THE LIFEBOAT STRATEGY

Mark Nestmann

Description

On every front, 24 hours a day, you and your wealth face threats of an intensity that would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago. A sinister marriage of law and technology has made the pervasive and continuous surveillance that George Orwell warned of a reality. Identity thieves, greedy lawyers and the government have been quick to exploit this fast-evolving global surveillance network:

¥Data thieves can hijack your PC with easy-to-use hacking tools that even a 10-year old can master. After stealing your log-on passwords, they can drain your bank accounts.

¥If someone has a grudge against you, he can learn whether you're "worth suing" with a few clicks of a mouse. Hundreds of Web sites offer asset-tracking services to find your real estate ownership records, bank account balances, and much more.
¥Secret government data mining programs monitor your personal and financial activities 24 hours a day for "suspicious transactions." One oversightÑbecoming friends on Facebook with a suspected terrorist, withdrawing too much cash, unknowingly renting property to someone with a criminal background, etc.Ñand you could find yourself under arrest and your assets frozen.
.
Fortunately, you CAN fight back. You can secure your PC to make it virtually invulnerable to hackers. You can legally create international "lifeboats" of wealth and privacy that are practically invulnerable to snooping. You can understand what the government regards as suspicious ... and avoid raising your profile unnecessarily.

The Lifeboat Strategy (2011) shows you exactly what you need to do to counter today's threats to wealth and privacy. It documents today's unprecedented threats to wealth and privacy and reveals hundreds of completely legal strategies to deal with them: private investments, opportunities, and strategies insideÑand outsideÑthe United States. And, it's written in language you can understand and put to work to protect yourself and your family.

Special bonus report accompanying The Lifeboat Strategy (2011): How to Find Your Own Safe Haven Offshore. In this report, you you'll learn:

¥The 11 countries best suited for wealth preservation
¥Which countries offer the most to prospective immigrants?
¥How to legally purchase a second passport–and why you might want to.
¥In the current economic crisis, which "asset havens" will surviveÑor not?

As the U.S. dollar collapses and the world moves into fiscal chaos, planning your own "escape from America" has never been more important. And this free special bonus report shows you, step-by-step, how to proceed.

Sujets

• Droit et juridique
• Comparative
• Law

Informations

• Publié par: eBookIt.com
• Date de parution: 05 avril 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781891266409
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

The Lifeboat Strategy: •Volume 1: Legally Protecting Wealth and Privacy in the USA •Volume 2: Legally Protecting Wealth and Privacy in the USA •Legally Protecting Wealth and Privacy in the USA: Special Bonus Report Copyright © 2003 by Mark Nestmann, LL.M. Fourth Edition © 2011 Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com http://www.eBookIt.com ISBN-13: 978-1-8912-6640-9 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by an information storage or retrieval system without the publisher's written permission. Violations are subject to civil and criminal penalties. This publication is sold with the understanding that it does not render legal or other professional services or advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Additional copies of this title are available. Please contact: The Nestmann Group, Ltd. 2303 N. 44th St. #14-1025 Phoenix, AZ 85008 USA Tel. / Fax:[phone] E-mail:[e-mail] Link:http://www.nestmann.com About the author:Mark Nestmann, LL.M., is the president of The Nestmann Group, Ltd., a consultancy focusing on wealth preservation and international tax planning solutions. He holds a master of laws degree in international tax law from the Vienna (Austria) University School of Business and Economics. Mark is an Associate Member of the American Bar Association (member of subcommittee on Foreign Activities of U.S. Taxpayers, Committee on Taxation) and member of the Society of Professional Journalists. His books and reports are sold athttp://www.nestmann.com.To arrange for a consultation with The Nestmann Group, Ltd., [e-mail] call [phone]. Mark is also a member of The Sovereign Society's Council of Experts.http://www.sovereignsociety.com. This book is divided into three volumes. Volume 1 consists of Chapters 1-2. Volume 2 consists of Chapters 3-5. Volume 3 consists of a special bonus report.

HOW VULNERABLE ARE YOU?

