Wealth Management in Dubai

It is for global citizens, expatriates and UAE residents who want impartial, independent guidance on protecting capital and securing a legacy.

It suits, for example:

• employees whose main retirement asset is end-of-service gratuity, which is based on the last basic salary and capped at two years' wages
• UK expatriates with pensions, property or tax ties at home, as our guide for UK expatriates in the UAE explains
• people deciding whether to retire in the UAE or move home, and families working through our financial checklist for leaving the UAE
• business owners whose wealth is tied up in a UAE company, which our corporate services team also supports

Retirement, tax, estate, risk and portability, planned together rather than product by product.

• Retirement planning: a structured five-step process to guide you from accumulation to drawdown, with the aim of ensuring liquidity when you stop working. Our retirement planning guide for expatriates explains gratuity, DEWS and the MOHRE Savings Scheme.
• Tax optimisation: we document your intent and ratify strategies with chartered tax professionals in your country of residence. The UAE does not levy income tax on individuals, but your home country may still tax you.
• Trust and estate planning: we structure assets to help mitigate probate, address forced heirship rules and protect beneficiaries' privacy, with our trust and estate planning team.
• Risk management: risk profiling and capacity for loss analysis to help ensure you do not take on more risk than necessary.
• Global portability: we design strategies to adapt to your evolving residency status and to shifting global regulations.

It moves from a first conversation to Discovery, a risk profile, your strategy and regular reviews.

1. Consultation: book a first conversation through our contact page.
2. Discovery: we analyse your entire financial picture, from savings, pensions and property to end-of-service benefits, and define clear, actionable goals.
3. Risk profile: we assess your capacity for loss, matching investment risk to the time left before retirement and the income you will need.
4. Strategy: because we are not tied to any particular bank or insurance company, we can select suitable solutions for each client. Tax strategies are documented and ratified with chartered tax professionals in your country of residence.
5. Oversight: markets change and life evolves, so your strategy is reviewed to keep it aligned with your long-term objectives.

Under the CMA's rules, a licensed firm must agree its relationship with you in writing and manage and disclose conflicts of interest, as our guide to choosing a financial adviser in the UAE explains.

A short summary of what you own, where it is held and what you want it to do for you.

• your employment contract or a recent payslip, which shows the basic salary your gratuity is based on
• statements for savings, investments, pensions and any workplace savings scheme
• details of property in the UAE and abroad, and any loans against it
• any life insurance or savings plans, with their current surrender values
• any will you have made, in the UAE or in another country
• where you expect to live and retire, and roughly when

Expatriates in the UAE have no state pension, so retirement income depends on end-of-service benefits and personal savings.

• Pensions: the UAE Government states that there are no pension schemes for expatriate workers. Private sector employees earn gratuity of 21 days' basic salary for each of their first five years and 30 days for each later year, capped at two years' pay.
• DIFC: employers pay monthly contributions of at least 5.83% or 8.33% of basic salary, depending on length of service, into a funded scheme such as DEWS.
• Tax: the UAE does not levy income tax on individuals, so a salary, personal savings and investments, and rent from property held as a personal investment are not taxed as income.
• Retirement: you may be able to apply for a five-year retirement residence permit from the age of 55, subject to property, savings or income conditions.
• Job loss: unemployment insurance (ILOE) is compulsory for almost all private sector and federal government employees. After at least 12 consecutive months of subscription, if you lose your job for a reason other than resignation or disciplinary dismissal, it pays 60% of your average basic salary for up to 3 months per claim, capped at AED 10,000 or AED 20,000 a month.

Check who regulates the firm, then check both the firm and the adviser on that regulator's public register.

Onshore, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) licenses firms that provide financial advisory services; the DFSA regulates firms in the DIFC and the FSRA regulates firms in ADGM. Indigo Financial Analysis and Consultancy LLC is licensed by the CMA under licence 706042 and appears by name on the CMA's Licensed Companies list.

Then ask in writing how the adviser is paid, whether the advice is independent, and what it would cost to leave any product, especially a long-term savings plan. Our page on financial advice for expats in Dubai explains how we work with expatriates.