Offshore Bond Review — For Expats & HNW Investors

Were you sold
an offshore bond?
Find out what it is actually costing you.

Were you put into an offshore investment bond? Did your adviser recommend an offshore bond? Are you still paying into an offshore bond?

Most offshore investment bonds sold to expats carry total annual costs of 2 to 3.5%. Most clients have never seen the full number. And if you live in a zero or low-tax country — the tax wrapper you were sold it on may be delivering almost no benefit at all.

The Offshore Bond Review shows you the exact number — and what moving to a modern institutional account at 0.2% looks like over 10 years. Free 20-minute call. No obligation.

What the numbers look like — find your position
£ / € / $
250,000 ~6,250/yr ~500/yr Save ~5,750/yr
500,000 ~12,500/yr ~1,000/yr Save ~11,500/yr
1,000,000 ~25,000/yr ~2,000/yr Save ~23,000/yr
2,000,000 ~50,000/yr ~4,000/yr Save ~46,000/yr
5,000,000 ~125,000/yr ~10,000/yr Save ~115,000/yr
Free initial call — no obligation Full money-back guarantee on the review Completely independent 60 minutes total from you
What most people were never told

The offshore bond was sold on two things.
Both are worth examining honestly.

When an adviser sold you the bond, they almost certainly highlighted the tax efficiency and the open architecture — the ability to hold a diversified range of investments inside a single wrapper. Both of those things can be true — in the right circumstances. The question is whether your circumstances are the right ones.

The tax wrapper question

If you live in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, or another zero-tax country — the tax wrapper may be costing you significantly more than it saves you.

An offshore bond is structured as a life insurance product, which gives it tax-deferred status in certain jurisdictions. In a country where income and capital gains are already zero — that tax deferral has almost no practical value. But the platform fee for maintaining that wrapper is very real — typically 1 to 1.5% of your bond value annually, on top of all other charges.

If you plan to return to a high-tax country eventually, the wrapper may have future value. If you plan to stay where you are — you may be paying a meaningful annual cost for a benefit you are not currently receiving.

In many European countries — including France, Germany, Italy and others — offshore bonds issued in the Isle of Man or Guernsey are not recognised as locally compliant products. This means the tax treatment you were sold the bond on may not apply in your country of residence. In some cases, the tax position may be the opposite of what was intended. Always verify the tax treatment in your specific country with an independent tax adviser.
What most offshore bonds actually cost

The structure most clients have never seen in full

  • Adviser commission: 6–8% paid upfront on day one — recovered through a redemption penalty structure over several years
  • Platform / wrapper fee: 1–1.5% annually for as long as you hold the bond
  • Adviser ongoing fee: 0.5–1% annually
  • Fund management fees: 0.75–1.5% annually
  • Total ongoing cost: typically 2.5–3.5% every year
  • Surrender penalties if you exit early — sometimes significant and lasting several years
  • Open-ended outcomes — no defined result, no agreed worst case
What the alternative looks like

After an Offshore Bond Review

  • Platform fee: 0.2% annually — international institutional investment account in top regulated jurisdictions
  • No ongoing adviser percentage taken from the portfolio
  • Capital-protected income solutions at 6–10% annually
  • Growth solutions with maximum loss agreed before investing
  • Every outcome agreed before you invest a single euro, dollar or pound
  • Americans accepted — one of very few platforms that can

On the other hand — a pure international investment account is a different structure entirely. It gives you full open architecture, genuine institutional access, and the investment freedoms you were told you had in the bond — without the insurance wrapper cost and without the commission structure built in.

Calculate your saving

Find your number.
In under 60 seconds.

Enter your bond or portfolio value and your best estimate of the current total fee. We will show you what you are paying today, what 0.2% looks like, and what the difference compounds to over 10 years.

Your numbers
What you pay today
per year
After review (0.2%)
per year
Annual saving
every year
Saving over 5 years
compounded
Saving over 10 years
compounded
Review fee
1,500
recovered in weeks
The saving above is from fees alone — before any improvement in returns. Add institutional solutions and the combined effect over 10 years is significantly larger. Book the free 20-minute call to see the full picture for your specific situation.
Who the review is for

If any of these describe you —
the review is worth 20 minutes of your time.

British expat abroad
The largest group in this situation globally

Offshore bonds were sold to British expats in enormous volumes from the 1990s onwards. The commission structure made them highly attractive to advisers. Most clients were never shown the full fee picture — or the alternative.

Common locations
SpainPortugalFranceUAEQatarSaudi ArabiaSouth AfricaAustraliaHong KongSingapore
Scandinavian expat abroad
Sweden · Norway · Denmark · Finland

Tens of thousands of Scandinavian professionals live and work across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Many were introduced to offshore bonds through international adviser networks during their first years abroad — often without fully understanding the cost structure.

Common locations
SpainPortugalUAENetherlandsLuxembourgSwitzerlandGermanyKenyaNigeria
American expat abroad
One of the most underserved groups in international finance

Americans abroad face unique complexity — FATCA, FBAR reporting, and the fact that most platforms and advisers refuse to work with US citizens. A small number of institutional platforms in top-tier jurisdictions do accept Americans. The review can show you what is actually accessible.

Common locations
UAEGermanyNetherlandsSwitzerlandSingaporeJapanAustraliaSouth Africa
Private banking client
Managed discretionary accounts at high ongoing cost

Private banking clients typically pay 2.5–3% in combined discretionary management, platform, and fund fees annually — on top of which performance is open-ended and outcomes undefined. The review shows what the same capital can produce with defined outcomes and a fraction of the cost.

