April 2011 Archives

Ever wondered how nice it would be to obtain the citizenship of a tropical paradise? You would be able to visit the place any time you felt like, without having to deal with all the hassles of obtaining visas and necessary permissions. It could even be your alternative residence during the colder months of the year. St. Kitts & Nevis is just that kind of place. This island nation in the Caribbean is waiting to welcome you to an exotic paradise, and obtaining citizenship of this nation is also very easy. Let's see how, shall we?

St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship is easy to obtain, if you are willing to invest in a real estate property located anywhere on the island. There are many small independent nations that offer this kind of citizenships nowadays, and St. Kitts & Nevis is one of those. However, before you invest in a real estate property on the island, keep the following pointers in mind:

Decide on the type of real estate you wish to invest in. Do you wish to buy a fully built home, or simply a plot of land on which you can build your own home? The price will differ greatly depending on your choice, so make the selection that suits your pockets. Both would work in favor of your citizenship, however.

There are several legal clauses applicable to purchase of landed properties on the island. If possible, appoint a local lawyer to explain the laws and regulations to you, before signing on the dotted lines. Also, find out whether the seller has specified any preferred payment mode. Some real estate merchants accept credit checks from international banks, for example, while others may insist on being paid in cash only. The lawyer will be able to help you with this as well. Ask him about the applicable taxes and processing fees, since these will add to the cost of the real estate property.

There is a lot of free trade going on in the region. So, if you are interested in carrying out business hereFree Reprint Articles, have a talk with the local lawyer. He will be able to inform you about the applicable laws and regulations that apply to trade in the region.

Do not feel like investing in real estate in order to obtain St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship? No problem - consider making a donation to the local sugar industry. Talk to your lawyer and find out how you can do that. This will also get you a citizenship with no problem at all.

About the Author
Do you need a St. Kitts & Nevis Citizenship on the double? Get in touch with Caribbean Governance Consultants (CGC) Inc. today, to get it done quickly and efficiently.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

Offshore investments have gotten a bad rap in the past for illegal activities like tax evasion and money laundering. While this still happens occasionally, occurrences are much less frequent. Now, a record number of individuals are taking advantage of offshore opportunities, and it's 100% legal. There are several ways to use an offshore investment to your advantage. Let's look at a few, and discuss how to use online trading to take advantage of these benefits.

Tax Reduction

It is possible that a small country's economy would be vastly improved by investments from wealthy countries. An easy way to draw this kind of foreign capital to a small remote country is to provide lower tax rates for International Business Companies. This way, foreign investors can save money on corporate taxes, and the country can use the extra cash to build infrastructure and improve the standard of living for their citizens. More recently, however, G20 governments have begun to regulate this, in some cases taxing worldwide income rather than just domestic income.

Diversification

Many investors are unsatisfied with the narrow range of investments offered inside their home countries. Not only do they receive a wider range of investments offshore, but they are able to invest more aggressively as regulation are often more relaxed in desirable investment products.

Privacy

Breach of privacy is heavily penalized for a firm handling customers offshore investments. This is useful if you don't want your private investments publicized for the market and general public to see and react to.

Advantages to Online Investing

Online trading for an offshore investment strategy is offered through many different global stock brokers. There are many useful features and benefits to online trading as opposed to offline trading. The most obvious is cost. Online commissions usually range from $5 to $25 per trade, depending on volume and what broker you sign up with. The next most important is time.

The logistics of using a broker is very inefficient compared to online trading. The broker is a middleman between you and the trader, and it takes several minutes to arrive at an agreed upon price. With online trading, you can just click the "buy" button, and the transaction takes place instantly.

Online trading also affords you greater control over what and how you buy. If you work through a broker, he may not buy the stock you want because he thinks it is an unwise purchase. Also, many brokers have a minimum number of shares requirement to buy. Neither of these are an issue if you trade online.

That being said, many online firms still offer the services of a broker for managed accounts, and unless you are a stone cold investing machine, it would be wise to use them. At the very least, it's nice to have them at your disposal.

Since you will be trading offshore, your broker will be familiar with the local regulations and tax laws that may affect your purchases and because this is probably unfamiliar territory, consulting with your broker may be a wise decision.

In summary, the benefits of offshore investing are shrinking, but still very real, and taking advantage of them through online trading is highly beneficial.

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Not only is tomorrow a Fed decision day on rates Bernanke will be interviewed so expect fireworks. Inside day in Crude oil as we failed to make a new low with prices closing only marginally lower. Our bearish bias exists but we would like to see confirmation. On a break lower we think we could see a quick test of the 20 day MA at $109.30 in the June contract. We've yet to deploy any client capital but on our radar are shorts in RBOB or potential spread trades short RBOB/long heating oil...stay tuned.

Aggressive traders can get short natural gas as we feel an interim high is in place and expect a trade back near $4.20 in June. A break out in the indices should lift prices higher...though our clients will be absent as we do not trust this move. Is the dollar basing out or pausing before the next leg lower...that is the question and we should get the answer tomorrow. Every short we've attempted in other crosses has been a loser so you may want to look for opportunities elsewhere. A 1.4% drop in lean hogs today and near 5% drop in the last four sessions has longs back on our radar and clients will move back long when we see some type of consolidation. Live cattle have retraced 50% in recent weeks so we've advised clients to start scaling back into longs. In the coming weeks we anticipate a trade back over the 20 day MA's. In June at 117.20 and in December at 123.70.

Silver loss nearly 5% today and is almost $5 off its intra-day highs from yesterday. We lifted the bearish ratio trades for clients from yesterday at a 40% profit. From here we would fade rallies as a trade to $40/41 could be in the cards. The gold chart is fairly ugly as well, but it would take a trade below the 9 day MA for selling to accelerate. That level is $1490 in the June contract. On that we would likely see a swift move to $1450...trade accordingly. Sugar did finish lower in today's session but prices still remain above the 200 day MA. We have clients long via July options that are currently carrying a small loss. We are positioned trying to capitalize on a bounce to 25/cents in the coming weeks.

Aggressive traders can add to their shorts in cotton and continue to fight coffee by selling although it may be painful for a short period. Over the next several months we're looking for much lower cotton and coffee pricing...trade accordingly. As for agriculture our favored plays are currently bearish positioning in soybean oil and corn. We suggest trading July soybean oil and either July or December corn. Treasuries moved higher and though we should be cutting losses on shorts being most of our clients positions are options we opted to hold bearish plays in 10-yr notes into tomorrow's FOMC decision...stay tuned.

Risk disclosure: The risk of loss in trading commodity futures and options can be substantial. Past performance is no guarantee of future trading results.

Matthew Bradbard
MB Wealth Corp.
(954) 929-9898

matt@mbwealth.com
www.MBwealth.com

We are going to discuss the movement of funds from your own country or another country to an offshore bank presumably in an offshore tax haven. We are not going to discuss any illegal scenarios.

Why do People Move Money and Assets Offshore - Many of you will first think taxes? Well you are wrong. How many dictatorships are there in the world right now? Quite a few. There are ruled by kings who are in office for life. They can confiscate funds at will from anyone in the kingdom. How many military coup governments are running countries? Quite a few and they too can grab money from anyone in their jurisdiction at will. How many countries practice religious persecution? Many with even death penalty for infractions. Confiscation of wealth is a popular penalty involving religious persecution. How many countries practice political persecution? Many. How many countries have criminal gangs and organizations that are almost as powerful or as powerful as the government in power? Quite a few and they often get into the bank records in their country to see who to rob, kidnap, extort or otherwise victimize.

Then we can get into countries with out of control civil litigation systems where lawyers can strip you of all your assets in an unfair system that is out of control. Then we get into countries where kidnapping is prevalent and we could keep going on and on. There are numerous reasons for moving funds offshore where they can be safe other than tax implications. High tax governments want you to think that offshore banking and asset protection is only about tax avoidance but as you can plainly see it protects people from a lot of evils the high tax governments can care less about protecting people from.

Taking Cash Out of the Bank - Well this is the first thing that comes to mind with most people. Let me take the cash out and then transport it and deposit it into the offshore bank account. This perfectly guarantees that there is no trail to follow. Will this work? Sure and moving cash by itself is not intrinsically illegal as long as you report it correctly but there are some pitfalls to watch out for.

First of all many but not all governments want you to declare when departing their country with any amount of cash or negotiable instruments over $10,000. They word these forms as to be unclear if it is $10,000 per person or family. Usually per person, but do inquire. You can always have family members take separate flights to avoid get snagged by vague interpretative errors regarding the way the law was written. Do minors count - usually not. Today with all the inspection machines and other screening devices it is best to fill out the declaration form if required to do so, when departing lest you have the funds confiscated and face arrest. You may have to supply a source of funds statement, which is to say where the funds were derived from. In some police states it is really best not to move cash out since you may face a lot of questioning. This also depends on the amount. If you say you are going to a country to gamble at a resort and have $35,000 cash that is one thing. If you say that you are going to buy a hotel for cash and have $5,000,000 that's is going to be another story altogether. Other factors are where you are going, who you are, where your passport is from, what profiles the country ahs on you etc.

