Thursday, January 17, 2008

Top 9 Offshore Bank Account Considerations

Top 9 Offshore Bank Account Considerations
One of the misnomers about an offshore bank account is that
it is only for the very wealthy. An offshore corporation
plus offshore bank account is more economical than one
might think. An offshore bank account is an account that
you open in a country or jurisdiction outside your own.
Thus opening an offshore bank account is a good place to
begin on the freedom road and such an offshore banking
relationship can provide the foundation of what follows.
The most obvious legitimate reason for opening an offshore
bank account is the cash-flow advantage of getting interest
on deposits paid gross, without the withholding tax usually
imposed on non-resident bank accounts. One of the numerous
benefits of opening an Offshore Bank Account is that they
are often situated within tax havens, which means that the
individual pays less tax.

Offshore Bank Account

Most offshore bank accounts come with a cash card that can
be used to withdraw funds anywhere in the world. Offshore
Bank Accounts the Ultimate Protection Seeking to protect
you money in an offshore bank account once someone has laid
a claim to your assets just won't happen, its already too
late. An additional benefit of an offshore bank account is
that if you are not willing to leave a high tax nation you
can benefit by moving money to a tax free secure and
private haven. Asset security and privacy is what the
offshore bank accounts and the financial world are designed
to accommodate.

Opening an Offshore Account

To actually open an overseas bank account, you must firstly
do some research - which country and which bank will be
most suitable for your needs. Although you may not need
any of these things; opening an offshore account can be as
straightforward as just having a checking or savings
account. Most people who open an overseas bank account
want to enjoy the significant tax breaks that this will
give them. A passport, a driving license, and a untilty
bill are all you need to open an offshore account.

Privacy

Offshore privacy can no longer be taken for granted.
Having a offshore bank account may be something you can
explore in regard to banking privacy, being insulated from
predatory lawsuits, building your assets and to legally
avoid excessive taxation. This is a popular choice for
people who are very particular about their privacy and
anonymity. For maximum privacy and asset protection,
however, the best advice is this: Establish an offshore
corporation to own your offshore bank account. The
Anonymous Panama Corporation adds in a nice thick layer of
privacy protection. Right now, a secure, private bank
account is reserved for your personal use in countries with
some of the strongest bank privacy laws on earth.

Investment

An offshore account is an excellent way to diversify
investments and take advantage of global tax savings. Sure
you have to report your earnings in most places and pay
taxes, but you can still open up an offshore bank account
for greater investment possibilities, protection from
domestic lawyers who might want to sue you for your life
savings and for greater financial privacy. And, you must
report any interest payments or dividends you have received
from any offshore investments made using that account. You
can have instant access to the world's best investment
opportunities, including currencies and precious metals
without concern about your home nation's legal restrictions.

Legal

The proper way to open an offshore bank account is through
an experienced law firm offering offshore legal services.
As a matter of principle the rights to privacy can be
suspended when a criminal investigation is underway. Don't
rely on banking secrecy being upheld if you are engaging in
illegal activites. Some countries like Panama are more
tolerant than others.

Services

Typically a tax free haven is offered by countries that
have little or no means of exporting goods and services to
offset the imbalance they would otherwise have in terms of
their overall currency exchange. You may want to consider
other services the bank offers, such as different types of
accounts, credit cards and safety deposit boxes. There are
advantages either way here - a larger bank may offer
greater security and more services, but with higher fees.
Many offshore banks offer a full range of private banking
services, but have certain terms and conditions that need
to be met by their clients. An offshore corporation
combined with the quality banking and commercial services
found in Panama consistently meet the needs of diverse
types of clients.

International

If you're in regular receipt of international transactions
it can make sense to establish an offshore company
structure in a jurisdiction like the Seychelles where no
tax is levied on income generated outside the jurisdiction
and where such a company is not required to fill out annual
financial or activity reports. Such a company can then
open and hold an account which can be used for
international personal OR business transactions. If you're
moving overseas you have a number of choices available to
you - you can let your current bank know and they may
change your account type to be an international account.
You can then use this account to pay bills back home and
conduct international transactions.

Visa

The way these programs work is Visa and MasterCard do not
know who the actual card holder is - no date of birth, no
address, no tax id numbers etc. So a subpoena to
MasterCard or Visa would produce very little and since the
bank is in a country with bank secrecy this avenue is going
to be a long burdensome process that would be unlikely to
be pursued and could only be pursued by a government in a
criminal matter. The more private way of doing this is to
get a Visa or MasterCard debit card from another bank, not
your Panama bank.

Bank ATM Debit Card

Some people obtain an ATM card from another unrelated
financial institution. These cards typically have no name
imprinted on them which right away adds to your privacy
protection. These cards also do not leave a trail to your
real bank. Money can be transferred to the ATM card by
wire from your Panama or other bank account and then
withdrawn as needed. Some people are fond of using these
cards to cover corporate expenses like travel,
entertainment and other business expenses. Usually the ATM
card purchase requires a copy of a passport.

Offshore banking has many advantages, some of which include
the access to politically and economically stable
jurisdictions, and the lower cost and higher interest rate.
You can use a foreign bank account as an integral tool in
an aggressive, two-pronged offshore wealth strategy. In
other words, an offshore private bank account is not just a
place for safekeeping cash. You might think it is a bit
odd at first to open an offshore account when away on
holiday but if you are going to that destination anyway on
holiday it makes something nice to do one day.


----------------------------------------------------
To learn more about the Panama Offshore Bank Account and
other Panama Offshore Banking issues, visit Panama Offshore
Legal at
http://www.offshorelegal.org/offshore-banking/swiss-switzerl
and-offshore-banking/offshore-bank-account-tips.html

No comments: