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 "There are so many professionals telling the security buyer what to do, that his self-preservation at times depends perhaps more on knowing what not to do - and when."
(Sydney B. Lurie)

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Banking Secrecy


During the recent past politicians and lobbies of all persuasions seen to have found a new 'Enemy Number One' - Banking Secrecy and linked to this Tax Havens large and small.

Politicians and their paid servants the regulators have failed miserably to prepare for the current global financial crisis. Despite the fact that institutions like the Bank of International Settlements has spent roughly 10 years and produced a report of 1000 pages the Bale 2 rules did nothing to prevent the debacle that has afflicted major banks around the world.

So it appears to be nothing more than a desperate search for scapegoats when politicians attack banking secrecy and tax havens. They are not the cause of the current crisis!

Not so long ago there was a time when anyone could walk into a Bank in Austria and open a bank account without presenting any form of documentation. No one asked what their name or address was. You paid in your money and you received a bearer passbook that was the only document you needed to claim back your money. In his teenage years the author even opened a number of passbooks on the same day. That way he pocketed a small amount of money that the banks put into new passbooks as a reward for opening the account.

Was crime any higher as a consequence of lax banking regulation? Was corruption rampant? Not at all. Since the (US inspired) crusade against banking secrecy gathered speed both crime and corruption have - if anything - increased. The world certainly does not seem to be a safer place.

Ironically, much crime and corruption can be traced back to ill-conceived legislation: the war on drugs, arbitrary taxes (tobacco, alcohol), questionable regulations and subsidies (agriculture, trade tariffs), limits on prostitution. All these laws and regulations may be well-intentioned but they provide a fertile field for criminal activity and usually are counterproductive as well as costly to the taxpayer and citizen (who most of the time get no say on respective laws).

If countries want to close down tax loopholes they can avail themselves of a solution that is easy to administer and leaves the precious privacy of all citizens untouched: Legislators can decide to impose taxes at source. If politicians are really only interested in reducing the amount of tax that in unpaid this solution should be suffice. Anything more intrusive indicates that the authorities are really interested in invading the private sphere of the individual and increase the control that the state already has over the citizen's lives.

More on Banking Secrecy

 

   


 

 

PBA will help you with the following:|

 

Is your Adviser executing Foreign Exchange transactions at correct prices?

Should you accept 'Financial Products' at part of your Portfolio?

Are you aware of the hidden costs of Structured Products?


How secure is your wealth in a safe deposit box?


Binary Options
- you may better visit a Casino


Risk Premia Strategies -
old wine in new bottles

Stock Picking
- can you beat the Market this way?

Do Women make better fund managers?

Are Index Funds the best choice under any market scenario?

What should I do when my Financial Adviser (Private Bank, Investment Fund) merges?

Should I pay a management fee if my Financial Adviser uses funds that already charge me a fee?


Does my Financial Adviser really select the best possible investment funds for me or is he obliged to select from a pre-determined or proprietary list set by his firm?


Are you at risk from a blow-up in the CDS market?

Should you have to understand what the 'Barrier Hit Probability' is?

Do you know what risks are hidden in your UCITS Fund?

Not all performance fee structures align interests effectively

Does my Financial Adviser provide me with account statements that disclose all fees?

Can you rely on performance projections?

What is private in Private Equity Funds?

Should you participate in Euro experiment?

What can rebalancing your portfolio achieve?

How can you protect yourself against states going bankrupt?

Should you trust your financial advisor?

Are all Index Funds created equal?

Are you in- or outside your hedge fund's sidepocket?

Implementing an appropriate asset allocation

Can financial advisors really be 'independent'?

MIFID
- a flop for the private investor

Are your management and performance fees calculated correctly?

Can you trust relatives when investing?

Pitfalls of investing in ETF's, ETN's, ETC's and ETT's

What is a step-down express
certificate?

Are Hedge Fund Billionaires good for your financial health?

Should you consider 'Newcits', and what are they?

Understand why some ETF's may not perform as you expect

How to survive the global war between savers and speculators

Is your financial adviser a professional or a business man/woman?

Why traditional diversification is no longer sufficient

How to protect yourself against currency 'reform'?

Risk aspects of property and money market funds

Is my money used to pay for banker's bonuses?

What is the best way to invest in Gold?

How should you Financial Adviser be compensated and what role does the remuneration structure of his employer have?

Does it matter where my investment manager is located?

Who is ultimately responsible for the regulation of my investment fund?

Are investments in the USA sensible given proposed changes in the tax law?

Where are my confidential financial affairs still treated with respect?

How to protect yourself from toxic financial instruments

Does past performance help in picking investment managers or funds?


Should you stay away from firms that use Celebrity endorsements?


How to understand what performance statistics hide

Do you need a financial advisor that walks your dog?

Not all regulators are created equal. Which ones should you trust - and what does it mean when an advisor is regulated?


What type of Institution will suit your needs better? Large or Small Banks, Private Banks, Independent Asset Managers or Boutique Managers?

What are the implications if Hedge Funds hold massive cash reserves?

How meaningful is the fact that a Hedge Fund has had only 15 losing months during the past 15 years?

Are larger Hedge Funds or Fund of Funds necessarily better for you?


What is the correct way to set targets for performance fees on Hedge Funds?

Is a 'High-Water-Mark' sufficient to protect the interests of Investors in Hedge Funds?

Are Hedge Funds really a new Asset Class?

There are so many different Indices of Hedge Fund Performance - which one shall I pay attention to?

 


 




 

   
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