Corb7 International September 2011 Newsletter

Promotion & Publishing

“Tips for Owning your Own Magazine”

Your Concept:

One of the most important tasks that you must accomplish as a potential new magazine owner is to have a good understanding of your concept. This is critical. Remember that the reader is king and you will be competing for their attention against virtually hundreds of other options on a daily basis. It is easy to fool yourself into thinking that what you publish will be seen as fascinating but don””””t. This can be a very expensive mistake. You must give the reader an excellent reason to spend their time with you and that starts with your concept.

Your magazine concept represents a balancing act between being unique enough to brand your periodical as something different and broad enough to make the effort economically worthwhile. We would encourage you to start by taking a trip to your local bookstore – if there is still one in business near you – and look hard at the multitude of concepts already covered. Why reinvent the wheel when you can learn from others? Also use the internet. You can find old issues of almost every magazine ever printed on line. Plus, there are many services that sell vintage magazines but you do not need to buy – just explore the concepts that others have place their time, money and hearts into. Here is an example of
such a service: http://paperboynews.com

Take your time and think about your various ideas. At this point you do not want to get distracted with examples of mastheads, feel of the magazine or business models all of which fall into place after your concept. Concentrate solely on your concept with the understanding that the more radical and innovative the better!! In many ways the development of a magazine will go contrary your typical business practices. This is the time to drop your guard and let yourself be creative. Nail the concept and you have set yourself up for success.

Business Advisory

“How to Avoid Over Regulation”

Entrepreneurs vs. Banks:

The current economic environment has left many investors and business owners disgruntled with the US Banking system. In many instances it has virtually become an adversarial relationship
with one side policing the other resulting in ultraconservative lending practices. As such, alternative sources for monetizing assets, credit card processing and other cash management services typically associated with banks are at a premium.

We propose that entrepreneurs and financiers expand control of their business and personal interests by bringing vital banking functions in-house. This can be accomplished by gaining ownership of an overseas captive financial institution for both clout and authority. You then would want to offshore your administration through an experienced fiduciary firm in order to leverage time and then partner with correspondent banks located abroad. This will dramatically increase your control, improve service and increase opportunities for profit. Our strategy is not for everyone but for those that have substantial international interests it is unparalleled. It can also be accomplished quickly and with limited expense.

Strategic Solution:

To implement this solution there are many jurisdictions and structures to choose from but none that makes more sense than Switzerland and the now well-known Swiss Trust Company (STC). A Private Swiss Trust Company is a Non-Banking Financial Institution that can be purchased for $50,000 to $200,000 dependant upon age and other ancillary factors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-bank_financial_institution

In Switzerland, Trust Companies are self-regulated privileged entities (not regulated by FINMA of Switzerland which oversees banks and brokerages) that are sanctioned by Federal Tax Authority (Bern, Switzerland) and the Registrar in the Canton of incorporation. The Swiss system is unique in that lawmakers deliberately prefer self-regulation when practical which does not relieve ownership of anti-money laundering (AML) obligations but does dramatically reduce red tape. After reaching certain levels an additional SRO (Self Regulated Organization) designation and membership may be required for the Trust Company. This is usually at the 20 client level or $10 million in managed assets and can be added at anytime.

To gain a comprehensive understanding of a Private Trust Company (please note that a Trust Company is not an Asset Protection Trust) you must start with the concept of a “captive.” Captives are subsidiary vehicles utilized to bring critical financial functions in house. Those functions are frequently insurance, banking or brokerage. The most prevalent structure in use today is the Single Parent Captive Insurance Company. This is when an insurance company is formed as a separate legal entity for the purpose of insuring the parent and parent-affiliated companies. Captive insurance companies are usually formed offshore and have been utilized for over 50 years. It is an effective alternative to traditional insurance when organizing the financial risks of a commercial business. (a really good read on captive insurance is a book entitled “Taken Captive“)In the case of a Swiss Trust Company, we are employing the same theory but only to banking type transactions. It is important to note that an STC is not a bank and is restricted from issuing time deposits (such as CDs) and other specific activities.

Sample Authorities of a Swiss Trust Company

Authorized, but not limited to, conduct the following business activities:

• The power to loan money.
• The power to open any bank accounts, including trust and escrow accounts in any bank domiciled in the United States and/ or any bank domiciled in any international location.
• The power to offer and service a complete range of world wide fiduciary services. The power to participate in life insurance fixed or variable annuity or life settlement policy, credit insurance.
• The power to acquire, develop, hold, sell, trade, exchange, dispose, mortgage of real property, precious metals, natural resources.
• It may engage in the general leasing business, franchising, money funds, mutual funds, formation of general limited partnerships, real estate investment trust.
• Acts as a holding company for banks, savings and loans, insurance companies small business investments corporations and stock brokerage firms.
• The Power of Trustee
• The Power to Act as Investment Advisor
• The Power to Sell Annuities

Conclusion:

Switzerland is universally recognized as a premier financial center. The World Economic Forum””””s Global Competitiveness Report consistently ranks Switzerland””””s economy as one the most competitive in the world. A number of factors contribute to this relatively small nation””””s ability to compete on the global scale:

• Social peace and political stability
• A leading economy with currency and price stability
• Highly professional international banks that focus on privacy
• First-rate infrastructure
• High productivity combined with high product and service quality
• First-class and world-renowned universities and technical institutes

If the strategy of owning a Swiss Trust Company seems intriguing to you and a possible fit to your needs we would strongly encourage the use of good business sense in exploring the possibilities. Implementation of a captive strategy is not the place to attempt to do something on the cheap. If you take ownership of a Trust Company that is too young or incorrectly registered the tactic will not work. This is one area where the experience of the business consultant and the fiduciary firm really does pay dividends.