I've recently began to look into my investment options and have found sites such as this to be an amazing and invaluable resource. Sincerely I'd like to say many thanks to all of you for your contributions and collective insightful wisdom.
One benefit to this type of research is that retrospective terms and conditions are captured for posterity. A prime example of which is in reading older posts and seeing as time goes by the cynically determined manner in which the prize bond operators are choosing to cut the weekly payout to their investors.
A number of years ago the norm was a million euro prize every month and the token 'Oh look - we have SO many happy winners' prize was €75...... Now the million euro prize is awarded just 4 times a year and because they think they can get away with it, the minimalist, economy prize is now just a mere €50 - A nice patronising pat on the head to keep us dolts settled, content, in line and most importantly - investing in their scheme.
Regardless prize bonds have only increased in popularity throughout and people will continue to partake happily as it is a much loved and deeply embedded institution of ours. However it is plainly obvious that greed and cynicism will lead to the terms and conditions being whittled away continuously, offering less and less chances of that nice occasional windfall to the investor and increasingly ever more gravy to those that pull the strings - Remember the less money they can sneakily orchestrate to give out annually the more pats on the back and fat bonuses they get from their own internal management/hierarchy.
It seems to me that people need to vote with their feet and withdraw all or a large portion of their funds while citing clearly to the operators that it is due to this pattern of profiteering, increasing lengthening of the odds and exponential erosion of chance in the investors favour. Personally I have am cashing in all but a very small handful of my prize bonds and would consider that my odds are now just marginally less poor than previously anyhow.
I think this site can play a very clear and powerful role in highlighting awareness and warning people of the actual increasingly poor returns they are being cynically offered and then providing the guidance and direction they need to invest their former prize bond deposits elsewhere. In other words lets open up a discussion on each and every viable alternative to prize bonds that offers people more than they are currently being allowed so they can then opt for investment options that actually do better suit them and offer real and tangible returns.
I would be confident that a large proportion of people with significant amounts of money invested in prize bonds are unhappy and unsatisfied with the current poor terms and outlook and would happily move once offered the current best alternative or any other long term sustainable and considered plan of approach.
I'd also anticipate that if enough people get behind this the prize bond operators will have no choice but to reconsider their sharp practice and cynical tactics and reverse their policy of denying us just because of their perception that they simply can...
I don't think this proposition is as outlandish as it may at first seem - Bear in mind that we are in a very small pond here and people can and do effect change with determination and a desire to stick by their principles, sense of right and wrong and safeguarding of their own interests.
Do also please bear in mind that this decline will continue if it is not actively contested and arrested.
- I'd welcome any thoughts and am open to education and correction on any and all points.
One benefit to this type of research is that retrospective terms and conditions are captured for posterity. A prime example of which is in reading older posts and seeing as time goes by the cynically determined manner in which the prize bond operators are choosing to cut the weekly payout to their investors.
A number of years ago the norm was a million euro prize every month and the token 'Oh look - we have SO many happy winners' prize was €75...... Now the million euro prize is awarded just 4 times a year and because they think they can get away with it, the minimalist, economy prize is now just a mere €50 - A nice patronising pat on the head to keep us dolts settled, content, in line and most importantly - investing in their scheme.
Regardless prize bonds have only increased in popularity throughout and people will continue to partake happily as it is a much loved and deeply embedded institution of ours. However it is plainly obvious that greed and cynicism will lead to the terms and conditions being whittled away continuously, offering less and less chances of that nice occasional windfall to the investor and increasingly ever more gravy to those that pull the strings - Remember the less money they can sneakily orchestrate to give out annually the more pats on the back and fat bonuses they get from their own internal management/hierarchy.
It seems to me that people need to vote with their feet and withdraw all or a large portion of their funds while citing clearly to the operators that it is due to this pattern of profiteering, increasing lengthening of the odds and exponential erosion of chance in the investors favour. Personally I have am cashing in all but a very small handful of my prize bonds and would consider that my odds are now just marginally less poor than previously anyhow.
I think this site can play a very clear and powerful role in highlighting awareness and warning people of the actual increasingly poor returns they are being cynically offered and then providing the guidance and direction they need to invest their former prize bond deposits elsewhere. In other words lets open up a discussion on each and every viable alternative to prize bonds that offers people more than they are currently being allowed so they can then opt for investment options that actually do better suit them and offer real and tangible returns.
I would be confident that a large proportion of people with significant amounts of money invested in prize bonds are unhappy and unsatisfied with the current poor terms and outlook and would happily move once offered the current best alternative or any other long term sustainable and considered plan of approach.
I'd also anticipate that if enough people get behind this the prize bond operators will have no choice but to reconsider their sharp practice and cynical tactics and reverse their policy of denying us just because of their perception that they simply can...
I don't think this proposition is as outlandish as it may at first seem - Bear in mind that we are in a very small pond here and people can and do effect change with determination and a desire to stick by their principles, sense of right and wrong and safeguarding of their own interests.
Do also please bear in mind that this decline will continue if it is not actively contested and arrested.
- I'd welcome any thoughts and am open to education and correction on any and all points.
Last edited: