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Category: Banking

26 Nov
Challenges Opening A Bank Account In The United

Challenges Opening A Bank Account In The United States

While in the United States this past week for Thanksgiving, I tried to take care of some administrative tasks. I renewed my driver’s license and Jackson’s Irish passport (the consulate in Panama made the process too difficult). And I tried to open another U.S. bank account for one of my offshore corporations. I realized recently […]

15 Nov
In The Room With The Heaviest Hitters In The Offshore World

In The Room With The Heaviest Hitters In The Offshore World

How To Go Offshore: You Can Do It Yourself (Shocker) This week's Offshore Summit has been organized around a series of panel discussions, one for each of the Five Flags being considered. Yesterday morning, Mark Nestmann, one of the world's leading experts in offshore residency and second citizenship, led a panel discussion related to choosing [...]
11 Oct
Why You Need An Offshore Bank Account

Why You Need An Offshore Bank Account

The Easiest, Smartest First Step To Internationalizing Your Life Editor's Note: Lief is busy today co-hosting Live and Invest Overseas' Retire Overseas Conference taking place in San Antonio, Texas. He has suggested, therefore, that we rerun an Offshore Living Letter classique, the inaugural issue from January 2012. Lief will be back online Monday, in time for your next [...]
01 Oct
Banking Worldwide Is More Regulated All The Time

Banking Worldwide Is More Regulated All The Time

I met last week with a banker from a bank I’ve worked with for years. In conversation, I lamented the difficulties we would-be account-holders face these days when trying to deal with banks around the world, especially if the passports we hold are American. She responded to point out that it’s not only account-holders who […]

05 Jul
Unibank No Longer Accepts Foreign Accounts

Unibank No Longer Accepts Foreign Accounts

I remind you often that you should take action to set up a flag offshore as soon as an opportunity that interests you to do so presents itself. Wait…and the rules can change, meaning the opportunity can disappear. In today’s offshore arena, the only constant is that everything–policies, requirements, restrictions, etc., to do with banking, […]

28 Jun
Transferring Funds Across International Borders

Transferring Funds Across International Borders

Banks Are Making Me Crazy! Moving money around the world should be easy in this electronic age, but, with all the banking and government rules, requirements, restrictions, and peculiarities, sometimes it isn't. This week a wire to a business I work with was rejected because the receiving bank didn't like how the sending bank had [...]
21 May
Advantages Of Opening A Bank Account Offshore

Advantages Of Opening A Bank Account Offshore

I recommend regularly that you have at least one bank account offshore…and that opening a bank account offshore can be the easiest first step to diversifying and internationalizing your life. But why? Why is a bank account in another jurisdiction such an important thing? First, a clarification. When I speak about having a bank account […]

14 May
FACTA Hearing May 15 In Washington, D.C.

FACTA Hearing May 15 In Washington, D.C.

Team USA--Pissing Off The World's Banks For Nickels And Dimes We've been reporting on the 2010 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA) requirements since the bill was introduced two years ago. Now, the implications and consequences of what amounts to one of the most arrogant and extra-territorial pieces of legislation in history are beginning to [...]