In some countries removing large amounts of funds will trigger responses. The bank will tell you they have to order in the cash and that will take one or two days by armored car. Then they file suspicious transaction reports with the government to see if they want to confiscate your funds or arrest you or something. If it is $40,000 and you said you were buying a boat or car from a private party for cash that might not attract too much attention. If you tried the same thing with $900,000 it would not be plausible and thus more suspicious. If the figure was $3,500,000 even more suspicious. See how it works. In some countries large cash movements are common and the banks do not pay much attention to it.

Addressing New Regulatory Requirements Remains a Significant Challenge

Despite ongoing regulatory challenges and political uncertainty, investment managers are optimistic about their business outlooks. They plan to continue to invest to increase efficiency, reduce risk, and enhance the client experience, according to a poll released today by SEI (NASDAQ: SEIC). The poll, conducted at a recent event for the company's investment manager clients, shows that nearly all participants (88 percent) are optimistic about their firms' business prospects over the next three years. There are a number of reasons behind the optimism, but positive market expectations (29 percent) and firm-specific strengths, such as superior performance (22 percent) and well-respected brands (19 percent), were cited most frequently. For the minority of managers (12 percent) expressing concern about their prospects, weak distribution strategies and insufficient distribution resources were the biggest concerns.

The poll revealed that while many managers are optimistic, they are not complacent, with many firms making investments in the areas of operations, marketing and distribution, and client service. In fact, the vast majority of managers polled have already taken steps, or have plans to take steps, to improve their growth potential, with 84 percent making material personnel or technology investments to enhance client service. The top areas for investment in 2011 cited in the poll include: hiring of additional marketing and distribution personnel (34 percent), back office operations and technology (28 percent), and compliance and regulatory functions (17 percent).

"It's refreshing to hear that optimism is the prevailing sentiment among managers, but it's even better to know that firms continue to invest to position themselves for the future," said Phil Masterson, Managing Director for SEI's Investment Manager Services division. "We know achieving operational efficiencies is a key area of focus for many firms. SEI continues to invest in new technologies and processes to help our outsourcing clients achieve those efficiencies and help them thrive in the changing regulatory environment. We will continue to focus on providing the most scalable and transparent operational platform so our investment manager clients can focus on better serving their investors."

The poll also revealed that meeting new regulatory requirements remains the top challenge among managers, with one in three respondents (33 percent) identifying this as the most significant challenge to the industry over the next 12-18 months. Participants were split on the effect of new financial regulation, however; half of those polled believe new regulations will have a significant effect on the profitability of their firms while 41 percent of participants expect insignificant impact.

Managers were not split, however, on the top channels for growth for the next 12-18 months, as nearly half of respondents (46 percent) ranked the institutional channel as the greatest opportunity for asset growth among client segments and distribution channels. Other respondents named RIAs/IFAs (20 percent), retirement plans (18 percent), and sovereign wealth funds (11 percent) as top growth opportunities.

We are in the throes of a third wave. Instead of buying and selling assets one way (as tangibles) or the other (as symbols) - we increasingly trade in expectations (in other words, we transfer risks). The markets in derivatives (options, futures, indices, swaps, collateralized instruments, and so on) are flourishing.

Economies revolve around and are determined by "anchors": stores of value that assume pivotal roles and lend character to transactions and economic players alike. Well into the 19 century, tangible assets such as real estate and commodities constituted the bulk of the exchanges that occurred in marketplaces, both national and global. People bought and sold land, buildings, minerals, edibles, and capital goods. These were regarded not merely as means of production but also as forms of wealth.

Inevitably, human society organized itself to facilitate such exchanges. The legal and political systems sought to support, encourage, and catalyze transactions by enhancing and enforcing property rights, by providing public goods, and by rectifying market failures.

Later on and well into the 1980s, symbolic representations of ownership of real goods and property (e.g, shares, commercial paper, collateralized bonds, forward contracts) were all the rage. By the end of this period, these surpassed the size of markets in underlying assets. Thus, the daily turnover in stocks, bonds, and currencies dwarfed the annual value added in all industries combined.

Again, Mankind adapted to this new environment. Technology catered to the needs of traders and speculators, businessmen and middlemen. Advances in telecommunications and transportation followed inexorably. The concept of intellectual property rights was introduced. A financial infrastructure emerged, replete with highly specialized institutions (e.g., central banks) and businesses (for instance, investment banks, jobbers, and private equity funds).

We are in the throes of a third wave. Instead of buying and selling assets one way (as tangibles) or the other (as symbols) - we increasingly trade in expectations (in other words, we transfer risks). The markets in derivatives (options, futures, indices, swaps, collateralized instruments, and so on) are flourishing.

Society is never far behind. Even the most conservative economic structures and institutions now strive to manage expectations. Thus, for instance, rather than tackle inflation directly, central banks currently seek to subdue it by issuing inflation targets (in other words, they aim to influence public expectations regarding future inflation).

The more abstract the item traded, the less cumbersome it is and the more frictionless the exchanges in which it is swapped. The smooth transmission of information gives rise to both positive and negative outcomes: more efficient markets, on the one hand - and contagion on the other hand; less volatility on the one hand - and swifter reactions to bad news on the other hand (hence the need for market breakers); the immediate incorporation of new data in prices on the one hand - and asset bubbles on the other hand.

Hitherto, even the most arcane and abstract contract traded was somehow attached to and derived from an underlying tangible asset, no matter how remotely. But this linkage may soon be dispensed with. The future may witness the bartering of agreements that have nothing to do with real world objects or values.

In days to come, traders and speculators will be able to generate on the fly their own, custom-made, one-time, investment vehicles for each and every specific transaction. They will do so by combining "off-the-shelf", publicly traded components. Gains and losses will be determined by arbitrary rules or by reference to extraneous events. Real estate, commodities, and capital goods will revert to their original forms and functions: bare necessities to be utilized and consumed, not speculated on.

Economies in Transition

Articles and essays about economies in conflict and transition.

By Sam Vaknin

Learning a new language while overseas can be a useful and potentially profitable activity but it takes time, money and commitment.

Expats seem to be divided into two groups: those who want to embrace their adopted country and those who cling to other expats for survival in what they see as a hostile - or at least harsh - environment.

Living in another country is not a life that is suitable for everyone. Some people hate it! They can't wait to return to the comforts of home. Yet others take to a different lifestyle like a monkey to swinging vines. Language learning may play a role in how an expat adapts to a new home.

Don't Start Language Lessons Too Late. . . or Too Soon
An adjustment time is usually needed after arriving in a new country. Being surrounded by a language that one is unable to speak or understand but hearing and seeing it everywhere can be difficult. Trying to learn before the brain has adjusted to the sensory overload may be useless. When the expat's mind starts to distinguish words and phrases - spoken or written - rather than just hearing or seeing gobbledegook, it's a good indication that they are ready for language study.

A certain amount of language learning will just happen over time due to environmental influences, being immersed. The learning curve for just "picking it up" in the course of daily life starts out rather steep. Over time, however, the rate of learning may become static without some type of formal study. Expats who "tune out" the "noise" of a language they do not comprehend risk being able to re-engage sufficiently for optimum learning. Veteran expats often say - jokingly, but truthfully - that the best way to learn a language is to have a romantic interest, someone close who speaks the other language.

VALLETTA, Malta, April 21, 2011 - FXDD Europe, a leader in online Forex trading, is now accepting customer deposits in Euros, in addition to deposits in US Dollars and Japanese Yen. FXDD is registered with the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) and is approved to provide services in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the rest of the European Union. FXDD has received written acknowledgements from such regulatory bodies as Autorite e Controle Prudentiel (France), BaFIN (Germany) and a host of other agencies.

"Traders located in countries of the European Union are extremely important to FXDD Europe. This new ability, to accept customer deposits in Euros, is a great way to increase our footprint in the region. This will now offer traders located in these countries the comfort that their deposits and withdrawals can be made in Euros, thus avoiding any currency conversion costs," said Lubomir Kaneti, a Director of FXDD Europe.

Clients of FXDD Europe have access to a robust suite of trading platforms, including MetaTrader4, MTXtreme, FXDDTrader, FXDDAuto, and multi-bank ECN hubs using Currenex and Integral technology. Clients will be able to choose between ticket-based or position-based platforms and will have more options for higher leverage levels. In accordance with European regulations, client funds will be segregated from the firm's capital.

About FXDD Europe

FXDD Europe (www.global.fxdd.com), a Foreign Exchange Dealer licensed as a Category 3 in terms of the Investment Services Act by the Malta Financial Services Authority, is headquartered in Valletta, Malta. FXDD Europe is a leader in online Forex trading dedicated to providing superior customer service, powerful trading technology, and reliable streaming liquidity. FXDD Europe provides services to individual and institutional traders, hedge funds, commercial entities, brokerage firms and money managers around the world. FXDD Europe offers 24-hour Forex trading by way of its trading platforms, which include: MetaTrader, FXDDTrader, PowerTrader and FXDDAuto. FXDD Europe provides competitive interbank pricing, no-interest accounts, and fully-automated execution. FXDD Europe offers 200:1 leverage, as well as competitive spreads.

