An increasing purpose for using offshore trusts is to protect property from creditor's claims. Certain professionals, such as medical practitioners, company directors, accountants and lawyers may be particularly vulnerable to unexpected and costly litigation. The consequences of divorce in many countries may also be severe. Please refer to the Zetland Guide to Asset Protection for more details.

Using an offshore trust is an excellent way to ensure that property is allocated according to the settlor's wishes while avoiding the consequences of forced heirship or inheritance laws. Family succession planning: A trust offers great flexibility in arranging long-term succession, such as providing for the education and maintenance of grandchildren or excluding bankrupt or spendthrift relatives.

A trust is a private agreement between the settlor and trustee. By establishing a trust in an offshore jurisdiction, privacy is greatly enhanced. Most offshore jurisdictions have strong privacy protection legislation and few of them have tax treaties permitting the exchange of information between governments.

By relocating offshore, one can benefit from a less regulated environment with numerous opportunities. There may also be additional international business advantages, such as utilising offshore companies owned by the trust.

An offshore trust may allow the reduction of liability to property, wealth or inheritance taxes in many countries and is a powerful tax planning tool for high net worth individuals. This largely depends on the nationalities of the settlor and/or beneficiaries. Tax savings: An offshore trust set up in a tax haven or low tax jurisdiction will suffer no local taxes on income or capital gains, thus maximising the productivity of capital owned.