Welcome to Offshore Living Letter, Your #1 Resource for Offshore Diversification

Author: Lief Simon

10 Dec
The Importance Of Diversifying Out Of The U.S. Dollar And U.S. Markets

The Importance Of Diversifying Out Of The U.S. Dollar And U.S. Markets

An attendee at my Offshore Summit last month told me that, while he has traveled all over the globe and has friends in many different cities around the world, he had never, until last month’s event, considered buying real estate in another country. Despite this, he has what, until that point, he has considered a well-diversified investment […]

06 Dec
Self-Sufficiency In Uruguay, Chile, And Belize

Self-Sufficiency In Uruguay, Chile, And Belize

How To Be Self-Sufficient Without All The Work When I lived in Ireland, our house sat on 6 acres of land. Up a small hill behind the house was an area that had been, in a previous life, a kitchen garden. We restored the garden, after we discovered it, and planted everything from strawberries to [...]
03 Dec
Why Learn A New Language Overseas

Why Learn A New Language Overseas

One benefit of the way our children are growing up is their language skills. While I speak decent enough Spanish to get by when I have to and can even now read legal documents well enough to get the gist, my kids are fluent in both French and Spanish (along with English). They can switch […]

29 Nov
Increasing Regulation In The United States Hinders Business Growth

Increasing Regulation In The United States Hinders Business Growth

While in the United States last week for Thanksgiving, some of the dinner table conversation centered on expanding regulation in the United States. One specific conversation had to do with firing employees. As my sister-in-law, who runs a department at a big Baltimore hospital, put it: “Oh, you just can’t.”

26 Nov
Challenges Opening A Bank Account In The United

Challenges Opening A Bank Account In The United States

While in the United States this past week for Thanksgiving, I tried to take care of some administrative tasks. I renewed my driver’s license and Jackson’s Irish passport (the consulate in Panama made the process too difficult). And I tried to open another U.S. bank account for one of my offshore corporations. I realized recently […]

19 Nov
Taking the most beneficial option under IRS regulations isn’t tax evasion. It’s using the rules to minimize your taxes burden.

Tax And Immigration Support For Americans Overseas

At last week’s Offshore Summit in Panama, one theme that came up in many of the presentations was professional competence. The context was everything from immigration professionals for establishing foreign residency and obtaining a second citizenship to tax professionals to help U.S. persons take advantage of the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion and attorneys to set up structures […]

08 Nov
How And Where To Pursue The Five Flags Strategy Of Global Diversification

How And Where To Pursue The Five Flags Strategy Of Global Diversification

Five Flags Geography I'm reviewing and clarifying my ideas related to the Five Flags theory of diversification in preparation for my opening remarks at this week's Offshore Summit in Panama City. If you're new to the idea, the "Five Flags" are to do with residency, citizenship, banking, assets, and business. Not everyone needs all five flags planted [...]
08 Nov
Diversifying Offshore Is The Most Patriotic Journey I Can Imagine

Diversifying Offshore Is The Most Patriotic Journey I Can Imagine

Fill In Presidential Election Winner’s Name Here By way of full disclosure, I wrote this essay last week, before the U.S. presidential election. I held on to it waiting to see which candidate's name to fill in to the opening paragraph... Obama has won. He'll be running the show in the United States for the [...]
05 Nov
How To Create A Self-Sufficient Life Overseas

How To Create A Self-Sufficient Life Overseas

Emergency planning. It’s a common topic in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. It’s not only economic disasters, currency collapses, bank failures, and stock debacles we need to plan for. It’s natural disasters, too, as Sandy has reminded the world. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, typhoons, monsoons, winds, flooding, drought. Few places in the world are free from […]