Customer Reviews

Tax Havens Today: The Benefits and Pitfalls of Banking and Investing Offshore

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1 star:		(4)

 

 

This book is unbelievably general, addressing topics in the most superficial manor. The book contains 324 pages; 111 of which are lists of names and addresses of banks and consultants around the world. The final 86 pages are essentially the entry requirements for travel to those countries. Only 127 pages contain sentences and paragraphs. Thirty of these pages are dedicated to berating the US government for everything under the sun, including the Iraq war. For useful information on international financial structures definitely look elsewhere.

The book is basically a plug for their financial service. I spent a lot of time corresponding with them and purchased one of their offshore banking packages. I had detailed my overseas residency situation and expressed concerns about their ability to match me with my desired banking product. They assured me that there would be no problems and if there were, I would get a full refund. Six months later, I have no Swiss bank account and no refund.

This book is an excellent book for those new to the subject of offshore finance and investing. It offers a simple and comprehensive explanation of why people might look into the subject of going offshore, presents an overview of offshore jurisdictions today and talks about the legal aspect of offshoring. It also offers a very useful contact list of professionals who can provide additional answers to some of the issues discussed in this book. Very good book.

This is an eye opening book you must experience. Regardless of your politics, nobody likes excess and unfair taxation. Taxation without representation started the American Revolution, however the American Spirit is dead. We are the only industrialized nation that taxes our citizens living abroad. As I write this review, there is small business legislation in congress, hidden inside of that legislation is a law that would allow the IRS to tax assets of Americans who decide to expatriate to a country with less of a tax burden. A must read book. For additional information, visit The Sovereign Society website. In addition, The Patriot Act has allowed our government investigators to replace "probable cause" with "suspicion" when investigating your (the taxpayer's) financial privacy.

The book is good - but not for US Citizens no matter where you live. As of 2009 this book became very out of date for US citizens. Basically almost one third of the useful part of the book is about Swizterland. Switzerland has put a complete freeze on US citizens for Investment Banking and even offshore accounts. The pressure from the US litigation with UBS has brought the Swiss Banking Community into a complete and unified anti US citizen banking access program.

I recommend this book as a fascinating read to anyone, whether or not they are interested in minimizing their tax-load legally. (And who isn't?) But while this book delivers brilliantly on that score, it is also an authoritative, entertaining manual that serves as a wake-up call on the state-of-the world these days. It treats the both the big picture and the important details of offshore, and provides excellent contacts for not just legally avoiding taxes, but also for protecting one's assets, future, and indeed, one's personal safety and sovereignty. Further, this is not only the best book on the topic by far, but it is the only current book by several years. And the author truly knows his topic. Fascinating, excellent read.

I have recently gotten interested in this topic due to world events. I bought this book and read it in one sitting--it is knowledgable and eye-opening. At no time did I feel the author was trying to "sell" me on anything...on the contrary the book reads as if the author is an expert in the field and simply wants the word to get out. Yes, his service is listed, but then, so are hundreds of other offshore experts--carefully presented according to their expertise.

In fact a colleague of mine contacted the author for advice and claims that the company handled him well and expeditiously regarding his request and order.

Apart from that, I believe that this work may be the best, if not the only timely report on the subject. If you want to know more, I would say it is a must-read, with the only intent to correctly inform on a topic that the "powers-to-be" may wish to keep covered up. Worth a look!

Whatever practical advice this book offers is undermined by its paranoid anti-government tone: would you really contact - and entrust your money to - a financial advisor in a foreign country on the basis of a recommendation by someone who opens with dark warnings such as "Certain special interests in the world today are trying to close particular doors as we speak"? Or, "The trick is that governments with certain behind-the-scene agendas regularly redefine those parameters in an attempt to control their taxable subjects and hang on to revenues for support of their ever-expanding plans and budgets. As James Bond said, 'World domination, same old dream.'" (Page 3). If you're writing an adolescent spy-thriller, this book will be fine background. If you're planning an estate or have real financial responsibilities, look elsewhere.

Book was delivered within specified time period and was in condition as stated on Amazon. Would definitely do business with this seller again.