by going to the Funds tab in your account.
Using our lifestyle strategies
To make things easy, we can manage your investments for you in one of two lifestyle strategies. We'll keep an eye on your investments. As you get closer to your chosen retirement age, we'll move them into assets that are less likely to go up and down as much. All you need to do is tell us what level of risk you're prepared to take with your investments.
To change the strategy you're investing in, select the Investments button on the Your pension page and go to Change your investments. Then, choose We do it for you and tell us which lifestyle strategy you want to invest in from the following:
Smart Growth Fund – Higher Risk
Smart Growth Fund – Lower Risk
Managing your investments yourself
If you have the time and knowledge to manage your own investments, we have various funds you can choose from. These include funds that are:
invested in equities (shares in companies)
invested in bonds and gilts (loans to companies or governments)
invested in cash
invested in specific locations (such as UK/US only, emerging markets)
designed to protect your assets as you approach retirement
You can put all your pension savings into one fund, or split them across as many as you'd like.
To change the fund(s) your pension savings are invested in, select the Investments button on the Your pension page and go to Change your investments. Choose Do-it-yourself, and adjust the sliders on the page until you've allocated 100% of your contribution.
Ethical funds
Pensions are long term investments, so we give our members the option to invest for a future they want in retirement:
the Smart Ethical Global Equity Index Fund focuses on investing in sustainable companies.
the Smart Sharia Fund invests in a portfolio that meets Islamic investment principles.
You can invest in either of these funds by using the sliders on the investment fund page to allocate some or all of your contributions to them.
Keeping an eye on your investments
Your investments will fluctuate in value. Whether you manage your own investments or choose one of our lifestage strategies, it's important to watch how they're performing. You can make adjustments based on your retirement goals and your circumstances.
You can keep an eye on your investments via the investment summary page, by choosing the Funds tab when you're logged into your account. You can download your fund fact sheets from this page. The fact sheets will give you an overview of the funds, their charges and how they have performed in the past. You can also view your current valuation and change your retirement age or investment funds from this page. If you change your retirement age and you're using one of our lifestage strategies, we'll begin to move your assets to reflect your new retirement date.
More information on our investment options
You can view fact sheets for all funds and our lifestage strategies, by selecting Manage your investments from the investment summary page. Choose Do-it-yourself, and there is the option to download the relevant fund sheet below the slider for each fund. You can access this page and download the fact sheets without having to change where your funds are invested.