Diversify Your Portfolio Internationally with Offshore Gold Storage - Do you have a Plan B?
Financial privacy no longer exists, well in your typical bank setting at least.
If you don’t believe me, go down to your local bank and ask to withdraw $25,000 in cash from your account. You will surely get suspicious looks and maybe even a visit from the branch president. They will bury you with questions, such as what you plan on using YOUR “money” for and why do you need that much money cash. Most likely the bank will file a suspicious activity report (SAR) as now you have become a suspect of money laundering or fraud. And yes because only money launderers use cash.
Digital currencies are a great way to transact privately and although they have gained a lot of attention in the recent months, they are still in their infancy. The future is extremely bright for cryptocurrencies though.
One asset has withstood the test of time, precious metals, and they are the perfect asset for a truly diversified international portfolio.
There is no need to hold all of your eggs in one basket, whether at your home, a safety deposit box, or even a storage facility in your home country.
The reason why gold is so valuable and is used as a means of wealth preservation by individuals all over the world is that the likelihood central banks will continue to print themselves into oblivion is a foregone conclusion.
Worst Case Scenario
Let’s take a second and think about this scenario, where a bank run stems from a currency collapse in your current country. In this scenario, banks might close and food shortages might ensue. Next, riots and looting become widespread.
You currently have some property overseas and a means to get out and now you will have diversified some of your wealth abroad by purchasing and storing metals overseas securely.
We all hope this event never happens, but you’ll be no worse off if you have some physical precious metals stored overseas in a secured vault.
Capital controls
When governments are bankrupt, they do desperate things. What makes you think it cannot happen here? Two recent examples are Cyprus and India.
In 2013 Cyprus was the victim of capital controls which was a one-off bail-in of depositor’s funds. The ultimate agreement was a 47.5% haircut on deposits over 100,000 euros.
Just last year, the prime minister of India, imposed a ban of the most common notes in circulation. This would be similar to the President of the United States forcing all holders of the $10 and $20 bill to turn in their money for a new $50 bill. This was a big deal and get even bigger when the maximum amount you were able to withdraw from the bank was $60 per week. If you were holding any of the rescinded bills after the deadline they would be worthless.
Threat of Confiscation
Have you ever had something you owned, an asset, get taken from you right underneath your chin? That is precisely what happened back in 1933 when gold was confiscated under Executive Order 6102 which forbade the hoarding of gold bullion, gold certificates, and gold coins in the continental United States. Any individual caught and persecuted under this executive order would be fined $10,000 and/or up to ten years imprisonment. Individuals could hold up to 5 ounces of gold, but anyone caught with more than this could be persecuted under this EO.
At the time, gold was pegged to the dollar at a rate of $20.67 per ounce of gold, which adjusted for inflation is around $400 today. Just a year later the price of gold from the treasury was revalued to $35 per ounce overnight, an increase of almost 70%.
All profits recognized from this revaluation led to the establishment of the Exchange Stabilization Fund, which is an emergency fund of the treasury department that can be used foreign exchange intervention when deemed necessary.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.” – Mark Twain
Desperate times call for drastic measures and although we are not saying a confiscation of your wealth is immediate, the likelihood of it happening increases nearly every day.
How can you protect yourself?
Well owning physical precious metals is a great way to protect your assets. At Ultimate Wealth Ideas, we believe physical gold and silver should be a staple in everyone’s portfolio. A true storage of wealth, physical metals hold their value well over long periods of time. No they do not pay dividends and no you cannot eat it, but it a universally accepted store of value.
Have you ever heard of the Flag Theory? The basic premise of the flag theory is that the internationalization of one’s portfolio can be achieved by strategically planting flags, or elements of your business or finances, in different countries. It is not just any country store ones wealth as select countries have advantages over other countries. The positioning of physical assets is critical in the Flag Theory and the storing of precious metals internationally is a no-brainer.
Which Country is this best for Gold Storage Overseas?
Singapore has become a major hub for finance, especially precious metals. The combination of a friendly tax structure, minimal regulation, and virtually no corruption makes Singapore the premier place to invest in Asia.
Gold storage and gold prices are very competitive and seemingly every year the technology at the storage facilities continues to increase.
It is relatively inexpensive and easy to fly to Singapore from the United States, which makes it convenient for business travelers.
One of the best parts about Singapore is their stance on silver and gold. They are viewed as commodities by the government; therefore, there are no reporting requirements for the metals.
We have used probably the most well-known storage facility in all of Singapore, Bullion Star, for years now.
