Most people opening their own businesses are experts in their fields. But when it comes to the intricacies of running a successful business, many entrepreneurs find themselves struggling to survive.

With entrepreneurship on the rise, there’s a growing need for expert guidance to help today’s entrepreneurs face their new legal, tax, and financial challenges. Advising Entrepreneurs helps financial advisors address the special needs of their entrepreneurial clients. It provides a comprehensive approach to growing wealth, shielding business assets from liabilities, lowering taxes, and much more by promoting prudent risk-taking.

You may have heard about offshore “asset protection” trusts which safeguard the treasure trove of the super rich. Or “dynasty” trusts which, if set up just right, can pass fortunes from generation to generation without ever coughing up a nickel in estate taxes.

Pipedreams, right?

Strategies like these are beyond the ken of most people, even most professional advisors. They are the special domain of the very aggressive and the very well heeled.

But now, the most prudent of planners are turning their attention away from the Cayman Islands and Liechtenstein and toward Juneau. To the surprise of virtually everyone, Alaska may now become the most hospitable estate planning jurisdiction in the United States.

The new gold rush results from a new law, the Alaska Trust Act, which clearly and cleanly responds to two of the toughest of financial planning challenges.

The first dilemma planners frequently face is how best to insulate one’s assets from the claims of future creditors – and shield them from eventual estate taxes – without giving them up altogether. The general rules require transferring an asset – and forgoing all its income, use and enjoyment – or subjecting it to the claims of creditors and to taxability in the taxpayer’s eventual estate. Most of us simply aren’t prepared to give our assets away for fear we may need them to maintain our lifestyles down the road. So, a U.S. trust we set up to protect assets and fend off creditors isn’t a particularly attractive bargain.

The new Alaskan law seems to change all of that. Depositing assets into an irrevocable trust there – even while holding on to all kinds of rights over them – will now protect those assets against creditors as long as the asset transfers aren’t accomplished to hinder an existing creditor or made more than thirty days after a child support payment was due.

Trusts usually suffer from another restriction, too. The ancient common-law “rule against perpetuities” limits just how long a trust can stay alive. Eventually, trust assets must be distributed and transfer taxes paid.

But Alaska has now opted out of the Uniform Statutory Rule Against Perpetuities and Alaskan trusts can live forever. So, a taxpayer can claim a “generation-skipping” tax exemption to avoid transfer taxes indefinitely – as long as assets aren’t distributed to trust beneficiaries.

How do you qualify for all these benefits? Fortunately, neither you nor your intended beneficiaries need to live in Alaska, but there are a few requirements.

First, at least one trustee must live in Alaska or, more likely, be a bank or trust company whose primary office is there. Second, the Alaskan trustee must see to it that the trust files its income tax returns. Third, some trust assets, even a checking account, must be held in Alaska. And, fourth, some minimal portion of the trust’s administration must be performed there.

The new Alaskan trust may represent a viable option for wealthy people to keep assets in their families for generations while tapping income and even principal without triggering any estate tax. Yet, trust planning can be more treacherous than the Iditarod and consultation with knowledgeable counsel is imperative.

About the Author
Marc J. Lane, Chicago, IL USA
mlane@marcjlane.com
Learn more about alaska and estate planning
Marc Lane is a business and tax attorney, a Master Registered Financial Planner, a Registered Financial Consultant, and a Certified Investment Specialist. Marc is the author of 30 books on business organization, taxation, and personal finance. His newest book, “Advising Entrepreneurs: Dynamic Strategies for Financial Growth” draws from his experience working with those who have successfully built their businesses. Marc is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University and an Adjunct Professor of Business at the University of Illinois. His practice areas include Individual Taxation, Corporate Tax Planning, Business Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Investments, Retirement Planning,Elder Law, International Trade, Business Law, and Wills, Trusts and Estates. Additional articles, case studies, and a free email newsletter are available at www.marcjlane.com.

Have you been thinking about incorporating your small business or self-employment activity? The advantages are many!

