Corb7 International February 14, 2018 Newsletter

International Business 

Feature

Hello Big Brother – Google is Tracking You!

Information is power – few would debate that statement.  However, even in today’s environment where personal privacy is an ancient idea, the extent of Google’s ability to track your every movement is unnerving.  We found this recent video report extremely interesting and think you will too.      

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International Business 

Business Technology 

Very Cool!  Your New Ride Awaits! 

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Your hectic daily commute can be exhausting and time consuming.  Well, the Ehang 184 – a one passenger drone – might be in your future.  It is touted as the safest, smartest and an eco-friendly low altitude autonomous aerial vehicle, aiming on providing short to medium distance communication and transportation. Are you up for the ride?  

Please click for Ehang 184 website  

International Business 

Acquisition Opportunities 

The ABCs of IBCs: 
Understanding International Business Corporations

Lying sixty miles from the southeast coast of Florida, the Bahamas is a collection of 700 islands and cays, stretching more than 500 miles in length. Numerous factors have contributed to this small country’s important position; primary among those considerations is its stability. An independent nation within the British Commonwealth of Nations, the Bahamas has enjoyed an uninterrupted 260-year reign of political democracy, peace and prosperity. It is also home to literally thousands of International Business Corporations.

As an entrepreneur, one of the most important decisions that you will ever make is how to structure your business interests. With the dramatic expansion of the Internet more companies than ever hold substantial assets in multiple nations. This, of course, adds to the complexity of structuring requirements. Over the years, we have also noted that international businesses can frequently get bloated – as they grow and expand into new markets – with redundancies or inefficient networks resulting in the loss of both time and money. To that end, we have become a strong advocate in support of locating and utilizing the most business-friendly jurisdictions for bringing critical functions in-house to achieve additional control as well as cost reductions.

In terms of structuring your business, there are only a handful of potential vehicles to use.  Please note that we intentionally avoid using the term” offshore” even though we are almost exclusively discussing international entities. Offshore often invites a visceral response from the uneducated but more importantly it seems outdated since it is associated with tax havens or shelters.  In today’s environment of worldwide tax, there is no relief to be obtained by moving small-cap companies overseas, and thus we choose to avoid the term as much as possible. In this article, we wish to examine a very basic vehicle – International Business Corporations.

International Business Corporations
A time-tested corporate vehicle, International Business Corporations, also known as IBC’s, are corporations established under the legislation of an overseas jurisdiction.  Often considered a twin sister to the United States Delaware Corporation, there are many similarities between the two but also major differences. Just as is the case in the Delaware, an IBC is a basic corporation which requires only a minimal presence be maintained in the host jurisdiction.  To meet this obligation it is normally sufficient to have a representative office established and maintained by a local law firm.  Operations of the company need not be moved to the host locale.  In fact, the IBC is a legal entity that is frequently prohibited from conducting business in its country of incorporation.  It is also often free from all local taxes and merely responsible for paying small fixed annual fees.   Again, please keep in mind that as an owner, your personal tax obligations and reporting requirements will vary depending upon the owner’s country of origin.

Three Key Benefits to an IBC:
1) Inexpensive to Establish and Maintain
2) Enhance Personal or Corporate Privacy
3) Provide a Basic Corporate Veil for Asset Protection

Of the three major benefits listed above, we think enhancement of privacy is what sets an IBC apart. Regulatory requirements for IBC are minimal.  This often means that the public records of the company are protected by local law or in the case of bearer shares only the incorporation documents, and the registered office and agent are known.  This privacy element is not protected when a criminal investigation is underway or a probe is made by a foreign government for tax reasons.  It is, however, very effective to screen the probing eyes of competitors, attorneys initiating frivolous civil lawsuits or in extreme cases governments known for political persecution. The bottom-line is that the   owners of the IBC are not widely known, and ultimately privacy is maintained.

Bearer shares
At this point, it is probably best to go into some detail about bearer shares.   A bearer share instrument is a security that indicates ownership of an entity by means of possession.  Therefore, it is like cash. It differs from registered shares in that no public record is maintained of direct ownership but as stated earlier, the registered office and agent are known.  It is noteworthy to mention that in the United States, bearer shares were once a common form for municipal bonds.  Also called coupon bonds these tax-free instruments were traded in this form until the early 1980s.  The ownership of these bonds was not registered; therefore, they were frequently kept in safety deposit boxes since possession was like cash.  In 1983, the U.S. Government sought more knowledge of who owned their debt – even at the local-level – and this option was eliminated.   Outside of the United States, bearer shares were once a common form for IBCs which is no longer the case. Very few countries still allow for bearer shares of corporate entities.

Common Commercial uses of an IBC:
1) Trading
2) Equipment Leasing
3) Open New Markets

Of the three major benefits listed above, we think enhancement of privacy is what sets an IBC apart. Regulatory requirements for IBC are minimal.  This often means that the public records of the company are protected by local law or in the case of bearer shares only the incorporation documents, and the registered office and agent are known.  This privacy element is not protected when a criminal investigation is underway or a probe is made by a foreign government for tax reasons.  It is, however, very effective to screen the probing eyes of competitors, attorneys initiating frivolous civil lawsuits or in extreme cases governments known for political persecution. The bottom-line is that the   owners of the IBC are not widely known, and ultimately privacy is maintained.

