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Risk Warning - Notice to UK Users  

Estimated reading time: 2 mins

Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

1.You could lose all the money you invest

The performance of most cryptoassets can be highly volatile, with their value dropping as quickly as it can rise. You should be prepared to lose all the money you invest in crypto assets.

The crypto asset market is largely unregulated. There is a risk of losing money or any cryptoassets you purchase due to risks such as cyber-attacks, financial crime and firm failure.

2.You should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn’t protect this type of investment because it’s not a ‘specified investment’ under the UK regulatory regime – in other words, this type of investment isn’t recognised as the sort of investment that the FSCS can protect. Learn more by using the FSCS investment protection checker here.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) will not be able to consider complaints related to this firm. Learn more about FOS protection here.

3.You may not be able to sell your investment when you want to

There is no guarantee that investments in crypto assets can be easily sold at any given time. The ability to sell a crypto asset depends on various factors, including the supply and demand in the market at that time.

Operational failings such as technology outages, cyber-attacks and comingling of funds could cause unwanted delay and you may be unable to sell your crypto assets at the time you want.

4.Cryptoasset investments can be complex

Investments in crypto assets can be complex, making it difficult to understand the risks associated with the investment.

You should do your own research before investing. If something sounds too good to be true, itprobably is.

5.Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Putting all your money into a single type of investment is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.

A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. Learn more here.

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.

For further information about cryptoassets, visit the FCA’s website here.

Which investor category do you fall into: low, medium or high?

Find out your investor category in just a few minutes! Take this quick quiz to determine if you're a low, medium or high-risk investor.

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Whether you're new to investments or you've been active in the markets for years, it's never too late (or early) to get your head around the different types of investment opportunities available. As we know, one size never fits all, so in this piece we're going to run you through the options out there and help you to determine which category will best suit your needs. 

The 3 tiers of investments

First and foremost, when diving into the world of investing one must first determine their risk tolerance. How much risk you are willing to engage in will help you establish which investment avenue to go down. The three options are:

1. Low-risk 

These types of investors are not looking to take risks with their capital. The primary goal is to preserve the initial investment despite the opportunity to gain returns. This is a great start for new investors as the risk is minimal while they learn the ropes. 

A great investment option here is a money market fund. The funds are typically managed by professional, licensed fund managers, and involve bank deposits, commercial papers and treasury bills. While the risk is low, the potential for returns is moderate and the investment is liquid, meaning that the investor typically have access to the funds at any time. 

2. Medium-risk 

Providing an option for the more confident investor, medium-risk investments incorporate moderate risks but have measures in place to stop any high losses. This strategy is often made up of low-risk and high-risk investments, ensuring a balance between the two components. 

Medium-risk options include a mix of mutual funds and dollar funds, which will invest in medium-risk stocks, bonds and treasury bills. The risk of losing capital is therefore lower than with high-risk investments while your potential for returns are higher than low-risk investment options. 

3. High-risk 

This category is for the investors with an appetite for risk. They're comfortable with losing their invested capital in the pursuit of higher gains. A huge note here is that Ponzi schemes are never good investments. Rather stick to professionally managed investment funds that are catered to those with a high-risk threshold. 

These might include equity mutual funds that invest in stocks of vetted companies with large public listings. These are best catered to long-term timelines, as volatility might hinder the returns in a shorter space of time. High-risk investments have the potential to bring about higher returns, however this is never a guarantee. 

How to distinguish what type of investor you are

While a professional financial advisor can do this for you, we've created a three step, simple way to determine whether you fit into the conservative investor (low-risk), moderate investor (medium-risk) or aggressive investor (high-risk) category. Consider these three factors below:

  • what is your age?

If you're younger, there are more years ahead of you to recover from a bad investment. As a result, each passing birthday slightly lowers your risk tolerance.

  • what is your marital status?

As a general rule of thumb being married incurs more expenses and allows for less risk taking when compared to a single person with no-one else to be responsible for. With fewer financial responsibilities comes a high opportunity for risk-taking. 

  • what is your net-worth?

Last but not least, your net-worth will also impact your appetite for risk. The more money you have, the more you can risk to make that money grow (and the bigger the cushion if an investment does go south). 

In conclusion

It's important to remember that one investor type is not better than another, rather, it is what's best suited to your needs and requirements. The longer you leave these investments the higher the returns, so be sure to have a solid savings account built up prior to investing to ensure that should something go wrong you have alternative sources of funds to support that. Liquidating your investment early might lead to losses and most certainly lost opportunity. 

Disclaimer

This article is for general information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal or other professional advice or a recommendation of any kind whatsoever and should not be relied upon or treated as a substitute for specific advice relevant to particular circumstances. We make no warranties, representations or undertakings about any of the content of this article (including, without limitation, as to the quality, accuracy, completeness or fitness for any particular purpose of such content), or any content of any other material referred to or accessed by hyperlinks through this article. We make no representations, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that the content on our site is accurate, complete or up-to-date.

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