Dave Carlson, Fleishman-Hillard, +1-312-729-3646, Dave.Carlson at fleishman.com; or Farley Green, FXDD, +1-212-266-0902, fgreen at fxdd.com

Red fancy diamonds are much more than pretty little rocks that you want to buy someone for St Valentine's day. Fancy Red Fancy Color Diamonds are among the rarest of all natural diamonds that make them also a great investment for a hedge fund against inflation. So why would you want to purchase loose red fancy colored diamonds for an investment as opposed to purchasing them for diamond jewelry? The answers may surprise you.

The Purplish Red and Fancy Red Diamonds are considered to be the most rare diamonds in the world. A quality red fancy color diamond of a single carat can fetch an average price of one million US dollars UP per carat. The biggest ever registered red diamond is about 5.00 ct. Loose fancy color diamonds when purchased in bulk can be a much better investment than precious metals and other similar, long-term investment strategies as well. With many of the investments in precious metals, you will get nothing more than a certificate of ownership stating that the metal exists somewhere and that you are the legal owner of said precious metals. You must store the certificate of ownership somewhere that it is safe and you will have a very difficult time getting so much as your certificate back, much less getting anything that will actually help you during many emergencies or natural disasters.

Red diamonds are extremely rare and expensive and their prices have been going up and up over the years. These diamonds have been chased by the most sophisticated collectors. Unlike the forex market or the futures markets, Fancy Color Diamonds are generally used as a long term investment. Loose diamonds as a rule are more of a long term investment as the prices do not always fluctuate much on a daily basis. However, according to many industry experts, the Natural Fancy Red Diamonds are expected to nearly double in price in the near future. Historically speaking, this makes the present an excellent time to invest in loose diamonds, fancy colored diamonds. Looking at the present economical crisis in depth and from a historical perspective, we see that every time that this situation has occurred (1913 USA, 1933 USA, 1980s Japan, 1990s Ireland and currently on a global scale) a period of hyper-inflation has ensued and in many cases, has taken a vast and costly war to reinvigorate the economic outlook as it did during WWI and WWII.

Given the value of Natural Fancy Colored Diamonds and the fact that when you do purchase loose diamond, you get both a certificate and the actual diamond, there is never any difficulty in retrieving, cashing in or otherwise profiting from your investment in loose fancy colored diamonds. When you buy a fancy color diamond, make sure that the word "Natural" appears in the diamond grading report (one of them is GIA - Gemological Institute of America) or you could discover yourself investing in something that does not provide a great return at all or even worse. That's why it's very important to purchase fancy color diamonds through a certified Diamond Trader.

By: serendiamonds

For additional information on Fancy Colored Diamonds visit the online page.

Dreikoenigstrasse, Zurich -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/18/2011 -- By investing funds offshore of one's home country, there is an immediate benefit of protection against the troubles of the country's market or currency. Offshore investing can take many forms. Alternative investment vehicles often include a component of offshore investments, such as offshore real estate, or offshore farm land and agricultural production, or even offshore gold and silver storage.

Advantages of Offshore Investments as Alternative Investment Vehicles
Offshore investing once was for the ultra-wealthy, those sporting net worth's well North of $10 million. Now almost anyone can move funds into the more exciting and potentially profitable world of offshore investments. Knowledge of how to enjoy the advantages of offshore investing is much more expensive and rare than with standard home country investing however.

As an alternative investment, moving funds out of your country of origin has largely been a winning trade for the past decade when calculated with currency fluctuations. China, Brazil, and India have all offered higher returns during bulls markets then the U.S. stock indexes over the past decade for instance. While these markets can be played with ETF's, there are several key shares that must be purchased using offshore investing houses.

Some of the key advantages of offshore investing within an alternative investment framework include: higher potential returns than the domestic market, much broader range of stocks to choose from, often better pricing than domestic ETF's, early availability of smaller capitalized issues, protection against single market dependence in real estate, stocks, weather effects, political effects, and currency devaluations.

Much like domestic investing, offshore money management can steer towards main line investing in big projects or companies, or more towards alternatives to the main companies. While the risk can be greater with alternative investments, the rewards can be significantly higher and come much faster with a systematic approach to evaluating alternative investing ideas within an offshore portfolio.

Here are 6 ideas for moving funds offshore and potentially enjoying high alternative investment returns: offshore direct company investment, offshore private placements, offshore currency investment (FOREX), offshore fund investment, offshore gold and silver storage, offshore investment account denominated in a local currency, such as USA Dollar, Australian Dollar, Singapore Dollar, or GBP Pound.

These 6 offshore options for investing, can broaden a portfolio. Instead of only being dependent on major stock indexes, the above investments offer security against single market dynamics. Not only is there potential for higher returns, but potential for avoiding massive loses if all of your investments are based on one market and are susceptible to political, economic or natural disasters.

Dynamic Wealth Management Zurich, Switzerland is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions. All views, comments, statements and opinions are of the authors.

For more information go to www.dynamicwmanagement.com

From April 18 Saxo Bank offers direct online trading of Bovespa index futures and a futures contract tracking the USD/Brazilian Real currency cross on the Brazilian futures exchange. By providing access to the Brazilian exchange, Saxo Bank will enable investors to diversify into a new geography and further spread their portfolio exposure across asset classes.

The Brazilian markets will provide investors with new opportunities to enter a market which traditionally has not been easily accessible. Technology has brought the entire world closer together, for sure, but it also offers new investment capabilities to new markets, particularly the emerging ones.

Brazil is making its mark on the global economy as a country in growth; it has ample natural resources and a young population. This is an exciting time for Brazil, which could see considerably more growth than that seen over the past decade.

Conventionally, traders and investors have sought to diversify their portfolios across asset classes. In order not to 'keep all their eggs in one basket', they have sought a broader horizon with an appetite for strategies including assets other than bonds and stocks. As investors have begun to embrace assets such as FX and commodities, a greater demand has been born for even further diversification. Brazilian futures offer just that.

Do you want the same tax advantages that large hedge funds and institutional money managers enjoy for your own trading and investment accounts? Do you want to trade stocks, options, commodities or futures without the burden of fretting over the myriad of complex tax implications of your trade? Do you want to see your nest-egg enjoy the benefits of tax-free growth without the burdensome, regulations and limitations imposed by government sanctioned retirement accounts?

Open A Confidential Private Brokerage Account

A confidential investment account can deliver true flexibility, financial privacy, and peace of mind. Virtually anonymous investing is available to clients of Invest Offshore. If you'd like to become a client today, please open an private by contacting us today.

If you are interested in registering a company in a foreign location, gathering as much information as possible will help ensure smoother planning and execution of business plans. Engaging the services of a specialist corporate services firm will assist with the process but following are some frequently asked questions by entrepreneurs undertaking offshore company formation.

Why would anyone register an offshore company?
The main reasons are tax avoidance, asset protection and confidentiality. Note that there is a difference between the term "tax avoidance", which is legally minimizing tax obligations, and the term "tax evasion", which is illegal.

When is a location known as a tax haven?
The word 'tax haven' is not a legal term. It generally refers to a country that allows foreign businesses to register their company with tax-exemption or very low tax obligations. The process for registering a company, the time taken and costs are often significantly easier compared to their own jurisdiction. However, it should also be noted that the ‘tax haven' term is being used less, as more jurisdictions implement international standards of the OECD.

Which country offers the best benefits for offshore company registration?
There is no single answer to this question. It depends on various factors, such as the country of residence of the registrant, the type of business and the reasons why he wants to register an offshore company. Language could also play a role. However, jurisdictions such as Dubai, Singapore, and Hong Kong appeal to many entrepreneurs setting up an offshore company due to competitive tax systems, infrastructure and reputation as business hubs.

Why would a government allow offshore companies to be registered inside its borders?
The reason is centered on inflow of foreign money. Company registration and other forms of offshore investment provide a substantial foreign income for these governments. The capital that gets invested by these companies in local banks and investments houses creates significant inflow of foreign investment into these economies. This foreign investment contributes to aspects such as creating jobs and development of infrastructure in the country concerned.

Are offshore companies used by criminals and terrorists?
Although much may be written about illegal activities of individuals, or companies, involved in offshore investing, this is not necessarily the truth. Both onshore and offshore companies can of course be used for illegal activities, but the fact is that the majority business conducted by offshore companies is legitimate. Governments implement due diligence requirements and offshore company registration procedures have systems in place to detect illegal activities such as money laundering.

Is it illegal to own an offshore company?
It is certainly not illegal to own a company in another country. There is in fact no difference between owning shares in a local company and owning shares in one in an offshore location. Some governments tax transfers from local companies to certain offshore locations, so you should discuss this with your tax adviser before choosing an offshore location.

Are there different types of offshore companies?
These companies are known by various names. In the Seychelles, for example, they are known as International Business Companies. In other locations they are known as non-resident companies, business companies or special license companies. They all have one thing in common though: They are legal entities in their own right, allowed to have assets and receive income.

About the Author:
Healy Consultants is a leading corporate services firm that assists entrepreneurs and investors with offshore company formation all over the world, including Singapore and Hong Kong. More information on company incorporation can be found by visiting www.healyconsultants.com

Article Source: www.articlealley.com/article_1679535_15.html

What are the benefits available to you from the world of offshore savings, investment, finance and banking?

We know that choosing the right strategy, the right investment and the right product is no easy task in this day and age! Whether its advice, investments or financial planning we are here to answer all your questions and facilitate all your financial needs.