For starters, you’ll be protecting yourself and your family from the possible of a business ending lawsuit. Forming a corporation is Step One on the path known as “Asset Protection” — you are moving from the world of unlimited liability to the world of limited liability.

(NOTE: For further insight into the legal advantages of incorporating, check out the article: “It Can Happen To You: Why Any Sole Proprietorship Is A Risky Business” at http://www.YouSaveOnTaxes.com/happen-to-you.html)

From a tax standpoint, there are both advantages and disadvantages to incorporating. Yes, forming a corporation can either reduce your taxes or increase your taxes, depending on what type of corporation you create.

There are two main types of corporations: “C” Corporations and “S” Corporations — and which type you choose can make all the difference in the world of taxes.

NOTE: The question of “C” Corp vs. “S” Corp has no effect on the asset protection provided by your corporation. This is a tax issue, not a legal issue.

A “C” Corporation can lead you into a Tax Trap known as “double taxation”. Yes, income from a “C” Corporation can actually be taxed twice — once when it’s earned on the corporate level and again when it’s paid to you, the shareholder, in dividends.

There are several ways to avoid double taxation. Often the easiest way is to tell the IRS that you choose to be an “S” Corp instead of a “C” Corp. The profits of an “S” Corp are not taxable to the corporation; instead, those profits are reported directly on the shareholder’s personal income tax return and are therefore only taxed once.

And once is enough, don’t you think!

Of course, any article on Choice of Entity must contain the old disclaimer, “Consult your tax professional” — I am not prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach to this issue. But for many small biz owners and self-employed folks, the “S” Corporation is a good fit because it provides protection from personal liability and avoids the nasty tax trap of double taxation — two great benefits worth checking into.

Should you incoporate your sole proprietorship and then decide that the “S” Corporation is the right fit, you must inform the IRS that your corporation is choosing “S” Corporation status by filing Form 2553, which is, in effect, an application to become an “S” Corporation.

IMPORTANT: If you incorporate and do not file Form 2553, you are automatically considered to be a “C” Corporation by the IRS. In other words, to be a “C” Corporation, you just incorporate; there is nothing you have to do to inform the IRS you want to be a “C” Corporation.

There are critical rules regarding how and when to file Form 2553, so be sure to read the instructions carefully, or check with your tax pro.

Failure to file Form 2553 on time or filing Form 2553 incorrectly results in a rejection of your corporation’s “S” Corp application, and the corporation is then by default treated as a “C” Corp, subject to double taxation, the very trap you were trying to avoid.

To download a copy of Form 2553, go to: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2553.pdf

The instructions for filing Form 2553 are found here: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i2553.pdf

Wayne M. Davies is author of 3 tax-slashing eBooks for the self-employed, available separately or as a 3-volume set, “The Ultimate Small Business Tax Reduction Guide”. http://www.YouSaveOnTaxes.com/ultimate-guide

To get your free copy of Wayne’s 25-page report, “How To Instantly Double Your Deductions” visit: http://www.YouSaveOnTaxes.com

Most people opening their own businesses are experts in their fields. But when it comes to the intricacies of running a successful business, many entrepreneurs find themselves struggling to survive.

With entrepreneurship on the rise, there’s a growing need for expert guidance to help today’s entrepreneurs face their new legal, tax, and financial challenges. Advising Entrepreneurs helps financial advisors address the special needs of their entrepreneurial clients. It provides a comprehensive approach to growing wealth, shielding business assets from liabilities, lowering taxes, and much more by promoting prudent risk-taking.

Delaware has long been recognized as a business-friendly state. Its easy-to-live-with, pro-management business laws have motivated thousands of corporations to organize there. And its courts have advanced the philosophy that Delaware is a good place to do business. Thanks to a recent amendment to Delaware’s trust law, the state may also become the jurisdiction of choice for financial advisers and tax experts seeking to shelter their clients’ wealth from claims of creditors.

The amendment permits anyone, even if he or she has no Delaware connection, to set up an “asset protection” trust and shelter assets from most claims. All that’s required is that one of the trustees be a Delaware resident or trust company and that some, but not necessarily all, of the trust’s assets be held in a Delaware financial institution.

