The aim of our annual survey on with-profits is to take a market wide view of with-profits examining the with-profits book held and managed by the top companies.

This is a consumer facing survey: we want to uncover what lies beneath the surface.

Somewhere between £300 and £400 billion measured by current market value is held in with-profits by an estimated 12 million people in the UK.

This is arguably the most important investment holding of any type in the UK. It is estimated that £1 in every £6 of invested money in the UK is in with-profits.

Our ultimate objective is to help individual plan holders or investors truly understand the market position, so that informed decisions can be taken by those people on their own with-profits investments.