Even in this day and age of enlightenment thanks to the pervasive nature of information dissemination via the internet, some people are still concerned about the legalities and legitimacy of the offshore world of finance and banking. For some reason others simply assume that onshore equates to a 'safe haven' for money and offshore equates to a 'risky tax haven.'

Well, you and I know that that is simply not the case! However, even though it is now clearer to more people that the offshore world holds many potential taxation benefits, there are still questions to be answered about why one should invest offshore and in this article we explore the benefits.

First things first...here's another myth I wish to dispel - some people say that offshore investments and bank accounts are more lightly regulated than their entity-type-counterparts onshore...now, that's not necessarily true!

Yes, certain jurisdictions give fund managers, bankers and investors pretty much free rein so that the rewards and risks are potentially far greater - but some jurisdictions are very highly regarded among financial professionals simply because of the incredibly high standards of protection they afford investors and account holders through insurance schemes and government regulation requirements for example:

The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are examples of offshore jurisdictions where offshore investment and saving policy or bank account holders are afforded high levels of protection. Just taking the Isle of Man - it offers policyholder protection schemes, it also has the highest financial services rating issued by the OECD, FATF and FSF and it has an independent Financial Services Ombudsman scheme not to mention the fact that both Standard and Poor's and Moody's have given the Isle of Man AAA ratings.

So - myth dispelled, let's move on.

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None can foretell the future, and yet the shape of what we face can be shrewdly estimated with enough attention to historical trends; with broad contextual understanding; and with sufficient insight into the character of leaders, their societies, and the structures which define their basis.

These estimates will be tempered by the sudden acts of nature, the sudden emergence of true leadership from unexpected quarters, or key breakthroughs in science. Still, we can hazard reliable views on the shape of the world in, say, a decade - in 2020 - if present trends and characters remain, and on a knowledge of certain baseline levels of wealth and capability which presently exist.

In 2011, the world will probably remain beset by the lingering of the present crisis of currency levels and economic performance. This is essentially a mass psychological crisis, based around the perceptions which create trust, particularly trust in asset values and institutions.

In some respect, historical trends have given populations in modern societies excessive trust in the ability of their institutions to remain operational, untended by their populations. As a result, governments have grown larger and less efficient, and have arrogated to themselves more and more of the resources of societies, thereby inhibiting productivity. At some point, those societies, when beleaguered and impoverished, lose faith in the institutions of governance and leadership succession.

It is possible that the end of the second decade of the 21st Century will see exactly that tipping point, at which faith - a psychological attribute - disappears, and either rigid reaction or anomie and chaos intervene. This forecast is based on the existing performance of most governments of modern economies, but reactions of their societies will vary based on their individual natures, their reserves of wealth, and the degree to which government and leaders can adapt radically to reignite and impart purpose and prosperity to their societies.

At present, in 2010, we see no major societies prepared to take such radical steps to reverse trends of social distrust in systems, and, indeed, the accumulation of laws and customs actually makes such radical action infeasible or unlikely, except in the event of major external threat, such as war.

This trend to inflexibility and resistance to radical change (which would entail discomfort and the removal of personal wealth) has reinforced a "business as usual" attitude. People rarely see the extent of change occurring around them; it is disguised by a continuity of visual references; and the presence of institutions which have not previously failed them.

In fact, it has been said of the modern era that institutions have evolved specifically to disguise change, because change appears threatening. Thus, when systems finally break down under the weight of debt, social change, and reaction, the event appears sudden and unexpected.

Some societies will merely erode into lower expectations of their own domestic and international capabilities, and well-being: many modern societies will allow themselves to decline in "a step of sighs", occasionally rebuilding to some degree, only to resume their downward steps, unless confronted with an existential challenge which forces them to cut away the inhibiting dross of years, and infuses them with the energy to respond.

So, then, the coming decade promises a continuation of the declining fortunes in major modern economies, absent the catalyst to reverse the trend.

And if Western societies falter, will new societies step forward to claim wealth and power? Not necessarily. There is no guarantee of continued growth in the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Republic of Korea (RoK), the Russian Federation, or India. Each has their frailties, and each is dependent on the global wealth to varying degrees.

Residential properties are one great way of owning a piece of real estate for investors, but it is certainly not the only way. Investing in commercial real estate such as malls, medical office buildings, large properties, and hospitals - may provide investors with an income stream, potential tax benefits, protection against inflation, and substantial growth opportunities. In addition, real estate is a great way to add diversification benefits when combining it with other types of non-correlated investments such as equities and fixed income securities. Therefore, commercial real estate can provide investors with a way to shield against volatile market conditions.

An investment opportunity
Years ago, commercial real estate investments were only attainable by institutional investors, wealthy individuals, and trusts with significant financial resources. Today, with the advent of products such as real estate investment trusts (REITs), many investors now have access to commercial real estate investments and opportunities that were once available to only the cream of the crop.

How it works
The most often used vehicle for investing in commercial real estate is the REIT. Although investing in commercial real estate was restricted to wealthy individual and corporations 50 years ago, since the REIT was created, the real estate market has attracted a much broader and much larger group of investors because it allowed regular investors to participate. REITs are like most other funds in the way they get capital for their operations. They raise money from investors and pool all the funds to acquire properties such as hospitals and office buildings. As long as REITs closely adhere to the laws applicable to them, most notably distributing at least 90% of all their taxable income to investors, they avoid double taxation of its income at the REIT level. This distribution is the major source of the income that REIT investors receive.

When investors place their money in any REIT, they are putting their money in the hands of real estate professionals that monitor changes and trends in the real estate market, mortgage rate movements, regional trends, and other factors. In addition to all the external factors, the REIT's success will also be affected by the fund manager's skills, experience, and talent.

REITs come in two forms: traded and non-traded fashions. Each has its own advantages and risks. However, this article concentrated on non-traded REITs.

Potential benefits

Non-traded REITs may offer:

Steady income streams. Non-traded REITs may provide a revenue stream in the form of monthly or quarterly distributions. This gives fixed-income investors with a steady cash flow.

Protection of principal. Although the economy's ups and downs can affect real estate values, REITs that invest in high-quality real estate assets can maintain their values.

Capital appreciation. With a sufficiently long time horizon, real estate can provide investors with back-end appreciation which can translate into significant rates of returns.

Inflation protection. Real estate typically withstands the erosive nature of inflation.

Tax advantages. Many investors benefit from holding real estate investments because the investor's taxable income is reduced by taking advantage of depreciation deductions. When the asset is sold, the income that was protected by the deductions is taxed at potentially lower capital gains taxes.

KB was founded on a vision to provide people from all around the world with a safe and secure means of purchasing and saving for gold.

It is currently the largest manufacturer and supplier of 1.0 gram gold bars available anywhere in the world.

KB clients and partners come from numerous locations. Within two years they have bought and sold more than 3 tons of gold. KB offers the highest buy back price worldwide.

KB started a revolution when the 0.5 gram gold kinebar was introduced in February 2010.

Today, KB gold is available in denomination weights of 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 gram bullions.

Gold bullions available for sale are a pure 999.9 - 24 carat fine gold or otherwise known as Kinebar Grade gold currency.

Every KB Gold Card is heat sealed with the gold bullion framed inside. The cards are professionally designed and each card contains Braille dots for the blind (on the front), a Swiss Certified serial number and hologram (on the reverse).

The hologram is an indication that the gold bullion is a 'kinebar' and is therefore of the highest quality and recognized throughout the world.

Learn more about the KB Gold Savings program

There are many benefits of company incorporation in Dubai for businesses that wish to expand to other borders. Business is worth eighty billion dollars and this represents a one hundred percent increase since the year two thousand and five. Such is the growth that this area has achieved in a relatively short space of time. Most of the growth is as a result of the oil and gas industry.

Today, despite the fact that about twenty four thousand barrels of oil are produced per day in Dubai, the oil only contributes about six percent towards the total economy. Tourism has replaced this in a big way. This area is ranked number thirty-one on the Corruption Perceptions Index and the UN Human Development Index. This highlights the quality of and the reputation of the country in terms of social, jurisdiction and economic development.

Engineering too is taking off in no small way here. The most expensive hotel in the world is built here. It was at one time the tallest that was built on reclaimed land. The service industry is promoted in a big way and to that end supportive corporate structures like free zones in dubai and incentives have been created. Energy is low cost and they have top of the range communications infrastructure. Dubai welcomes entrepreneurs in no small way and this is made obvious by the quality of services that offered to entrepreneurs with a view to doing business in Dubai .

This country is part of a collection of Emirates in the Middle East. Despite being unified in many ways, they still have their own tax laws, which differ from Emirate to Emirate. The law states that tax is charged on every person who is chargeable. Chargeable persons are corporations or individuals that are permanently setup uae .

Corporate tax, withholding tax, value added tax, capital gains tax and personal income tax are not imposed for doing business in uae . Petrochemical companies, oil and gas companies are however taxed. Even though there are no corporate or personal taxes charged, there are other smaller surcharges that apply.

One will need a trade license to import goods into Dubai. Furthermore, there is a four percent duty payable. Construction materials, food, medicine and products for free zones are excluded. If the products are luxury then there is a ten percent tax duty due. Cigarettes and alcohol carry taxes of one hundred percent and fifty percent respectively.

