I remember signing up for an endowment policy in 1985 paying 15 quid a month. After 3 years it was worth about 500 quid i.e. less than I paid in! Needless to say this was a good lesson because when I got my first mortgage in 1995 I absolutely refused to have an endowment mortgage and opted for the repayment type which wasn't as popular but was a good move on my part with all the mis-selling.