HIDING YOUR ASSETS?
DUMP THOSE LOCAL ACCOUNTANTS, LAWYERS & FINANCIAL CONSULTANTS!

Grandpa says: Forget expensive accountants, lawyers etc ...  especially those in your home turf!

Offshore trusts, holding companies and other “structures” that local professionals may create for you are likely to disintegrate. When?  When the lawyers themselves are indicted and allowed to escape punishment only by fingering all their clients, namely YOU. If you want to preserve your ass and your assets and not do jail time, do your planning and executions alone. No witnesses. Do like the ancient pirates did: Bury your treasure without any witnesses or accomplices.

Accountants, lawyers and local consultants will be always be your weakest links.

AVOID APPEARING PERSONALLY IN COURT

Never allow yourself to be dragged into court as a defendant or into any involuntary bankruptcy proceedings where you will have to testify and tell the truth. When that happens, you will have to give up your assets, or lie. If you lie, there’s a good chance you will put your foot into your own mouth, and be contradicted by someone. Then you will do time for contempt or perjury.

BE PREPARED TO LEAVE TOWN

When a serious threat to your person or to your treasure materializes, leave the danger zone immediately for terra incognita and let the heat cool down.

In case of danger, get yourself out of the jurisdiction -- before you are served with process -- if possible. If not, if you have no local assets and if you have a second passport, you should still take a powder. Have a physical escape plan in place. Be flexible: Having several alternative places where you can go. Keep your plans and the location of your assets a secret –especially from employees, lovers, partners, relatives. Those you think you know and think you can trust, not strangers, are the ones who will betray you.

CULTIVATE THE ILLUSION OF POVERTY

Making it appear that you have no assets of substance is the best way to protect yourself. You only want the use of things like villas, expensive cars or yachts, never the ownership and title to them. If you do own anything, be sure it is leveraged to the hilt and your equity is nil or negative.

Always make sure that you are perceived as a mere caretaker, or better yet, a trusted servant working for a (usually) absentee owner. This person should show his face from time to time and be introduced as the owner. Nothing of substance should ever be registered in your name. If a creditor checks the records and finds that you do indeed own the assets or appear to be using a “straw man” they will surely go after you or the asset. And a court can award them any asset within the jurisdiction, whether you are around or not.

USE A FRONT MAN OR NOMINEE

Make friends with potential “straw men.” Consider solid people who reside in a tax haven and can hold title for you or be the registered owner of a holding company. You ensure that your nominee owner won’t double-cross you by such things as an unrecorded mortgage for more than the property is worth. Or you hold the “bearer shares.”

SMOKE AND MIRRORS

Make it look as if you do not own the asset – a nice home, for instance. You can appear to be the manager of it. Or if you “rent” the asset, you create the appearance that you do not own . In fact you don't hold the title, but there are ways to control it.

Renting? This requires attention to detail such as actual rent being paid to the “owner.” If you are the “manager” a small salary should be paidto you and deposited in a local bank account. As a beginner, you probably will need some professional guidance on how to do all this unless you yourself have some professional training as a collection agent, private investigator, contingent fee lawyer or high powered auditor.

PREVENT LAWSUITS

You can protect your assets and avoiding most hassles. How? By staying below the radar, not getting publicity, being low profile, not bragging. Don’t gamble or throw money around. Do not make yourself an obvious target. When you create the appearance of not owning anything and not having the proverbial pot to pee in, you don’t have to worry about any contingent fee lawyers suing you. They, swindlers and tax collectors too will all be more likely to give you a wide berth.

"IF THE DOO-DOO HITS THE FAN, SETTLE FAST - IF YOU CAN!"

If the bad guys ever do catch you and you'd be required to go to court or get your kneecaps blown off, always try to make an out of court settlement for a small percentage of what they are suing you for. Put a cash offer on the table. Say that’s the best you can do and if you have to spend it on a defense, even that won’t be available. See how they react. If your assets are invisible, they will grab your offer and leave you alone. If they are sure they can collect in full by seizing your local property, your goose is cooked.

