The short answer

RL360 is an Isle of Man international life company, part of International Financial Group Limited (IFGL), offering four main solutions to expats: the Regular Savings Plan for monthly saving, the Oracle bond for straightforward lump-sum investing, PIMS for larger, bespoke portfolios, and LifePlan for life cover — plus a range of trusts. Plans come in seven currencies, give access to hundreds of funds and are available only through a financial adviser. They work best for people who want a long-term, portable home for their savings and are comfortable committing for the full term, because most plans have an establishment period with charges for leaving early. Lawrence offers a free review to help you decide whether RL360 suits you — or to check an RL360 plan you already hold.

Who RL360 is

RL360 began life as part of Royal London, one of the UK's largest mutual life and pensions companies — the "RL" in the name — and its origins go back to 1991. In November 2013, a management buyout backed by private equity firm Vitruvian Partners took the business independent. It has since grown through acquisitions and today sits within International Financial Group Limited (IFGL), alongside Friends Provident International, Ardan International and IFGL Pensions.

Headquartered in the Isle of Man, RL360 serves clients through offices and operations in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the UK. At the end of 2024 it had around 214,000 customers, about US$27 billion of assets under administration and 610 staff. Its financial strength is rated B+ by the actuarial consultancy AKG, which also awarded it five stars for service.

For expats, the Isle of Man base matters. It's one of the best-established international finance centres in the world, close to the UK in law and language, and policyholders of Isle of Man life companies are protected by a compensation scheme covering up to 90% of an insurer's liability if it ever failed.

RL360's solutions at a glance

Each solution does a different job. Many RL360 clients hold more than one — a savings plan building towards retirement or school fees, a bond holding a lump sum from a house sale, and life cover protecting the family — all with the same provider and the same online service centre.

The main plans compared

RL360's four main solutions, side by side, from its published product information.

RL360 product pages and Regular Savings Plan brochure, checked October 2026. Available only through a financial adviser.

The Regular Savings Plan

The Regular Savings Plan is RL360's flagship for monthly saving. You choose a term — typically 10 to 25 years — and a monthly amount, and your payments are invested in funds you select from a range of more than 350. RL360 highlights that there are no initial charges, bid-offer spreads or switching charges, and you can switch funds and redirect future payments online, free.

The plan rewards commitment. A bonus of up to six times your first monthly payment can be added at the start, larger payments can earn extra allocation, and a loyalty bonus applies for terms of ten years or more. You can vary your payments or take a payment holiday if circumstances change, and add lump-sum top-ups.

Like most international savings plans, it has an establishment period — the first 18 to 24 months, depending on the term — during which the plan's set-up costs are spread. Units bought in that period carry an establishment charge throughout the payment term, and cashing in early means an exit charge on those units. That's why the plan suits people who are confident they can keep saving for the full term: kept going, it can build a substantial sum; stopped early, it can be costly.

Regular Savings Plan: the published terms

Key terms from RL360's Regular Savings Plan (GBP) brochure, January 2024.

Source: RL360 Regular Savings Plan (GBP) brochure RS19b 01/24 and RL360 website, October 2026. Fund charges are extra.

Oracle: a straightforward lump-sum bond

Oracle is RL360's simple, "hassle-free" investment bond for moderate lump sums. You invest from US$28,000 (with additions from US$3,500), choose from more than 300 funds from leading managers — or ready-made RL360 model portfolios — and hold everything in one of seven currencies.

Oracle is designed to keep things simple: there are no dealing or custody charges and no separate cash accounts. Larger investments earn an enhanced allocation of up to 105%, and a 0.5% loyalty bonus is added each year after the sixth anniversary. It can be set up on a life assurance or capital redemption basis, split into up to 100 segments, and used to take regular or one-off withdrawals.

Charges combine a yearly administration charge of 0.60% to 1.20% of the plan's value with an establishment charge of up to 7.5% of the payment, spread over the first five years — after which it falls away. Leaving within those five years means an early exit charge. Oracle can be written into a range of trusts, including gift, loan, discounted gift and beneficiary trusts — a straightforward way to plan for the family.

