Fraudsters have been stealing the identity of some of the UK’s best-known asset managers to stage an elaborate internet scam.
So far Aberdeen Asset Management, Schroders and Henderson Global Investors have discovered that bogus organisations claiming to be them have been soliciting for money.
Aberdeen has been moved to paste an announcement on its home page, warningDynamic Wealth Management: Even in this day and age of enlightenment thanks to the pervasive nature of information dissemination via the internet, some people are still concerned about the legalities and legitimacy of the offshore world of finance and banking. For some reason others simply assume that onshore equates to a ‘safe haven’ for money and offshore equates to a ‘risky tax haven.’
Well, you and I know that that is simply not the case! However, even though it is now clearer to more people that the offshore world holds many potential taxation benefits, there are still questions to be answered about why one should invest offshore and in this article we explore the benefits.
First things first…here’s another myth I wish to dispel – some people say that offshore investments and bank accounts are more lightly regulated than their entity-type-counterparts onshore…now, that’s not necessarily true!
Yes, certain jurisdictions give fund managers, bankers and investors pretty much free rein so that the rewards and risks are potentially far greater – but some jurisdictions are very highly regarded among financial professionals simply because of the incredibly high standards of protection they afford investors and account holders through insurance schemes and government regulation requirements for example:
The Isle of Man and the Channel Islands are examples of offshore jurisdictions where offshore investment and saving policy or bank account holders are afforded high levels of protection. Just taking the Isle of Man – it offers policyholder protection schemes, it also has the highest financial services rating issued by the OECD, FATF and FSF and it has an independent Financial Services Ombudsman scheme not to mention the fact that both Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s have given the Isle of Man AAA ratings.
So – myth dispelled, let’s move on.
In terms of the benefits available when investing offshore they will always, always depend on the particular circumstances of the individual investor – but offshore financial services and structures can be used as part of an overall asset protection strategy for example, investing offshore can afford an investor greater flexibility in terms of international accessibility and the commodities, equities, derivatives, stocks, shares or companies they can invest in, plus there are of course sometimes significant taxation benefits available to an account holder depending on their countries of tax residence and domicile.
Other answers to the question posed by this article – namely ‘why invest offshore?’ – are because there are general benefits available including more efficient estate planning potential, privacy and confidentiality, better interest returns, the chance to exploit active business interests overseas in low or no tax locations and global access to assets and income.
It is key to understand that the buyer and the seller have divergent interests in the structure of the transaction, most of which revolve around stock and assets. The seller wants to sell stock, and the buyer wants to buy assets. There are a few reasons for this.
Imagine the business in question is a construction or drug company, and is sold. If years after the sale a bridge the company engineered and built collapsed, or a severe side effect was discovered with a drug or medical device the business provided, who is held liable? The answer is the owner of the stock. One of the main negotiation points in selling a business is will it be a sale of stock or assets.
The new owner, if they purchase the stock of a company, becomes liable for any claims against that company for all its previous work. As such, it is in the seller’s best interest to sell the shares of the business to shield it from any future responsibility.
There is another reason why the seller is interested in selling stock. If the value of the company had seen significant growth in the value of its stock over time, a sale of stock would be subject to a capital gains tax rate. With the current tax structure, the capital gains tax rate is lower than the income tax rate. This could translate into substantially greater net value from the sale.
On the flip side, the buyer would prefer not to purchase the stock of the company, but rather to acquire the assets. This enables the buyer not only to avoid any potential liabilities, but also to gain the depreciation and amortization benefits that come along with purchasing assets.
As an aside, assets that are not considered in direct line with the operations of the business should also be removed from the business. For example, having the land the business sits on residing in a separate LLC makes the business easier to buy if the buyer wanted to relocate.
In the classic book “Getting to Yes,” one of the main concepts is that many times there are components of the object in a negotiation that have little value to one party but a lot of value to the other. In negotiating over an orange, it might turn out that one party values only the pulp for the juice, while the other values only the peel for cooking.
Along these lines, there is a group of techniques that can be used to optimize the deal for one or both parties.
Terry Stanaland, a CPA and attorney in Greensboro and national lecturer on financial and tax topics, describes it this way: “Restructuring the deal from a simple cash transaction to correctly incorporating a noncompete clause, a consulting agreement, and/or an employment agreement can help achieve greater bottom line dollars for both parties involved in the sale.”
For that matter, the buyer is certainly going to want the current owner to stick around the business for a while anyhow.
Understanding and working with the elements important to the buyer that reduce current and long-term taxes, lower liability risk, and simplify the transaction can help the family business owner optimize the overall value of the sale and ultimately get the deal done.
Investing money in a socially conscious manner has gained popularity since the 1970s, though the origins of the concept can be traced back to the 17th century. The idea grew for a number of reasons, including issues regarding the environment, consumer and employee rights, and military activities.
Many individuals who were civil rights and anti-war protestors in the 1960s became investors in the 1970s and 1980s and were looking for a way to express their convictions through their investment portfolios. The first mutual fund to screen investments based on social criteria was established in 1971.