FRUSTRATE THE ENEMY BY BEING IGNORANT, IMPECUNIOUS AND INCOMPETENT 

 
When someone is going after you or your money they generally send in the lawyers and the private investigators. With a good plan in place, you need never fear. In case of real danger you can be gone before the hunters get you in their sights -- just like Bambi. If you think you can fight successfully (more likely if you don’t have any assets that they can find out about) make them work before you offer to settle. Don’t turn up at scheduled meetings because of “last minute emergencies.” Apologise profusely. Read a good book on how to be a deadbeat. Misplace or lose material they want to ‘discover.’ Always apologize politely and profusely. Let them lose their cool. You stay friendly and cool. Try to appear innocent, ignorant, impecunious and incompetent. Do anything within your power to delay and frustrate them.

Return mail marked “moved!” Respond to correspondence or calls if you must, by saying you will look into it and get back to them. If they call, tell them you are busy and will call them back, then forget to call them back. Get a new number. Turn up unannounced and several hours early for a scheduled meeting then look dumb and say “We had a 7 A.M. breakfast appointment didn't we? If you can’t get your people here on time, don’t bother me again, I am leaving to go and have my breakfast out.” Then send them a cover letter explaining why you were gravely offended and insulted by their failure to be prepared and on time. Do everything to delay, delay, delay. Wear your opponent down. Frustrate them. Make sure their investigations and any lawsuit against you is the most unpleasant and expensive experience they have ever had. Through it all be polite, loveable and play your role: incredibly naive and stupid.

SECURE THE PRIVACY YOU CAN STILL HAVE 

These days privacy in the First World is almost non existent. Governments, banks, and private organizations will want too much information on you just for opening a simple account. But you can fight it. There are reliable banks and asset depositories off the beaten track. You can take control of your privacy and with some help from a few PT friends, to insure your person and your assets are safe and secure vs. all contingencies.

TALK IS CHEAP; PLANS ARE WORTHLESS. TAKE EVASIVE ACTION BEFORE THE CRISIS 

Factor into your plans all the flexibility you’ll need to meet changing times. What is good today may not be good in another couple of years. Don’t assume that you can simply get your alternate identity, stash your assets into a hole and forget about it. One of our contacts had a secret offshore banking and asset management account in an alternate name. The whole shebang was supported by questionable identity documents from a Third World Country. When he recently wanted to withdraw funds, the bank wrote him a lawyer letter: “We have a new policy that applies even to old customers: We need current passports and i.d. documents, local utility bills, credit cards, criminal record clearance from your local police, etc. etc. etc.”

Our client could not afford to reveal his real name, citizenship and real physical location due to new reporting requirements and an information sharing treaty with his native country. How he coped is an epic story in itself, but there were many delicate problems. He had to sweat and take risks you would never wish for. All problems could have been avoided if our friend had merely kept up on the many legal and other changes after the 9-11 (Terrorist Attack on the World Trade Center) – before they happened. He should have moved his assets before things got tight.

THE OLD PT THEORY IS STILL GOOD, BUT THE TACTICS CAN BE WORTHLESS OR EVEN DANGEROUS 

PT tactics still recommended by self-styled ‘consultants’ who rely upon 20 year old, out of print books are not only worthless – but dangerous! The old PT books are great for entertainment and inspiration, but only Bye Bye Big Brother gives you legal, safe, up-to-date privacy tactics.

You can save your ass and your assets. Knowledge and a sensible plan is essential. Most of what you need to know is contained in BYE BYE BIG BROTHER. Having a real PT expert to go over your options and plans for possible miscalculations is simply “insurance.” This author has seen many instances where a new PT Wannabee simply misunderstands the literature and gets it all wrong. Keeping up with changes and new laws plus getting decent personal guidance is a topic discussed here in BYE BYE BIG BROTHER  at great length.

And, perhaps most importantly, that's why with every copy of Bye Bye Big Brother purchased, we offer a FREE CONSULTATION WITH THE AUTHORS, usually by anonymous encrypted e-mail. This is a unique opportunity to run your plans and ideas by a veteran privacy expert. Simply click on the "Buy BBBB Now" button to take advantage of this offer today.