Any company that setup dubai will have access to double taxation treaties with almost fifty different countries. Some of these are South Korea, India, Germany, France and China. Tourism has boomed beyond imagination as a result of massive cash injection into the industry. The glamorous lifestyle is used to promote the tourism industry. Man made islands that have been created there have played a big part in help to boost tourism in the country.

Infrastructure is unequalled here and that is what makes the offshore set up in dubai so very obvious. Entrepreneurs will have options available to them to conduct business very effectively in free zones in uae.There are companies that specialize in providing Business services Dubai for incorporate into the area.

About the Author:

Morison Menon Chartered Accountants provides professional advisory services in the areas of Accounting & Audit,business consulting,hr consulting,setup dubai,setup uae,free zones in uae,free zones in dubai,doing business in uae,doing business in Dubai,company incorporation in Dubai

For more information visit : www.morisonmenon.com

About Us: Morison Menon Chartered Accountants provides professional advisory services in the areas of Accounting & Audit,business consulting,hr consulting,setup dubai,setup uae,free zones in uae,free zones in dubai,doing business in uae,doing business in Dubai,company incorporation in Dubai

For more information visit : www.morisonmenon.com

Contact Info: 204 Tower- A, Gulf Towers, Oud Metha, P. O. Box 55535, Dubai, UAE

Making The Chicken Run
by Doug Casey

"Making the chicken run" is what Rhodesians used to say about neighbors who packed up and got out during the '60s and '70s, before the place became Zimbabwe. It was considered "unpatriotic" to leave Rhodesia. But it was genuinely idiotic not to.

I've written many times about the importance of internationalizing your assets, your mode of living, and your way of thinking. I suspect most readers have treated those articles as they might a travelogue to some distant and exotic land: interesting fodder for cocktail party chatter, but basically academic and of little immediate personal relevance.

I'm directing these comments towards the U.S., mainly because that's where the problem is most acute, but they're applicable to most countries.

Rolling into 2011, the U.S. is in real trouble. Not as bad as Rhodesia 40 years ago, and definitely a different kind of trouble, but plenty serious. For many years, it's been obvious that the country was eventually going to hit the wall, and now the inevitable is rapidly becoming imminent.

What do I mean by that? There's plenty of reason to be concerned about things financial and economic. But I personally believe we haven't been bearish enough on the eventual social and political fallout from the Greater Depression. Nothing is certain, but the odds are high that the U.S. is going into a time of troubles at least as bad as any experienced in any advanced country in the last century.

I hate saying things like that, if only because it sounds outrageous and inflammatory and can create a credibility gap. It invites arguments with people, and although I enjoy discussion, I dislike arguing.

It strikes most people as outrageous because the long-running post-WW2 boom has been punctuated only by brief recessions. After 65 years, why should it ever end? The thought of a nasty end certainly runs counter to the experience of almost everyone now alive - including myself - and our personal experience is what we tend to trust most. But it seems to me we're very close to a tipping point. Ice stays ice even while it's being warmed - until the temperature goes over 32 F, where it changes very quickly into something very different.

First, The Economy
That point - economic bankruptcy accompanied by financial chaos - is quickly approaching for the U.S. government. With deficits over a trillion dollars per year for as far as the eye can see, the U.S. Treasury will very soon be unable to roll over its maturing debt at anything near current interest rates. The only reliable buyer will be the Federal Reserve, which can buy only by creating new dollars.

Within the next 24 months, the dollar is likely to start losing value rapidly and noticeably. Foreigners, who own over 7.3 trillion of them (including T-bills and other IOUs), will start panicking to dump them. So will Americans. The dollar bond market, today worth $36 trillion, will be devastated by much higher interest rates, a rapidly depreciating dollar, and an epidemic of defaults.

And that will be just the start of the trouble. Since the U.S. property market floats on a sea of debt (and is easy to tax), it's also going to be hit very hard - again. This time by stifling mortgage rates. Forget about property owners paying their existing mortgages; many won't be able to pay their taxes and utilities, and maintenance will be out of the question.

The pain will spread. Insurance companies are invested mostly in bonds and real estate; many will go bankrupt. The same is true of most pension funds. If the stock market doesn't collapse, it will only be because money is looking for a place to hide from inflation. The payout for Social Security will drop significantly in real terms, if not in dollars. The standard of living of most Americans will fall.

This rough sequence of events has happened in many countries in recent decades, and they've survived the tough times. But it has the potential, at least in relative terms, to be more serious in the U.S. than it was in Argentina, Brazil, Serbia, Russia, Mozambique or Zimbabwe, for two main reasons.

First, many people in those countries knew they couldn't trust their government and acted accordingly, even in contravention of the law, by accumulating assets elsewhere. So there was a significant pool of capital available for rebuilding. Americans, on the other hand, tend to be much more insular, law-abiding and trusting in their government. When they lose their U.S. assets, they'll have lost everything.

Second, those societies were significantly more rural than the U.S. is today. As in the America of 100 years ago, much of the population lived quite close to the land and had practical skills and habits that helped them get through the tough times. For 21st-century Americans, it's a different story. Shortages and disorder are going to hit commuters who live in suburbs, and urban dwellers who think milk appears in cartons magically, like a ton of bricks.

One thing you can absolutely count on is that everyone will look to the government to "do something." Americans really do think governments control the way the world works. Another certainty is that the U.S. government will "step in" massively, because everyone will want them to, and the politicians themselves believe they should. This will greatly aggravate the crisis and make it last much longer than necessary.

This week the Gold market notched another all-time high as the Globex June contract traded as high as $1476.40 as the sky rocketing price of Crude Oil are fueling the high prices of both Gold and Silver. Higher Crude Oil prices are aiding global inflation and forcing many investors to choose the precious metals as their "safe haven' alternative investment.

The May Crude Oil futures contract traded as high as $113.21 per barrel as the Libyan and Middle-eastern chaos continues to tighten the flow of the world's Crude Oil flow. This week May Silver made new 30+ pears highs and broke the $40.00 barrier as well as it traded as high as it traded as high as $40.96.Silver continues to outperform Gold as it's double status as both a precious metal and an Industrial metal along with its price per ounce in comparison to Gold has made it very alluring to investors.

The precious metals are technically well over-bought however, the global economy as well as the geo-political chaos is the fuel behind these record levels....both markets are in need of a correction. The wedding season in India has also added to physical demand as the jewelers of India try to meet the high demand.

The European Central Bank did indeed raise its benchmark interest rates .25 points up to 1.25 This raise was the projected by most analysts however, there were concerns they would raise it.50 basis as the Euro regions very high inflation rate suggests more rates to follow the Continued debt woes in the European Union especially in Portugal and Ireland have also helped drive the precious metals higher as many savvy Euro investors are choosing Gold and Silver as their investment choice.

It has become more evident that the global investors are more concerned with rising inflation versus rate hikes from the world's central banks....And as long as the Libyan and Middle-east crisis continues to interrupt the supply of the world's Crude Oil supply and force prices higher I expect the current market conditions to remain choppy and volatile.

This week the Gold market covered a very vast $47.30 range. Trading High = $1476.40 and a LOW = $1429.10.

MY SWING NUMBERS

JUNE GOLD

RESISTANCE # 2................$1488.00
RESISTANCE # 1................$1482.00
PIVOT................................$1470.00
SUPPORT # 1....................$1464.00
SUPPORT # 2....................$1451.00

MAY SILVER

RESISTANCE # 2.................$41.90
RESISTANCE # 1.................$41.42
PIVOT.................................$40.46
SUPPORT # 1.....................$39.97
SUPPORT # 2.....................$39.45

Mike Daly / Gold Specialist
PFG BEST
mdaly@pfgbest.com
877-294-4669
312-563-8029

By investing funds offshore of one's home country, there is an immediate benefit of protection against the troubles of the country's market or currency. Offshore investing can take many forms. Alternative investment vehicles often include a component of offshore investments, such as offshore real estate, or offshore farm land and agricultural production, or even offshore gold and silver storage.

Advantages of Offshore Investments as Alternative Investment Vehicles

Offshore investing once was for the ultra-wealthy, those sporting net worth's well North of $10 million. Now almost anyone can move funds into the more exciting and potentially profitable world of offshore investments. Knowledge of how to enjoy the advantages of offshore investing is much more expensive and rare than with standard home country investing however.

As an alternative investment, moving funds out of your country of origin has largely been a winning trade for the past decade when calculated with currency fluctuations. China, Brazil, and India have all offered higher returns during bulls markets then the U.S. stock indexes over the past decade for instance. While these markets can be played with ETF's, there are several key shares that must be purchased using offshore investing houses.

Some of the key advantages of offshore investing within an alternative investment framework include: higher potential returns than the domestic market, much broader range of stocks to choose from, often better pricing than domestic ETF's, early availability of smaller capitalized issues, protection against single market dependence in real estate, stocks, weather effects, political effects, and currency devaluations.

Much like domestic investing, offshore money management can steer towards main line investing in big projects or companies, or more towards alternatives to the main companies. While the risk can be greater with alternative investments, the rewards can be significantly higher and come much faster with a systematic approach to evaluating alternative investing ideas within an offshore portfolio.

