The amount you invest is transferred definitively to the Foundation, so it can then be invested over the long-term, unlike many investment funds which will adopt a short-termist or even speculative approach, given the permanent constraint of liquidity. Thus, even though most of the funds managed by ETERNITY FUNDS are invested in quality financial assets (such as shares and bonds in the world’s largest companies and states), and in property assets, offering returns and growth of around 8 to 12% a year, a reasonable proportion is allocated to assets which are less liquid but very profitable over the long-term, such as investments in private equity, raw materials, precious metals or works of art. It is because the capital is inaccessible that we can achieve a rate of return which is higher than the rates offered by banks, for example, which are obliged to return your money to you at your first request.

The 10% rate of return can also be explained by the high diversification of the assets managed, both in terms of sector and geographical origin. Indeed, the Foundation invests the funds entrusted to it both in “conventional” financial assets such as shares, bonds, gold and currency, and in assets which are much more liquid, such as property, metals and other raw materials, shares in unlisted companies, hedge funds, venture capital, etc. Diversification is also geographical: investments are made in both developed and emerging countries, and no necessarily subjective choices are made; instead, we invest on a strictly pro rata basis according to the power and influence of the targeted economies, in order to correlate as closely as possible with the very long-term worldwide economic situation. This strategy affords full protection against a crisis – even one of global scale – during which one category of assets or a particular geographical zone are usually affected, while other investment vehicles or markets continue to benefit from economic growth or, at worst, merely stagnate. The approach developed and implemented by ETERNITY FUNDS’ managers is sound, and is similar to the techniques employed by a number of hedge funds, a stake in which unfortunately usually costs over one million Dollars. ETERNITY FUNDS therefore gives you access to the investment techniques until now reserved for the wealthiest people.

Many funds in the world generate annual rates of return of 15 to 20%; we are merely democratising this approach. The 10% capital return is therefore in no way exceptional because it is the result of an approach which differs from the approach adopted by banks and insurance companies. ETERNITY FUNDS is aimed at people of private means, who are more interested in the guaranteed regular return that they can achieve on their capital than in the issue of having immediate access to their funds. We also explicitly recommend that ETERNITY FUNDS members only invest funds which they will not need in the future for a project involving a large amount of personal assets, such as buying property. It is sensible not to invest more than 15 to 20% of your savings with a single financial provider.

ETERNITY FUNDS’ fund managers do not speculate and do not put the Foundation’s capital at excessive risk. Positions are taken in a rigorous and measured way in order to optimise the risk/return ratio, with full respect for the asset allocation decided by the ETERNITY FUNDS Board. All positions are protected so as to avoid any significant loss which exceeds an overly large proportion of the assets managed. In this way, capital is managed in compliance with strict prudential rules and with the support of continuous and permanent monitoring of the assets and positions held.