Offshore Company, Banking & Cryptocurrency

Wise was originally launched in 2011. It had a different name back then, but it got rebranded in 2022. The purpose of this service? Making international payments a breeze. Basically, the goal was to make transfers almost instant – compared to banks, which normally take a few days. Another goal was to make transfers cheap – compared to banks, which take a good chunk of the money. Most importantly, Wise tried to make everything simple. Accounts can be opened in different currencies and exchange rates are fair. Simply put, there is no need to waste a fortune on middlemen getting the job done for you. After all, this is what traditional banks are about – they are intermediary users that facilitate transfers for a price. Now, some may know...

Moving to a new place may seem easy at times, but there are certain countries that will bring in a bunch of challenges. Now, different people have different reasons to move abroad. These reasons do count as well, but overall, choosing the location carefully is the more important factor. Now, why would you choose a different country? Maybe you are thinking of retiring. You have a home you want to sell, buy a different one in a different country and live off your pension or investments. Maybe you want to invest in a nice country with a stable economy and low taxes. How about getting ready for further investments or retirement? No matter what your reasons are, immigration consulting is often the main necessity. Think about it for a...

Obtaining residence permits comes with all kinds of pluses and minuses. Then, there are so many myths that you barely know what to believe. There is always someone out there who claims to know everything. Now, no matter where you are trying to settle, there are usually two options to choose from – doing everything yourself or hiring a professional. To keep everything crystal clear, you do not have to be a citizen to live in the respective country. You could get a temporary residence permit, but you might as well obtain a permanent residence permit. Doing everything yourself is not impossible. You need to research everything and deal with lots of paperwork, but it is doable. A service will get the job done faster, but for a price...

The golden visa is no longer a rare occasion to be allowed entry into a country. Instead, golden visa programs have become extremely popular lately and they are widely implemented by countries from all over the world. The concept has gained more notoriety in Europe though, yet you can find similar programs all over the world – even if they are advertised under different names. To keep it simple, such a program will provide a temporary residence permit. Requirements and laws vary from one country to another. For instance, you could get a permit for a few years or perhaps one that will cover you until you can apply for citizenship. If there is one thing these programs have in common, that is the way to get the visa – a solid investment...

Second passports, citizenship requirements and investments – such things may seem complicated for a newbie. To the average individual, a citizenship is about naturalization. You work in the host country for a particular amount of years, get used to the local system, learn about its culture, and eventually take a test and pay a fee – done. But then, there is an easier and quicker way to do it – the citizenship for investment. In theory, it may sound a bit fishy. You basically have to pay to get your citizenship. It does not seem too fair, but who cares? The truth is you are not buying the actual citizenship, unless you choose to make a donation. You can also invest the money, meaning you have a good return on investment. It is all...

More and more people turn to the digital nomad lifestyle and for some obvious reasons. Technology has seriously advanced lately, and work can be conducted from any place, anytime. If you have to work from home, you might as well do it from a nice and exotic country. Technologies have advanced, and so did communication and the overall attitude. Throw in the recent coronavirus pandemic, too, and people have already had a taste of what it feels like to work remotely. It can be done, so many companies will implement such concepts in the future. Technology is definitely the main reason wherefore so many people turn to this lifestyle. What do you need, after all? An Internet connection, which you could get anywhere. Perhaps a camera too...

The unrealized capital gains tax has been widely discussed lately, especially after it was mentioned among new potential laws in the USA. Most people are not aware of it and the truth is they are less likely to be affected anyway. Who does it affect then? This type of tax is most likely aimed at the rich – billionaires or those with high-value assets. You do not need to be a billionaire to be affected. Instead, you might as well own a few properties or perhaps some collectibles. To the average individual, this tax means nothing, yet there are people out there who are happy to see the rich paying more taxes. To the rich individual, this tax may seem a little abusive. Will it go through? Only time can tell. But before getting there, it...

Gold has an impressive history, as well as a high value that has never gone down. It is part of the culture, and despite being popular today, it is not just a trend. Gold has always been an important asset, whether you count ancient Chinese, Greeks, or Egyptians. These days, gold is appreciated for its beauty in jewelry, but also for its value – one of the most useful investments out there. There are more reasons wherefore people buy it – one of the most sought-after metals, no doubt. But then, learning how to buy gold could be a bit tricky. The price of gold keeps fluctuating – just like any other asset out there. It is used for jewelry, investment guarantees, and even the manufacturing industry. The past century saw an even greater...

