Over the past 20 years world capital markets have grown
rapidly in size and importance. In 1970 total world stock market
capitalization was $935 billion, but by 1992, world stock market
capitalization was $9,320 billion. Markets in a number of
countries have delivered high-return performances recently.
International diversification provides more investment
choices than investing solely in any one country. If you invest
exclusively in one market, you miss the opportunity to share in
the potential growth of some of the leading companies in the
world.
A principal advantage of investing overseas is
diversification. A diversified portfolio gives you the
opportunity to enhance your overall return while reducing risk.
Trends in foreign stock markets generally do not always correlate
highly with bull or bear market cycles in the U.S. stock market.
While one or more foreign stock markets may at any time be moving
in the same direction as its U.S. counterpart, longer-term
correlations are low. This means that diversifying beyond a
single market should reduce the overall volatility of your stock
portfolio over time.
Taken as a group, foreign stocks will generate higher
returns than U.S. stocks in some years, but not in others. The
important point is that U.S. and foreign markets do not often
mirror each other. Therefore, combining U.S. with foreign stocks
cushions the investor's overall stock portfolio against the full
impact of potential down markets in one country or another.
Switzerland has long served as a magnet for the money of
wealthy foreigners who perceive the world as buffeted by
over-taxation, over-regulation and political turmoil. They are
attracted, of course, by the confidentiality and discretion that
have been a hallmark of Swiss bankers since the French
Revolution, when they offered financial refuge to French
aristocrats.
The principle of neutrality in Switzerland protects all
wealth, equally. This principle of neutrality is important
toward understanding why the Swiss excel at the preservation of
individual wealth. Your wealth simply cannot, and will not, be
held hostage in Switzerland. By staying out of international
conflicts and maintaining strict neutrality, Switzerland has
become a refuge for capital from all over the world.
Switzerland combines political stability with political
neutrality. This in turn has led to economic neutrality.
Switzerland has never imposed exchange controls on capital
outflows. No one who has invested in Switzerland has ever been
prevented by government measures from taking it out again.
The strong Swiss franc is another reason for Swiss financial
stability. The Swiss franc is more than a paper currency -- it
is backed by gold. Swiss law requires a minimum 40% gold reserve
for every franc in circulation. Actual gold reserves amount to
more than that, and at today's gold prices are actually many
times the value of the currency in circulation. There is no
other currency in this position.
In the 1930s, many other nations were creating a distinction
between deposit banks and investment banks, and the Swiss
legislature refused to follow that trend. The Swiss opted to
retain "universal" banking, or full-service type banking, which
means that your Swiss bank can be a deposit bank, a checking
account bank, a stock broker, a commercial lender, an investment
bank -- everything you need.
SwissGold is a gold purchase program, allowing investors to
purchase and store gold through a Swiss bank, obtaining the
bank's best wholesale prices. Such accounts may be used either
for large one-time purchases, or for monthly purchase programs
which provide the investor with the advantages of cost averaging.
Gold accumulation programs allow the investor to enjoy all the
benefits of investing in gold without the responsibilities and
costs of handling and storage.
An accumulation plan is an organized method of buying gold
purely for the investment and inflation insurance aspects of
gold, and does not involve gambling on coin collecting values, or
other gimmicks. It is designed to be more efficient and more
economical than buying gold coins for their bullion value.
Insurance companies belong to one of the most important
sectors of the economy in Switzerland. They are also extremely
conservative and safe. In 130 years none have failed, a record
that even Swiss banks cannot match. Unique tax advantages
combined with conservative money management cause Swiss insurance
products to perform much better than one might expect.
Swiss annuity products bring together the benefits of Swiss
bank accounts and Swiss deferred annuities, without the drawbacks
-- presenting the best Swiss investment advantages for non-Swiss
investors. Swiss annuities are exempt from Swiss withholding
taxes.
Swiss annuities offer instant liquidity, a rarity in
annuities. All capital, plus all accumulated interest and
dividends, can be freely accessible after the first year. During
the first year 100% of the principal is freely accessible, less a
SFr 500 fee, and loss of the interest.
Upon maturity of the account, the investor can choose
between a lump sum payout (paying capital gains tax on
accumulated earnings only), rolling the funds into an income
annuity (paying capital gains taxes only as future income
payments are received, and then only on the portion representing
accumulated earnings), or extend the scheduled term by giving
notice in advance of the originally scheduled date (and continue
to defer tax on accumulated earnings).
Although called annuities, Swiss annuities act more like a
savings account than a deferred annuity. But they are operated
under an insurance company's umbrella, so that they conform to
the legal definition of an annuity, and as such, compound tax-
free until they are liquidated or converted into an income
annuity later on. That annuity income is tax-free in
Switzerland, and in the U.S. it is taxed in the same way as any
U.S. annuity would be, which defers all taxes during the
accumulation period.
U.S. purchasers of Swiss annuities are not required to
report them as foreign accounts on their U.S. tax returns.
More information on Swiss investment products and services
can be obtained at
Fortress Switzerland.
About the Author
Adam Starchild is the author of over a dozen books, and
hundreds of magazine articles, primarily on international
business and finance.
Copyright © 1995; by Adam Starchild
The Libertarian Library has reprinted this article with the permission of the author.