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Are international annuities more protected?

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Yes – if you buy them from insurers in the right jurisdiction. Some international annuities are self-protected. For example, you cannot lose to creditors a Swiss annuity if it has a proper one year advance beneficiary designation to a spouse or children revocably, or irrevocably, or third parties irrevocably. A court cannot compel you as the policyholder to liquidate the Swiss annuity and repatriate the funds. As the policyholder, you’re powerless to do so. The Swiss annuity thus enjoys built-in protection against all creditors and judgments – including divorce. This broad protection is especially appealing when other asset plans offer more limited protection. But a little-known secret is that other international annuities are even more protective. While Swiss annuities have long symbolized quality and protection, Isle of Man and Lichtenstein insurers are as highly-rated as Swiss insurers and provide more protection. You should investigate the wide range of international investments. Your safest investment may be an international annuity, which may be considered for your investment portfolio. Unfortunately, too few Americans know about their financial and legal benefits. Of course, you would own your annuity or international portfolio through an international Asset Protection structure – such as an international Asset Protection trust – to add to the annuity’s protection. The trust or international LLC would own the annuity and be its irrevocable beneficiary. You would name the trust’s beneficiaries and retain the right to re-designate beneficiaries without losing protection. As an example, an Isle of Man annuity owned by an international trust and/or international LLC gives you exceptionally strong wealth protection. Many of our clients have ‘protected international portfolios’. The product is not necessarily an annuity, but an investment portfolio that meets our clients’ investment needs and is issued from a rated underwriter in a jurisdiction that protects these investments from creditor seizure.
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