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Yes, this could be very sensible because you are choosing to rely on the professionalinvestment expertise of the provider while at the same time keeping the degree of risk atan acceptable level.If you had chosen a specialist Unit-Linked Fund, you would have had to monitor on aregular basis the level of the markets you were investing in and to have exercised somedegree of investment expertise if and when you decided to switch your investment toanother fund or to begin contributing to a different fund. These funds will tend to appeal tomembers who wish to have more control over their pension investment decisions.As regards the differences between a With-Profits Fund and a Managed Fund, generally theyounger you are the more you may wish to consider allocating your contributions to theManaged Fund. Whether you wish to make use of the Managed Fund will depend largelyon your attitude to risk, with the With-Profits Fund being "safe" and the unit-linkedManaged Fund being "riskier".You should consider carefully which form of investment is most suitable to you in yourpresent circumstances. You are advised to seek professional financial advice before youmake any decision.I withdrew the superannuation contributions I had paid when I gave up teaching some timeago. How can I again have that period count for pension benefits?If you withdrew your contributions before 1 June 1973 you can repay those contributionswith interest at 3.5% per year. The cost of such a repayment is so small, when comparedwith the increased benefits that will be received, as to make it very worthwhile financially tomake the repayment. If made over a period of 5 years or more tax relief can be obtainedon the repayments.If you withdrew your contributions on 1 June 1973 or later, you may not now repay themand your only course of action would be to start an APB contract.STAKEHOLDER PENSIONSIn April 2001 the Government introduced a new form of pension scheme, namelyStakeholder Pensions. The main aim of Stakeholder Pensions is to target those who do nothave access to an occupational pension scheme, e.g. Scottish Teachers’ SuperannuationScheme (STSS), or those without a regular income.The attraction of this type of scheme for some teachers is that anyone who earns less than£30,000 per annum can make additional contributions to a Stakeholder Pension. If youearn more than £30,000 you may be able to set up a pension for a non-working spouse oryour children.This form of pension provision is in addition to the other forms of voluntary contributionwhich have previously and are still available to teachers namely, Prudential AdditionalVoluntary Contributions (AVCs), Past Added Years (PAY) and Free Standing AdditionalVoluntary Contributions (FSAVCs).In association with the ‘Prudential’, the teaching unions and the TUC have arranged to offera Teachers National Stakeholder Pension Scheme. The main benefits of the scheme are:Contributions are flexible from a minimum of £10 per month. (Other plans requirea minimum contribution of £20);You can stop and start contributions when you want;98September 2012