Great Selection
Bullion Star has one of the most comprehensive lists of gold, silver, and platinum available. From Royal Canadian Mint silver bars to the infamous Engelhard silver bars, Bullion Star has it all. Heck, they even have their very own gold and silver bars that have no spread (price between when buying and selling). Their premiums (price over the current market price) are competitive with any online dealer in the world.
Accepts Bitcoin
Buying precious metals with Bitcoin on Bullion Star is extremely easy. The best part about purchasing with Bitcoin is that there is no minimum purchase amount. With a maximum purchase amount of 200 BTC, you can buy nearly everything on the site using cryptocurrency. After purchasing with Bitcoin, you will receive the Bitcoin address to send the payment to. For more information on purchasing precious metals from Bullion Star with Bitcoin, click here
Photographs of Your Bullion
Bullion Star provides photographs with every order of your stored bullion in their vault and these photographs are available through your account.
Inexpensive Storage Fees
Storage fees are extremely reasonable and are among the most competitive in the world. The annual storage fee is 0.39% per year for gold and 0.59% per year for silver and platinum, or about $.20 per day, whichever is lower.
Audits
Bullion Star has a live audit that you can see the real time updated allocation report for all customer owned bullion. You can verify the existence and serial numbers of the bullion by looking up your vault account number.
Bullion Star also has Bureau Veritas, an approved auditor, performed live audits on all customer owned bullion twice per year.
At Ultimate Wealth Ideas, we strongly believe storing some of your precious metals overseas is a necessary flag for you to plant as you diversify your wealth internationally and Bullion Star is at the top of our list for secured vault gold and silver storage.
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Well done my friend, your are spot on with this, I went friday and withdrew $12,000 to buy my son a car, I had to speak to everyone in the branch, I finally said, "you didnt ask me all these question when i gave it you, why are you asking them now" I am sure they filled out a SAR. excellant post my friend.
Thank you sir! They will gladly take your currency but don't want to give it back to you... And they wonder why we diversify into precious metals and cryptocurrencies! haha
Excellent post, these are the type of post.
I'm a big believer in Gold and Silver and then crypto. All three have a place and can be very profitable.
Crypto being the most risk and gold and silver low risk high reward.
Anyway great post!
I completely agree with you! I am in the same boat as you!! I see bright futures for all of them!
What about transmutation of elements? You may laugh but it will happen soon. Big time.
How do you reckon this will happen? What element will be turned into gold?
I will do it.
Hey @sevinwilson , I am starting a podcast where I interview other entrepreneurs, I would like to invite to the inaugural episodes.
The podcasts will be hosted on my youtube account: https://www.youtube.com/nantchev
We talk about what you are currently doing in life, your business as well as your journey and any lessons or advice you want the world to know.
A casual conversation about entrepreneurship, and about you.
I'll stick with my gold in hand, rather than a photograph of it.
Fair enough. Some people aren't in the position to hold it safely on hand. For those this is a viable alternative.
Just came across your comment on another post, followed you, and now saw this...I wish I had read this a few weeks ago! Coincidentally I just put a sizeable chunk of my Roth IRA into precious metals, and decided to go with Canada or Singapore...although now I'm not so sure I made the right decision. At least with the company I used, Regal Assets, it's the same flat fee either way, although Singapore charges a bit more for shipping.
The main difference of course is that this doesn't seem to be fort a retirement account, just general precious metal storage. If I DO ever decide to invest in precious metals outside of my IRA, I will definitely look into this - thanks so much for posting!
PS - Goes without saying that I'm now following you :)
I think your choice of putting a good portion of the IRA into pm's was a great choice. As you adore aware we are in the midst of the greatest wealth transfer in history. Canada is a lot closer for nearly all US residents.
You have gotten in near the bottom which is always a good thing!
Following you back! :D
Thanks man, appreciate it! Yeah my parents think I'm crazy since I've transferred a good amount of my net worth - obviously not all of it, but a good % into metals (I actually just wrote about that here https://steemit.com/investing/@jobsande/the-best-investments-for-these-times-of-turmoil), and Bitcoin / Cryptos. I didn't let their opinion stop me though, they have a different mindset than me... they see them as gambling rather than solid long term investments.
There is no such thing as privacy even if it's promised to us in the constitution . I can't even take a certain amount of money out without having to do confirmation and what not @sevinwilson
Im all in with silver and gold. Banks are for good for spending money and paying bills. Nice post buddy.