You're concerned about the loss of privacy and increasing threats to your wealth. You don't trust government promises, and wonder how vulnerableyoureally are. To find out where you stand-and obtain an overview of what you might want tochange-take this quick quiz. Give yourself one pointfor every “yes" answer, zero points for every “no." 1. Are you a U.S. citizen or permanent resident? Yes No 2.Is a U.S. passport the only international travel document you possess? Yes No 3. Have you been assigned a Social Security number? Yes No 4. Do you freely disclose details of your income and financial status to others? Yes No 5. Do you have accounts in your name in any U.S. banks or brokerages exceeding $100,000 in value? Yes No 6. Do you keep over $10,000 in any bank or securities account to which you have Internet access? Yes No 7. Do you have a net worth over $1 million? Yes No 8. Do you have any credit cards issued by U.S. financial institutions? Yes No 9. Do you own U.S. real estate in your name? Yes No 10. Do you have utility service in your name? Yes No 11. Do you receive mail at your residential address inyour name? Yes No 12. Do you own a motor vehicle registered in yourname?

Yes No 13. Do you own an airplane, boat, or recreationalvehicle registered in your name? Yes No 14. Does your driver's license list your residential address? Yes No 15. Do you use a personal computer with a high>speedInternet connection? Yes No 16. Are you a member of any social networking Web sites (e.g., Facebook)? Yes No 17.Is your Social Security number, telephone number, or residential address printed on your driver's license or checks? Yes No 18. Have you ever applied for welfare or other governmental assistance? Yes No 19. Do you receive income or benefits from any governmental entity? Yes No 20. Have you ever been arrested? Yes No 21. Have you ever declared bankruptcy or been forced into bankruptcy? Yes No 22. Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit, including divorce? Yes No 23. Have you ever received money through a probate court? Yes No 24. Do you belong to a church or any organizations that are controversial or politically unpopular? Yes No 25. Are you licensed by any state or federal agency(e.g., as an attorney, physician, investment advisor, etc.)? Yes

No 26. Do you have children living in your household? Yes No 27. Have you ever invested in a “tax shelter?” Yes No 28. Have you ever had an offshore account you were supposed to report to the IRS and U.S. Treasury, but didn’t? Yes No 29. Do you own a business as a sole proprietorship or part of a business organized as a general partnership? Yes No 30. Are you a director or officer of a closely held corporation? Yes No Your score: _____ 0-7 points: Virtually unexposed. Congratulations! You have successfully shut off most surveillance of your wealth and privacy. 8-15 points: Somewhat exposed. You have shut down more pathways to surveillance of your wealth and privacy than most Americans. But with effort, you can lower your profile even more. 16-22 points: Exposed. Your life is practically an open book. You should take steps to lower your financial profile immediately. 23-30 points: Highly exposed. You need to take immediate steps to protect your wealth and privacy. You’re an easy target for identity theft, lawsuits, and/ or asset forfeitures. No matter what your score,The Lifeboat Strategycan help you create “lifeboats” of privacy and wealth to reduce your vulnerability to legal and financial predators, and the growing power of “Big Government.” IT’S YOUu MOVE… On every front, from boarding an airplane toopening a bank account, you—and your money—are under surveillance with an intensity that wouldhave been unimaginable only a few short years ago. Identity theft…no fly lists…e-mail surveillance… data mining…many of today’s most serious threats to privacy and wealth have exploded into prominence in the first decade of the 21st century. The Lifeboat Strategyreveals hundreds of techniques you can put to use, right now, to protect your privacy and wealth. It’s divided into two volumes. Think as Volume 1, consisting of Chapter 1 and 2,as the

“problem.” Volume 2, consisting of Chapters3-5, is the “solution.” In some situations, U.S.-based solutions aren’t effective, so Chapter 5 will introduce you to the world of offshore bank accounts, offshore trusts, and much more. And the bonus report accompanyingThe Lifeboat Strategyintroduces you the world’s leading offshore jurisdictions. There’s much more to tell about what you’ll learn in this book. But first, you should understand what you’re up against…a summary of the problem, if you will. Here are a few examples drawn from my files. If they sound extreme, they’re not. These events occur regularly in the United States. Understand them,but don’t fear them, because withinThe Lifeboat Strategy, I’ll show you legal, safe solutions for these and dozens of other ever-increasing perils. Yes, Yoû AuE a Criminal…Yoû Jûst Don’t Know It Yet

