Standard Life ups trail to boost bond business

In a bid to bring a coherent structure across its entire retail suite, Standard Life will give advisers the option to negotiate 1% trail on the product, up from the typical 0.5%. Advisers now have the flexibility to reduce up front charges, in favour of enhanced recurring revenue streams. The future of investment bonds has been hotly debated in 2008, following the Government’s changes to Capital Gains Tax. Many in the industry query whether the bonds still offer a tax advantage to investors over mutual funds. Standard Life says its bond sales are “down significantly”, but its share of...