{"id":68756,"date":"2015-02-27T12:32:55","date_gmt":"2015-02-27T17:32:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/countingpips.com\/?p=68756"},"modified":"2015-02-27T12:32:55","modified_gmt":"2015-02-27T17:32:55","slug":"foreign-real-estate-is-the-new-swiss-bank-account","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/2015\/02\/foreign-real-estate-is-the-new-swiss-bank-account\/","title":{"rendered":"Foreign Real Estate Is the New Swiss Bank Account"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"inves-1032509535\" class=\"inves-below-title-posts inves-entity-placement\"><div id =\"posts_date_custom\"><div align=\"left\">February 27, 2015<\/div><hr style=\"border: none; border-bottom: 3px solid black;\">\r\n<\/div><\/div><h4>By Nick Giambruno &#8211;\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umyft-2\/PIP\">internationalman.com<\/a><\/h4>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p>Financial privacy is essentially dead.<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/trk.caseyresearch.com\/f\/?content_id=1191&amp;code=PIP&amp;editorial=foreign-real-estate-is-the-new-swiss-bank-account-1\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>I think it\u2019s only prudent to assume that sooner or later all the details of your financial life will come to rest in a government computer\u2014if they haven\u2019t done so already\u2014and to plan accordingly.<\/p>\n<p>We live in a world where pretty much every penny you earn, save, and spend is stored in a permanent record somewhere and can be retrieved for scrutiny one day if needed.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not a comfortable or happy thing. But no matter how unpleasant it is, I believe it\u2019s a reality we have to face.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing that you are financially naked and exposed to an insolvent government hungry for revenue might make you feel like you just ate rat poison for lunch.<\/p>\n<p>That said, don\u2019t be tempted to try to illegally hide your income and skirt reporting requirements. It\u2019s a fool\u2019s errand. The draconian penalties make a cost\/benefit analysis easy\u2026 don\u2019t even think about it.<\/p><div id=\"inves-968890455\" class=\"inves-in-content inves-entity-placement\"><hr style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd;\">\r\n<div id=\"inpost_ads_header\">\r\n<p style=\"font-size:10px; float:left; color:#666;\">Free Reports:<\/p><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"inpost_ads\"> \r\n<p style=\"font-size:15px; float:left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/1ApBOV\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investmacro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/graph_techs_PD.png\" align=\"left\" width=\"80\"  height=\"55\"\/><\/a>\r\n\t     <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/1ApBOV\"><b><u>Get Our Free Metatrader 4 Indicators<\/u><\/b><\/a> - Put Our Free MetaTrader 4 Custom Indicators on your charts when you join our Weekly Newsletter<\/p><br><br>\r\n<br>\r\n<br>\r\n<p style=\"font-size:15px; float:left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/f3RrHX\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/investmacro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/cot_pie_80.png\" align=\"left\" width=\"80\"  height=\"55\"\/><\/a>\r\n\t    <a href=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/f3RrHX\"><b><u>Get our Weekly Commitment of Traders Reports<\/u><\/b><\/a> - See where the biggest traders (Hedge Funds and Commercial Hedgers) are positioned in the futures markets on a weekly basis.<\/p><br><br>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<hr style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd;\">\r\n<br><\/div>\n<h3><strong>An Inescapable Global Dragnet<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umyjp-2\/PIP\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>FATCA<\/strong><\/a> is at the vanguard of the global trend for the automatic reciprocal exchange of financial information between governments.<\/p>\n<p>In case you don\u2019t know, FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, is the wildly unpopular law that forces every financial institution in the world to report information about their American clients to the US government, which imposes huge costs on those financial institutions. In effect, FATCA causes every foreign bank to become unpaid agents of the IRS.<\/p>\n<p>The US is in a position to enforce an extra-territorial law only because it controls the world\u2019s reserve currency and has threatened to effectively cut off access to the US financial system for those who do not comply.<\/p>\n<p>This is why a country like Mexico could never impose its own version of FATCA on the world. Not many would care about losing access to the peso-based Mexican financial system.<\/p>\n<p>This success has unfortunately inspired other bankrupt countries to band together and push for a sort of FATCA on steroids. This is where the OECD\u2019s plans for a \u201cglobal standard\u201d of automatic information exchange\u2014informally known as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umynq-2\/PIP\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>GATCA<\/strong><\/a>\u2014comes in.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than having each country mimic FATCA and tediously create a web of bilateral information-exchanging agreements with every other country, the leaders of this supra-national institution are pushing to make the exchange of such information automatic among all countries.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d say it\u2019s safe to assume the OECD will be successful in blanketing most of the world with its new \u201cglobal standard\u201d\u2014at least I wouldn\u2019t want to bet against it.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s very likely in the near future that no citizen from any country will be able to \u201chide\u201d financial assets anywhere. Every financial institution in the world will automatically send financial information on foreign account holders to the respective government.<\/p>\n<p>FATCA and GATCA mean there\u2019s no escape. Unless you plan to bank in Cuba, Iran, or North Korea, count on your home government finding out about your offshore accounts automatically.