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Category: Banking

20 Mar
Lief Simon

Belize Remains A Top Offshore, Tax, And Banking Haven

He’s asked Kathleen Peddicord, therefore, to fill in for him today… My first trip to Belize, coming up on 30 years ago, was organized courtesy of the Belize Tourism Authority. I was a starting-out travel writer; the BTA was looking for press. This was well pre-“Survivor,” pre-“Temptation Island.” The only people who knew this tiny […]

20 Feb
Challenges of Setting Up A Forex Account

The Challenges Of Setting Up A Forex Account

Last week I mentioned that I was trying to set up a forex account to save some pips on a transfer from U.S. dollars to euro for a property purchase I’m making in France. The first forex company I tried to work with turned out to be no better than others I have tried in […]

06 Feb
Saving Money when facing Currency Exchange Rates

Saving Money In The Face Of Currency Exchange Rates

I usually ignore foreign exchange rates. You can’t predict them and trying to time them when making a real estate investment is a crap shoot. If you wait too long for an exchange rate to get where you want it to be before sending your money for a real estate purchase, the opportunity can disappear. […]

20 Jan
Why Belize Is A Haven For Expats

Why Belize Is A Haven For Expats

“The good news from Belize is no news from Belize…” That’s been the running joke as long as I’ve been spending time in Belize. Nothing ever happens in this country and the people of Belize, both the Belizeans and the foreign expats, retirees, and adventurers who’ve chosen to settle among them, like it that way. […]

09 Dec
bitcoin

Bitcoin Investment

A reader chastised me a few months ago for not having reported on Bitcoin in this e-letter (or anywhere, for that matter). Of course, I’d heard about Bitcoin, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it…until the reader’s comment.Since then, I’ve taken a closer look. My conclusion? Tulipmania.In Amsterdam between November 1636 and February 1637, […]

21 Nov
FATCA Banking Regulations

Offshore Banking Regulation

“’Knock three times and ask for Roscoe.’ “That’s what offshore banking used to be,” Peter Zipper, an offshore banker with more than three decades of experience, explained this morning to the crowd attending this week’s Offshore Summit. “But those days are over,” Peter continued.

28 Oct
Banking And Champagne Tasting In France

Banking And Champagne Tasting In France

Traditionally, the sediment was removed by hand. However, this meant that a fair amount of champagne was lost. As each bottle was opened, the built up effervescence pushed out the sediment but, of course, some of the wine, too. The process was slow and very inefficient. Then, sometime in the 1970s, someone had the big […]

24 Oct
Looking Ahead To A Possible Financial Meltdown

Looking Ahead To A Possible Financial Meltdown

At the end of September, the national bank of Panama shut down the entire ATM system countrywide over a weekend to upgrade the programming… Small inconvenience at the time. Now, a month later, the situation has moved from minor inconvenience to big pain in the neck. People using foreign debit cards to try to withdraw […]

07 Oct
Moving Overseas: Easing Into The Expat Life

Moving Overseas: Easing Into The Expat Life

The Best Place To Take Your First Steps Offshore Panamanians don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, and, while they have it, Halloween’s not a big deal. As a result, the stores are all stocked with Christmas decorations by the end of September. Thanks to the long U.S. influence in this country, you can find Halloween candy in some [...]