Here are 6 ideas for moving funds offshore and potentially enjoying high alternative investment returns: offshore direct company investment, offshore private placements, offshore currency investment (FOREX), offshore fund investment, offshore gold and silver storage, offshore investment account denominated in a local currency, such as USA Dollar, Australian Dollar, Singapore Dollar, or GBP Pound.

These 6 offshore options for investing, can broaden a portfolio. Instead of only being dependent on major stock indexes, the above investments offer security against single market dynamics. Not only is there potential for higher returns, but potential for avoiding massive loses if all of your investments are based on one market and are susceptible to political, economic or natural disasters.

Dynamic Wealth Management Zurich, Switzerland is an independent investment advisory firm which focuses on global equities and options markets. Our analytical tools, screening techniques, rigorous research methods and committed staff provide solid information to help our clients make the best possible investment decisions. All views, comments, statements and opinions are of the authors. For more information go to www.dynamicwmanagement.com.

The "sovereign democratic federal state" of St. Christopher-Nevis (as its 1983 constitution ceremoniously describes it), has a governmental form and name almost bigger than its population (45,000), and total land area (267 sq. km.).

But this tiny West Indies island nation, known to the natives as "St. Kitts-Nevis," has become very big in certain exclusive international financial circles. That's because Nevis has no taxes, extremely user-friendly incorporation and trust laws, and an official attitude of hearty welcome to foreign offshore corporations and asset protection trusts.

In his second voyage to the New World in 1493, the year after Columbus discovered what was to become known as "America," (actually landing first at what is now the Dominican Republic), his explorations included two of the Leeward Islands. One of these he named (perhaps for a bit of ego gratification), St. Christopher, much later shortened to the current "St. Kitts."

It is reliably reported that when Columbus saw the smaller of the two islands, two miles south of St. Kitts, he was instantly impressed by the majestic volcanic mountain in its center, an almost perfect cone rising 3,232 feet, smothered in thick clouds. His diary indicates the intrepid Columbus was reminded of the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees, and so he named the island Nieves, the Spanish word for "snows."

Though Columbus claimed the islands for Spain, the first colonization was by the British in 1623 and 1628 respectively. In fact these islands became the mother British colony in the Caribbean, the launching pad for other settlements in Antiqua, Barbuda, Tortola, and Monserrat. The French arrived a few years later, inexplicably bringing a bunch of monkeys with them, and they (the French, not the monkeys) also used the islands as a starting point for their West Indian colonial designs in Martinique, Guadeloupe, St. Martin, St. Barts, La Desirade, and Les Saintes.

Located 225 miles east of Puerto Rico and about 1,200 miles south of Miami, until the islands September 19, 1983 declaration of independence, both were British colonies.

The islands are now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and recognize as nominal head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, who appoints a local Governor General. The elected unicameral Parliament sits in the capital of Basseterre on St. Kitts (population 35,000), but Nevis (10,000) has its own Island Assembly as well, and retains the constitutional right of secession from St. Kitts. Now and again newspapers in Nevis (pronounced NEE-vis) issue heated editorial demands for separation, but if it happens, it will be without shots being fired, other than a few verbal salvos.

The tiny 2-island nation is a member of the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS) and is an associated Commonwealth participating state of the European Union (EU). It is also a member of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) economic and trading group, along with fourteen other area nations including the Bahamas, Bermuda and Belize.

Although it was formerly a member of the British sterling bloc, the country's currency is now the Eastern Caribbean dollar used by several CARICOM nations, pegged to the United States dollar at a rate hovering around EC$ 2.60 to 2.70, to US$ 1.00. U.S. currency is freely accepted, but your change will be in EC dollars.

Most St. Kitts-Nevis islanders are descendants of African slaves imported by the British and French, the original American West Indian natives being long since extinct. The population is 94 percent black, 40 percent urban. English is the official and spoken language, but with a lilting West Indian accent, "mon."

The legal and judicial system, originally based on English common law, has now incorporated many of the basic elements of United States commercial law, especially that of New York and Delaware, for good reasons that will be clear in a moment.

The islands have a pleasant, healthy climate, warm with cool breezes throughout the year, low humidity and no real demarcated rainy season. Average annual rainfall is about 55 inches, most of it in the fall, which is also the hurricane season. The official tourist "season" is from December 15 to April 14, only because that's when weather is nastiest in the northern hemisphere and Caribbean islands most fashionable. Temperatures year-round average 78 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and from November through January the islands experience increased "Christmas winds," as they are called locally.

A low-key economic promotional program authorized by the 1984 "Citizenship Act" offers nationality and a passport in return for a $200,000 investment, usually the purchase price of a seaside condominium and certain "fees." Citizenship for the investor and spouse are included in the deal. (A less expensive route to citizenship is marriage, since St. Kitts & Nevis is one of the few countries that gives instant citizenship upon marriage to a spouse of either sex.)

Nevis is attractive for financial reasons, as we shall see, but it is also known for its natural beauty -- long, curving beaches of white and black sand, lush foliage and flowers, mineral spa baths and restored sugar plantations now used as charming country inns, many nestled high in the mountains surrounded by lavish tropical gardens. For the energetic resident there is mountain climbing, swimming, tennis, horseback riding, snorkeling. But the going is easy here with hammocks for naps, lobster bakes on palm-shaded beaches, candlelight dinners in stately dining rooms and relaxation on romantic verandas.

Nevis is located two miles south of St. Kitts, a leisurely 45-minute ferry ride away, except Thursday, which is ship maintenance day, and the Sabbath. There is also inter-island air service.

The "Premier Off-Shore Corporate Jurisdiction"

That's the way local boosters describe the smaller of the two islands, Nevis, where its capital, Charlestown, has become a miniature international corporate business center.

About 1,200 of the island's 9,300 inhabitants live in the town, founded in 1660, a place full of ancient buildings with fanciful galleries, elaborate gingerbread woodwork, shutters, colorful hanging plants -- and a small but effective cadre of international corporate and asset protection experts, both lawyers and bankers.

A jewelry collection is one aesthetically pleasing hobby to devote your extra time and money to. And if you collect antique jewelry, the chances for the items to appreciate in value for the right collectors are great. It will all depend on how carefully you seek out authentic antiques.

Acquiring collectible jewelry can be a fruitful way to employe your energy during your free time besides being a possibly lucrative way to invest your money. It all depends on whether you have an eye for identifying good designs and materials from mediocre and bad ones. A lot will also depend on whether you can get them for a decently low price. For the most part, antique or period jewelry will appreciate in value, all the more so if you happen to be collecting noted types of jewelry like the Claddagh ring.

Whence the first Claddagh ring

Nothing certain is known about the origins of the ring. Some believe the first ring to have been made by Richard Joyce, an Irishman who had been held captive and subsequently sold as a slave to a rich jeweler in Algeria. His master, seeing his ability, taught him the finest skills of jewelry making. Joyce later returned to Galway City in Ireland after having been released by his master. There he practiced the trade he had learned and made the first Claddagh rings. The ones that still exist today bear his initials. More incredible accounts tell of the Claddagh ring having been dropped from its beak by an eagle. The ring fell into the lap of a wealthy and charitable lady in return for all her good works. As to why this ring which was supposed to have originated from Galway came to be known as the Claddagh ring, the explanation offered is startlingly simple. A British publication in 1850 featured a picture of the ring alongside a write-up on the fishing community of Claddagh. The label on the write-up was mistaken for the name of the ring.

Among the oldest Claddagh rings still bear the initials of the jeweler mentioned above. These rings are highly valued by people who collect antique Claddagh rings.

Antique Claddagh rings are emerging from time to time

Hundreds of Claddagh rings have been made since the 17th century. Some of them have been used as wedding rings for generations, being handed down from mother to daughter to granddaughter. In the passing, many have been lost but you may still find them once in a while in itinerant flea markets where odds and ends from boxes in abandoned houses make their way now and then. Any collector who happens to spot a Claddagh ring initialed with RJ should waste no time or expense in purchasing it on account of its being one of the first ones ever made.

How to tell a Claddagh ring when you see one

The ring bears the image of a heart topped by a crown or a tiara. Both are held as an offering by a pair of hands. Love and loyalty are expressed in the act of offering the heart and the crown to the beloved one or dear friend. The act of giving the gift itself is taken to symbolize friendship. When friendship, love and loyalty come together, permanent and lasting relationships are established.

Among the collectible jewelry that you can come across the Claddagh ring is the one that abounds in both mystery and symbolism.

With a keen interest in Celtic jewelry, Ciara O'Brien researches and writes about Claddagh ring and all other types of Celtic jewelry. Click here for more information about Celtic engagement rings

The British Virgin Islands has reversed recent trends by becoming the only offshore financial centre to have its rating boosted in the latest Global Financial Centres Index (GFCI 9).

The improvement comes against a backdrop of decline among all other offshore jurisdictions. The ninth edition of the GFCI revealed that the BVI has improved its GFCI rating by two points, securing 40th place in the rankings outright, having previously shared the spot with Brussels.

BVI's achievement was made all the more remarkable by the fact that every other offshore centre fell in both the ratings and rankings, continuing a trend that began with the global financial crisis in 2008.

Sherri Ortiz, Executive Director of the BVI International Finance Centre, believes the BVI's boost in the latest edition of the GFCI is testament to the centre's ongoing commitment to regulation, transparency and continued growth in its financial services offering.

