Islands

Bahamian banking secrecy is somewhat misleading in that that banking institutions are prohibited from divulging a clients or account holders information to a third party without the clear consent of the account holder (think Americans may have to sign waivers when opening an account) or under a Bahamian court order. The bad part is that banking institutions are freely permitted to divulge that a...

Private placement life insurance is a pre-emptive IRS audit tax strategy that transforms taxable ordinary income and capital gains into tax-free income (with no income tax reporting required under current U.S. Law). Please reference IRS Private Letter Ruling 200244001 (May 2, 2002).For U.S. Persons with investment income, private placement life insurance provides for compliant, tax-free compounded...

Low interest rates at the bank have you annoyed? Well, they should. Receiving less than 3 percent interest on your money is not only unnecessary but it is also keeping you from staying ahead of inflation. Your local bank isn't the only option for building wealth nor should you have to settle for below market interest rates. Read on and we'll examine some high yielding, low risk investment strategies for...

Panama has a long and rich history. There have been people living in Panama for over twelve thousand years. These native populations excelled in pottery making and were well known for their burial sites. Around the start of the sixteenth century, Rodrigo de Bastidas became the first European to claim part of Panama's Caribbean coast. A year later, Christopher Columbus arrived in Panama. He explored the...

Denial is a ubiquitous psychological defense mechanism. It involves the repression of bad news, unpleasant information, and anxiety-inducing experiences. Judging by the German press, the country is in a state of denial regarding the waning health of its economy and the dwindling fortunes of its financial system.Commerzbank, Germany's fourth largest lender, saw its shares decimated by more than 80 percent...

In 1502, The Bay Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus, claimed by many nations over the years, they were finally controlled by Britain in 1643 as a crown colony, at the time dependent on Jamaica. In 1860 the British crown recognized Honduran sovereignty. The Bay Islands were included into the rest of the country in 1872.The Bay Islands are located in the western Caribbean sea. The three main...

The first Bank Secrecy Act in the Caribbean was adopted in the Bahamas in 1964. Until then, Switzerland had always been the “renowned banking haven” – known throughout the world for its “private banking”. The Cayman Islands government soon followed the Bahamas Bank Secrecy Act, with almost identical legislation a year later. The growth of the Cayman Islands into the top...

If I could share just one real estate tip it would be to pay off your mortgage early. I will show you how by using biweekly payments. It's a simple and easy trick that your bank doesn't want you know about and will save you tens of thousands of dollars.I bought my first home during the peak of the real estate boom thinking I would own it for a few years and make a massive profit because prices were...

As a professional engineer, I am involved with residential and commercial real estate development projects often from the start - conducting due diligence to see if a development project is feasible or not. This keeps my finger on the pulse of what is happening in land development.It was obvious from late 2007 and throughout 2008 that real estate development activity was drying up, simply by following...

Dubai is fast emerging as an attractive investment for real estate, and not without reason. Today many asset managers are rushing in to take advantage of the extraordinary growth in Dubai. Companies are also finding it lucrative to expand in areas like the Cayman Islands. Also with the region being mainly Islamic, Shariah-compliant investment funds have gained more significance. The private equity market...