Effective decision-making hinges on a thorough analysis, encompassing all available data, in order to form a well-informed judgment. It is imperative to consider both sides of any proposition, warts and all. Yet, in the realm of structured products, the occasional incidence of negative press often overshadowed their performance, potentially due to the ease of discrediting them rather than investing the time to construct a comprehensive understanding of these investment options, which can prove beneficial to a client's portfolio.

It is essential to embrace the prevailing negative perceptions surrounding structured products to comprehend why they are sometimes disregarded as viable choices for clients. Consequently, in the coming weeks, the team at StructuredProductReview.com will consider the case against structured products and present a defence.

Throughout this series of articles, we will examine some of the old arguments that have occasionally been used to dismiss an entire sector of investments. These include:

Precipice bonds

'High charge'

Keydata

Lehman Brothers / counterparty risk

'Loss of dividends'

Complexity

Capped returns

It goes without saying that we believe there is a robust defence against these matters, some of which are more than twenty years old but if you are a critic of structured products or know of other arguments against them, we eagerly invite your input. Please share your insights and suggestions by emailing enquiry@StructuredProductReview.com.

Conversely, if you champion structured products and wish to contribute your perspective on the aforementioned matters, or any additional issues deserving attention, we encourage you to step forward and share your insights.