There are two public-policy exceptions to the rule. The first allows a claimant to access trust assets if the claim accrued before the trust was funded; the state simply won’t help a debtor defraud a creditor. The second protects children, spouses and former spouses who are after child support, maintenance or property division. Otherwise, a Delaware trust can help wealthy people hold on to their property.

A candidate for such a trust understandably might be disinclined to transfer his assets away. But his enthusiasm is likely to be sparked once he learns that he can name himself a “discretionary beneficiary,” eligible to have trust assets paid out to him whenever he makes a request of the trustee.

Some wealthy people may benefit from transferring assets into a family limited partnership. (Read the April, 1999, “Lane Report” to see “how family limited partnerships build wealth.”) A husband and wife can serve as the general partners; and the limited partnership interests can be held by a Delaware trust. That way a couple can continue to control their assets while safeguarding any limited partner distributions. Or, transfers of significant wealth can be made to a Delaware trust, with the transferor and a trust company jointly serving as trustee. The trust can include all the dispositive and estate tax-sheltering provisions available to the transferor so that, at death, his or her assets can be distributed – without probate, subject to a minimum of estate tax, and without having suffered the risk of creditors’ claims.

Of course, every planning decision should be a measured and deliberate effort to address the needs and objectives of the client. And, where it fits, the Delaware trust, may be one component in a carefully considered wealth-management strategy.

About the Author
Marc J. Lane, Chicago, IL USA
mlane@marcjlane.com
Learn more about Offshore-Style Asset Protection Planning
Marc Lane is a business and tax attorney, a Master Registered Financial Planner, a Registered Financial Consultant, and a Certified Investment Specialist. Marc is the author of 30 books on business organization, taxation, and personal finance. His newest book, “Advising Entrepreneurs: Dynamic Strategies for Financial Growth” draws from his experience working with those who have successfully built their businesses. Marc is an Adjunct Professor of Law at Northwestern University and an Adjunct Professor of Business at the University of Illinois. His practice areas include Individual Taxation, Corporate Tax Planning, Business Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Investments, Retirement Planning,Elder Law, International Trade, Business Law, and Wills, Trusts and Estates. Additional articles, case studies, and a free email newsletter are available at www.marcjlane.com.

Make your New Year Resolution to create a legal protection plan for your business. What is a legal protection plan and why should I have one?

Glad you asked.

First, to answer why, consider this: one out of four small businesses have been sued or threatened with a lawsuit in the last 5 years. My former employer, a small business, was sued three times in six months.

You are almost three times more likely to end up in court than in the hospital, according to figures from the National Center for State Courts and the American Hospital Association.

You need a legal protection plan to protect your business from the people circling over your neighborhood like buzzards over a dying man. They’re looking for someone to sue.

Want proof? A new civil lawsuit is filed every two seconds, according to the National Center for State Courts.

A legal protection plan is a way to reduce the likelihood of your business being sued, or if sued, to reduce the damage to your business.

Part of a legal protection plan is periodically checking to make sure you are not breaking the law in your dealings with employees, suppliers and customers.

Does your business form protect you or expose you? Consider the form of business ownership you used when setting up your business. That is also part of a legal protection plan.

For example, did you know, if your business is a sole proprietorship, everything you own, even your personal property, is ‘up for grabs’ if your business is sued?

Rely upon your attorney to help you develop your legal protection plan.

Another part of creating your plan should be to isolate your business assets from your personal assets. However, be careful whose advice you take in asset protection plans, especially if those giving advice stand to gain financially from you.

Having a legal protection plan is not mentioned often in ‘how to start a business’ books, but given the extent of lawsuit abuse in America today, it should be an essential part of every business.

Go ahead, start today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ken Sink is the author of the FREE eCourse: “How to Protect Your Business from Plundering Attorneys and Devastating Lawsuits.” Sign up at http://www.howtoprotectyourbusiness.com.

