Commitment
An offshore investment is a medium to long-term commitment, typically at least five years. By leaving your money to grow for longer, it can potentially see much better returns.

Stability and Security
A company's financial strength is important when considering where to invest. Ask your Financial Adviser to check the financial strength of the offshore company you're investing with.

Investment Costs
Different offshore investments have different charging structures. However, all charges may not be immediately apparent. You should check the competitiveness and transparency of the bond charges with your Financial Adviser.

How Much You Want to Invest
Minimum investment will depend on the investment bond chosen.

Fund Choice
Every fund carries a different level of risk, depending on what type of asset it invests in. A wide fund range means you can tailor your bond to meet your attitude to risk. You should remember that the value of your investment could go down as well as up and you are not guaranteed to get back what you have paid in.

Diversification
By spreading your investment across a broad number of funds you also spread the risk where one fund might be hit by a run of poor performance, another fund could see its value increase.

Investment Strategy
Offshore investment bonds can offer you access to funds that match your risk profile whether it's cautious, confident or somewhere in-between.

Flexibility
At different stages in your life, your circumstances are likely to change and so will your financial needs. Many offshore investment bonds allow you to:

• move money from fund to fund with minimum effort and cost
• withdraw 5% of your original investment for 20 years without incurring any immediate liability to tax at the time of these withdrawals, if you are a UK taxpayer.

These tax interpretations are based on our current understanding of the tax rules. As tax rules can change you should check your personal tax situation with your Financial Adviser.