Cardiff is a division of the BNP Paribas group. Among the product range, Cardif Elite life insurance is the flagship product. But what is this life insurance really worth? What is its performance? What units of account does it offer? What do I think of Cardiff Elite? My study and my answers!
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Characteristics of Cardiff Elite
To begin with, Cardif Elite is a multi-support contract: the insured can therefore spread their savings across different funds:
- Either a fund in euros,
- Or units of account.
And here are the main features:
| Entrance ticket | €5,000 in free payments €15,000 |
| Eurofund rate of return (N-1) | 3% |
| Management method | – Free management – Delegated management (from €10,000) – Management under mandate (from €250,000) |
| Number of units of account | 3,392 |
| SCPI | 6 |
| ETFs | 72 |
| Bond funds | 213 |
| ISR units of account | 200 |
| Payment fees | Between 0 and 2.75% |
| Fund management fees in euros | 0.70% |
| Unit of account management fees | Between 0.85 and 1% |
| Arbitration Fees | Between 0% (all free arbitrage) and 1% |
| Redemption Fees | 0% |
What return with the Cardiff Elite euro fund?
The return on the Euro fund is excellent, well above the average of 2.50%. At 3%, Cardif Elite has one of the most profitable Euro funds on the market, after a decline in 2020-2021 due to the Covid crisis.
The Eurofund is certainly less profitable than an investment in a unit of account, but much less risky: there is no risk of losing money.
| 2023 | 3.02% |
| 2022 | 2.01% |
| 2021 | 1.11% |
| 2020 | 1.20% |
| 2019 | 1.41% |
What are Cardiff Elite’s investment instruments?
Life insurance Cardiff Elite offers 3,392 account units. It’s huge! You have the choice between the following supports:
- 72 ETFs/Trackers : Exchange Traded Funds have become essential for investing in the financial markets. These are investment funds issued by management companies that follow the development of a stock market index.
- 213 bond funds : This type of fund allows a large number of investors to share part of the debt of a government or a company.
- 200 SRI funds: Today, more and more investors are looking to finance ecological projects that respect human rights. This is what the SRI (Socially Responsible Investment) label guarantees.
- 6 civil property investment companies (SCPI): The action remains simple: a management company creates an SCPI and then allows investors to buy shares in this SCPI to buy assets. This is rented out and the management company pays dividends to its investors thanks to the rents received.
Unit-linked investments are more profitable but riskier. Unlike the Eurofund, there is a risk of losing money.
Here are the five most profitable units of account (UA) in 2024:
| Billing units | UC’s legal form | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Lyxor Ucits ETF Nasdaq | ETFs | 110.21% |
| R-Co Thematic Blockchain Global Equity C Eur | SICAV | 61.87% |
| JPM US Technology A (acc) EUR | SICAV | 58.43% |
| Amundi IS Nasdaq-100 ETF-C USD | ETFs | 53.19% |
| Chess board with artificial intelligence | SICAV | 50.84% |
The performance of the Lyxor Ucits ETF Nasdaq ETF is spectacular, but also very rare. Good results in 2024 do not necessarily predict good future results. You need to study returns over several years to determine whether an investment is good or not.
With this life insurance you have the choice between almost 3,400 units of account. This is an asset to Cardiff Elite. This allows you to customize your contract as you wish. By using Cleerly, the range of accounting units is even wider! In fact, the contract is open architecture, which means that it is possible to integrate certain supports that were not originally offered by Cardif, such as Rothschild foundations.
Our only downside relates to the 6 SCPIs whose profitability is limited with particularly uneven performance of SCPIs, especially banking SCPIs.
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What management methods are offered by Cardiff Elite?
Cardif Elite offers three management modes:
- Free management : you manage the distribution of your savings between the fund in euros and the various units of account.
- Delegated management: you benefit from advice from specialists, based on your customer profile. It is available from an investment of €10,000.
- Management under mandate : available from an investment of €250,000, you benefit from additional account units and personal management.
Cardif also offers the option of combining free management and management under mandate, by choosing which part of the contract is left to a third party and which part you want to manage yourself.
What are the administration fees for Cardif Elite Life Insurance?
While it is obviously important to monitor the return on each of the supporters, it is necessary, for each subscription to a savings contract, to keep an eye on the fees. In fact, these can add up quite quickly, which consequently affects the performance of the life insurance policy. At Cardiff Elite they are distributed as follows:
| Cardiff Elite fees | Cardiff Elite with Cleerly | |
|---|---|---|
| Payment fees | 2.75% | 0% |
| Fund management fees in euros | 1.00% | 1% |
| Unit of account management fees | 1% | 1% |
| Arbitration Fees | 1% No arbitration is offered |
0% |
| Redemption Fees | 0% | 0% |
My opinion: Deposit fees are too high. The maximum allowed is 5% and Cardif Elite’s rights are already 2.75%. Most insurance companies offer little or no fees. Likewise, arbitration fees are non-existent among many competitors, while those of Cardif Elite are 1%. In terms of cost, this contract is quite expensive compared to the competition.
By going through us, thanks to our business volume, you have the opportunity to reduce these costs drastically. We decided to negotiate not to impose payment fees or arbitration fees.
Our assessment of Cardiff Elite life insurance
Benefits
- Fees with Cleerly
- A wide selection of units of account
- Death guarantee included
- An open architecture contract
- Transparent operation
Disadvantages
- Fees too high directly
- Unprofitable SCPIs
Cardif Elite life insurance fails in only one place: Payment and arbitration fees that are way too high! It offers a varied selection of units of account, the Eurofund has a decent return and the management options are advantageous. In addition, Cardif is completely transparent about the operation of its life insurance (fees, returns, list of billing units, etc.). This is remarkable and rare enough to be noticed! For some insurance companies, you really have to dig deep to finally get answers.
If you are interested in Cardif Elite life insurance, I recommend that you contact one of our wealth management advisors directly. Contract fees are negotiated and will therefore be much lower, and you will benefit from an open architecture contract and a dedicated advisor. The best of Cardif Elite life insurance, with limited costs and benefit from the support of a professional, this is the offer we offer!
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