See how to save 25 percent or more on all your attorney fees. Know how to protect yourself when it’s your word against theirs. Learn how to legally hide your assets. Find out how to make your business an ‘unfavorable’ target for attorneys and their clients. See for yourself how frivolous lawsuits are rampant in our society. Avoid the legal mistakes business owners make when starting a new business. Discover quick and easy steps to bring your business’s policies and procedures into compliance and reduce your risk at the same time.

Sign up for this FREE eCourse at:
http://www.howtoprotectyourbusiness.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When it comes to discussing offshore anything and US citizens – from offshore trusts to investments, from offshore banking to company incorporation – it’s important to note the following facts: -

- US citizens are taxed on their worldwide income. This includes income from interest, dividends and gains whether onshore or offshore.

- The US government allows money and assets to be moved offshore freely; however it requires full disclosure relating to the amount of money or assets moved and when they are moved.

- The US government has task forces committed to the prevention of money laundering and tax evasion.

- The US government makes it clear that US citizens must comply with all reporting and taxation demands.

So, does this effectively render the offshore world inaccessible or at least useless for US citizens?

No, far from it in fact!

The utilization of offshore trusts and bank accounts can be an excellent way for US citizens to legally and securely protect their assets and themselves from litigation for example.

Offshore trusts offer an individual a fair degree of personal confidentiality, privacy and asset protection from claimants such as an ex-spouse or business client for example; and if properly structured, offshore bank accounts can offer degrees of financial protection from potential future claims as well.

There are many companies and individuals who claim to be able to offer US citizens offshore solutions for taxation reduction or negation purposes. The bottom line is – as stated previously – US citizens are taxed on worldwide income. Therefore it is at best unlikely that the services being advertised will apply to a US citizen and at worst the opportunity will require the US citizen in question to break the law.

So how can offshore asset protection trusts potentially benefit US Citizens?

Any form of asset protection trust – whether onshore or offshore – can be used to protect assets from personal or professional litigation or creditor attack.

Whether established in an offshore jurisdiction or not, most assets protected by the given trust for a US citizen can remain in America. The assets usually remain under the indirect control of the Settlor (the person establishing the trust) as well.

Such a trust will usually be ‘irrevocable’ for a set term, and during that period the settlor will not be a direct beneficiary of the trust.

Depending on circumstances and best advice, many US asset protection specialists favor structuring offshore or foreign trusts in such a way so that they are taxed as domestic grantor trusts.

If the trust is created properly, any creditor or anyone suing the settlor will be unable to reach or claim the assets within the trust.

If the offshore asset protection trust has been structured as an irrevocable trust for a set term, at the end of the term provided there is no current or ongoing threat, the assets can be returned to the control and direct ‘ownership’ of the settlor.

Conclusion

When it comes to the utilization of offshore solutions there are circumstances in which US citizens can benefit from properly structured offshore solutions.

At all times US citizens must be aware that it is their legal duty to comply with American taxation and reporting requirements.

The purpose of effective offshore asset protection planning is the negation of any economic incentive to sue.

Rhiannon Williamson is an experienced publisher who has produced articles for leading travel and tourism guides and financial magazines. Her specialist knowledge about both travel and finance gives her site Shelter Offshore the unique ability to literally cover every single aspect of moving & living abroad – including the often less discussed offshore tax advantages that can be available when leaving our homeland. Check out her website to find out how you can escape from the rat race, relocate overseas, and profit from your move!

My financial objective is to quadruple my money every year. To do so, the programs I participate in should be able to produce, on average, at least a 100% quarterly growth rate. To accomplish these goals,

Learn about financial instruments that produce high yields,
Learn how to participate in high yield investment programs,
Make higher than average yields on my money over a long-term basis, and, Learn about and participate in asset protection programs.

www.privateinvesting.net
New to offshore high yield investing programs (HYIP)? Or just want to learn more about offshore banking, online investing, trading programs. Maybe your looking for tax havens, or more asset protection. Keep reading we might just be a little help in your investing needs.

Foghorn’s Enlightening Tips!
(1) Set an exact amount of money that you are willing to lose. No matter what comes along, don’t go back to the bank. Whatever the maximum amount is that you are willing to lose, only spend one-half that amount to start and wait for some money before you spend any more.

