AJ Bell adds Sarasin & Partners charity MPS to broaden range of third-party investment solutions

AJ Bell has partnered with Sarasin & Partners to make the Sarasin Charity Authorised Investment Fund (CAIF) available to advisers acting for charity clients.

The Sarasin CAIF is managed by Sarasin & Partners as discretionary fund manager and is available through the AJ Bell Investcentre platform or through AJ Bell Custody Solutions. CAIFs are investment vehicles exclusively for charities with specific tax benefits including charitable tax status and exemption from VAT.

The Sarasin CAIF is reserved exclusively for charities, so advisers must provide evidence to Sarasin & Partners that the underlying client is a registered charity before access is granted. It is aimed at long-term charity investors favouring a responsible, globally diversified multi-asset portfolio.

To support the addition of the CAIF, an MPS including the fund is also now available to advisers using the AJ Bell Investcentre platform by request for qualifying registered charities. Using Sarasin’s CAIF within an MPS portfolio means advisers can offer clients an efficient way to access the fund, with the added benefit of reduced management risk.

Mark Rendle, AJ Bell advised managing director, says: “The recent addition of the Sarasin CAIF to our platforms will provide advisers seeking charitable investment solutions with a more effective way to invest. We know that charitable funds can play an important role in investment strategies for advisers and clients, so we’re pleased to be announcing their inclusion in an MPS wrapper to not only make charitable investing more efficient, but also reduce management risk for advisers.

“Advisers should feel confident when investing for clients through the AJ Bell platform, and we believe the Sarasin CAIF and MPS will allow them to support the investment needs and charitable objectives of a wider range of clients in future.”

Christopher Cade, Partner at Sarasin & Partners, adds: “Charities have distinct investment needs, and our CAIFs are designed specifically to meet them; combining a responsible, globally diversified approach with the tax efficiency and governance protections of a dedicated charity structure. As these funds are reserved exclusively for charity investors, making them accessible through an MPS gives IFAs advising charities a more efficient route to a strategy built around their clients’ long-term objectives, while preserving the controlled access that the CAIF structure requires. We’re delighted to be working with AJ Bell to extend this to a wider group of charities and their advisers.”