Offshore investing has numerous benefits but first, it is important to be informed on at least some of the fundamental concepts of offshore investing. Adequate information needs to be obtained on the jurisdiction in which you intend to undertake your offshore investing and securities trading, the reliability of offshore investment manager who decide to work with and the rules such as taxation and policies as they apply to offshore investors. More investors looking now for offshore residency or even wondering: “how to get citizenship by investment?”, for example in Dominica. To always ensure that offshore investing is undertaken carefully a number of important factors need to be looked at closely.
Firstly, it would be wise to become conversant with the foreign market that you have chosen to make your offshore investments with. There may be challenges that may probably have not existed were it domestic market, so finding out what these are from experienced professionals and counterparts would enable you to design a plan to avoid and resolve these possible difficulties in order for cautious offshore investing in foreign markets.
In offshore investing, transparency issues are of vital importance. Ensure therefore that the foreign market that you have chosen to invest in is transparent and is regulated by adequate transparency rules. In offshore investing however, transparency should not mean total compromise of privacy and confidentiality, therefore even though you may be required to furnish a certain degree of financial and personal details, policies should also be in place to carefully manage and protect such information.
Along with transparency in offshore investing, you should also find out what documents would be required from you due to the fact that offshore investing transparency and reporting laws vary from one country to the next, such as in the US where every company listed in the US Stock Exchange is required to report its revenue on a quarterly basis and to file all relevant paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission, while in other countries the reporting requirements differ.
Fluctuations in foreign currencies are of major concern in offshore investing simply because of the impact that an appreciation or depreciation in the value of a currency against the USD may have, adding or reducing value on the offshore investment. Here, it would be worth the while to emphasize the importance of an offshore bank account, as a multicurrency offshore bank account for trading would help minimize losses in currency fluctuations, as funds can be accepted in any foreign currency and deposited into an offshore account denominated in that currency. The funds can be cashed in or converted into USD once the value has been restored to normal or risen.
Performing adequate due diligence on the firm or broker with which you are working is importance for secure offshore investing. You sure be certain that the firm is well established and has a sufficiently long history of good repute. One way to obtain dependable information is by getting reviews from colleagues on agents whose services that they might have used. Visiting websites, carefully observing the website information, level of organisation, speed and dependability in responding to your questions and requests for information are other ways of doing your own research before choosing a broker or agent for your offshore investing.
Knowing what it is that you are getting involved in is equally important. As a first time offshore investor, it would help to read online journals on offshore investing and different types of securities. If making an offshore investment in mutual funds, knowing exactly what type of mutual fund you are looking for can be critical, as there are global funds that are used for offshore investing in mostly foreign corporations, regional and country funds for specific countries and regions, international funds for offshore investing in specific non-US companies and international index funds which serve to track the index of a particular country’s stock market. Pinpointing which type of fund will suit your offshore investing interests would heighten your chances of success.
Territories such as the Cayman Islands have very god repute for funds, so working with what you already know about is recommended; but if seriously considering emerging or other foreign markets for your offshore investing territories like the United Arab Emirates are well regulated and full of promises.
