Investors Trust
Platinum Investment Bond

An independent review by our team of experts

Investors Trust is an international insurance company licensed and regulated by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority.

Investors Trust specialises in the provision of medium to long-term investment-linked products tailored to meet the needs of investors around the world, and delivers a range of products including regular and single premium annuities, designed to suit various income levels.

With service offices established to support plan participants around the world but not in the UK, USA or EU, Investors Trust seeks to provide opportunities to its plan participants through access to the global financial markets.

Investors Trust claims that the Platinum Investment Bond provides investors with access to a range of mutual funds and is designed to tailor each investment portfolio to meet unique requirements.

The Platinum Investment Bond is supposed to offer you the ability to change your investment portfolio at any time. Your portfolio can be rebalanced to suit your current needs and if you prefer, you can make changes to your portfolio online.

Those investors wishing to receive periodic income can structure their plan to receive a preset income stream from their portfolio.

Investors Trust's Platinum also offers the option of borrowing against your investment portfolio.

There are two types of Platinum investment products offered by Investors Trust:

Platinum Select
Platinum Plus

Let's have a look at their individual features and charges.

1. Platinum Select:

The features of Investors Trust's Platinum Select are as follows:

Topic	Description

Currency Options	USD $ - EUR € - GBP £

Minimum Contribution Amount	USD/EUR/GBP 10,000

Minimum Increase	USD/EUR/GBP 2,500 (As Rider)

Issue Age	18 - 85 years

Guaranteed Death Benefit	101% of Surrender Value

The charges of Investors Trust's Platinum Select can be summarised below:

Charges	Description

Policy Fee	NIL

Administration Charge	0.4% quarterly (1.6% per annum), years 1 - 5

Structure Fee	0.3% quarterly (1.2% per annum)

Fund Transfer Fee	Free

Surrender Charge	End of year 1 - 6.4% End of year 2 - 4.8% End of year 3 - 3.2% End of year 4 - 1.6% End of year 5 - 0%

Free partial withdrawals are also available but subject to maintaining the minimum cash surrender value of USD/EUR/GBP 2,500.

2. Platinum Plus:

The key features of Investors Trust's Platinum Plus are:

Topic	Description

Currency Options	USD $ - EUR € - GBP £

Minimum Contribution Amount	USD/EUR/GBP 100,000

Issue Age	18 - 85 years

Guaranteed Death Benefit	101% of Surrender Value

The charges applicable on Investors Trust's Platinum Plus are as follows:

Charges	Description

Policy Fee	NIL

Structure Fee	0.125% monthly (1.5% per annum)

Fund Transfer Fee	Free

The Platinum Plus plan is free of Surrender charges and can be redeemed at any time convenient for you.

NOTE:

Fund transfers are free up to 15 switches per year.
Redemptions on a Platinum Plus Plan are subject to a structure fee of up to 1.5% during the first 12 months.
We would highly recommend reading the 'expert verdict' section of this review to learn why our experts gave Investors Trust's Platinum Investment Bond 2.5 out of 5 stars in their independent review.

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The Pros

> Popular plan

> No policy fee

The Cons

> Risk of hidden commission

> Has the potential of being very expensive if not used correctly

> The product is not regulated in the EU

What are the benefits of the Platinum Investment Bond?

The benefits of the Platinum Investment Bond, as stated by Investors Trust, are as follows:

Wide range of investment options.
Get online access to your account.
Safe and private custody of assets ensuring safety and protection.
Investors Trust claims that the Platinum is very liquid.
It has a feature that allows you to rebalance your portfolio online with the help of your financial adviser.
You can receive regular income from the portfolio.
There are different plans that are available in multiple currencies to choose from based on your needs.

What are the fund transfer charges for Investors Trust's Platinum Investment Bond?

The fund transfer is free of charge for both the types of Investors Trust's Platinum (Select and Plus).

Who can apply to the Platinum Investment Bond?

Investors Trust says that the Platinum Investment Bond is best suited to international investors who are 18 - 85 years old.

There are two types of Platinum plans available to them:

Platinum Select and
Platinum Plus.

Their minimum contribution amount would be USD/EUR/GBP 10,000 or USD/EUR/GBP 100,000 based on which plan they choose.

We would recommend reading the expert verdict section of this review before making a decision.

Expert assessment of Investors Trust's Platinum Investment Bond

Used in the right circumstances, offshore bonds can provide attractive tax benefits.

However, in many instances, they can be mis-used by commission based salespeople to extract high levels of commission.

The product is not regulated in the EU, so we would not recommend it. The Platinum Investment Bonds are similar to many such products in the marketplace and can be an expensive option in the wrong hands.

We believe that they are outdated and aimed at the commission sales market.

Investors Trust is based in a low enforcement regulatory regime, and as a small cell-based company, we question what would happen if the company got into financial difficulties.

If you already have an Investors Trust Platinum Investment Bond, and it is worth £500,000 or more, we strongly recommend you seek a Second Opinion to ensure you are on track to get and keep the life you want.

The information in this material is intended for the recipient’s background information and use only. It is provided in good faith and without any warranty or, representation as to accuracy or completeness. Information and opinions presented in this material have been obtained or derived from sources believed by AES to be reliable and AES has reasonable grounds to believe that all factual information herein is true as at the date of issue. It does not constitute investment advice, recommendation, or an offer of any services or products for sale and is not intended to provide a sufficient basis on which to make an investment decision. It is the responsibility of any persons wishing to make a purchase to inform themselves of and observe all applicable laws and regulations. Unauthorised reproduction or transmitting of this material is strictly prohibited. AES accepts no responsibility for loss arising from the use of the information contained herein.

‘AES’ refers to the AES Group’s separate but affiliated entities generally, rather than to one particular entity. These entities are AES Middle East Insurance Broker LLC registered with the UAE Ministry of Economy, United Arab Emirates, Licence no. 571368, and Commercial Registration no. 75162 and regulated by the UAE Central Bank license no. 189; AES Financial Services Limited, incorporated and registered in England and Wales with company number 06063185, authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority FRN: 464494; AES Financial Services (DIFC) Ltd, registered in the Dubai Financial Centre (DIFC) as a foreign company, license no.2128, and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) Reference No F003476; AES International Limited, a private company incorporated and registered in the British Virgin Islands with company number 1839872; AES International Global Limited, a private company incorporated and registered in the British Virgin Islands with company number 1887885. Please visit our authorisations page for further information on regulation, redress and accessibility.

If you are outside the UK and we advise you or carry out other business, nearly all the rules, regulations and arrangements made under the UK regulatory regime (including the rules made by the FCA and the dispute resolution process provided by the UK Financial Ombudsman Service) will not apply to most aspects of the service you receive, such advice or business being provided from outside the UK. You should therefore clearly understand such rights and protection as are afforded in the jurisdiction where you receive advice. Local law, regulation and redress processes will apply in almost all cases, and will be different from that of the UK.

RISKS

Investments involve risks. The investment return and principal value of an investment may fluctuate so that an investment, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the capital invested. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. There is no guarantee strategies will be successful. For further information, please click here.

Investors Trust
Platinum Investment Bond

An independent review by our team of experts

REVIEW SUMMARY