Do it for me and help me do it

Do it for me - the low-involvement (default) option

What is it?

It's an investment option that’s designed to make it simple for you to invest for retirement. Our experts will:

  • manage your money for you right up until you start to take it
  • decide where you should be invested and when
  • make sure the funds you're in don't take any more or less risk than they should

If you want a low level of involvement in the selection of your investment options, or find it difficult to choose where to invest your money for your pension, then the low-involvement investment option could be for you.

Your money will be invested in this option automatically when you first join the BTRSS.

The Passive Plus III Universal Strategic Lifestyle Profile (SLP) has been set as the low-involvement investment option for the BTRSS by Standard Life, following consultation with BT, and is believed to be an appropriate option for most members’ pension plan investments. Unless you decide to move your money into another investment, this is where it will continue to be invested.

How does it work?

There are two main stages in the Passive Plus III Universal SLP:

1. Growth stage - when you're more than 10 years from retirement
Your money will be invested in the Standard Life Passive Plus III Pension Fund, which aims to increase the value of your pension savings over time.

2. Approaching retirement stage - when you're less than 10 years from retirement
Your money will gradually, and automatically, be moved into lower risk funds. This is designed to let you keep your options open about how you take your money in the future.

All of the funds in the Passive Plus III Universal SLP include a mix of investments. They mainly invest in index-tracking (passive) funds, but can also invest a proportion in actively managed funds. Use the links below to find out more about the funds used in the Passive Plus III Universal SLP:

Standard Life Passive Plus III Pension Fund

Standard Life Pre Retirement (Passive Plus Universal) Pension Fund

Standard Life At Retirement (Passive Plus Universal) Pension Fund

Help me do it - other Standard Life lifestyle profiles

About these profiles

The BTRSS low-involvement investment option is one of a range of lifestyle profiles. We have other lifestyle profiles that let you tailor your investment choice by how you're planning to take your money in the future (if you know). All the lifestyle profiles, except the Passive Core Universal SLP, also let you choose how much risk you're comfortable taking.

Universal SLPs - designed for people who want to keep their options open about how they take their money or aren't yet sure what they want to do

Annuity SLPs - designed for people who plan to buy a guaranteed income for life (annuity)

Lump Sum SLPs - designed for people who plan to take all their money as one or more cash lump sums over a relatively short period of time

Active Retirement SLPs - designed for people who plan to take a flexible income (drawdown)

One of the features of these lifestyle profiles is flexibility. We can make changes as necessary to make sure they continue to meet members’ needs.

You can find out more about these lifestyle profiles in the How to choose the right investment options for your pension guide (PDF, 319KB) or in our SLP guides:

Universal strategic lifestyle profiles (PDF, 290KB)
Passive Core Universal strategic lifestyle profile (PDF, 103KB)
Annuity strategic lifestyle profiles (PDF, 287KB)
Lump Sum strategic lifestyle profiles (PDF, 124KB)
Active Retirement strategic lifestyle profiles (PDF, 142KB)

Whichever lifestyle profile you choose, your pension savings will gradually be moved into carefully selected funds designed to reflect how you plan to take your money. This will happen automatically - you don't need to do anything.

Things to be aware of

  • Please remember that investment growth is not guaranteed. The funds can go down as well as up in value and may be worth less than the amount invested.
  • What you pay in charges will depend on how long you have until you retire. For example, when you're 10 or more years from retirement, the effective total annual fund charges for the BTRSS low-involvement option are 0.29%. In the final year before retirement, they're 0.28%
  • The effective total annual fund charge for each fund within the BTRSS low-involvement investment option is the fund management charge, plus any additional expenses which apply, minus the scheme rebate
  • Charges and rebates are not guaranteed and may be changed in the future
  • You should make sure any lifestyle profile you choose matches how you plan to take your money. As lifestyle profiles make changes to your investments based on your planned retirement date, they may only be suitable if you're planning to start taking your money on this date
  • Before you choose an investment option, make sure you understand its aims and risks. As with many investments, the value can go down as well as up, and may be worth less than was paid in
  • If you choose to invest in the BTRSS low-involvement investment option or any other lifestyle profile, you can only combine this with the Standard Life BT Share Pension Fund. You cannot combine this with any other lifestyle profile or fund
  • If you’re not sure if the BTRSS low-involvement investment option, or any of the other lifestyle profiles, are appropriate for you, you should seek financial advice. There is likely to be a charge for this.

So what now?


Risk is only one factor you must consider. Read on for more information about the other factors

The questionnaire will help decide your investment style but it is important to understand that there are some limitations.

Understanding the limits of the risk test:

  • Education, not advice - this tool is a guide for illustrative purposes only
  • Limits - this tool doesn't look at other factors, such as your stage of life, your financial goals or the size of financial loss you are able to withstand
  • Think bigger - risk is just one of the things you need to consider when you're making investment decisions. For example, the term of your investment and whether you might want to access your investments before the end of this term are also important
  • Talk to an expert - it's always best to get financial advice before making any financial decisions

Important documents

To help you make an informed decision we've provided you with important information that you should read. You should print or save copies of these documents for future reference.

Register for the next live webinar.

Webinar registration

This short video provides you with useful information about the BTRSS.

Introduction to the BTRSS

This is where you will find specific details about BT’s company pension.

Plan summary document for BT employees (PDF, 81KB)

This document explains the features of the pension product your employer has chosen.

Key features document (PDF, 288KB)

This document gives you an illustration of what your pension could be worth for BT employees. It may not take into account rebates that may apply to your policy. You can find more information about the charges and rebates on the charges page.

Key features illustration for BT employees (PDF, 114KB)

Read this guide for more information on your investment options, including details about charges and fund codes.

How to choose the right investment options for your pension (PDF, 837KB)

Use this form to instruct Standard Life on payment of death benefits from the BTRSS.

Instruction for payment of death benefits (PDF, 77KB)

Read this guide, provided by BT, for more information about how SMART Pensions work. Standard Life is not responsible for the content of this guide.

SMART Pensions (PDF, 332KB)

Investments explained

Ever wondered why your money is invested? And how investment works? It’s not as complicated as you might think.