Today, more than 200 mutual funds offer investors a way to access a social investment strategy. Some funds are broad in nature, while others focus on a specific cause.
According to the Social Investment Forum, in 2007, nearly 1 out of every 9 dollars under professional management in the United States (more than .71 trillion) was involved in socially responsible investing, outpacing the overall market. Interest in this investment approach has grown significantly since the mid-1990s.
Along with funds and other professionally managed portfolios that specialize in socially responsible styles, the Social Investment Forum reports that mainstream money managers are also incorporating social and environmental screens into their investment selection processes. The approach has also taken on global dimensions, as more investors around the world seek to promote specific causes through their investment dollars.
The new release has added support for AJAX, HTML, Silverlight and WPF desktop applications, Anglin said. The application also supports Silverlight, HTML and AJAX application testing.
TeamPulse’s release also includes integration with Test Studio, which allows user stories to be linked with test cases and catalogued throughout the design process. TeamPulse also includes reporting capabilities, My Perspective view, a bug-tracking module, and a TaskBoard to track individual projects.
“QA teams can generate reports against the results delivered by TeamPulse and can look at historical results to see how the quality [of the code] has changed over time,” Anglin said.
The My Perspective view in TeamPulse allows for each team member to view his or her assigned tasks, bugs and progress in a streamlined screen. The managers can also track individual team-member progress and determine what percentage of the project still needs to be completed, according to Anglin.
Similarly, a non-executive sub-group of the FSA Board chaired by Brian Pomeroy will conduct a separate review on the process and findings of the FSA’s report. The separate review is expected to “interface as appropriate with the independent reviewers.”
As a Dynamic Wealth Management client, your portfolio will be structured using the disciplines of asset allocation, risk tolerance, and thorough understanding of your goals and objectives.
We believe in the appropriate allocation of fixed income, equity, international stocks and bonds, hedge funds, and alternative investments.
Equities
Dynamic Wealth Management offers a variety of tools that can help determine which individual stocks are appropriate for your equity portfolio objectives. Our equity disciplines are style specific and can be crafted to meet customized client objectives and fulfill a defined asset allocation strategy.
At the Dynamic Wealth Management Zurich, Switzerland, we realize that no two clients are the same. Every client has different financial needs, goals, and plans. For this reason, the DWM offers a wide array of investment options to suit every client. We tailor your investment strategy to be as individual as you are.
In all cases, a Dynamic Wealth Management Portfolio Manager will recommend a portfolio strategy that reflects your tax situation, other assets you may already own, risk tolerance, particular family needs and constraints, and preferences you specify. Several equity models are designed to assist investors in achieving the proper asset allocation when investing in equities. In addition, customized equity portfolio analysis is available for our private preferred clients.
Mutual Funds
Dynamic Wealth Management has selling arrangements with a large number of mutual fund companies. Many of these mutual fund companies are leaders in the industry and offer expertise in different investment categories.
Unit Investment Trusts www.dynamicwmanagement.com
We offer one of the widest selections of Unit Investment Trusts available, including equity, municipal and taxable fixed income trusts. Dynamic Wealth Management creates sector trusts of companies based on work of our global research analysts.
Managed Accounts
If you are looking for the advantages that a professional money manager can offer, Dynamic Wealth Management provides a broad range of fee-based money management programs.
Fixed Income
Looking to add a fixed income component to your portfolio? Dynamic Wealth Management can provide access to a broad selection of fixed income securities to choose from, including CDs, deposit notes, corporate bonds and preferred securities. The results in diversified investments that seek to maximize total return while generating income and safeguarding your assets. Securities in your portfolio are monitored closely and sold when they fall below the strict requirements that you've set or no longer meet your investment needs. The process is designed to increase total returns while managing overall risk.
Nudged by the government and buffeted by the demographic reality of retirees often living into their 90's, corporations have been rapidly offloading the responsibility for retirement income to their employees. Fortunately, many different financial vehicles now exist to help investors meet their own retirement needs. New products seem to emerge each month; some are marketing gimmicks while others may be valuable financial tools.
At DWM, we have adopted a process that relies heavily on client input and participation in all phases of the retirement planning process. Although it is a systematic approach, it is also tailored to each client's requirements. Through a series of planned steps, we work with each client to define major life goals, prioritize them and test them under various market scenarios. We then build to a recommendation based upon ideal vs. acceptable goals and risk tolerance. Many retirement programs stop here. Ours continues to full implementation of the plan and periodic monitoring of its progress. Finally, we stay mindful of new goals or priorities that may cause alterations of the original program.
Fraudsters have been stealing the identity of some of the UK’s best-known asset managers to stage an elaborate internet scam.
So far Aberdeen Asset Management, Schroders and Henderson Global Investors have discovered that bogus organisations claiming to be them have been soliciting for money.
Aberdeen has been moved to paste an announcement on its home page, warning
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