PIMS: a bespoke portfolio bond

PIMS — the Personalised Investment Management Service — is RL360's open-architecture bond for larger investors. It starts from £45,000 and offers access to a much wider range of assets than Oracle, subject to RL360's acceptance, with institutional discounts from many fund managers.

Its key feature is flexibility in how the money is managed. You can appoint an investment adviser, a discretionary fund manager or an investment platform to run the portfolio inside the bond — so a professional manager can handle day-to-day decisions while the bond provides the tax-efficient, portable wrapper. PIMS can be split into up to 999 segments and accepts lives assured up to age 75.

Charging is chosen at the outset: either a reduced allocation rate, with no early exit charges, or a full allocation (up to 105%) with an establishment charge spread over five, eight or ten years and an exit charge during that period. Your adviser should show you both options in pounds and percentages before you decide.

LifePlan and trusts

LifePlan

LifePlan is RL360's life assurance plan for international clients. From US$200 a month, it blends whole-of-life cover with a term element and accidental death cover, with whole-of-life cover up to US$7.5 million, in a choice of three currencies. For expats, it can be a portable way to make sure a partner and children are looked after, wherever the family lives — and it can be written in trust so the payout reaches them quickly.

Trusts

RL360 offers a range of trusts designed to sit around its bonds and plans: beneficiary, gift, discounted gift, loan, international flexible and Isle of Man probate trusts. Used well, they can help money pass to the family without probate delays and, for those still within UK inheritance tax, reduce the tax payable. Our guide to offshore investment structures explains how trusts and bonds work together.

Where to start

RL360 plans are available only through a financial adviser. Start with a free conversation, and use the right provider to move your money.

Funds and currencies

An RL360 plan is only as good as the investments inside it. The Regular Savings Plan offers more than 350 funds and Oracle more than 300, from established managers — including global index funds, managed portfolios, bonds and specialist sectors — plus RL360's own model portfolios for those who prefer a ready-made mix. PIMS goes further, with access to a wider range of assets and the option of a discretionary manager.

The choice of fund matters as much as the plan. A worldwide, sensibly diversified portfolio with competitive fund charges will usually serve a long-term saver well; a narrow or expensive selection can hold a good plan back. That's why choosing — and reviewing — funds is one of the most valuable things an adviser does.

The seven plan currencies — pounds, euros, US dollars, Swiss francs, Australian dollars, Hong Kong dollars and Japanese yen — let you match the plan to where you'll spend the money. For British expats in Thailand, pounds or dollars are the usual choice, with money moved into baht as needs approach. Our guide to currency risk explains how to choose.

How your money is protected

RL360 is an Isle of Man life company, and that brings several layers of protection. The island's policyholder compensation scheme covers up to 90% of an insurer's liability to policyholders if it were ever unable to meet its obligations, and applies wherever the policyholder lives. Isle of Man insurers must also hold capital designed to withstand severe events and publish audited accounts each year.

Within the plan, your money is invested in the funds you choose, and you can see your plan's value and switch funds at any time through RL360's online service centre. Payments go to RL360 directly, in your name — never to an adviser's own account. Those are exactly the features our guide to investment scams and due diligence recommends looking for.

Strengths and points to consider

A balanced view of RL360's plans for expats.

General observations from RL360's published information, October 2026 — not a recommendation for any individual.

Who RL360 suits

RL360's plans tend to suit expats who:

• Want to save regularly for a long-term goal such as retirement or education, and can commit to the full term.
• Have a lump sum — from a house sale, inheritance or pension — and want a portable, tax-efficient home for it.
• Live, or may live, in more than one country over the life of the plan.
• Want to plan for their family with trusts and life cover.
• Value a well-known name and the Isle of Man's protections.

They may be less suitable for people who might need their money back within a few years, who want the very lowest possible cost on a simple index portfolio, or who prefer to manage everything themselves without an adviser. For those, an international platform may be a better fit — our guide to international investment platforms compares them.

