Please read this before using Investigator™. It is written in plain English deliberately — because we think legal wording should be as clear as the tool it governs.
What Investigator™ is
Investigator™ is a free, AI-assisted due diligence tool designed to help members of the public ask better questions, access publicly available information, and think more clearly before making an investment decision.
It works by guiding you through seven structured stages covering the investment itself, client classification, consent and pressure, offshore and jurisdictional risk, public data checks, structural asymmetry, and potential consequences. At the end, it produces a plain-language summary based on your responses.
Investigator™ exists because access to clear, independent thinking about financial decisions should not depend on how much money you already have. It is a tool to restore human agency — not to replace human judgement.
What Investigator™ is not
Not financial advice. Investigator™ does not constitute regulated financial advice as defined under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. It does not assess the suitability of any investment for your personal circumstances, and nothing produced by this tool should be treated as a personal recommendation to invest or not to invest.
Not legal advice. Nothing produced by Investigator™ constitutes legal advice. If you need legal guidance — for example, if you believe you have been defrauded — consult a solicitor.
Not an FCA-regulated service. Investigator™ is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It does not provide regulated financial services and is not required to be FCA-authorised. It provides structured information support and AI-assisted analysis — not regulated advice or intermediation.
Not a guarantee. A positive or reassuring result from Investigator™ does not confirm that an investment is safe, legitimate, or suitable for you. The tool checks what is publicly available and asks questions about what you have been told. It cannot verify claims that are not yet on record, and sophisticated fraud can pass basic checks in its early stages.
AI-assisted tool — important disclosure
Investigator™ uses artificial intelligence to analyse documents you upload and to support the generation of your summary. AI can make errors. It may misread documents, miss information, or produce outputs that are incomplete or inaccurate.
All AI-generated content in Investigator™ is intended to support your own thinking, not to substitute for it. You should verify important information independently and not rely solely on outputs produced by this tool.
Document analysis is performed by the Anthropic Claude API. Documents you upload are sent to Anthropic's servers for processing. They are not stored by Investigator™ or the Academy of Life Planning. Please refer to Anthropic's privacy policy at anthropic.com/privacy for information on how Anthropic handles data submitted to its API.
Investment risk
All investments carry risk. The value of investments can fall as well as rise, and you may receive back less than you invest. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change.
For regulated financial advice tailored to your personal circumstances, you should consult an independent financial adviser authorised and regulated by the FCA. You can find one at unbiased.co.uk or vouchedfor.co.uk. Make sure any adviser you consult is not connected to the investment you are considering.
Third-party links and sources
Investigator™ provides direct links to publicly available third-party sources including the FCA Register, Companies House, Action Fraud, MoneySavingExpert, and others. These links are provided for your convenience.
We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or availability of any third-party website. The presence of a link does not constitute endorsement of that site or its content.
Limitation of liability
Investigator™ and the Academy of Life Planning accept no liability for any loss or damage — financial or otherwise — arising from your use of this tool, reliance on its outputs, or decisions made on the basis of information it provides.
This tool is provided in good faith as a public-interest resource. It is your responsibility to seek appropriate professional advice before making any investment decision.
Intellectual property
Investigator™ is a trademark of the Academy of Life Planning. The tool, its content, structure, and design are the intellectual property of the Academy of Life Planning. You may use the tool freely for personal, non-commercial due diligence purposes. You may not reproduce, resell, or redistribute the tool or its outputs for commercial purposes without written permission.
Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms of Use from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Continued use of Investigator™ after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.
Contact
If you have questions about these terms, or about Investigator™ more generally, contact the Academy of Life Planning at academyoflifeplanning.com.
If you have been affected by investment fraud or financial exploitation and need support, please visit getsafe.org.uk.