The 2014 Lighthouse Swiss Conference: September 18-19

September 18-19, 2014 Zürich, Switzerland & Vaduz, Liechtenstein We are pleased to announce the 2014 Lighthouse Swiss Conference to take place in the cities of Zürich, Switzerland, on September 18 and Vaduz, Liechtenstein on September 19.  This year’s conference permits our clients and their advisors the distinct opportunity to meet with Lighthouse staff and visit our banking partners in a …

Hanspeter Zwyssig Joins Board of Directors

The Lighthouse Group of companies is pleased to announce that Hanspeter Zwyssig has been named to the Board of Directors of Lighthouse Swiss Trust & Wealth Management GmbH. Mr. Zwyssig is an experienced derivatives trader and portfolio investment manager who began his career with Bank Julius Bär. After a span of a decade with Bank Julius Bär, he served as …

The Early Demise of the Domestic Asset Protection Trust

We warned that this would happen… Foreign asset protection trusts have enjoyed profound success over the past three decades of their existence (dating back to the codification of the first ever asset protection trust law in the Cook Islands).  With time, we anticipated that one or more states in the USA might take a shot at enacting its own asset …

The 2013 Lighthouse Swiss Conference

September 19-20, 2013 Zürich & Zug, Switzerland We are pleased to announce the 2013 Lighthouse Swiss Conference to take place in the cities of Zürich and Zug, Switzerland, on September 19 and 20, 2013.  This year’s conference permits our clients and their advisors the distinct opportunity to meet with Lighthouse staff and visit our banking partners in a distinctly Swiss …

Cyprus: A Lesson in Safe Banking Practices

Readers of our News & Commentary know that we are outspoken advocates of safe banking practices.  Offshore planning is difficult enough, and sometimes the selection of a jurisdiction for business or estate planning objectives is not appropriate for banking. Take Cyprus, for example.  A member of the European Union, Cyprus has been a popular offshore tax haven for Russian business …

The Belize LLC: Better Than an Asset Protection Trust

The following is a synopsis from our recent article, “Belize LLCs:  The Entity of Choice for Asset Protection.”  Please contact us if you would like to receive a copy of the full article.  The following is protected under copyright law and may only be reprinted with permission of Lighthouse Swiss Trust & Wealth Management GmbH. The History of Asset Protection …

Ohio Latest State to Offer Bogus Asset Protection

In December 2012, Ohio passed legislation making it the most recent state to jump on the domestic asset protection trust (“DAPT”) bandwagon.  Expected to be signed by the governor next month, Ohio’s new law will create the “legacy trust” with asset-protective provisions favoring the use of trustees and banks in Ohio.  However, as with DAPT legislation in other states, caveat …

The Protean Business Enterprise: A Model for Business Tax Efficiency

More and more businesses struggle with the ever-increasing complexity and volume of government regulation and taxation.  It is therefore heartening to see whenever someone comes up with a breakaway idea that revolutionizes business practices and helps give profitable companies a leg up on regulation. In The Future Arrived Yesterday:  The Rise of the Protean Corporation and What It Means for …

Holiday Hours

‘Tis the season and, in observance of upcoming holidays in the United States, the staff at Lighthouse Swiss Trust will be enjoying a few days off in the coming weeks.  Our offices in Hong Kong, Switzerland, Nevis, and New Zealand will be closed on the following days: Thursday, November 22 (Thanksgiving) Friday, November 23 (America-Goes-Shopping Day) Monday, December 24 (Christmas …

Book Review: The Global Residence & Citizenship Handbook by Christian H. Kälin

We were delighted to participate in a conference last Friday at the Baur au Lac in Zurich, where members of Henley & Partners presented alongside representatives from the government of St. Kitts & Nevis.  Christian Kälin, a Henley representative in Zurich (and the newly-appointed Consul-General of St. Kitts & Nevis), was on hand to discuss residency and second passport programs. …