"We are obviously thrilled to witness the jurisdiction's advancement in the GFCI ratings and gaining a higher ranking while so many others have slipped is a real achievement," she said. "However, we know a number of threats continue to be mounted against offshore financial centres and we continue our work to position the BVI to strongly rebut these challenges."

Commenting on the challenges faced by the BVI, the government said:

"GFCI 9 has been published at a time when offshore financial centres continue to be subject to scrutiny from international bodies such as the OECD. However, the BVI has been on OECD's "white list" of compliant jurisdictions since August 2009 and signed its 20th Tax Information Exchange Agreement, with India, in February of this year. The financial centre continues to be viewed internationally as a well-regulated, cooperative and compliant jurisdiction. Public revenues have also remained steady throughout the financial crisis."

"In fact, an International Monetary Fund report published in October 2010 indicated that the recent global financial crisis has not affected the health of BVI financial institutions. The report further acknowledged the BVI Financial Services Commission's (FSC) cooperation as a full partner in international information sharing alongside the strength and independence of the BVI's regulatory regime."

The government further said that "The BVI's strong performance in GFCI 9 confirms the findings of the June 2010 follow-up report by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), published in October last year, where the team examined the capacity, implementation and effectiveness of the BVI's institutional framework, laws, regulations and systems. The report found that recommended actions from 2008 have been met or adequately addressed the examiners' recommended actions and concluded that 'these measures demonstrate Virgin Islands' commitment to complying with FATF AML/CFT standards'."

Offshore stock trading and online banking is the winning ticket for today's savvy investor. Foreign countries that are favorable for investment have certain laws that will provide an advantage to an investor. These laws take the form of local no-tax or low-tax on investment income, no matter the investors place of residence. This is the best-practice of today's modern market maven and all included in the service offering of many of the world's best offshore banks.

Offshore stock trading and online banking has many benefits. Tax planning and estate planning are a couple of positive benefits. You can invest offshore or enjoy managed custodial services, the choice is yours. Many offshore banks offer Nominee Services for your added privacy, it's all part of a good Asset Protection Trust, when set-up correctly offers the investor every product and service available anywhere, all completely private and confidential.

Investing and Trading Through Your Private Banking Account

Through your offshore trust protected private bank account, you can opt for hands on flexibility to trade a number of the most popular markets. In addition, if you don't want to be involved in making day to day investment decisions the best bank accounts offer you some options to simplify your life while still achieving respectable investment returns -- especially when the inherent tax benefits of private investing are factored into your total return.

Confidential Investment Accounts

In today's offshore world there are a broad array of investment options for active traders or those that prefer to take a more proactive approach in the day-to-day management of their money. You can set-up a virtually anonymous investment account to trade in a broad array of markets, including Canadian and US stocks, Options, Commodities, Futures, Forex and CFD. All trades are accomplished through fully segregated sub accounts controlled by your Asset Protection Trust. So, you are free to trade the markets confidentially.

The main reasons to having offshore stock investments are: Asset Protection-Protects against claims from bankruptcy creditors, and other people having an interest in your money. Estate planning-saving investment income and long term benefits on a favorable tax basis.

There are so many reasons you should invest in offshore stock trading and online banking.

Just when you thought there was nothing more the U.S. government could do to motivate you to ship your financial life offshore, they came up with another one. And if you have a sizeable net worth, it's a big one; you could save your family $2.2 million in taxes by acting on the opportunity during the next 21 months. A husband-and-wife effort could save twice as much.

Included in the 2010 Tax Act passed by Congress late last year are gift and estate tax rules that apply only in 2011 and 2012. Compared to the rules they replaced, and compared to the rules that will take effect in 2013, they are especially permissive. The tax savings come from exploiting those interim rules before they expire.

For this year and next, you are granted a $5 million exemption from gift tax. If your bank account can handle it, you could write a check today for $5 million to someone in the next generation and incur no gift tax.

But it's a use-it-or-lose-it opportunity. Starting in 2013, the exemption from gift and estate tax drops to $1 million, and the top tax rate on gifts and estates rises to 55%. (That's substantially a reversion to the rules in effect in 2002.) So if you do nothing, you lose a free opportunity to reduce your taxable estate by a net amount of $4 million - which, at a 55% tax rate, means your family loses an opportunity to avoid $2.2 million in estate tax.

Impediments

Estate tax has always been an avoidable levy. Regardless of the level of wealth, for those who planned well and planned early, the tax eventually incurred was trivial. The 2010 Tax Act doesn't change that fact, it just makes it easier, until the end of next year, to exploit the fact. Even so, most people will let the $5 million opportunity slip by, as people always do with estate-tax saving opportunities. Because I hope you won't be one of them, let's look at the practical impediments to effective estate planning, the things that get in the way and eventually cost the survivors so much in unnecessary tax.

Haven't Gotten to It. Estate planning is not the kind of topic that draws most people in. And it's generally about the far future, so it's easy to tell yourself there will be plenty of time to deal with it later. If that sounds like you, maybe the $5 million opportunity that Congress is offering for just the next 21 months will spark some action.

Already Did It. If you've already done your estate planning homework, you probably don't want to reopen the matter. But if you have a large estate, making that effort could save your heirs $2.2 million in estate tax.

They'll Waste It. The thought of your 16-year-old grandson touring America on a $50,000 motorcycle likely does not live up to your highest hopes for posterity. Many wealthy individuals hold back from making gifts to younger generations because they don't want to see the money wasted. Concern that gifts would remove capital from the control of the family's most astute investor and cunning financial manager also discourages gifts. But such concerns are easily dealt with by using a trust. You can make a gift to an irrevocable trust of which you are the trustee. The property escapes the reach of estate tax, but you continue to decide how the money is invested and when it turns into spendable cash for the beneficiaries.

I Might Need It. You don't want to do such a thorough job of estate planning that you plan yourself into the poorhouse. It's pleasant to contemplate the financial head start you can provide for future generations, but not if you see yourself at the margin of the picture signing up for food stamps.

Offshore Solution

Those are the four reasons the government is able to collect billions of dollars in otherwise avoidable estate taxes every year. There's a way to shrink every one of those reasons and keep your family from eventually contributing to the government's annual take: use an offshore trust. Here's what happens when you put an offshore trust at the center of your financial planning.

Haven't Gotten to It. For reasons I'll touch on, an offshore trust is the optimal environment for estate planning. But that's really just a footnote.

An offshore trust is a cornucopia of benefits you can enjoy now. It provides unbeatable protection for your assets - protection from aggressive lawsuits, protection from lightning asset seizures and protection from the possible gold confiscation and currency controls that have many investors worried. It gives you entry to all types of foreign financial institutions, most of which no longer want to deal directly with Americans. That means more and better opportunities for profit and for truly effective diversification, and it means access to tax-efficient investment products you can't get in the U.S.

Because those benefits begin right from the start, they counter the psychology of procrastination. And once you've established an offshore trust to gain those benefits, it only takes about 5 minutes of your attention to use the trust to capture the $5 million advantage I've been discussing.

Already Did It. An offshore trust can accommodate every estate-planning strategy your lawyer has told you about. You won't need to reinvent your estate plan, you'll just need to relocate it. And while you're doing so, you can bring it up to date to exploit the opportunity that was handed to you by the 2010 Tax Act.

Moving your estate plan offshore achieves an additional, highly attractive advantage. After your lifetime, the trust completely disconnects from the U.S. tax system. Distributions to your survivors will be reportable and partly taxable, but no one will be subject to U.S. tax on earnings the trust accumulates. The trust needn't be in anyone's taxable estate ever again. And no one will have a U.S. reporting obligation for the trust itself. That's as out of town as money can lawfully get.

They'll Waste It. An offshore trust can do as well as a domestic trust in dealing with the spendthrift problem, and maybe a little better. It has an edge because it provides better protection from the creditors some of your heirs someday might attract. In the meantime, it allows you to continue to manage the underlying investments just as you do now.

I Might Need It. Here is where an offshore trust shines for anyone who wants to exploit the $5 million opportunity.

If you transfer money to a trust, whether offshore or not, and you include yourself as a discretionary beneficiary (one who is eligible to receive a distribution but who has no fixed right to demand a distribution), and you later discover that you need the money for yourself, the trustee will have the power to give it to you. But if the trust is formed in the U.S., the money in the trust probably will remain in your taxable estate, because courts in the U.S. generally will tap into such a trust to satisfy your creditors.

By the standards of U.S. gift tax rules, if something is still available to your creditors, you haven't really given it away. (A few states have passed laws that attempt to protect such a trust from the grantor's creditors, but those laws can't protect a trust formed in the U.S. from lawsuits against the grantor in federal courts. The money is still available to at least some of the grantor's creditors, so it is still in the grantor's estate.)

The situation in some offshore jurisdictions is different. You can include yourself as a discretionary beneficiary of your trust, and if you later have a problem with a creditor, the courts there will tell your creditor to go away. Because the trust is protected from your personal creditors, your transfers to it move the money out of your taxable estate - even though the trustee has the authority to give the money back to you if you later need it.

With an offshore trust, the money's continued availability for your own support makes it far easier to exploit the $5 million opportunity that Congress has handed to you. And if you are married, it's a $10 million opportunity, but it runs out at the end of 2012.

