Investment Profits and Protection Are Two Sides of the Same Coin!
Today's comment is by Mike Burnick, our Senior Editor, Global Markets Analyst and Editor and editor of Global Market Investor.
Dear A-Letter Reader,
Whew, it's been a long, but VERY profitable ten days for me in Switzerland and Liechtenstein on the Sovereign Society's European Advantage Tour. So many useful asset protection strategies and investment ideas packed into such a short time - I think that I'm on information overload.
The event came to a fantastic finish with a great farewell dinner Thursday evening at Kronenhalle, one of Zurich's hottest dining destinations. And as you read this, I'll be winging my way back across the Atlantic bound for home. My carry-on bags weigh me down, stuffed with Swiss chocolate and other goodies and souvenirs for my daughters, Kelly and Shannon. My kids tell me they miss Dad and can't wait to see me Friday night, but I also suspect it's these goodies they can't wait to get their hands on.
The attendees at this year's European Advantage Tour got lots of goodies to take back home with them too, but these are of a much longer lasting variety. Most important, we bring back new friendships forged over eight days together, and many miles traveled across the beautiful Swiss countryside. We are also bringing back another valuable goodie: an increased depth and breadth of knowledge about asset protection and investment strategies from some of the world's top experts in the business.
Wealth Management AND Asset Protection Go Hand in Hand
An invaluable concept that was driven home for me on this trip is just how closely intertwined are the concepts of wealth management, and wealth protection. The two go hand in hand. You must focus not only on boosting your investment returns, but also on properly protecting your growing wealth at the same time. Otherwise, it doesn't make much sense -- you just can't have one without the other.
So after several days of specific global investment information, we were presented with a wealth of information about the various ways to structure an investment portfolio using some of the best strategies available here in Europe, or anywhere around the world for that matter. Here are some of the details.
On Wednesday, we traveled from our Zurich hotel to picturesque Vaduz, in the Principality of Liechtenstein. Although views of the Prince's storybook castle perched high up on a hilltop were somewhat marred by the presence of a construction crane - the royal residence is apparently being remodeled - the scenery was still captivating.
Liechtenstein is one of Europe's smallest nations at just 62 square miles and with only 35,000 citizens. In fact, many of those working here commute to their jobs from the bordering countries of Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. The Principality of Liechtenstein is politically and economically very stable; and is well known for being a leading offshore financial center, with strict asset protection and privacy laws dating back to the 1920's!
The Eye-opening Advantages of Liechtenstein Foundations
Our hosts in Liechtenstein included Swissfirst Bank of Liechtenstein and First Advisory Group. Attendees listened to presentations from Dr. Johannes Gasser a leading international attorney in the Principality of Liechtenstein; and from Philipp Schmid Director of First Advisory Group, a leading trust company based in the Principality.
The wealth of information provided is just too great to fully address here, but the highlights included details of Liechtenstein's strict banking and financial secrecy, which is guaranteed here by law. Also, the Principality of Liechtenstein guarantees bank deposits here against loss - similar to FDIC protection back home.
Also, I was surprised by how affordable Liechtenstein can be as an offshore banking and investment destination; it's not just for the rich and famous! In fact, a Liechtenstein Foundation, the most popular asset vehicle here, can be established with as little as 30,000 Swiss francs (or about US$35,000).
There is ZERO withholding tax in Liechtenstein on distribution of profits from the Foundation, and the only local tax is an annual 1% of assets - a small price to pay for this type of asset protection and financial privacy. Of course U.S. citizens are still taxed on distributions at the appropriate rate.
Best of Both Worlds:
Asset Protection and Superior Returns in a Single Package
Perhaps the best of all possible solutions to the wealth management and wealth protection quest came on the very last day of the European Advantage Tour... talk about saving the best for last!
This solution may not be perfect for everyone, but it sure looks like the best of both worlds in my book; and it comes from one of our most trusted European investment experts: Marc Sola, of NMG International Ltd. Let me explain...
Marc's specialty with NMG, based in Zurich, lies in setting up specialty asset holding structures that are virtually impregnable to creditors, protected against loss of principal value, and your chosen investment strategy can compound in a tax-deferred manner - totally in compliance with U.S. tax laws. In short, it's the ultimate asset protection and investing machine.
So, how does NMG International invest your money? The good news is that you have numerous choices of investment strategy when it comes to growing your wealth. For example, Robert Vrijhof, President of Weber, Hartman, Vrijhof & Partners in Zurich manages one of the custom investment portfolios using a very conservative but global strategy that aims for steady returns of 10% or so annually.
Or perhaps you would prefer Thomas Fischer of Jyske Bank in Denmark, or Austria's Andrew Griebl at Euram Bank, to oversee your strategy; no problem! In fact, you can pick almost any qualified asset manager you desire to invest your assets once in the NMG structure. Talk about flexibility.
And don't forget, these investment results come to you in the form of an ideal holding structure that safeguards your assets, and allows your wealth to compound on a tax-deferred basis for years to come.