(2) Start with programs that have been paying for a while. Check the rumour mill to see if they are experiencing any paying problems. If there’s the slightest hint of trouble, find something else. Even if there really isn’t a problem, the rumour mill can create one.

(3) “Don’t spend it all on one place. Don’t put all your money in one type of program. Pick a couple of different types of programs (loan, trading, network marketing – with nominal sponsoring). Pick different payment time frames, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc.

(4) If the program is promising a return in less than 7 days, pass it by. It’s rare that an investment based on a financial instrument can AVERAGE enough in a week to pay 100%. It is probably some type of ponzi or pyramid scam!

(5) If the program description says that it needs lots of people to join, so refer as many as you can, or, you need to spend every day of the week to keep things going, find another program.

(6) Spend the minimum going into a new program where no one has EVER been paid. You may NEVER get PAID.

(7) So you think maybe you found a winner? Is it offshore? Any program can be working, be paying and running like a smooth clock. If the money is in the states, where it can be ceased by inquiring minds, it’s in big jeopardy. How long do they need to keep your money before your principal is returned? That’s how long you are at risk of loosing it.

(8) How many members are there? 5,000, 10,000, more? That’s a sure bet that the books are open to the public? The more people there are in the program, the more danger that it is being watched and there’s someone waiting for an opportunity to close it down. The more people, the longer it will take to get your money to you, and of course, the faster your government gets into the action.

(9) Every failure can become a positive learning experience. Think about this, 90% of the programs promising 50% a week fail in a short period of time, and then one comes along promising 200% a week, what are the chances of success? Right!!

(10) We have been in programs that produce returns of 100 – 300% per month over time. The hard part, knowing someone that is in contact with those who are in the know. You know! These types of programs are kept quite. You won’t get much if any information because of non-disclosure agreements, unless your are putting up ,000s. When you find one of these golden eggs, guard the Secret!

(11) If you do not have a plan that includes discipline & patience…You won’t have the money when you come upon that once in a life time opportunity!

About the Author

Ray Ogden has 10 years of investing in all types of online and off-line programs. Weekly newsletter with investing tips, programs, scam watch.

I do not consider myself an expert. But I Do Make Money In These Programs And So Can You. If you follow some very simple advice.

1. HYIP
2. Offshore investing programs – trades.
3. Private banking.
4. Trust offshore & onshore.
5. Private Clubs.
6. Offshore merchant accounts
7. Bank Debentures
8. Affiliate programs

Despite what you may have read or heard, anyone is free to open an offshore bank account nowadays! In fact, banking offshore has been used successfully for tax reduction and asset protection by both individuals and worldwide organisations for decades.

And opening an offshore bank account in this day and age couldn’t be simpler either! Here are five straightforward steps to take towards opening an offshore bank account.

Step One – Understand The Advantages Of Banking Offshore

There is no point in opening a bank account offshore if it is going to be of no use to you! So you need to understand some of the general advantages of banking offshore.

Depending on an individual account holder’s personal circumstances it’s possible to reduce tax liability, increase wealth potential and maximise privacy with the use of an offshore bank account.

Further advantages for an expatriate or internationally focused individual are the flexibility, ease of access and global reach that an offshore bank account may provide.

Other general benefits may include asset protection, estate planning, better interest rates and the chance to exploit active business interests overseas.

At this point it’s essential to point out that each individual’s circumstances are unique and a person should seek personalised professional advice before venturing into the offshore world. This article does not constitute direct personal advice.

Step Two – Pick Your Jurisdiction Carefully

There are so many offshore banking providers offering a wide variety of account type and they are located in low to no tax jurisdictions worldwide so how do you choose which country to bank in? Again, depending on an account holder’s personal circumstances certain offshore jurisdictions will present themselves as being more favourable.

Jurisdictions range in quality from highly regulated, politically and economically stable centres like the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey to high risk jurisdictions that few would recommend!

