Birdland

This country is experiencing what most experts would agree is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression; and some would argue that it’s worse. The lack of confidence financial markets have in the government to adeptly navigate recessionary waters is astounding; and the lack of confidence that inspires in would-be investors – savers for college, retirees, or those looking to accrue enough wealth to buy a home with a big down payment – makes the sale of traditional retirement and investment products like mutual funds, asset allocation services, and advisory services practically impossible. More than ever, individuals are flocking toward conservative investments like money market mutual funds, CDs, and government bonds that they are sure will preserve principle. This trend explains why annuity retirement is becoming a much more attractive option to disillusioned savers, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a broker who has received an annuity sell order, especially for the non-variable type.

As a seller of structured investments, you are providing a product to your client that meets his or her goals that will also earn you a solid commission – usually a low single-digit percentage of the annuity you sell. Yet innovators in the industry have invented a way that benefits annuity investors and salespeople equally by leveraging principle at very low interest rates. The borrowed money is then either paid back through continued contributions to the annuity or else through the annuity’s own compounded interest. In other words, salespeople are able to receive a call for a much larger annuity sell because the principle is augmented by borrowed money and therefore earn a much larger commission. At the same time, the salesperson should also rest happily with the knowledge that he or she is providing the client with a way to accumulate wealth much more quickly with the help of borrowed money, but at very low risk because a) annuities are principle protected and b) the investor often pledges to repay borrowed money with contributions from his or her own business.

As a financial planner, I know how often interests conflict. Financial product companies constantly put out incentives for me to sell this or that risky, high-margin product to a client that doesn’t need it. Annuity retirement products are a true exception in the investment community. The security and stability they offer to clients are really priceless in their eyes, so I feel as though I’ve earned my commission by giving them a product that they definitely could not structure themselves in their own portfolios.
Bottom line: for greedy but ethical financial planners and product salespeople, selling annuities – fixed or variable, leveraged or unleveraged – is a great way to help people while making a good living.

As U.S. banks are dealing with the fallout of a slumping housing market, the private and business bank account holder is left to watch ownership of their funds move from one large entity to an even larger entity. It has gotten so bad that the United States government is now part owner in many of the largest holding companies in the world. This dilution of private and state investment means that your dollars can be more closely watched and monitored for all the wrong reasons. What used to be an “affluent” problem is now something every individual who makes a decent living will have to deal with.

Because earning enough is not always the problem, but keeping enough is, the use of monetary strategies like offshore bank accounts are becoming more attractive to the ordinary work-at-home John and Jane who service clients around the world electronically. As the world economy declines, a rise in offshore bank accounts occur as more people want to protect whatever they have right now, and what they plan on earning in the future. By receiving quality advice from monetary advisors who understand the ins and outs of offshore banking, savvy individuals can retain more of what they earn each year they utilize an offshore bank account.

Not only will you see a rise in business accounts, but because the world is getting ever so smaller electronically, you will find a large group of account holders who utilize an offshore bank account to fund their everyday activities. These world travelers demand an effective banking system be available to them for when they arrive in different countries for work or pleasure. Some offshore accounts specialize in monetary pools from various currencies which allow an offshore account to fund in any currency quickly. The advantage of this feature is evident when you consider the rapidly changing value of currency. The advantages of offshore bank accounts become realized when you compare them to the amount of new global business and travel that occurs in the 21st century. It’s not just the “Jet-Set” who benefit from these banking procedures. For entrepreneurs and companies who deal with global demands, an offshore bank account has become a recommended “Best Practice”.