I spent a couple of days this week in a fast BMW with Matt, my friend and business partner. We had a meeting in southern Spain yesterday with a key figure in the world of second passports, and we raced at speeds up to 250 km/h so that we could make the meeting and bring you some tremendously valuable information.
It came at a price– six speeding tickets in total, mostly across the south of France and Monte Carlo. What can I say, I have a heavy foot…
The meeting was great, and it gave me quite a bit to digest. Our host was one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever known regarding second passport opportunities. Shortly, once I am able to work through some of the information and go through the process myself, I plan on discussing these very interesting solutions with you.
But first, though, I thought I would answer some of your questions from the last few weeks before I enjoy a nice weekend in Frankfurt with a new inductee to the Atlas 400 club.
First off– yesterday I discussed my observations on the ground here in Europe; the European tax situation makes most goods and services extraordinarily overpriced, and these prices are passed on to the consumer. Eventually, the cycle of higher wages and higher prices becomes simply another form of inflation… as higher taxes are coming to the US, similar price inflation will follow.
Based on a tax-free pricing model, however, the euro still appears overvalued against the dollar, and the dollar is undervalued against ‘stuff’, that is goods and services that consumers buy. I argued that one way to play this is to short the euro against gold and silver, thus profiting from the euro’s correction as well as a rise in inflation.
How to do it? Well, Denmark-based Saxo Bank, which has no nationality restrictions for new customers, trades spot metal prices against a variety of currencies, including US dollar, euro, Hong Kong dollar, yen, etc. In other words, you can take a long position on gold or silver, and a short position against a major currency.
To take a long gold/short euro trade on Saxo, the ticker is XAUEUR, and XAGEUR for silver. I tend to look further out, though, so I’m planning an investment that is a combination of long-term currency put options combined with gold/silver call options in 2011. I can discuss this in further detail if you are interested.
* Questions from subscribers *
1) Stan asks “Simon, regarding international brokerages- what would you suggest for European citizens who don’t want to hide their wealth, but move money out of the US and Europe? Are HK or Singapore better?”
In a word, yes. US and European officials are getting increasingly desperate for cash, and they will look in every dark corner they can find for a few pennies. In a single day on this Europe trip, I was stopped twice in France by customs thugs wondering how much currency I was transporting in the car.
Bottom line, they need money, and they’ll find it. After all, only ‘rich’ people invest in the markets.
Asian jurisdictions are safer for western investors simply because it makes more sense to have your money in a place where you do not live– this is central to the multiple flags approach. Furthermore, while financial privacy has gone away, they are less likely to submit to western governments– especially Hong Kong which is backed by mainland China.
Try Boom Securities, based out of Hong Kong, at home.book.com.hk
2) Andrew asks: “I hear a lot of recommendations for exotic locations, but the majority of very wealthy Americans I know have half a foot in New Zealand. What do you think about New Zealand?”
New Zealand is beautiful, peaceful, slow-paced, reasonably-priced, and devoid of anything particularly interesting. The taxes are cumbersome for residents, but as a location to obtain a second passport for non-residents, New Zealand is spectacular.
3) Chris asks: “What Islamic banks, if any, allow Americans to open bank accounts online?”
Worldwide “Know Your Customer” rules require new branch banking customers to show up at least once, unless an intermediary has a very personal relationship with the banker… either way, the account is not generally opened over the internet.
4) Taylor asks “Simon, regarding foreign bank accounts, can’t US citizens side step institutions who won’t accept US clients by opening a Panamanian corporation?”
Sure, in some instances… many banks won’t work with US citizens directly as a customer, but they will work with a corporation or trust whose beneficiary is a US citizen. There is nothing illegal about this as long as the bank is made aware of the arrangement.
Lastly, as an administrative note, I want to tell you that I am planning on making the site much more interactive in the early part of 2010. I think you’ll really like what we’re doing, so stay tuned.