Common locations
SwitzerlandLuxembourgUAESingaporeMonacoLiechtensteinBahrain
Managed portfolio client
IFA or wealth manager — paying ongoing fees for open-ended results

If you have a managed portfolio with an IFA or wealth manager charging 1.5% or more (this is only a part of the fee — the total including platform and fund costs is often close to 3%) — and you have never added up the full stack — the review starts with that number. For most people it is the first time they have seen it.

Common locations
EuropeMiddle EastAfricaAsiaAny jurisdiction
What actually changes

Two things happen simultaneously.
Fees go down. Returns go up. Both at once.

The fee saving alone is significant. But it is only half the picture. Moving from an offshore bond to a modern institutional investment account also opens access to solutions that were not available inside the wrapper.

The fee reduction
2.5% → 0.2%

The difference between paying 2.5% and 0.2% — every year, compounding. On a 500,000 position that is over 11,500 per year staying in your account instead of leaving it.

Over 10 years, compounded, the difference in terminal value from fees alone is substantial — and that is before a single improvement in returns.

The return improvement
+5–7%

Institutional solutions — capital-protected income at 6–10% annually, or growth strategies with a defined maximum loss — typically produce 5–7% more per year than the managed portfolios inside most offshore bonds.

Combined with the fee saving: the total annual improvement is often 7% or more. On your capital. Every year. With defined outcomes agreed in advance.

On a 500,000 position, 7% more per year is 35,000 annually. The review costs 1,500 and is recovered within weeks.

Real outcomes — all clients anonymous

What actually happens
when someone finally looks at the full picture.

British expat — UAE — offshore bond 8 years
3.5% → 0.2%
680,000 bond — fee review and platform move
He had been in the UAE for eight years. The bond had been sold by a well-known expat advisory firm on the basis of tax efficiency. In the UAE. With zero income tax. He had never questioned it — until he added up what he was paying.
Total annual costs identified: 3.5%. After the review and platform move: 0.2%. Capital-protected income solution added. Every outcome agreed before a single dollar moved.
"I was paying significant fees every year for something I did not need, in a country with no tax. The review showed me the full number for the first time."
Scandinavian expat — Spain — offshore bond 6 years
2.9% → 0.2%
520,000 bond — restructured to institutional account
A Scandinavian professional living in Spain had been with the same adviser since he arrived. The bond had been presented as the standard solution for expats. He had always assumed everyone did it this way.
Annual cost before review: 2.9%. Annual cost after: 0.2%. Growth solution added targeting stock market returns with a defined maximum downside agreed before investing.
"It had never occurred to me to question it. The saving alone changed my financial picture completely."
British expat — Portugal — managed portfolio and bond
3.2% → 0.2%
890,000 combined — full review and restructure
A retired couple had an offshore bond and a separately managed portfolio. Two advisers. Two platforms. Two sets of fees. Neither had ever been looked at together. The combined annual cost had never been calculated.
Combined annual cost before: 3.2%. After review and restructure: 0.2%. Capital-protected income solution producing defined quarterly income. Every outcome agreed in advance.
"Two advisers for fifteen years. One review to finally understand what it was actually costing us — and what the alternative looked like."
What the review involves

60 minutes of your time.
We handle everything else.

Step 1 — Free call
20 minutes. No fee.
You tell us what you have — bond provider, rough value, how long you have held it. We ask the questions. No documents needed. At the end of this call you know whether the full review makes sense for your situation.
Step 2 — The review
We do the work
Within 24 hours we map the full cost picture — every layer — and go to the institutional market to find what is genuinely available for your specific situation and goals.
Step 3 — Your picture
40 minutes. Complete clarity.
We walk through exactly what you have, what it costs, and what the alternative looks like — cost by cost, option by option, outcome by outcome. Every question answered. You have all the information you need to make your own decision.
Step 4 — You decide
Your choice. Your timing.
You decide if and when to proceed — with no pressure at any point. If you choose to move forward, we guide and facilitate every step of the process alongside you. Lower costs and improved returns may take a little time and some paperwork. We are with you throughout.
On surrender penalties: Before you decide anything based on the information we present, we calculate whether any surrender penalties on your existing bond affect the timing or the overall picture. In most cases the break-even point is well under 12 months. We show you the exact calculation so you can make a fully informed decision.
The review fee

One fixed fee.
Applied to implementation if you choose to proceed.

The initial 20-minute call is completely free. If the review makes sense for your situation, the full review fee is 1,500.

1,500

The complete review fee. This covers the full cost analysis, the institutional market review, the options presentation, and all follow-up questions until you have complete clarity on your situation.

If you choose to proceed with any of the options shown to you — the 1,500 is applied in full toward the implementation costs. In most cases it never feels like a cost at all.

We present options. We explain every detail. We answer every question. You make the decision — fully informed, entirely in control, with no pressure from us at any point.

Full money-back guarantee. If we cannot identify improvements that would recover the fee within 12 months — we refund it in full. No questions asked. That has happened in under 5% of reviews.
Book your free call

Find out what you are actually paying.
Free 20-minute call. No obligation. No documents needed.

You do not need your bond documents for the first call. Just a rough idea of the value and the provider. We ask the questions. You leave knowing whether the full review makes sense for your situation.

What we cover on the free call
  • Your bond provider and approximate value
  • How long you have held it
  • What you are currently invested in — if you know
  • What you want your money to do — income, growth, or both
  • Whether the full review makes sense for your situation
  • Any questions you have about the process

Pick a time that works. No documents needed. No preparation. We ask the questions.

Book My Free 20-Minute Call →
Opens Calendly. No account needed.