RL360 for expats in Thailand

For British expats living in Thailand, a few points are worth bearing in mind:

• Currency: hold the plan in pounds or dollars, and move money into baht as needs approach.
• Thai tax: since 2024, foreign income and gains brought into Thailand by a Thai tax resident can be taxable. Plan withdrawals and keep records — our tax residence guide explains the rules.
• A possible UK return: bonds such as Oracle and PIMS can be very efficient for returners, thanks to tax deferral and time apportionment relief.
• School fees: a savings plan timed to the fees, with growth doing much of the work, is one of the most popular uses.
• Retirement income: bond withdrawals can top up a frozen UK State Pension.
• Family: trusts and LifePlan can make sure a Thai partner and children are looked after.

Already have an RL360 plan?

Many expats in Thailand took out an RL360 plan years ago — perhaps in Dubai, Hong Kong or Singapore — and haven't looked at it closely since. A plan you've held for a while is often more valuable than it looks, especially once the establishment period is behind you, so it's worth getting the most from it rather than making hasty changes.

A review typically looks at:

1. Where you are in the term — and whether the establishment period has ended.
2. The funds — are they still diversified, competitive and right for your goals?
3. The currency — does it still match where you'll spend the money?
4. Your payments — can you keep them going, or would a payment holiday or change help?
5. Bonuses — what loyalty bonuses are you due if you continue?
6. Trust and beneficiaries — are they up to date after a move, marriage or new child?
7. Withdrawals and tax — how to take money in a tax-efficient way in Thailand.
8. What happens next — continue, adjust, or plan for maturity.

Lawrence offers free reviews of existing RL360 plans, with a clear, honest summary of how yours is doing and what, if anything, to change.

Three worked examples

Tom and Fon: school fees in Bangkok

Tom, 38, and Fon, 35, want to pay for their daughter's international school and university. With Lawrence, they set up an RL360 Regular Savings Plan in pounds over 13 years, invested in a worldwide portfolio, alongside LifePlan cover so the plan's goal is protected if the worst happens. Growth over the term is expected to pay a large share of the cost.

Steve: a house sale and retirement

Steve, 62, sells his UK house and retires to Hua Hin with £180,000 to invest. He wants something simple, in pounds, that he can draw an income from and leave to his son. An Oracle bond with a balanced model portfolio, written in trust, fits the bill, with regular withdrawals topping up his pension.

Linda: reviewing an old plan

Linda, 54, took out an RL360 savings plan in Dubai nine years ago and moved to Chiang Mai in 2023. She's tempted to cash it in. A free review with Lawrence shows the establishment period is long behind her, a loyalty bonus is due if she continues, and her funds are too cautious and UK-focused. Rather than stop, she switches to a worldwide portfolio, updates her beneficiaries and keeps saving.

Questions to ask before you start

1. Which plan, and why this one rather than an alternative?
2. What is the total yearly cost — plan and funds — in pounds and as a percentage?
3. How long is the establishment period, and what would leaving early cost?
4. Which funds, and why do they suit my goals?
5. Which currency, given where I'll spend the money?
6. How flexible is it if my income changes?
7. Should it be in trust, and for whom?
8. How is the adviser paid, and will they review it with me every year?

Your RL360 checklist

• Set your goal first — retirement, education, a lump sum or protection.
• Choose the right plan for that goal and amount.
• Be sure you can commit for the full term.
• Know every charge, including fund charges and exit charges.
• Pick a worldwide fund mix and review it every year.
• Choose the right currency for where you'll spend the money.
• Consider a trust and keep beneficiaries up to date.
• Plan withdrawals around Thai tax rules.

Keeping your plan secure

• Use a strong, unique password for RL360's online service centre.
• Turn on two-factor sign-in wherever it's offered.
• Use a private, protected connection on hotel, café and condo Wi-Fi.
• Never share plan details with anyone who contacts you unexpectedly about your plan.

How we researched this profile

We used RL360's own published information — its About Us page (figures as at 31 December 2024), product pages for the Regular Savings Plan, Oracle, PIMS and LifePlan, and the Regular Savings Plan (GBP) brochure (January 2024) — together with Dealroom's company profile for RL360's history and ownership, Ardan International's group information on IFGL, and Friends Provident International on Isle of Man policyholder protection. Checked 13 October 2026. Product terms change, and availability varies by country; always read the latest product guide. This profile is general information, not a recommendation of any product for any individual.