Asset
Protection:
By
transferring your assets to a Panama Corporation
and/or Foundation, you are automatically protecting
your assets to the fullest extent. Without asset protection, you
could suddenly lose everything you've worked so hard for. We live
in a "litigious society", but do you know what that means
to you? Lets take a look:
-
9 out of 10 lawsuits in the world are filed in the United States.
The US has the highest rate of lawsuits in the world, followed by
the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
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A new lawsuit is filed every 30 seconds in the US. It is estimated
that there are over 100,000 law school students in US law schools
right now.
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If you own a business or practice a profession, you have one chance
in three of being named a defendant in a lawsuit in the next year,
and it is only getting worse.
Why
you must act NOW to protect yourself:
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Many people are completely unaware of one important legal fact of
life...
-
Once someone files a lawsuit against you - or makes any other type
of claim on your assets - it's too late to try to protect your wealth,
'get rid of it,' or move it offshore. (To do so is called "fraudulent
conveyance" or "concealment of assets" - crimes in
themselves.)
-
That means, if you wish to protect yourself, you have to act now,
before it is too late. You must move your wealth offshore ahead
of time for your asset protection plan to do any good. If you wait
until you're facing trouble, you will certainly be out of luck.
-
If you quietly and inconspicuously move a portion of your wealth
to a private, offshore corporate account, it can be virtually out
of reach from anyone who might try to seize everything you own,
whether it be a lawsuit or even a governing authority who decides
to freeze your assets.
-
This is where your private offshore corporation
and corporate bank account can come in very handy.
Your private, corporate account, held by a foreign
bank in a country with the strongest bank-secrecy laws on earth
is truly the best protection you'll find.
You
could be left penniless and in debt by any of the following:
·
A negligence or injury claim, whether justified or not, that exceeds
any insurance coverage you may have.
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Breach of contract through no fault of your own.
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A professional malpractice lawsuit.
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Lawsuits from disgruntled business partners or employees.
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Divorce.
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Huge fines for violating state or federal law due to actions of
an employee.
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Claims from creditors if your business should fail.
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Catastrophic medical bills.
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Seizure of your home or other assets without due process by the
customs or other government agencies with forfeiture power.
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A huge tax bill and escalating penalties following a tax audit.
Quote:
"I thought I had it all - a beautiful home for
my family, the car I had always wanted, a growing portfolio of investments,
children in excellent schools, dream vacations with my wife, etc.
But that all changed when I was served with process naming me as
a Defendant in a huge lawsuit. It didn't matter that I was convinced
that I had done nothing wrong. I lost everything I had. I still
owe my attorney for the legal costs." - Terry James,
LA.
Confidentiality
& Privacy:
Many
people move assets offshore simply because they
are tired of intrusion into their financial privacy
in their home countries. Today, citizens from the US, Canada, UK,
Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries have zero privacy
in their financial affairs, spending patterns, medical records,
etc. One of the main reasons that Panama is one of the most popular
jurisdictions to incorporate offshore is because Panama offers the
utmost in privacy and confidentiality.
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Panama offers the best bank secrecy laws in the world.
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Panama offers the best corporate book secrecy laws in the world.
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There is no such thing as "piercing the corporate veil"
in Panama.
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Revealing banking information to third parties is a crime, punishable
by prison.
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Panama has no mutual legal assistance treaties (MLAT's) for sharing
of banking information with any other nation and does not recognize
court rulings from other countries.
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Panama Corporations offer "Bearer Shares",
for shareholders to maintain complete anonymity and privacy.
-
Panama Private Interest Foundations allow for Private
Protectorate Documents and Private Letters of Wishes, enabling controllers
(Protectors) and beneficiaries of foundations to remain completely
anonymous and private.
Quote:
"Two months after I created my IBC, I got hit with a big
lawsuit for something that was not my fault. Instead of spending
a lot of time and money defending the suit, I had my lawyer explain
to their lawyer that I didn't own anything. And it was all over!
They could not verify any of my assets that were sheltered offshore."
- Steve Richards, NY, USA.
Tax
Minimization:
You
can minimize your domestic taxes by using Panama Corporations
for international trade, investments,
domestic business ventures, etc. Panama is one
of the most popular jurisdictions in the world
to incorporate because Panama is a 100% tax haven.
Panama corporations and foundations offer the following tax benefits:
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No tax reporting requirements.
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No income tax.
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No capital gains tax.
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No interest income tax.
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No sales tax.
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No tax on issuance of corporate shares.
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No tax to shareholders.
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No stock sale or transfer tax.
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No capital stock tax.
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No property tax.
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No estate tax.
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No gift tax.
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No stamp tax.
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No succession tax.
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No inventory tax.
Quote:
"I have been able to save hundreds of thousands of dollars
in capital gains taxes by investing through a Panama IBC.
Plus, my securities portfolio is private and safe from lawsuits
or intruders, and my kids will inherit the assets free of taxes
or legal issues. I wish I had known about this
20 years ago!" - Derek Little, BC, Canada.
Investment
Diversification:
Many
people use offshore corporations to take advantage
of offshore investment opportunities and diversify
their investments internationally. Many countries (such as the US)
have laws which restrict their citizens from investing in offshore
mutual funds, stocks, or offshore private placement investments.
Panama corporations and foundations are not restricted from any
type of investment in the world.
Through
the insured offshore corporate brokerage account that we offer with
our corporate packages, you can invest in any domestic or offshore
mutual funds, stocks, bonds, options, money markets, etc. on any
major exchange around the globe.
