Jamaica has been having, in recent years an upsurge of investment clubs/schemes. Basically, these investment clubs offer high interest rates once you invest with them. These clubs have grown in popularity as they are the best alternative to saving in banks, and there interest rates are more than enticing. With interest rates starting at a minimum of 10% per month, no other transparent financial institution have been able to compete.

Names such as Cash Plus, Worldwise, Olint and Higgins-Warner are just a few that Jamaicans are familiar with and have probably invested with. But what are these investment clubs exactly? They are companies that basically use monies “loaned’ by investors to invest as they see fit. Many invest in areas such as Real estate, Forex and other ventures are not made known to the investors. These ventures however yield high returns, enough to guarantee a minimum of 10% per month.

At the moment we can only speculate on how they make their money, as no legal business venture is known to guarantee such huge turnovers monthly. This has not stopped Jamaicans from investing and making huge profits from these clubs. Lets look at some of the more popular clubs, their mode of investment and “trustability”.

Cash Plus
By far the most popular investment club, Cash Plus offer a minimum of 10% per month and requires a minimum investment of JA$100,000. They are known throughout the business sector crossing over into many areas such as real estate, telecommunications, sports, hotelier, food, shipping and many other sectors. Thus far people have been getting their interest on time and are generally satisfied with the company. The company is also known to sponsor sporting events and give back to the community.

Worldwise
Offering 12% interest per month on monies invested Worldwise has been in the media quite frequently in recent days with claims by the FSC (Financial Services Commission) that they are not licensed to offer investment products to the public. They themselves have verified this statement and do not offer investment products, but offer “attractive gains to their partners”. Also to note rumors of Michael Lee Chin, Jamaican Billionaire have been floating around of his affiliation with the club. These rumors have been denied by Mr, Chin however in recent publications. Thus far Worldwise has continued to yield high wealth creation for their “partners”.

Olint
Olint is a club started by forex guru, David Smith, offering on average 10% percent per month on monies invested. Their high yield can be attributed with Mr. Smith prowess on the forex market. Olint is considered to be the most stable of the lot as forex trading is considered to be highly liquid and because of leverage trading can provide huge returns on a small lot of monies. The FSC earlier this year raided Olint when the company came under their radar, they are now in the Supreme Court contesting the companies methods of investment. Olint is no longer taking any more investors but continue to do business with existing members.

All these investment clubs are viable options for the Jamaican people to invest their hard earned money but it is to be noted that they are HIGH RISK and one must fully understand the risks before entering into any form of business with them. Many of these clubs have created a wealth of jobs for Jamaicans and should be commended on that note. They have also given back to the community though their many sponsorships and aid. The possibility of them crashing is always there but is not definite. When you fully understand the risk, the possibilities are endless.