<\/p>\n<p>That doesn\u2019t mean obtaining an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umyrr-2\/PIP\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>offshore bank account<\/strong><\/a> is a fruitless endeavor.<\/p>\n<p>Offshore banks are often much safer and better capitalized than most banks in the US. Additionally, a foreign bank account cannot be seized or frozen at the drop of a hat by your home government.<\/p>\n<p>Offshore banks usually allow you to diversify out of the US dollar as well and gain access to markets in countries you otherwise might not be able to. So despite not having any financial privacy, offshore banking still gives you many important benefits.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>When All Else Fails\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Even if you manage to somehow escape the global FATCA\/GATCA dragnet, your private financial information is still very vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>If it comes down to it, governments are willing and capable of using alternative means to get the information they desire.<\/p>\n<p>They can engage in economic espionage, bribe bank employees, and pay freelance hackers to steal ostensibly secret financial information.<\/p>\n<p>Take for example the case of Sina Lapour, an assistant to a private banker at Credit Suisse. In 2007, Lapour stole the private information of as many as 2,500 clients and sold it to a middleman, who then sold it to the German tax authorities who presumably shared it with other governments. Or in 2008, when a thief stole data from LGT Group in Liechtenstein and then sold it to tax authorities in various countries.<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s Edward Snowden. Before he was an NSA contractor, Snowden worked for the CIA, for which he was posted in Switzerland. Snowden claims that his objective there was to get Swiss bankers in compromising positions so that secret financial information could be gleaned. Specifically, he encouraged a Swiss banker to get drunk and then drive, hoping that he would be arrested. Then, the CIA would offer to help get the banker out of jail and legal trouble\u2026 for a price: divulging secret financial information.<\/p>\n<p>And then there\u2019s the hacking and leaks of a number of offshore centers in a sort of WikiLeaks-style operation where confidential information on over 122,000 trusts, companies, and other structures were revealed. The 260 gigabytes of formerly private information was used to publicly identify more than 130,000 people in 170 countries.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>A Bright Spot<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>When you consider the combined effects of FATCA, GATCA, and governments engaging in bribery, blackmail, and hacking, it would be foolish to assume that the privacy of your financial assets is assured.<\/p>\n<p>This is why when I see people argue about which country or which convoluted offshore structure is best for keeping secrets from Uncle Sam, it reminds me of two bald men fighting over a comb.<\/p>\n<p>It should now be clear that privacy for financial assets like bank and brokerage accounts is essentially dead. However, <em>non-financial<\/em> assets like foreign real estate are a completely different story.<\/p>\n<p>Owning foreign real estate is one of the very few ways Americans can legally keep some of their wealth abroad while still retaining their privacy.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compared to fiat currencies, foreign real estate can be an excellent long-term store of value.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s a hard asset outside of the immediate reach of your home government.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>It\u2019s something that cannot be easily confiscated, nationalized, frozen, or devalued at the drop of a hat or with a couple of taps on the keyboard.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>But foreign real estate also has a rare and notable feature that foreign financial assets\u2014like offshore bank and brokerage accounts\u2014do not have.<\/p>\n<p>Privacy.<\/p>\n<p>If the foreign real estate is held directly in your name (i.e., not in a trust, LLC, real estate fund, partnership, etc.) it is not reportable to the IRS. Of course, any rental or other income generated is reportable.<\/p>\n<p>What this means is that it&#8217;s possible to use foreign real estate\u2014as long as it doesn\u2019t generate any income\u2014 to diversify some of your savings abroad <em>and <\/em>retain your privacy.<\/p>\n<p>In that sense, foreign real estate has become the new Swiss bank account.<\/p>\n<p>One internationalization expert whom we\u2019d highly recommend is none other than Doug Casey, the original International Man. Doug\u2019s been to over 175 countries and invested in real estate in a number them. He wrote a thick and detailed chapter on foreign real estate, including his favorite markets, for our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umycs-2\/PIP\" target=\"_blank\"><strong><em>Going Global<\/em><\/strong><\/a> publication, which is a must-read for those interested in this extremely important topic.<\/p>\n<div class=\"clear-me\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"xvMdV95u77zU\" style=\"clear: both;\">The article was originally published at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.internationalman.com\/go\/umyft-2\/PIP\">internationalman.com<\/a>.<\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nick Giambruno &#8211;\u00a0internationalman.com Financial privacy is essentially dead. I think it\u2019s only prudent to assume that sooner or later all the details of your financial life will come to rest in a government computer\u2014if they haven\u2019t done so already\u2014and to plan accordingly. We live in a world where pretty much every penny you earn, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68756","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","no-post-thumbnail"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68756","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68756"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68756\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68756"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68756"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.investmacro.com\/forex\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68756"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}