Conclusion
An IBC may not act as a Trust, Bank or Insurance Company.  It is often restricted from doing business with the local citizens which is one of the reasons that it may also be referred to as an exempt company.  Many countries will also restrict it from owning local real estate.  Therefore, there are numerous limitations to the potential benefits of owning an IBC, but it does have its place.  For example: it is estimated that in the Cayman Islands, there are approximately 30,000 companies registered,  Bermuda has over 9,000 registered international companies, the British Virgin Islands has 200,000 and the Bahamas lists another 65,000.  So clearly they are popular, but these figures pale in comparison to U.S. domestic corporations established in Delaware, Wyoming or Nevada.  We conclude that privacy benefits drive its popularity along with basic business uses.

Lifestyle   

Executive Fitness 

Fitness Tech 

Meet Moov a cutting-edge fitness tracking device that talks to you while you train and encourages results.  

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Lifestyle    

Spirits & Cuisine   

Healthy Reasons to Head to Your Local Coffee Shop! 

Although too much caffeine has been linked to increased anxiety, insomnia and restlessness, those cups of Joe actually may have positive health benefits when enjoyed in moderation. The National Institutes of Health advises that, since coffee beans are loaded with protective compounds, they can help deliver caffeine in healthy ways.

One of the most widely consumed substances in the world, caffeine is found in varying amounts in coffee, tea, chocolate, soda, and energy drinks.

According to the marketing experts at Brandon Gaille, the United States leads the world in caffeine consumption, taking in around 970 tons every year. The majority of that caffeine is consumed in the form of coffee. Although too much caffeine has been linked to increased anxiety, insomnia and restlessness, those cups of Joe actually may have positive health benefits when enjoyed in moderation. The National Institutes of Health advises that, since coffee beans are loaded with protective compounds, they can help deliver caffeine in healthy ways.

When consumed in coffee, caffeine may help prevent certain diseases. Caffeine, which is a mild stimulant by nature, has been linked to lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease. The NIH also says caffeine may lower a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease and other dementias, while also boosting concentration and memory. The biologically active compounds in coffee also can help prevent diseases like stroke and certain cancers.

The research study, “Adenosine, Adenosine Receptors and the Actions of Caffeine,” first published in February 1995, states that caffeine blocks an inhibitory neurotransmitter called adenosine. When this occurs, the amount of other neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine and dopamine, can increase. This can improve the firing of neurons, leading to improvements in mood, memory, energy, and general cognitive function.

For individuals looking to shed a little extra weight, caffeine may help there, too. Several studies show that caffeine can boost metabolic rate by three to 11 percent, according to Healthline. Coffee, which boasts the vitamins B2, B5, B3, manganese, and potassium, delivers caffeine and can be part of a nutritious diet and successful weight-management regimen.

People prone to headaches and recurrent pain may find caffeine can help them manage those symptoms. Caffeine is one of the main ingredients in some pain relievers. The University of Georgia also has found that a moderate dose of caffeine (roughly that found in two cups of coffee) can reduce post-workout pain by up to 48 percent. What’s more, The Journal of the American Medical Association notes that, when caffeine is combined with other pain relievers, only 40 percent of the other drug was needed to provide the same level of efficacy.

Coffee and caffeine provide various health benefits and can be beneficial when consumed in moderation. Anyone who wants to alter their caffeine consumption should do so gradually to see how their body reacts to the changes.

Lifestyle  

Living & Traveling Offshore  

How to Learn a New Language 

Learning a new language is beneficial in various ways. International travel can be easier for those who speak the languages native to the countries they plan to visit. Knowing a foreign language can help remove barriers and creates positive attitudes about other cultures.

Those who harbor a desire to order croissants at a Paris café, converse with a fisherman in a port off the coast of Greece or understand their guide when touring Tibetan ruins may need to learn a new language.

A Gallup Poll indicates that around 25 percent of Americans can speak a language other than English well enough to hold a conversation. Younger Americans are far more likely than older age groups to be bilingual. Spanish is the second most widely spoken language in the United States after English. In Canada, the rate of bilingualism is 17.5 percent. Statistics Canada points out that, between 2001 and 2011, the lack of growth in bilingualism outside Quebec occurred as the non-Francophone immigrant population was growing and the proportion of students in French-as-a-second-language (FSL) programs was shrinking.

Data from Quora points out that countries like Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Nigeria are the most linguistically diverse. That is likely due to the various languages and dialects spoken within the country, and not necessarily residents’ desire to learn a second or third language.

Learning a new language is beneficial in various ways. International travel can be easier for those who speak the languages native to the countries they plan to visit. Knowing a foreign language can help remove barriers and creates positive attitudes about other cultures. Career prospects may also improve for those who speak multiple languages. Furthermore, foreign languages can lead to a greater appreciation of art, cuisine and film.

Learning a new language can be challenging. However, there are many strategies to make the process easier.

· Get motivated. Having a viable reason to learn a new language can make you more motivated. This may include getting to know a person better or landing a new job.

· Use your gadgets to your advantage. Switch the language function on your devices so that you are immersed in foreign language on a regular basis. This will help you familiarize yourself with common words that will become more recognizable through repetition.

· Rely on software or an app. Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and Anki are just a few applications that teach foreign languages in various formats.

· Watch movies. Turn on subtitles and watch foreign films, learning words and pronunciation as you go.

· Travel as much as possible. Immersing yourself in a culture and language can make learning easier and quicker. Visit countries that speak the language you’re attempting to learn.

· Practice daily. Set aside time to practice each day. Use a combination of learning strategies, including writing things down, to help language stick.

Business Services 

Learning Center

 
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