Once up a time, you had to knowingly violate a law in order to be found guilty of violating it. However, legislators have largely eliminated the requirement for “criminal intent” to be found guilty of a criminal offense. It’s no wonder that the United States has the highest per-capita incarceration rate of any country. How many felonies have you committed today? If you’re like most Americans, you probably violate federal or state law several times each day, without even knowing it. Just ask Daniel Aversa, who was convicted of money laundering for conspiring with a friend to hide income from his wife. The scheme triggered reports of suspicious transactions in Aversa and his friend’s bank accounts. Essentially, Aversa triedto avoid the requirement to report cash deposits or withdrawals that exceed $10,000 in his bank account from the U.S. Treasury. He didn’t realize that this activity is called “structuring” and is prosecuted under the federal money laundering laws. This law applies even to legally earned, after-tax funds. After sentencing Aversa and a “co-conspirator” to a mandatory prison term, Judge Martin Loughlin wrote: Defendants should never have been prosecuted for structuring currency transactions... where evidence showed that defendants were not attempting to avoid paying tax on money or disguise where it came from...The evidence shows that [Aversa] did not believe that [he] was breaking any law... There is only one explanation for the bringing of these charges—it was easy.1

50,000 Lawsûits, Each Day

Battles waged in U.S. courtrooms over divorces, wills and other money matters are proliferating. More than 80% of the world’s lawyers practice in the United States. Over 50,000 lawsuits are filed every day in the United States.2 Each year, the “tort system” costs the U.S. economy nearly $1 trillion.3 Virtually any type of disagreement may lead to a lawsuit. Disputes that may lead to lawsuits include divorce, dissolution of a business, and disagreements among relatives following the death of wealthy family member. Tort litigation—a lawsuit filed over a perceived injury—is also common. Professionals— doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc.—are frequent targets of tort litigation. If someone is injured on your property, or because of an accident you cause in a vehicle you’re driving, you may be sued for a tort claim.

One reason that lawsuits are so prevalent in the United States is that unlike most other countries, U.S. lawyers can take cases on “contingency.” The attorney receives no fees unless money is recovered from the

defendant. As a result, those with chips on their shoulders can sue you, and risk nothing more than time and energy. Companies have now been formed to invest in selected U.S. lawsuits by buying a share of the settlement based on the merits of the case. Web sites like http://www.whocanisue.com match prospective litigants to attorneys willing to take their case. Another factor encouraging civil litigation is the growing number of federal and state laws that give plaintiffs a cause of action to recover damages against employers, landlords, and other businesses. Some of the most important of these laws are the Americans with Disabilities Act4, the Fair Credit Reporting Act5, and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act6, but there are many others. Poor economic conditions also encourage lawsuits. People sue because they’re angry, desperate, or think they can get some easy money from a deep pocket. In a severe economic downturn, there’s plenty of anger and desperation. Since the current recession began in 2007, lawyers have filed a blizzard of lawsuits connected to investment losses, worker layoffs, foreclosures, and abandoned property.7 Lawsuits are privacy destroyers. Information disclosed in a lawsuit is usually a matter of public record. And through the judicial process, a plaintiff (the person suing) is entitled to use a compulsory legal document called a subpoena to obtain books, records, and other documents. You (and your opponent) can subpoena many types of records, including banking and brokerage transactions, computer records, utility records, and closed circuit television records, just to name a few. Some documents are subject to greater protection—medical records andthe content of e-mail messages, but there are many ways to get the information.8 This process is called “discovery.” If you refuse to cooperate, the court can compel discovery with fines and even arrest. If you lie, and are later found out, you may be charged with perjury, a criminal offense. You may not refuse to answer the questions, unless there is a possibility of criminal prosecution. Think you can count on the judge in a lawsuitto be “fair?” Then consider this quote from formerWest Virginia Supreme Court Justice Richard Neely: As long as I am allowed to redistributewealth from out-of-state companies to injured in-state plaintiffs, I shall continue to do so. Not only is my sleep enhanced when I give someone else’s money away, but so is myjob security, because in-state plaintiffs, their families, and their friends will re-elect me.It should be obvious that the in-state local plaintiff, his witnesses, and his friends, can all vote for the judge, while the out-of-state defendant can’t even be relied upon to send a campaign donation.9 Are Yoû the “Deep Pocket?”