Remember that an offshore centre that is suitable for an American expatriate might not be so suitable for an English international investor! Consider your circumstances, your country of residence, country of domicile and any reporting restrictions placed upon you. Further examine the reporting requirements of any jurisdiction that you’re interested in.

Step Three – Select Your Offshore Banking Provider

Do your due diligence carefully and find out who’s the financial security behind a particular bank. Research the bank’s history in terms of its stability and security. This research is mainly applicable to those thinking considering banking with a lesser known offshore provider.

Clearly if you’re thinking about opening an offshore bank account with HSBC then your research needn’t necessarily be so intense!

You need to make sure that you’re comfortable with your chosen bank’s attitude towards you, its customer, and if you’re considering online banking be sure that your connection to the bank will be secure.

Much of this essential information can be found online.

Step Four – Choose The Right Bank Account

With so many providers vying for customer attention there are more account types on offer now than at any other time before. Each account structure claims to offer something the others don’t, but remember that the more bells and whistles you add to an account structure, the more expensive the charges for running and marinating such a structure will be! And who will bear the brunt of these costs? Most likely you – the customer!

So, think carefully about exactly why it is you need an offshore bank account and what are the features of that account that are essential to you. Do not be tempted to add to this list any unnecessary complexity.

Stay in touch with your immediate money management requirements; do not be tempted to deviate!

Then work through what’s on offer and pick the account type that best suits your needs.

Step Five – Opening The Bank Account

Nowadays you neither have to visit the offshore jurisdiction in which you wish to bank, nor do you have to travel to the country for the continuance of your banking activity and account maintenance.

Depending on the jurisdiction you favour, the provider and account type you have selected you will be required to submit certain paperwork, forms of verified ID and deposit funds.

The majority of legitimate offshore banking organisations will also allow customers to conduct all ongoing banking activity via the internet, e-mail, post, fax or telephone.

With many providers now offering full credit and debit card services as well you will also have easy and direct access to your funds at all times.

Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of ShelterOffshore.com – the online resource for offshore, expatriate and international investors.

For personalized investment and offshore advice, readers of Shelter Offshore benefit from the site’s strategic alliance with deVere and Partners, the world’s largest offshore financial advisory. Visit the http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/shelter/offshore_advice_service/ deVere and Partners offshore advice service page to find out more.

A MILLION DOLLAR CASH ADVANTAGE is exactly what a captive might mean to a surgeon at the beginning of a career. For a doctor well into a life’s work, the savings that might be achieved by use of a captive could well determine the quality and point of retirement. How much? Without the loss of one penny set aside in loss reserves for the risk of professional liability, captive owners save at least one third or more of their cost for liability insurance.

JUST WHAT IS A CAPTIVE?

A Captive is a privately held insurance company formed for the sole purpose of providing insurance to that company’s owners. A captive is a corporation qualified by governmental authority to operate as an insurance company for limited purposes. A captive is administered in the same manner as any other corporation in the conduct of business.

It is important to note that although insurance affairs are usually contracted to experienced trades people for the day to day operations, the captive’s owners should always maintain total control of all business decisions as well as the captive’s money accounts.

HOW DO CAPTIVES SAVE MONEY?

An insurance company reserve account is money set aside from premium dollars to pay future claims. Yet, this money is only a portion of the premium dollars you pay. Added to funds for loss reserves are sales commissions, advertising and marketing expense and the cost of the company’s administration overhead as well as an allowance for profit. Therefore as little as 55 or 60% of the premium dollars you pay are actually set aside for the purpose you pay them, to pay for future liability claims. A Captive will set aside the same amount of money into reserves as a commercial insurance company. However, the captive will eliminate most, though not all of the commercial insurance company’s expenses.

OTHER REASONS FOR FORMING A CAPTIVE:

The advantages of owning a Captive are well known to American industry and not for profit institutions. Only recently, due to legislative reforms, have captives become available to individuals and small groups. The various reasons for forming captives include:

Over a period of time, loss reserves become a sizable asset. The income from the investment of those assets directly benefits the shareholders of commercial companies. Owning the company yourself means you benefit from the investment of loss reserves.

