Since 1991 Retirement Annuity Trust Schemes ("RATS") provided an alternative to the traditional insurance company based pensions which are now no longer available to new investors in Guernsey.

RATS are flexible personal pension plans designed especially for Guernsey residents. They are structured as a Trust between the member (the person doing the saving) and their Trustees. There are special rules that govern what a RATS can and cannot do, in addition to the favourable tax treatment given to contributions that the member makes into the scheme on a regular basis.

RATS can be structured so that a member (and their partner if they so wish) has their own scheme dedicated to them. This is known as a Bespoke RATS.

Alternatively RATS can be structured as a Multi-Member RATS where there is one Trust, but there can be many members who can be independent of each other. There are pros and cons of a bespoke RATS compared to a multi-member RATS. The main advantage of a Multi-Member RATS over a Bespoke RATS is the lower running costs associated with it. The main disadvantage can be that there is less flexibilty (which one may expect if you are paying lower fees).

If you want to find out more about Bespoke RATS click here. 

Our Multi-Member RATS that is open to anyone is called Granite RATS. If you'd like more information about this scheme click here.