How And Where To Open An Offshore Bank Account The best first step you can take to internationalizing your life (one that we strongly recommend you make a plan to take as soon as possible, if you haven’t done so already) is to open an offshore bank account. It’s a simple, straightforward recommendation. However, if [...]
Belize is indeed a small offshore banking jurisdiction. It has five international banks. In the past several months, every one of them has lost its correspondent bank. A correspondent bank is the connection between a small bank and the rest of the banking world. Without a correspondent bank, a small retail bank can’t accept incoming […]
Five years ago, a friend recommended that I open an account with the Bank of China in New York. A Bank of China account is an easy way to hold yuan directly, something that, as my friend suggested to me years ago, every global investor should think about doing. Finally, in New York City with […]
I’ve been reporting on the coming of FATCA for eight years. That’s old news. FATCA has arrived. It’s a reality of today’s offshore world. Banks have decided or are in the process of deciding which path they’ll follow toward compliance. Either they’ll continue to work with American clients and meet all the reporting requirements… or […]
FATCA Facts FATCA has been one of the regular topics of discussion at the Wealth Retreat I'm hosting at Buenaventura in Panama this week. FATCA has confused, irritated, and scared Americans since it first came out as the offset provision for the HIRE Act in 2010. We joked that the only jobs created by the [...]
A Humble Suggestion For The IRS If you haven't completed your FBAR form (TD F 90-22.1) for 2012, here's a heads up: The deadline is less than two weeks away. Remember that postmarking the form by June 30 isn't good enough. The Treasury Department must receive the thing by June 30. Completing my FBAR was my weekend project. I'll [...]
Planting Flags I'm reviewing and clarifying my ideas related to the Five Flags theory of diversification in preparation for my opening remarks at the Wealth Retreat I’m hosting in Panama next month. 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 [...]
Where I'm Planning To Invest In 2013 As the "fiscal cliff" approaches in the United States and every American with an Internet connection seems to be taking the opportunity to rant and rave and comment online about what is wrong in the United States and how to fix it (in his or her often not-so-humble [...]
What We Learned In Panama This Week This week's Emergency Offshore Summit in Panama City was exhausting and exhaustive. The overriding theme was one that I've been heralding for years, specifically: The offshore world is an ever-moving target...so take action when you can. Otherwise, you could lose your window of opportunity. In Panama, one bank [...]
Offshore Living Letter is a publication of Live and Invest Overseas. Our goal is to provide timely, actionable information on all things offshore, including: how to go offshore, diversifying your portfolio, wealth creation, protecting your assets, and much more.