Retirement Portfolio

So you can be certain of the value of your pension fund, the capital guarantee ensures your initial investment is protected from market downturns. We call this guarantee the Secure Capital Option.

Secure Capital Value

By choosing the Secure Capital Option, you will be able to secure your initial investment, protecting it from market downturns. We refer to the amount you initially invest as your Secure Capital Value. Provided you make no withdrawals, you will never get back less (at the end of your term), than originally invested*. Your guarantee will run for a term of 20 years.

Secure Capital Reviews

Along with securing your pension fund, the Retirement Portfolio also gives your investment the chance to grow in a secure environment. Each year, we review your investment. We refer to this as a Secure Capital Review. At this time, we will compare your Secure Capital Value with your actual fund value. If your fund value has grown beyond your Secure Capital Value we will lock-in this new higher figure. If however the market has dropped and your fund value has fallen, your Secure Capital Value remains unchanged – remember it’s guaranteed.

If you’re looking for an income in retirement, you may be interested in our income guarantee. This option guarantees you an income for life, regardless of market fluctuations. We refer to this as the Secure Income Option, and you can choose to either take an immediate income, or defer this until a later date.

Secure Income Option – Immediate Income

Your guaranteed income for life** is based on the amount you invest and your age at the time you choose to take income. Your initial investment sets what we call your Secure Income Base. You can choose whether or not your guaranteed income is paid for your life only (single life) or continues to be paid to your partner (joint life) after your death. If you select an income on a joint life basis, the age-related income percentages, referred to as Guaranteed Income Percentages, will be 0.25% lower and based on the younger life.

Secure Income Option – Deferred Income

Deferring your income is especially useful if you want to know what your minimum retirement income will be, but aren’t exactly sure when you want to take it. By deferring, you’ll not only be able to benefit from higher Guaranteed Income Percentages, but for each full year you defer drawing an income, we will increase your Secure Income Base by a minimum of 4.25% each year.

Secure Income Reviews

The Secure Income Reviews work in a similar way to the Secure Capital Reviews. If your fund value grows above your Secure Income Base, we will lock-in this new higher figure. If the market has fallen, your Secure Income Base won’t be impacted – remember it’s guaranteed. And, if you’ve delayed taking your income, your Secure Income Base will still grow by 4.25% for each full year you defer taking an income.

The graph below illustrates how the Secure Income Reviews work. Each year, on the anniversary of your initial investment, we will undertake a Secure Income Review. If at this review the fund value has grown, so too will your Secure Income Base. If however the fund value has fallen, but you haven’t yet started to draw an income, your Secure Income Base will still grow by 4.25%.

As well as offering capital and income guarantees we also offer a guaranteed minimum death benefit.

Please contact your Financial Adviser to find out more about our guarantees and to discuss which option is suitable for you.

MetLife Europe Limited is a member of the MetLife group of companies. The MetLife companies (MetLife, Inc. and its affiliates) operate around the world under the brand MetLife. The MetLife companies are a leading provider of insurance and other financial services to individual and group customers.

MetLife Europe Limited is authorised to provide retirement and long-term saving solutions, which can be obtained through Financial Advisers.

As the MetLife Retirement Portfolio has a number of features including consolidation and income options it can suit many people both at an early stage of their retirement planning or at the point of retirement. Examples include:

• Where you have built up significant pension funds and wish to protect yourself against market falls
• Where you are approaching retirement and don’t want to take chances with your fund or future income
• Where you are retiring and want the flexibility of income drawdown but the certainty of a fixed annuity
• Where you have taken income drawdown, but wish to protect yourself against market falls, and the impact this would have on your income

The MetLife Retirement Portfolio also includes a number of investment and guarantee options which can suit all types of investors from those seeking active investments or are risk averse.

You can switch out of your option at any fund review date. You can select another guarantee again after six months.