Getting all the details on this dynamite product was certainly the highlight of my trip!
From High Over the Atlantic Ocean On My Way Back Home,
MIKE BURNICK, Senior Editor & Global Markets Analyst
P.S. I'm already hard at work writing a special report about all of the great investment and asset protection ideas I uncovered while on the Sovereign Society European Advantage Tour. My working title is: Exceptional Investment Opportunities in Old and New Europe . If you want to know the specifics of private European investment funds, how they're structured, and how well they perform, then this report is for you. Also in this report, I'm going to reveal my TOP-FIVE emerging investment strategies with explosive profit potential in European markets. To reserve your copy of my special report and at the same time get exclusive access to my new signature investment and research service, Global Market Investor -- click here now!
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Do you operate a business? Practice a profession? Drive a vehicle? Live in a residence that's visited by others? Have a spouse? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you should be concerned about lawsuits. In the last 50 years, a literal plague of litigation has swept through U.S. courts. In fact, it's estimated more than 10 million lawsuits are filed annually in the United States. That's nearly 200,000 lawsuits each week or about 40,000 each day (assuming trial lawyers don't work on weekends). However, that's beginning to change. While the United States remains by far the world's most litigious nation, the growth in what experts call the "lawsuit industry" has dramatically slowed. In 2005, the latest year available, the cost of lawsuits grew only 0.5%. That's down from 5.7% growth in 2004, 5.5% growth in 2003 and an astonishing average The most important reason why lawsuit growth is slowing is judges are looking more skeptically at claims in class-action lawsuits filed against corporations alleged to have engaged in wrongful conduct. • In 2005, Texas U.S. District Judge Janis Jack ruled that nearly every one of the 10,000 claims in a class-action lawsuit for silicosis (a lung disease often caused by occupational exposure to silica dust) weren't justified. Her ruling documented the fraudulent means by which lawyers, doctors and screening companies had manufactured the claims. • In January 2007, Ohio Judge Harry Hanna barred the California law firm of Brayton-Purcell from practicing in his court. Judge Hanna found that Brayton-Purcell, one of leading law firms spearheading asbestos-related class-action lawsuits, disobeyed court orders, lied to the court and filed false claims, among other misdeeds. • In February 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a jury can't base a punitive damage award on harm suffered by persons not involved in a lawsuit. This decision forbids juries from awarding punitive damages against defendants that are perceived, but haven't been proven, to have caused harm to persons not involved in the case they're deciding. And it applies in both federal and state proceedings. These favorable decisions, however, don't mean you should let your guard down when it comes to lawsuits - far from it. While the growth in tort costs is slowing...it's still growing. And with 10 million lawsuits filed each year, you can't be too careful... Click here to continue reading this article, so you can discover four strategies to protect yourself from this uncomfortable trend. MARK NESTMANN, Privacy Expert & EDITOR'S NOTE: Today's privacy comment is an excerpt from the April issue of our members-only newsletter, The Sovereign Individual . This comment also finishes up our special Sovereign Individual preview week. As you have seen, we pack our 16 page newsletter with the latest wealth-building ideas and investment recommendations. Interested in learning more? Click here to order a risk-free trial to The Sovereign Individual , and immediately gain access to all our back issues (including the latest July issue). | |
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The financial world finished off 2006 and kicked off 2007 flustered by an inverted yield curve, meaning the yield on short-term bonds exceeded the yield on long-term bonds. An inverted yield curve indicates investors' outlook for the economy is poor. If the long end of the curve falls below the short end of the curve, it's believed that the future for the economy is grim. For that reason, it's often the case that yield curve inversion signals a pending recession. Usually the inverted yield curve is a pretty cut and dry signal. But there was one problem. The yield curve signaling a slowdown ahead didn't jive with a booming global economy. This was confusing analysts and investors alike. It has spurred all sorts of reasons and theories why "it's different this time." Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, rarely at a loss for words, termed this confusing situation a "conundrum." Now nearly half way through the year things have radically reversed. The yield curve is back to normal, long-term rates exceeding short-term rates, and it's steepened rather But what does this mean? Well, it tells me that the glass may actually be half full, instead of half empty and that the "conundrum" mystery is solved. Maybe investors see good things to come for U.S. markets. Perhaps the economy is about to get its legs back. That's a scenario analysts seem to be hitching their wagons too. After a pathetic first quarter, many in the dismal science community are now calling for U.S. GDP to return to a more normal 3% rate of growth. Could it happen? Sure. But there are still a lot of questions left unanswered (most of which concern housing market fallout.) Should expectations swing toward a view of a much stronger second-half of the year, the U.S. dollar may find some support and even rally, as growth is a key fundamental driver for the greenback. It's easy to now say the current yield curve may prove prophetic. But, does that really give anyone confidence given the inverted yield curve was sending false signals? It goes to show you at least one thing: It's very difficult - or nearly impossible - to forecast interest rates. For now, the market has spoken and it looks like U.S. growth is picking up again. That's the story we are sticking with at least until the yield curve tells another. | |
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