Re: are unregulated and high-risk
> The value of your investments can go down as well as up
Very true. I was using one of those real estate investment trusts to save up money for a deposit. They had FCA accreditation, tax-free ISA's, were recommended by newspapers, media etc... as a way to boost your interest rate tax free for a future home.
Fat good it did when they went under half way through covid. Out of the tens of thousands I had saved up for my mortgage, they have so far returned around £400, the rest is "attempting to be recovered", but could be up to 5 years before they finish, with no guarantee how much I will get back.
Ironically enough, my BTC has outperformed my "regulated" savings by a wide margin, even with the ~30% haircut in the last few months.
In my case, I "hedged" by having some savings in BTC and some in ISAs etc... so I didn't lose everything, but my goal of a place of my own have been set back a few years.
Just goes to show that just because something is approved and regulated by the FCA, does not mean you don't have a risk of loss of your savings, especially when there are market shocks (first covid, and now the latest geopolitical events). Things are definitely volatile right now.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
