Blog
Swiss Secrecy Breach: Does the Punishment Fit the Crime?
If you still have the quaint idea that offshore bank secrecy laws have any “teeth” to them, think again. A case in point is the world-famous Swiss bank secrecy law. Article 47 (Art. 47) of the Swiss Banking Act, Paragraph 1 reads as follows: “Whoever divulges a secret entrusted to him or of which he [...]
Overseas Radio Network to Launch with P.T. Freeman as Host
In the first days of January 2012, the Overseas Radio Network will begin broadcasting, aiming at people who desire for one reason or another, to leave the United States and set up a new life elsewhere. It will be primarily talk radio that will be broadcasting online. There will approximately 40 show hosts with various [...]
Estate Tax: “Valuation Discounts” Under Attack
Several proposals now circulating in Congress would crack down on popular estate-planning techniques. The one the IRS—and tax-loving congressional representatives—dislike the most are “valuation discounts” associated with family limited partnerships and related entities. The IRS has fought valuation discounts tooth and nail, but the courts have, with some exceptions, generally upheld them as reflecting market [...]
Live Offshore and Earn Nearly $200,000 Annually, Tax-Free
The United States is one of the very few countries, and the only major country, that taxes its citizens, no matter where they live. If you haven’t lived in the United States in decades, you must pay tax on your worldwide income as if you never left. Even “accidental” U.S. citizens born overseas with at [...]
Asset Protection with Annuities and Life Insurance
Only minimal protection exists under federal bankruptcy laws for life insurance and annuity contracts, but laws in some states exempt certain annuities and life insurance policies from creditor claims. It’s also difficult for a creditor to sustain a fraudulent conveyance argument if you purchase a life insurance contract or (especially) an annuity. This is because [...]
Sovereign Society’s Total Wealth Symposium April 25-28
Mark Nestmann will be a featured speaker and exhibitor at The Sovereign Society’s Total Wealth Symposium to be held April 25-28, 2012 in Los Cabos, Mexico. The event will be held at the Sheraton Hacienda del Mar Golf and Spa Resort. For more information or to register, please see: http://totalwealthsymposium.com.
Can Obama Send U.S. Citizens to Guantanamo Bay?
The blogosphere has been humming the last couple of weeks with condemnation of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. This bill, which funds U.S. military forces for the coming year, has a neat little provision tucked away in Sec. 1031. It permits anyone the government claims is “a member of, or part of, al-Qaida or [...]
Your Second Home—Offshore
Owning real estate in another country provides many benefits for U.S. investors: * A non-reportable offshore asset (if owned individually). * A refuge in times of political or economic uncertainty. * The possibility for profit from rental income or if the value of the property appreciates. * In one country (St. Kitts and Nevis), purchase [...]