If you cannot afford to bear the loss of your own risk, owning a captive means you can access the reinsurance market, which is effectively buying insurance wholesale. Owning a captive means you may determine how much risk you can afford each year and how much you wish to pass of to reinsurance companies.

Buying insurance from the commercial companies means you are subject to the vicissitudes of the market place. Your rates are affected by both man made and natural disasters. Owning your own company means you have a reliable place to insure yourself each year.

Control is a central issue. Captive owners control their companies. They control how claims are handled, how investments are made and they control rates and underwriting so long as the company comports itself in a financially responsible manner.

Asset protection has become an increasingly important factor in the establishment of captive insurance companies in recent years. To learn just how captives are used for asset protection, you should talk to a captive consultant.

THE ROLE OF THE CAPTIVE CONSULTANT:

The captive consultant is an adviser, who after understanding your requirements will draft a Plan of Business offering a practical solution designed to save you money by undertaking the development of a captive. The captive consultant will help you decide on a jurisdiction for your captive. He will assist you in locating a reliable third party administrator who will provide an office and staff to perform routine business matters for your company. He will draft all necessary documents for the application of you company charter. He will provide support services and be your eyes and ears after your captive is operational. The captive consultant works on a fee for services basis.

THE REAL BENEFITS OF OWNING A CAPTIVE INSURANCE COMPANY FOR YOUR OWN PRACTICE!

As a form of “self-insurance”, the captive approach may provide the following benefits to its shareholders and owners:

SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY EXPENDITURES (Typically 30% below standard rates)
Stable assurance of CONTINUOUS COVERAGE
EFFECTIVE RISK SHARING through re-insurance or wholesale arrangements
EQUITY ACCUMULATION on the captives capital and reserve accounts
REDUCED EXPOSURE i.e. the captives claim records vs. the industry and regional averages
FULL ACCESS to competitive, worldwide, wholesale re-insurance markets
BENEFICIAL SELF-DIRECTION of the captive’s corporate resources
Enhanced capital investment LATITUDE
MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT in day-to-day operations of the captive
All accounting, reporting and actuarial requirements FULLY AND PROFESSIONALLY OUTSOURCED

To sign up for an online seminar, or to request that a consultant call you or visit your practice and carry out a presentation to you and/or your colleagues, visit us at http://captivatinginsurance.exceptiona.com

About the Author

Michelle Johnston Sollicito is an Ebusiness expert with 15 years experience.
She built the website http://captivatinginsurance.exceptiona.com
Her site, Exceptiona.com, details her professional experience in IT.

An irate tenant or disgruntled home-buyer, with the help of a willing attorney, can readily prompt a property search for a property owner in public records. The target of the search becomes someone who has deep-pockets as reflected in real estate assets.

Land trusts are available in most states, though they differ in structure and extent of protection.

Land trusts are nothing more than a legal entity that hold title to a property. One of the advantages to a land trust is that the owner of record is not you!

A land trust is simply transfer of a property out of your name and placed into another entity. The land trust names a trustee to manage the trust, such as your lawyer, a friend, or relative with a different last name. The trust then owns the property, and your name is omitted from the ownership record (which is the deed or title).

But you still own the trust. You are the beneficiary of the trust.

Obviously, it is a little more complicated than that, but here’s the bottom line. If Suzy Suehappy is aggravated with you for some reason and begins looking for your assets of record, she will have a hard time finding what you own if each of your properties are recorded in a separate land trust. Your properties would be listed under the name of the trust rather than yours. Your name would never appear in the records if each of your properties were held in the various names of your trusts.

If you owned 123 Main Street where Suzy Suehappy lives, and your name is John Lucky, Suzy might go to the county clerk’s office to ask for all the property that John Lucky owns. The search would be fruitless because your name could not be found. Suzy Suehappy would discover that the property is owned by 123 Main Street Trust (or whatever you wanted to name it). She would also find that no other properties are owned by 123 Main Street Trust.

