Old Mutual can provide access to institutional quality products, like those available exclusively to pension funds and the super wealthy. Our products are designed and managed by a group of premier specialist investment boutiques and these same investment advisers manage the assets underlying our insurance and annuity products, making them highly competitive.

Whether you need Investment Products, Annuities, or Insurance, the new thinking at Old Mutual can help you achieve your financial goals.

A Financial Primer

401(k): A retirement plan established by employers to which employees may make contributions directly from their salary on a pre- or post-tax basis. Earnings accrue on a tax-deferred basis until withdrawal.

Learn more about the 401(k).
Annuity: A contract between you, the beneficiary, and an insurance company, in which your payments accumulate in a tax-deferred manner and can later be paid out to you by the insurance company for a determined period of time, either a number of years or for life, beginning right away or in the future.

Learn more about Annuities.
Estate Planning: The various goals of estate planning include drawing up a will and setting up trusts and insurance, with the intention of minimizing loss to the estate value incurred by estate taxes and administrative expenses. Additional goals typically include providing for and designating guardians for minor children and planning for incapacity.
Financial Planning: Financial Planning is the process of meeting goals through the proper management of your finances. Goals can include buying a home, saving for your child's education, or planning for retirement. The process includes gathering relevant information, setting goals, examining your current financial status and coming up with a strategy or plan to reach those goals.
Individual Retirement Account (IRA): An investor-established account that allows earnings to compound over time on either a federal tax-free or tax-deferred basis until the time of withdrawal.

Learn more about IRAs.
Investments: Any financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use of money in the hope of making more money.

Learn more about Investments from Old Mutual.
Investment Boutique: A small financial services firm with its own vibrant, entrepreneurial culture of experienced investors focusing on an area of expertise - typically, a particular investment strategy or asset class.
Life Insurance: Insurance that guarantees a specific sum of money to a designated beneficiary upon the death of the insured, or to the insured if he or she lives beyond a certain age.

Learn more about Life Insurance.
Mutual Fund: An open-ended fund operated by an investment company that pools money from individual investors, giving them access to a portfolio of equities, bonds, money market instruments, and other securities, for a fee. The investment proceeds are then passed along to the individual investors.

Learn more about Mutual Funds from Old Mutual.
Pension: Post-retirement benefits that an employee might receive from some employers. A pension is essentially compensation received by the employee after he/she has retired.
Roth IRA: A new type of IRA, established in the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, which allows taxpayers, subject to certain income limits, to save for retirement while the savings grow tax free. Taxes are paid on contributions, but withdrawals, subject to certain rules, are not taxed at all.

Learn more about Roth IRAs.
Separately Managed Accounts (SMA): Separately Managed Accounts offer specialized investment products to meet the more complicated needs of sophisticated investors. SMAs can be tailored to match an individual's investment goals and objectives, which can make them an ideal solution for investors with unique investment preferences or situations.

Learn more about SMAs.
Stocks: A contract that signifies an ownership position, or equity, in a corporation and represents a claim on its proportional share in the corporation's assets and profits. Ownership in the company is determined by the number of shares a person owns divided by the total number of shares outstanding. For example, if a company has 1000 shares of stock outstanding and a person owns 50 of them, then he/she owns 5 percent of the company. Only a certain type of company called a corporation has stock.

Learn more about financial terms not covered in this primer.

THE THINKING IS NEW. THE NAME IS OLD MUTUAL.