By Terry Coxon, The Casey Report

Terry Coxon, co-editor of The Casey Report, is president of Passport Financial, Inc., and for over 30 years has advised clients on legal ways to internationalize their assets to optimize tax, wealth protection and estate planning goals. Read here how you can take advantage of a U.S. tax act and save a lot of money in the process...

[The editors of The Casey Report - among them investing legend Doug Casey - leave no stone unturned to inform investors of the profit opportunities hidden in today's volatile markets. While the U.S. dollar is losing more of its value every year and the economic crisis continues unabated, there are strategies to stave off the slow drip-drain on your bank account. Read the details here.]

With the advent of the information age businessmen are finding hundreds of ways of improving their businesses and increasing productivity by incorporating the internet into their daily business lives. This has had tremendous positive implications in the global trade market. With increased connectivity, large numbers of men and materials are easily handled by the new age managers. The banking sector is no different with people these days being aware of the best suited deals for their businesses. Offshore banking has had a huge fillip with even the common man being made aware of the numerous advantages one enjoys if he or she maintains a private offshore account.

Benefits of Having an Offshore Account:

Offshore savings firstly give the account holder a sense of security because of the private nature of these holdings. Only the bank and its trusted officials would be aware of the bank's clientele. This too would be strictly monitored by a responsible offshore bank due to the obvious sensitive nature of customers identity and their intimate account details.

Investment Risk is Lesser for Offshore Banks:

Savings being an integral part of a hard working citizen's long term plans, every person begins to think about saving assets for a future emergency the minute they begin their career. But with today's economy, investment in risky ventures is at an all time low and the common man is quite wary of making any risky investments whose outcome is anybody's guess. Hence banks are more popular these days due to the stable nature of its returns and a fixed deposit maintained at a reputed private or public bank is given importance.

Interest Rates Followed in Major Offshore Banks for Term and Short-Term Savings Deposits:

Offshore banks give a reasonable interest rate to those seeking to increase their holdings in a steady and trusted manner. You can be rest assured that there would be no untoward losses once you deposit your money. You can enjoy the double benefit of not being overly taxed like you would in your home country and also have the satisfaction of seeing your deposits grow over time. A healthy interest rate of 4.25% is offered for those who deposit a minimum of $10000 for a period of one year in a good offshore bank. The interest rate varies as per the currency in which the deposit is made. Normally the interest rate increases slightly if either the duration of deposit or the amount deposited increases. For example a five percent interest rate if offered for a minimum deposit of $100000 over a period of at least two years. So, the more money you deposit for longer periods, the larger the benefits you enjoy! 

If you are apprehensive about tying up your money for long periods of time then you should consider investing in an offshore savings bank account. A savings account would enable the depositor to withdraw their money on short notice without disrupting the long term deposits. Although the interest rate is lower at 3.25% for the U.S. Dollar, one enjoys greater flexibility in terms of money usage while still having interest flowing in due to one's assets. The majority of respectable offshore banks follow similar interest plans as mentioned above. Before choosing the offshore bank to invest in, do be sure to check out their reputation with former customers and the genuine feedback they offer about the bank. Offshore banks are usually present in countries where the taxation laws are not as hard-hitting as countries like the United States and other major nations.

Source: http://www.bancotrasatlantico.dm

This is not an April Fools joke...commodities belong in all portfolios if an investor has some risk aversion just look what's happening in commodities compared to other asset classes. Crude has its highest close in 2011 to kick off the first trading day in Q2. The momentum should carry prices upwards of $110/barrel but we would prefer to be a buyer from lower levels so unless already in a position we would remain on the sidelines. Natural gas is on our radar but we anticipate a trade back near $4 before we see more upside so look for a dip into next week. Indices were flat yesterday after a muted reaction to the jobs number this morning ...we've lightly worked aggressive clients back into bear put spreads in June ES contracts.

The greenbacks 1% early day rally failed as prices will close flat in the dollar on the week. We remain to feel the best play at current levels is scaling into shorts in the Aussie to play a 3-4 cent correction in the coming weeks. Aggressive clients established bearish futures and options positions in June lean hogs yesterday anticipating a trade back to the 20 day MA in the coming weeks; in June at 100.70. Both gold and silver traded down in yesterday's session but we're anticipating much more than the small incremental moves next. We could see $50 lower in gold and $3 lower in silver in my humble opinion.

Cocoa rallied 2% yesterday but failed to penetrate the 200 day MA; in July at 3045. We suggest bullish exposure to play a trade back near 3300. Both coffee and cotton gave up 2% yesterday; we continue to suggest bearish exposure in both. Old crop corn was higher by 6% yesterday coming off limit in late dealings. We do not think the highs are in but would prefer trading new crop from the long side until we get a retracement in old crop contracts. We opted to take profits for clients on their soybeans as we did not get the expected reaction off Thursday's USDA. We will look to get them long again from lower levels. Treasuries are in no man's land but our bias is starting to shift from bearish to bullish so stay tuned for fresh trade recommendations.

Risk disclosure: The risk of loss in trading commodity futures and options can be substantial. Past performance is no guarantee of future trading results.

Matthew Bradbard
MB Wealth Corp.
(954) 929-9898
matt@mbwealth.com
www.MBwealth.com

* Trading in commodity futures and options involves substantial risk of loss. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Our website is filled with resources to help the most novice or savviest trader. Come look at what the markets are doing in our charts & quotes section, or look up contract symbols and more in our tools section. The education segment includes a glossary and our special reports sector has access to all our archived commentaries and specialty articles published by Matthew Bradbard.

The LAPIS WAY vs The Traditional Method
by: Andreas Wueger, CEO, LAPIS Asset Management Ltd.

There is an old adage that says "simplicity is the epitome of effectiveness". At Lapis we are committed to incorporating this expression in the way we both manage our investment portfolios and arrange our investment strategies. We have eliminated the hype and mystique that often surrounds investment portfolios, are committed to plain English for clarity and understanding by our clients and finally allow the portfolio results to speak for themselves. It must be remembered that there is no harsher judgment of performance than that from the client.

To us a simple but effective investment strategy is key and Lapis' formula is therefore based on a disciplined five pronged approach:

1. Four main asset classes globally. Our own research has established that ALL international companies listed on the world's major stock exchanges fall more or less into one of the following four categories: Equities, Bonds, Real Estate and Commodities. At Lapis the funds available for investment is invested equally in each of these asset classes i.e. 25% in each asset class. This represents LAPIS CORE portfolio which is in essence a growth strategy where 75% of the funds are allocated to 'equities' (three of the four asset classes) and 25% to bonds. Our conservative and balance investment strategies includes the LAPIS CORE portfolio except there is a larger bond content and thus the LAPIS CORE portfolio is reduced proportionately. Thus the balance and conservative portfolios will show the LAPIS CORE allocation reduced to 15% and 12.5% respectively.

2. Quarterly rebalancing. All our portfolios are monitored quarterly and, irrespective of performance during the period, rebalanced to reflect the original LAPIS CORE allocation for each strategy. The reason for this is to ensure profits are taken from any performing asset class(es)and reinvested in those asset classes that have underperformed. This is termed the cost average approach. In this way the client benefits in two ways over the longer term, the first by averaging down the price of the shares bought and secondly the advantage of receiving additional shares.

3. Cash flows. It is our view that cash will always flow where the opportunity for better returns are seen to be greatest or seek a safer haven in times of market turbulence. Thus our simple but effective strategy is to ensure our clients are in a position to benefit from this flow of funds AUTOMATICALLY and IMMEDIATELY without the need to reposition the portfolio. As an example; in todays economic climate where cash returns in the major currencies are negative and the quantitative easing (printing money) by governments has created a wall of cash seeking placement, it is unlikely that cash will remain on deposit with banks with interest rates at near enough zero %. Cash will therefore seek better returns consistent with acceptance of risk i.e. volatility.

4. Minimum costs. At Lapis we believe in providing added value for our clients. Costs can represent a drag on performance and therefore we aim to keep these to a minimum. The LAPIS WAY ensures there is no need to buy and sell individual stocks/shares based on an army of researches dictating geographic areas/asset classes of potential benefit all of which add to costs. See the cost comparison below.

5. Consistent returns. There is nothing more debilitating to our or any client when they witness their portfolio values gyrating wildly. Our aim is to reduce this volatility and thereby provide our clients with consistent returns over the medium to long term. The LAPIS WAY has successfully proved this by delivering results exceeding our clients' expectations even during the global stock market crises. For our clients and potential clients Lapis offers portfolios in the following major reference currencies: USD, EUR, CHF, GBP, SGD, AUD & YEN.

What makes the LAPIS WAY so different from the other fund managers? First let us look at it from an historic point and then explain our raison d'être. Anthony Hilton, a respected City Commentator for the Evening Standard newspaper published daily in London in his recent article put it succinctly;

"Pension consultants have been saying for many years that investment managers add little to no value to funds under management in mature well regulated markets at a high cost. This was proved 10 years ago whether the asset manager was a generalist or a specialist. The main difference being that the specialist charged more for their underperformance in view of their skills. A recent report reconfirmed this same message that the pension funds failed to beat the market and remain costly. No one can beat themselves in a race and it also arithmetically impossible for all fund managers to beat the market because they represent the market."