There
are several advantages to doing your offshore investment business
in Panama:
·
Panama is home to the second largest international banking center
in the world next to Switzerland.
·
Panama's circulating currency is the US Dollar.
·
Panamanian banks pay higher interest rates on USD savings accounts
and CD's than any other banks do.
-
Panama has a very sophisticated, developed, and stable banking infrastructure.
To obtain a banking license to operate a bank in Panama, it takes
over US$15 million in required capitalization, not to mention additional
government fees, regulatory building requirements, extensive references,
audits, etc. In other jurisdictions such as Bahamas, St. Vincent,
Grenada, St. Kitts, Nevis, Vanuatu, Montenegro, and many other countries,
one can obtain a banking license for as little as US$50,000.
·
Panama's Stock Exchange is of the most advanced
in Central & South America.
·
Panama is home to the second largest international distribution
center (free trade zone) in the world next to Hong Kong. Other tax
havens such as Bahamas, St. Vincent, Turks & Caicos, Vanuatu,
Isle of Man, Antigua, etc. are nothing but tax haven island nations
who depend on tax evaders and tourism. Panama is a genuine international
business trade and banking center, not just a tax haven.
Quote:
"When I found out that I could put my money into a Panamanian
bank CD paying 9% interest per year, I couldn't believe it. So I
flew down to Panama from my home in France and verified it for myself
- it was true. I made the deposit and the bank has provided me with
great service!" - Pierre Tous, Paris, France.
International
Trade:
Panama
foundations and corporations are extremely
useful for international trade. Panama is home
to the second largest international distribution center
(tax free zones) in the world next to Hong
Kong. Many of the worlds largest companies such as (Tommy
Hillfiger, Sony, Panasonic, etc.) set up distribution centers in
Panama's tax free zones. Since the Panama Canal
is strategically located in the center of the Western Hemisphere,
Panama is the perfect location for goods to be distributed internationally,
and tax free. Panama's tax free zones allow companies to import
and export products from Panama without any import or export taxes.
Many
companies also use Panama corporations to "triangulate"
their international trade business, for maximizing
profits.
Let's
take a true example of a client of Panama Foundation Services
International, Inc.; A US company imports shirts from Brazil.
The US company pays US$1 per shirt to their Brazilian supplier,
plus US$0.25 per shirt for shipping, and US$0.25 per shirt for import
duties (taxes) to the US. Hence, the US companies total cost for
importing the shirts are US$1.50, plus their overhead and operation
costs are approximately US$0.50 per shirt, meaning that their total
cost of business is US$2. The US company sells these shirts for
US$10 each, earning a profit of US$8 per shirt. The US company is
then taxed on approximately 38% of the profit, meaning that they
pay US$3.04 per shirt in taxes. They generally import and sell 10,000
shirts per month, meaning that they pay US$30,400 in taxes per month!
The
US company then decided to triangulate
their business using an offshore corporation.
By creating an intermediary offshore distributor
in Panama, the US company was able to minimize
their US taxes, and accumulate wealth offshore
in a tax free environment. Now, instead of their US company buying
directly from the Brazilian supplier, they order from the Panamanian
company for a market up price. In essence,
the US company orders10,000 shirts from the Panamanian corporation
for US$5.50 per shirt, then pays US$0.25 per shirt for shipping,
plus US$0.75 per shirt in import duties, for a total of US$6.50
per shirt. Their overhead and operation costs are
US$0.50 per shirt making their total business cost US$7 per shirt.
They sell each shirt for US$10, now making a US reportable profit
of US$3 per shirt, upon which they pay 38% tax, meaning that they
now pay only US$1.14 per shirt, or US$11,400 per month in taxes.
That is a monthly tax savings of US$19,000 per
month, or US$228,000 per year!
Quote:
"Most people don't know the strategies and techniques
that are available for minimizing taxes on importing. Triangulating
my import business has increased my bottom line by 3 fold just in
the first 9 months. The nice thing is that no one knows that I have
socked away all this money offshore from my import business except
for me. Doing this has really provided me with a lot of security
for the future." - T. Williams, TX, USA
Estate
Planning:
Most
of your estate could go to the government, not to your heirs. Because
a corporation has a life of its own, a carefully designed corporate
strategy allows you to care for your loved ones free from probate,
inheritance taxes, and other legal and tax problems. Your heirs
can inherit the assets that you leave for them, exactly as you left
them, free of deductions or legal delays.
Panama
Private Interest Foundations are the ideal estate planning
entity for the following reasons:
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Foundations can hold assets such as corporations,
bank accounts, brokerage accounts,
real estate, or any other type of asset, free of
taxes or reporting requirements.
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Foundations can have a nominee foundation
council and the foundation council members
can be from anywhere in the world or replaced at any time by the
Protector.
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Foundations Protectors (controllers) can be appointed
through a Private Protectorate Document, allowing
the Protector to control the foundation privately and anonymously.
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Foundations Beneficiaries can be appointed by the
Private Protector through a Private Letter
of Wishes, allowing the beneficiaries to also remain private and
anonymous.
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The Foundation and the Foundations beneficiaries
have no reporting requirements and pay zero taxes when assets are
donated to or received from the foundation.
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The Foundation can be used as a charitable entity,
for receiving donations or donating to anyone that the Protector
designates, free of taxes or reporting requirements.
Quote:
"The last thing I want to do is give away 50% of my money
to the government when I die. I want my children to have what I
have worked all my life for, and they shouldn't have to fight with
the government over it. What right is it of the government to take
my money just because I'm gone? I just won't allow that to happen."
- Marian Stark, AZ, USA.