But if habitual trouble-maker Suzy Suehappy has a problem with property owner Jane Notsolucky, and finds all of her property of record listings in Jane’s name, she has an easier target for a lawsuit.

If an actual suit is brought against you by Suzy Suehappy, her attorney can demand in deposition a listing of all your property. However, in preliminary discovery efforts by Suzy or her attorney in perusing the county clerk records, maintaining anonymity can be an advantageous deterrent in asset protection.

Once I had a tenant who stumbled onto the staircase landing of his second-story apartment house while drunk, broke the rail, and fell to the ground with some minor injury. He approached a prominent sue-crazy lawyer in town about his case, but I was fortunate not to face an expensive defense of myself because I was not high-profile in the county records. I assume that a review of the records did not disclose my personal name on real estate properties, and I was considered to have no recorded real assets.

Asset protection has to be a concern of real estate investing, and the use of land trusts might be a consideration. I find, however, that few attorneys understand land trusts, and need education in this specialty of the law.

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/

He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real–Estate–Course.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online “Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques” at http://www.AAREIT.com/

There are a number of key reasons why individuals and businesses consider going offshore for asset protection purposes.

The asset protection advantages the offshore world offers extend from protecting a business from excessive taxation to opening doors to enable wealth and asset enrichment via the utilisation of offshore investment opportunities.

Until relatively recently creating and running a business offshore was something done only by the super wealthy or by large corporations, but today establishing an offshore company couldn’t be easier and more and more people are beginning to see personal advantages in operating their business in this way.

Not only are there many cost effective offshore company solutions available nowadays but it is possible to purchase a fully functioning and legal off the shelf company in countries with low to no taxation and unrestrictive reporting requirements and begin your business trading the same day!

The result of making the offshore world far more accessible is that many more average people are finding that they can run their businesses legally from an offshore location and in so doing protect and benefit themselves and their assets.

Ideally the primary asset protection advantages of running a business from an international position result in increased profits and security and the advantages include: -

Tax Reduction

Tax eats away at assets and therefore tax reduction is the number one advantage people seek to gain by going offshore.

An offshore company or trust arrangement when properly structured may significantly reduce the levels of an individual’s or business’ tax liability and thus protect underlying assets from being eaten away through excessive and restrictive taxation.

Straight Asset Protection

Placing company or personal assets out of the reach of an opponent or prospective creditor is straight asset protection. By making assets unattractive or legally unobtainable by third parties you achieve straight asset protection.

Because of the nature of society today where litigation is par for the course, many more business professionals are at greater risk of legal action being taken against them, and many more individuals face losing out in acrimonious divorce battles – therefore protecting one’s assets offshore can be a very effective way to ensure long term asset security.

Offshore Investment Opportunities

There are far more potentially high returning investment opportunities available offshore than domestically. Also, as many of the world’s stocks are traded outside your country of residence there could be a significant advantage to trading offshore.

Greater Privacy

Developed countries are increasing the levels of surveillance we are all placed under; as a result many more people grow concerned about their growing lack of personal privacy. By moving business activities and assets offshore this can directly assist with increasing personal privacy and the confidentiality of business and financial transactions.

Of course, it goes without saying that the privacy available will not protect people who are engaged in serious criminal activity.

Estate or Inheritance Tax Planning

We are all at risk of loosing a considerable amount of our estate in income and excise taxes when we die. With carefully structured and well managed offshore solutions such as trusts it is possible for some people to reduce their estate’s liabilities and therefore pass the estate’s assets to their heirs with minimum tax and liability problems.

These are just the five main reasons people seek to exploit the world of offshore opportunities for asset protection purposes; there are many more potential advantages to going offshore but they all depend on an individual’s personal situation and requirements. It is essential to seek professional advice before considering going offshore and this article does not constitute advice in that sense.

Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of ShelterOffshore.com – the online resource for offshore, expatriate and international investors.

For personalized investment and offshore advice, readers of Shelter Offshore benefit from the site’s strategic alliance with deVere and Partners, the world’s largest offshore financial advisory. Visit the deVere and Partners offshore advice service page to find out more.