Private Banking.....Some Footnotes

(Unfortunately, Carl Levin and his group of financial despots have closed most of the legal offshore products an American used to be able to take advantage of. Now it's a literal minefield of potential liability, as all gov't sheep think "illegal tax avoidance" when the term "offshore" is used. But here's an interesting article with a bit ofg the history of private banking.)

The term "private banking" is becoming so overused that it's lost some of the exclusivity that was once attached to the intensely secret dealings between a banker and his wealthy clients.
American banks, always chasing the almighty dollar, have recently been trying to sell their wholesale "private banking" as if it were a special service. This -- from banks where you must stand in line forever to see a teller and where you can never get a human being, only a recording, on the phone.
Almost every bank with any pretensions to being international offers special rates of interest to wealthier private depositors under the heading of "private banking." Minimums have fallen to US$25,000 (or lower) in some cases, although many banks still maintain more traditional entry levels of US$100,000 or much higher (US$250,000 in Swiss banks) before offering special treatment to their clients. The truth is, the more cash you deposit, the more private banking attention you get.
History behind Private Banks
Private banking, for the most part, was an art developed offshore -- in London, Zurich and Vienna. Over two centuries ago Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1743-1812), founder of the famous international banking dynasty, created private banking. The House of Rothschild filled a void, creating a profitable continental money system that influenced the course of European history by financing its rulers and wars. Now, that was private banking.
"Private banking" has come to mean investment management beyond offering a confidential relationship with a person to whom you entrust your money. Those personal relationships still exist in the traditional places such as The City in London. But they apply more to extremely rich people than to moderately wealthy people who want more personalized treatment than they can get from their local bank branch or on the Internet. In this case, private banking means investment management offered on a personalized basis by a bank to an individual (or his company, trust or family foundation) with disposable wealth of more than US$100,000.
Until relatively recently, only the wealthiest investors could benefit from having any kind of offshore bank account. Only the richest of the rich could afford the fees and legal advice associated with going offshore. Now, after dramatic changes in international banking and communications, even a modest offshore account can be your quick, inexpensive entry into the world of foreign investment opportunities.
Only Law-Abiding Customers Welcome
Put aside the erroneous popular notion that foreign bank accounts are designed for shady international drug kingpins and unscrupulous wheeler dealers trying to avoid paying taxes. For some people, offshore accounts will always evoke images of spies from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency or the U.K.'s MI-5. Although these cloak and dagger images are entertaining, they hardly relate to our present practical purposes: to build offshore financial structures to increase your wealth legally and protect your assets.
And private banking offshore is better because the cost of such special treatment is more than offset by the superior profits available with offshore investments. You can use a foreign bank account as an integral tool in an aggressive, two-pronged offshore wealth strategy. One goal is to increase your asset value by cutting taxes and maximizing profits. The other is to build a strong defensive asset protection structure. In other words, an offshore private bank account is not just a place for safekeeping cash.
One of the great advantages of an offshore bank account is the ability to trade freely and invest in foreign-issued stocks, bonds, mutual funds and national currencies that are not available in your home country. An offshore account is an excellent way to diversify investments and take advantage of global tax savings. You can have instant access to the world's best investment opportunities, including currencies and precious metals without concern about your home nation's legal restrictions.
Big Business - Worth Trillions in Overseas Assets
Offshore banking is big business worldwide. Recent estimates calculate that US$2 trillion to US$5 trillion is stashed in nearly 40 offshore banking havens that impose no taxes, have less onerous regulations, guarantee privacy and cater to nonresidents. One-third of the entire world's private wealth is stashed in Switzerland alone!
According to a study by consulting firm McKinsey and Company published in January 2007, the value of total global financial assets, including equities, government and corporate debt securities, and bank deposits, expanded to US$140 trillion in the 12 months to the end of 2005, an increase of US$7 trillion from a year earlier. That is a growth rate of 5.3%.
The Sovereign Society can recommend excellent banks that offer private management in many offshore financial centers -- Switzerland, Panama, Liechtenstein, Austria, Hong Kong and Singapore. Other banking haven nations such as Monaco, Andorra, the Cayman Islands of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are also available.