Sharesies- offers New Zealand exchange-traded funds, socially responsible funds and other investment options.Hatch- offers overseas exchange-traded funds, such as Vanguard, BlackRock, Invesco, State Street and 400+ others.InvestNow- offers 100+ fund choices both New Zealand and overseas focused.We have reviewed the following, which should be considered alongside Simplicity's Investment Funds. Simplicity's NZ Share and NZ Bond funds are unrivalled by their fees, but alternative index funds and diversified funds are popular with other fund managers and platforms. If a Simplicity fund went ‘bad’, then you could see similar negative results in other funds given Simplicity heavily diversifies its investment in New Zealand and around the world. This is the case with any managed fund, and not unique to Simplicity. With regards to whether it’s safe to invest, no fund is guaranteed, but the risk profile indicates where your money will be invested.Should Simplicity close down, your funds would be accessible given they are held in trust.The investments are owned by Public Trust on behalf of the funds, not by Simplicity or Vanguard. Simplicity manages the New Zealand bonds and shares that they buy for the funds, while the international shares and bonds are managed by Vanguard.Public Trust has been around for almost 150 years and is ‘guaranteed independent’ under the Public Trust Act 2001. Simplicity appoints government-owned Public Trust as their independent supervisor and custodian of its investment funds. On the issue of trust, the answer is yes.The fund covers 97% of the market capitalisation of the NZX ESG screens and this remove certain companies (i.e. The NZ Share Fund invests in the largest and most ethical 36 companies listed in the New Zealand stock exchange (NZX).In the last fund update, the investments were primarily NZ Government bonds, maturing between 20 and rated AA+. The NZ Bond Fund invests in New Zealand Government bonds and investment grade, liquid bonds issued in New Zealand dollars, designed to be the New Zealand bond component of a diversified investment portfolio.The return and value of this fund will depend heavily on how international sharemarkets are performing. The most aggressive fund Simplicity offers, with 86% tied up in shares in New Zealand and around the world.As such, the fund is 56% shares and 44% fixed income. This fund is a bridge between the Conservative fund above and the Growth fund below, offering a midway point for someone looking for higher returns without high risk.Based on the investment mix, the fund is the least aggressive Simplicity investment fund ( along with the NZ Bond fund) offered.This fund invests largely in fixed-income (78%) and cash (2%), leaving exposure to the sharemarket of 20% of funds invested, with most of the risk in overseas shares.We outline the composition of these five funds in detail: The 'NZ' funds comprise of the NZ Bond and NZ Share funds. The 'diversified' funds comprise of the Conservative, Balanced and Growth funds.

Simplicity offers five investment funds which operate in two groups. Based on the number of investors, there are significantly large balances which may suggest certain New Zealand 'rich' are choosing Simplicity to grow their wealth.

As at January 2021, over $1 billion was invested across the five investment funds.

The Simplicity Investor Funds are mostly unknown by household investors, but their awareness is growing.

Think Simplicity is only a KiwiSaver platform? You're not alone.

The funds are largely low-risk, index fund trackers with low fees. Our view: We believe that the investment funds represent an excellent option for anyone looking to save outside of their KiwiSaver.

Performance: Simplicity publishes up to date performance here.Assets: Funds invest in cash, bonds and the share market the mix depends on the risk profile of the fund.Any surplus made is reinvested into the business with the long-term aim of lowering fees. Fees: The investment funds are managed by Simplicity NZ Ltd, which is owned by the Simplicity Charitable Trust 15% of all management fees charged are redistributed to charities.Effective 1 December 2021, there is no annual membership fee. Funds: Simplicity Investment Funds offer five funds, with annual fees set at 0.10% ( NZ Shares fund and NZ Bond fund) and 0.31% ( Growth fund, Balanced fund and Conservative fund).

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