Smoothing explained:

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Simple, transparent and easy to explain to your clients

Explaining smoothing to your clients doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s easy for your clients to understand as it’s based on what’s already happened - rather than what might happen in the future. 

So, how does smoothing work?

Our smoothing mechanism takes the average of a fund’s daily price over the past 26 weeks – this produces a ‘smoothed’ average fund price. The smoothing mechanism is applied separately to each individual contribution paid.

Your clients will experience less volatility as the effect of dramatic stock market fluctuation is ironed out by the smoothing mechanism. If there’s sudden and dramatic market growth, fund growth will be less – but if markets quickly fall, the smoothing mechanism helps to cushion the impact. 

This gives real appeal to your clients who are cautious with their investment, or are retired.

Smoothing in the first 26 weeks

Clients who invest in LV= TIP, LV= Smoothed Pension and LV= Smoothed Bond funds will begin to experience the benefits of smoothing from day 2 of their investment. Our smoothing process builds up to a 26-week average by cumulatively averaging underlying prices across the investment period.

Once clients have invested for longer than 26 weeks, their fund value will equate to a rolling average of the previous 26 weeks of underlying prices.

 

Smoothing in the first 26 weeks: explaining the process

Gradual averaging applies during the first 26 weeks of investment or after a fund switch.

  • Day 1 - units are purchased at the fund’s underlying unit price.
  • Day 2 - the underlying unit prices for day 1 and day 2 are added together and divided by 2 to produce the gradual averaged price.
  • Day 3 - the underlying prices for all 3 days are added together and divided by 3. This process continues on for 26 weeks, after which the averaged (‘smoothed’) price normally applies. 

The chart uses simulated investment performance to illustrate the impact of the smoothing mechanism.

In the first year

 
Smoothing graph showing price increasing over time

The first 26 weeks for ISA (LV= ISA) investors

When your client initially invests, their fund is valued at the underlying price for the first 26 weeks.

After the first 26 weeks

Across all wrappers, the smoothing mechanism kicks in and your client’s fund is usually valued at the averaged or ‘smoothed’ price - which is based on the average of the daily underlying unit prices for the previous 26 weeks.

This chart uses simulated investment performance to illustrate the impact of the smoothing mechanism.

Smoothing can be suspended at our discretion. This may be in exceptional conditions or if the underlying price was 80% or less of the averaged price. If smoothing was suspended the funds will be valued using the underlying price. For LV= TIP, LV= Smoothed Pension and LV= Smoothed Bond, the fund may be valued on the daily gradual averaged price with an appropriate smoothing period of up to 26 weeks at our discretion. We reserve the right to move to the underlying or gradual averaged prices at other times too.
smoothing after 26 weeks for TIP

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Explaining our smoothing mechanism

Designed to be shared with your clients, this video helps to explain our smoothing mechanism and how it works. Please note, this video explains the smoothing mechanism which applies to our LV= Smoothed Pension, LV= Smoothed Bond and LV= TIP. The LV= ISA benefits from our traditional smoothing mechanism, which begins at 26 weeks. 

Our Smoothed Managed Funds are accessible through four product options

family riding bicycles through the woods on a sunny day

LV= TIP

Increase the availability of our smoothed funds for pension investors, giving your clients access to our three unique funds via other providers’ SIPPs and SSASs.
grandparents swinging toddler by the arms on the beach whilst parents walk behind

LV= Smoothed Pension

Grow your clients’ pension fund with a reliable investor experience with low volatility.

a group of five women in their 50s and 60s walking together on the beach

LV= Smoothed Bond

Secure your clients’ funds with an onshore investment bond that offers a unique mechanism designed to smooth the impact of market volatility.
A man in his later years mountain biking through the woods

LV= ISA

With a simple on-boarding process and smoother investment journey, the LV= ISA aims to lessen the impact of short-term market volatility on your clients' investment.