A brief search over the Internet will expose you to different points of view. In terms of taxation, you will discover different concepts and ideas. The fact that taxation is theft is often among them – an idea that is constantly brought up as often as possible. Sometimes, it comes with a question mark. Other times, it comes with an exclamation mark. One thing is for sure, though – this concept draws more and more attention, especially in a world where you can travel, move and do business abroad in order to reduce tax. So, is taxation theft? From some points of view, it is. From other points of view, it is not. At the same time, it also depends on what type of society you live in. It is definitely theft in a corrupt third-world...

More and more entrepreneurs turn to offshore companies for a wide variety of benefits. To lots of business people, this is all about reducing tax and diversifying assets. To others, it is about minimizing the overall hassle. If you are "lucky" enough to live in a country with lots of bureaucracy, you know how daunting it is to meet all the requirements. You need lots of paperwork, and each paper requires weeks of waiting. You end up spending hours in queues, only to be told to bring more papers. Certain countries, on the other hand, provide extra benefits by canceling all the paperwork and easing the actual investment. Take Estonia, for instance. It is one of the most appreciated locations for offshore entrepreneurs and for some...

You have probably heard about wealth management – maybe spotted a few businesses too in top-rated areas. The concept makes perfect sense, but there are certain misconceptions that can change everything. In theory, a wealth management company provides investment management, as well as detailed and professional financial advice. A personal manager will deal with complex financial situations, not to mention coordinating financial experts based on the clients’ necessities. When it comes to financial planning services, wealth management is probably the most advanced one. This is the ultimate goal. Investment management is probably the most common service, and it comes from people with decades of experience. Tax guidance is another...

Wise and seasoned investors know very well how to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket. This is one of the fundamental rules of investments, and sadly enough, newbies often overlook it. Professionals, on the other hand, try to familiarize themselves with different types of investments out there. This is all about risk assessment. Investing all your money in one thing could lead to a dramatic outcome if your investment fails. Professionals will use their education and knowledge to find out how to make money in a few different ways – if something fails, something else may actually work, meaning less risk. In terms of investments, there are plenty of baskets to choose from. However, it is important to understand how each...

In May, 2010, the Dubai’s Mall Galleries Lafayette brought in a new ATM. The machine allowed customers to withdraw cash, as well as gold – a few grams or perhaps a large gold bar, up to each customer. It was proof of opulence back then. No other country had something like that – the possibility to walk in the mall on a Thursday morning and withdraw some cash and a few grams of gold. Everything was possible with a credit or debit card. Now, if you go back in the history of modern civilization, you will realize that money has pretty much always been backed by gold – officially or not. Despite the gold ATM gaining some popularity in the UAE, the country’s fiat currency is not actually backed by it. In fact, it is impossible to find a...

John D. Rockefeller made an important statement once – Own nothing, but control everything. Coming from someone with incredible wealth, this aspect has been thoroughly analyzed overtime and has become a top rule for handling money. What he meant is fairly simple to understand. If you do not own anything, it means it cannot be taken away from you. This is what asset protection truly means, and believe it or not, it can be done legally. Most people simply forget about this aspect, though. Back in the early 1990s, only a few people knew how asset protection truly works. With time, the popularity of this concept grew, so by the late 1990s, most millionaires had some clues about asset protection – it started spreading overnight. The...

Barack Obama signed FATCA in 2010. FATCA stands for the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and became a legal requirement targeting Americans from all over the world – exactly, including those who do not live or work in the USA too. At that time, FATCA paved the way to multiple similar acts with the one and only purpose to boost transparency and communication in terms of offshore banking. This act is one of the elements that ruined privacy in this industry. Now, unless you plan to commit a financial crime, FATCA should not really affect you. But on the other hand, it is disturbing to know that banks are actually asked to spy on their customers and mention specific aspects about them – it feels like going back to the 1970s in Eastern...

If you think about it for a second, paper money holds incredible value without being something valuable – nothing but actual paper. The idea is definitely exciting, but also hard to believe how it came to life in a world where people had access to more valuable things. Paper currency is interesting from more points of view, though. For example, printing technologies are quite advanced to prevent fake money. Then, what makes it stand out is the fact that a commodity with no value is used to trade. Flying money has no intrinsic value – always taken for granted by those who own it, though. For hundreds of years, humanity used valuable objects for trade and not only. It was like an unwritten rule. Things like silver and gold were the...