In every legal dispute, lawyers look for “deep pockets” to sue. A textbook example of this phenomenon occurred in 2003, when fire raced through the Rhode Island Station nightclub, killing 100 people and injuring more than 200. The fire started when the manager of the band playing at the club set off fireworks and other pyrotechnics onstage. The open flames ignited soundproofing foam, and the fire quickly spread throughout the club. In the blizzard of lawsuits that followed, members of the band that set off the fire paid out $1 million. The owners of The Station reached an $813,000 settlement. But that was just the tip of the iceberg. •Beer sponsor Anheuser-Busch and a local beer distributor were sued because they sold beer and promoted the nightclub. They paid out $21 million. •Air, a company that manufactures polyethylene foam for packaging material, was sued Sealed because lawyers alleged that such foam in the soundproofing contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

However, lawyers presented noevidence that Sealed Air manufactured the foam used in the club. In addition, Sealed Air's foamis designed for packaging, not for soundproofing. Nonetheless, the company paid out a $25 million settlement. •Home Depot was sued for not warning of the potential hazards of the insulation they sold the club, despite the fact that the insulation Home Depot sold is different from the foam ignited by the pyrotechnics. Home Depot paid $5 million to make the lawyers go away. •A television station that filmed the fire paid out$30 million. •The state of Rhode Island and the town of WestWarwick agreed to a $10 million settlement. • The bus company that provided transportation for the band paid out $500,000, because it transported the fireworks •The manufacturer of the speakers used at the club settled for $815,000. Lawyers accused it of using flammable foam inside their speakers. Other defendants included fire inspectors, along with the architect who designed the building 40 years ago, along with the construction company that built it. In all, the victims of this tragedy and their families received about $175 million. Yet, those individuals most responsible for it—the nightclub owner and the band—paid only about 1% of this amount. Companies that only had remote connections to the calamity paid out the remainder.10 If Yoû Hire an Obese Worker, Yoû May Have to Pay for Their Weight-LossSûrgery

Here’s another insane result of America’s lawsuit epidemic. Let’s say you operate a restaurant. Now, restaurants fail at a high rate in even the best of times, but in an economic downturn, they fail in droves. And if thefollowing incident happened to your restaurant, I suspect you’d shut it down the next day. A prospect applies for a job as a cook at your pizza shop. Sure, he weighs 380 pounds, but since the Americans with Disabilities Act forbids discrimination against the “morbidly obese,” you hire him. All goes well for a time. Then one day, a freezer door hits your cook in the back. Your worker’s compensation coverage is adequate to pay for the cook’s back surgery. But what happens next is a classic example of American lawsuit mania. Naturally, the cook hires a lawyer. A few days before the cook’s surgery, his lawyer calls. It seems the cook must undergo weight-loss surgery before the back surgery. Doctors have advised him the weight loss surgery is necessary to ensure the success of the back operation. And, his lawyer says, you must pay the $20,000 cost for the weight loss surgery, sinceit exceeds your worker’s compensation insurance limits. Now, you hire a lawyer. Your lawyer tells you that you shouldn’t have to pay. So, the cook sues you and your business for $20,000. You lose the case, but your lawyer tells you that you can appeal. You appeal the decision, and lose again. In a nutshell, that’s what’s happened to an Indiana pizza shop in 2009. And, on Aug. 6, 2009, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled the shop must pay the cost of lap-band surgery for an obese cook injured at work.11 Only three weeks later, the Oregon SupremeCourt issued a similar ruling.

