Individuals who wish to take part in offshore investments have many options to protect their assets. However, asset protection trusts are particularly suited to serve the needs of international investors due to their favorable terms.

An asset protection attorney can provide you with valuable information and guidance, especially if you’re an individual concerned about asset protection and might consider using a trust or international trust.

Using a trust is one of the most effective asset protection strategies for preserving wealth. Trusts can be used as part of an investment strategy or an estate plan. Trusts can also help protect minors or special needs children after a parent or legal guardian passes on.

The five-flag strategy is a diversification process that includes five distinct phases. Each flag represents one form of investment or other strategy that the investor can use in a separate country. Each aspect of this strategy helps investors diversify their portfolio in order to increase their level of capital gains.
 
The concept is to create diversity that will shield investors from economic duress, political upheaval, the decline of currency or other negative factors, so if any of the countries is affected by one of these factors, the other investments can balance it out. The five flags include: residency, citizenship, banking assets, asset protection and investing, and business. Each of these elements is discussed below.

Recently, we published an article about investment prospects in Brazil, such as coconut plantations or neem trees. Some readers may be interested in learning more about how to become involved in international investments.

Foreign investors that are looking at expanding their overseas holdings may benefit from finding out what Brazil has to offer. Some people are naturally skeptical of investing because they think it is only coconuts or neem. However, Brazil really does have a lot to offer overseas investors.

During George W. Bush's presidency, several important tax cuts and rules were made regarding estate taxes. In particular, it was established that an individual could give away slightly more than $5 million without being assessed estate or gift taxes.

Investors who are considering investing in offshore businesses may have trepidation regarding the type of business to invest in.

Experts often refer to certain places as standard jurisdictions. These locales usually gain this designation because they have been around longer.

Foreign trusts provide a valuable form of asset protection for investors. However, these investment tools can be quite complex for the layperson. Knowing each party that is affiliated with foreign trusts can help investors realize each party's objective and role within the international trust.

Many U.S. residents or citizens are interested in establishing offshore trust accounts to protect their assets. Those clients may wonder what position the Internal Revenue Service takes with regard to foreign structures, specifically foreign trusts.

International and offshore trusts provide a variety of benefits to investors. Most noticeably, these trusts allow investors to transfer the ownership of certain assets in order to remove them from their gross estate, possibly avoiding estate taxes in the process if all other assets equal less than $5 million.

For many years, the Internal Revenue Service changed the amount of exemptions each person can have in order to avoid estate taxes. This figure is sometimes adjusted due to inflation.

Trust law was established sometime in the 11th century when crusaders went into battle and kept portions of their wealth in safekeeping by using a trust.

The TDF90, or Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, is an asset reporting form that must be filed separately from one's tax return.

Deciding how to protect assets can be a complicated decision. On one hand, a person must assess his or her own comfort level regarding risk. On the other hand, a person may not be familiar with all of the various types of protection strategies.

For example, one strategy that may not be part of a traditional portfolio is having a foreign bank account. Having a bank account in another country offers many benefits and can be a profitable investment.

By investing overseas through a more versatile custodian than the major domestic brokerage houses, investors can work with a wider range of investment opportunities and thus take fuller advantage of currently lenient IRA regulations.

The IRS Amnesty Program represents a new chance for taxpayers to become compliant. It's designed to encourage people to report assets that they failed to bring up earlier by providing them with more favorable circumstances and a wider range of options.

Even though some of these are already reported elsewhere, the new form doesn't come as a surprise to those who have followed the recent progress of the TDF or F-BAR.

Many people who already created corporations or trusts in the past consult with lawyers and tax professionals to learn how to improve their reporting and avoid fines. Others simply wish to get started off on the right foot before they create asset protection structures.

A dynasty trust is similar to other types of trusts, but it also has its own unique qualities.
 
For example, a basic asset protection trust typically allows clients to preserve and protect assets for themselves with the remainder interest going to their children. However, a dynasty trust is designed to preserve wealth and protect assets for a longer period of time.