First, We Led Yoûr Hûsband to Sûicide. Now, We’re Coming for Yoûr Property

Mara Lynn Williams is a widow and cancer survivor. She lost her husband, Royce, in 2009. Then the government tried to seize her hardscrabble 40-acre farm in Chilton County, Alabama. You see, Royce smoked marijuana. Not because he was trying to get high, but because it was the only substance that relieved his chronic pain after multiple surgeries. However, in the government’s War on (Some) Drugs, persons who smoke marijuana for any reason are considered criminals. And that’s particularlytrue if they cultivate it, as Royce did on the couple’s farm. In 2009, as a jury was deliberating marijuana cultivation charges against Royce, he climbed into the family car and shot himself. His suicide ended the criminal case, but prosecutors decided to seize the couple’s property, even though they never accused Mara Lynn of any crime. Asset Forfeiture Coordinator Tommie Brown Hardwick said, “The bottom line is, we don’t want people to benefit from criminal activity.” Let’s count all the ways that Mara Lynn Williams has benefited—or not—from criminal activity. First, prosecutors never accused Royce—or Mara Lynn of actually selling marijuana. They only accused Royce of cultivating it with the intent to sell it. So, Mara Lynn didn’t receive a penny in “criminal proceeds.” Second, during a raid on the couple’s farm, police seized firearms, $18,400 in cash, vehicles, computers, and other personal belongings. Mara Lynn got some of the vehicles back, but not the cash. Third, Mara Lynn had to hire an attorney to represent her in the forfeiture case. I’m not privy to the fee arrangements, but typically, attorneys defending civil forfeiture cases receive a retainer of $20,000 or more. In the meantime, she continued to work as a nurse at Jackson Hospital in Montgomery. The government through its insane drug war had already taken her husband and $18,400 of the couple’s savings. Now it wanted to make her homeless. In the end, the government settled for the cash. In2010, it closed civil forfeiture claims against Mara Lynn in exchange for the $18,400 it had already seized. As is typical in civil forfeiture cases, the settlement stipulated, “The parties shall bear their own costs.”12 Far from benefiting from criminal activity, MaraLynn is out $18,400 in cash, plus attorney fees! The uiskiest Activity My Clients Engage in Is…

Marriage. That’s right. Marriage. I’m not talking about physical risk here (although some marriages do involve physical abuse), but financial risk. That’s because marriage, or more specifically the end of marriage, or divorce, can pose an unprecedented risk to your wealth. If your spouse wants to make your life a living hell and make you face financial ruin, hundreds of

thousands of lawyers stand ready, willing, and able to facilitate that process. There’s simply no end to the dirty tricks that angry spouses or the lawyers representing them can play. To start with, your spouse may start making 911 calls claiming that you are abusive. The goal is to get you thrown in jail and declared an unfit parent. That way, your spouse gets sole custody of your children. Does your spouse have access to your cell phone or computer? If so, he or she can install monitoring devices to eavesdrop on every phone call, text message, e-mail message, or instant message you send. It’s illegal, but common. How about your driving records? If you’ve even driven on a toll road with an electronic toll collection system, your spouse’s divorce attorney will retrieve these records. For instance, they might be useful at proving that instead of staying downtown to worklate at the office, like you told your spouse, you actually passed through toll plaza a stone’s throw away from the Cheatin’ Heart Motel.13 But the real fun begins when it comes time to divide assets and determine “fair” alimony payments. For instance: let’s say that you’ve built a successful business. Your spouse helped, but you did the lion’s share of the work. In divorce court, though, your spouse testifies that he or she did everything. The judge may well award your spouse your business, and leave you out in the cold. You may even berequired to pay your ex-spouse for the cost of training someone to take your place. If you’ve ever cheated on your taxes, your spouse can go to the IRS and receive up to a 30% reward for turning you in (Chapter 2). You say it was your spouse’s idea to take tax “shortcuts?” Just try to prove that to the IRS. There’s also a sneaky legal concept called “enhanced earning capacity.” It’s particularly detrimental to a young person who gets divorced. Not only must you give your ex-spouse a hefty chunk of your assets, you must also make additional payments if your income increases. You might even have to make larger payments whether your income increases or not—it’s sufficient that it should increase.14 Yoûr “Secret” Offshore Accoûnt Sûddenly Isn’t So Secret

Speaking of cheating the IRS…over the last few years, the IRS has become much more aggressive in trying to unearth unreported offshore bank accounts. And the U.S. Treasury has forced dozens of countries to loosen their bank secrecy rules to allow U.S. tax authorities to make inquiries into account activities.If you have an unreported offshore account, this could spell big problems.15 Penalties for failing to report offshore accounts are severe. Count on a $10,000 penalty for each year you failed to report the account for starters. If there’s substantial unreported income, the penalties are much higher. And in aggravated situations, you may be imprisoned.16 What’s more, the definition of what constitutes a “foreign account” is constantly expanding. The IRS even wants foreign persons “in or doing business” in the UnitedStates to report their non-U.S. accounts, although it’s delayed the deadline for doing so indefinitely.17 These Are NOT Isolated Incidents…

The mainstream media keeps you well informed about celebrity sex scandals, drug abusing sports stars, and politicians who cheat on their spouses.But, I suspect you haven’t read much about the following trends: