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It time again to revisit alternative financing strategies for business owners needing money. Whether your business needs capital to grow, meet payroll, or to just simply survive, there are numerous alternatives for your company when banks so ‘NO’.

Personal loans are no longer viable options for business owners. Banks have tightened their purse strings on personal credit just as they have with business credit. This tightening typically does not have anything to do with the state of your credit or the value of your collateral. But more reflects their past indiscretions with their depositors’ money. Further, most business owners, over the last two or three years, have already encumbered all of their personal assets, leaving nothing of value to collateralize.

The following lists many alternatives that may still be available to your business. These alternatives allow business owners to capitalize on their previous hard work; be it from building relationships with suppliers and other business partners to closing sales and building a strong customer base:

Using Your Business Relationships!

Trade Credit: It never hurts to work with your suppliers. Ask for better terms; either more discounts or longer time for payment. Here you can reduce your overall costs or allow more time to collect money from your customer before payment is due to these suppliers. Now, your suppliers may baulk at this discussion as they are probably feeling the same pinch as you are. However, impress upon them that it does their business no good (short term or long-term) if you go out of business, have to cut back your standard orders, or are forced to find other suppliers who offer better terms.

In conjunction with trade credit, do all that you can to collect your receivables from your customers, as soon as possible. If your suppliers offer you discounts for early payment, offer the same to your customers (just maybe not at the same magnitude) or offer discounts for cash. This allows you to collect payments faster as well as reduce you costs by paying less for the goods you need to run your business. Just remember, in this type of economy, cash is king.

Using The Strength of Your Customers!

Receivables and/or Purchase Orders: If your business has accounts receivables sitting on its book just waiting to be collected, you maybe able to get cash for those assets NOW. There are cash advance companies (not banks) that specialize in purchasing your receivables. Companies like Bridgeport Capital Service, RTS Financial Services, or Paragon Financial Group. These companies will purchase your invoices for up to 90% of their amount. They will then work with your customers to collect these receivables (saving you both time and money on collection). When the invoices are paid, these companies will refund to you the remaining 10% of the invoice amount. This type of funding is great for struggling companies as these cash advance businesses will focus more on your customers’ credit and business strengths than your.

Many of these same companies will also finance your purchase orders. If you place an order with your suppliers and agree to pay for their goods over time, these cash advance companies will finance these agreements. This could allow your business the opportunity to take advantage of trade discounts (percentages off the purchase amount) as your company will have immediate cash to satisfy your supplier. This is very similar to having a line of credit with your bank but as an individual credit facility for each purchase.

Credit Cards: I not saying go out and get more credit cards. If your business accepts credit cards, there are companies (again, not banks) that may advance cash to your company based on your FUTURE credit card receipts. These facilities are only paid back when your business generates credit card sales. Thus, if you have a slow month, you are not stuck with a huge monthly loan payment. As your credit card sales ebb and flow, your repayment of these advances will ebb and flow in tandem.

Using Your Character!

Need just a small amount of cash to get you by? Try social lending sites like All World Private Funding!, Zopa, Prosper, or Lending Club. These sites create peer-to-peer lending in which ordinary people, who have additional cash, can review your request and contribute to the funding of your loan. The benefits of these programs include getting the money you need, possible lower rates and better terms than most banks offer, and you get to tell your story directly to the lenders.

Similarly, there is Micro-Credit companies. The largest in the US and around the world is ACCION USA. Micro-finance companies limit their total out lay to a maximum of $25,000 per loan. However, most micro-credit funders like to build relationships first with their borrowers. Thus, they may only approve smaller amounts in the beginning and increase your loan amount as you pay back each facility. These companies will also work with startup firms or those that have been turned down by traditional banks and other financial institutions.

Never forget your friends and family. These are the people who know you best and may better understand what you are trying to do with your business. There are many cons with borrowing money from those closest to you but new companies like Virgin Money will help you manage this new relationship. Companies like Virgin will help you keep everything in a business like manner.

Now, while there is a lot of focus these days on traditional banks, most communities also have Credit Unions. Credit Unions are not-for-profit organizations. Thus, they do not have to worry about Wall Street or shareholders. While the majority of Credit Unions have yet to fully adopt commercial lending departments, they should have lending programs in place that will meet your business needs.

Some of these alternative options maybe a little more expensive, overall, then having a single credit facility with a bank. But, they are a sure fire way of leading your company through our current credit drought. The key to success is to do your homework. Find the program that best fits your needs and that will provide the greatest benefit at the lowest cost to your business. Some business owners tend to panic a bit when they begin to feel the credit pinch. It is only natural as raising money for your business is time consuming, time that can hardly be spared in these trying times. But, remember to think about the long term. Don’t just settle on the first source that gets approved, find the best fore you. Be diligent!

Joseph Lizio holds A MBA in Finance and is founder and owner of http://www.businessmoneytoday.com

Tax reduction and tax deferral are the primary benefits of obtaining a cost segregation study. Income taxes are a substantial burden for most real estate investors. Tax deductions help with this burden. While some level of taxation is necessary, it is both inappropriate and imprudent to pay more than your fair share.

Income tax is based on net profit or taxable income. The basic formula for calculating taxable income is revenue less expenses (tax deductions). Expenses can include both direct payments to third parties (labor, rent, supplies, etc.) and non-cash deduction. The primary non-cash deductions are depreciation and amortization. Tax reduction (tax cuts) are a direct result of increasing tax deductions.

The tax deduction benefit real estate owners gain from cost segregation is a higher level of depreciation. This non-cash tax deduction reduces taxable income and income taxes. For example, if the amount of depreciation increased by $100,000 (as result of a cost segregation study), taxable income would decrease by $100,000, and the owner experiences a $35,000 reduction in taxes (based on 35% tax rate).

Most real estate owners depreciate real estate based upon splitting the cost basis between land and improvements. The property owner or tax preparer typically estimates the portion for the land and attributes the balance to long-life improvements. Long-life improvements depreciate over 27.5 years for rental residential property and 39 years for commercial property

While this simplistic method is lawful, it cheats the real estate owner of tax deductions. A cost segregation study identifies up to 130 short-life components. (Cost segregation is different than component depreciation, which was available until the early 1908s. However, the result of both is to increase depreciation and tax deductions during the early years of ownership.) These short-life components typically comprise 20-50% of the improvement cost basis and are depreciated over 5 years (20.0% per year), 7 years (14.29% per year) and 15 years (6.67% per year).

Depreciation effectively changes the character of income from ordinary income to capital gains income. While the maximum income tax rate for ordinary income is 35%, the maximum rate for capital gains is 15% (less than half the ordinary income tax). This affects substantial income tax reduction.

Increasing depreciation also affects deferral of payment of income taxes. Instead of paying taxes (at the ordinary income tax rate) in the year income is earned, taxes are paid (at the capital gain rate) in the year the property is sold. Cost segregation effectively generates an interest free loan (until the property is sold) and reduces the tax rate (from 35% to 15%).

Cost segregation produces tax deductions and reduces federal income taxes across the country and in every size market. Below are just a few examples of where cost segregation generates meaningful tax deductions.

City:

• Miami, FL
• Bridgeport, CT
• Washington, DC
• San Francisco, CA
• Atlanta, GA
• Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
• New Orleans, LA
• New York, NY
• Baltimore, MD
• Hartford, CT
• Indianapolis, IN
• Wichita, KS
• Detroit, MI
• Charleston, SC
• Providence, RI
• Grand Rapids, MI
• Jacksonville, TN
• Boise, ID
• Santa Rosa, CA
• Columbia, SC
• Columbus, OH
• Oxnard, CA
• Greensboro, NC
• Allentown, PA
• Harrisburg, PA
• Louisville, KY
• Fresno, CA
• Akron, OH
• Chicago, IL
• Portland, OR

Cost segregation produces tax deductions for virtually all property types.

Property Type:

• Manufacturing/processing
• Tennis club
• Retirement home
• Auto service garage
• Mini-warehouse
• Single-tenant retail
• Medical facility
• Hotel
• Retail
• Vacant land

Almost every industry, including the following, can generate cost-efficient tax deductions by using cost segregation.

Industry:

• Wood product manufacturing
• Warehousing and storage
• Truck transportation
• Transportation equipment manufacturing
• Textile product mills
• Textile mills
• Real estate lesser
• Publishers
• Printing activities
• Plastic and rubber products manufacturing

O’Connor & Associates is a national provider of investment property consulting services including cost segregation studies, due diligence, insurance valuations, tax reduction, property tax, market research,expert witness,private bond activity,taxes,residential property appraisals,Tarrant Central Appraisal District,Tips and Tricks for Appealing Your Property Taxes in Dallas,Dallas county appraisal and Federal tax reduction. Our appraisers are competent to appraise virtually all types of property including land, neighborhood shopping centers, warehouses, bowling alleys, motels, mobile home parks, self-storage units, retirement homes, multifamily housing, movie theatres, veterinary clinics, single-tenant retail centers, funeral homes, bars, amusement parks, hospitals, schools, night clubs, apartments and medical facilities.

Forex, the foreign exchange market, is the global market that trades currency and is largely influenced by the products and portfolios of a person or businesses country. Large financial institutions, businesses, and some individuals, earn millions each day by making careful decisions on what currency to buy or sell.

The foreign exchange market is similar to the stock markets that exist in many countries but instead involves one global market making it the largest market in the world. Forex speculation is necessary because the rate of currency never stays the same. The value of the United States dollar changes each minute in response to the current and foreign events. The same is true for currencies world wide making the entire market move quickly and requiring quick decisions that can make millions.

Many new foreign exchange traders have been attracted by the opportunity to make large amounts of money in a relatively short amount of time. What many do not realize, or chose to overlook, is that there is always the chance that an investor will lose a great deal of money because of bad investments. To avoid making bad choices in the foreign exchange market a great deal of Forex speculation is necessary. This speculation is used to help determine which currencies should be bought and which must be sold.

In the foreign exchange market the major currencies are the United States dollar, the British Pound, the Euro, the Japanese Yen, and the Swiss Franc. These are only a few of the currencies being traded on the global market but they are the ones most often traded. In the Forex market you decide which currency you wish to sell based on its current value and potential to make money while buying currency that you believe will later make you money. Since foreign currency trading is done 24 hours a day with time changes world wide causing overlaps that will eventually affect foreign currencies leading to Forex speculation.

While the Internet and home computer access has made it possible for anyone to enter the world of foreign exchange trading Forex speculation is not something that should be attempted by just anyone. Even with the many classes, courses, and seminars available through the Internet and in real life learning the art of Forex speculation takes time, practice, and experience. Well known foreign exchange brokers have been known to make a mistake from time to time and inexperienced individuals can find themselves in financial ruin if they are not careful.

If you are interested in Forex trading and have no experience in the foreign exchange market it is in your best interest to find an experienced Forex broker to handle your trades. Finding a broker that is experienced in Forex speculation can help make your venture a success. Keep in mind, the foreign exchange market is not a guaranteed way to make money. Research your potential broker and begin with cautious investments. Investing a great deal of money into the fast paced world of foreign currency exchange could lead to a great loss if one is not careful.

This article brought to you courtesy of http://www.privatefxclub.com. We publish the trade desk thoughts of a team of real institutional traders. Visit now for more on forex speculation. Link: Private FX Club online.

The Foreign Exchange markets (Forex or FX) were deregulate in 1997 allowing the private investor access to markets banks, brokerage firms and other large financial institutions once had a monopoly on. The novice FX traders quickly entered the market and just as quickly they realized they were in for a long learning curve if they were ever going to make this a profitable transition and thus a market was created for Forex Course Trading. Numerous types of educational programs where produced, refined and marketed to the public. Today there are so many courses it can be a mind boggling task attempting to select the one best suited for you particular needs. I will attempt to clarify this a little bit for you and make the decision making process a little simpler.

The first point I want to make is that the majority of the course are extremely inexpensive usually running $100 to $200. I know you saying to yourself that is not inexpensive. But, when you take into consideration that one small trade of a currency can easily make up the purchase price of the course then it is VERY inexpensive. The next subject is the types of courses. There are wide assortment of curriculum available covering extremely varied topics. The major segments the courses can be broken into are the following; comprehensive or covering everything A to Z, profiting quickly through mentoring, make money starting with small amounts, and very specific to the developers own experiences and how they profited using them.

If I was a complete novice to the markets I would start with a comprehensive course that provided an education on all aspect of the markets. After all, education is the corner stone of success in what ever field you attempt to enter. Are you really going to purchaser software and start trading something you know NOTHING about? This is a real bad idea, unless of course you need the losses to reduce you capital gains made else where to decrease your tax burden.

A few of the comprehensive courses you could try would be the following. The Peter R. Bain course titled Forex Mentor which has been around seemly forever and has had thousands of satisfied customers. This course covers everything and has been refined a thousand times over. Another class you could take would be Fap Winner which offers a great education and a personalized mentoring program. Those are just two of the TOP TIER rated courses and there are a few more. Just read the reviews of the courses which are available everywhere and the home page of the course and determine which one you think will be best for you.

The next step you could take would be to enroll in a course like The Forex Brotherhood or Forex Trading Made E-Z. The Forex Brotherhood is run by Jason Alan Jankovsky a professional Forex trader who essentially allows you to copy his complete trading portfolio. In other words you are virtually assured to be profitable immediately with this course. But, then again you would have NO idea of how and why you were making money for an extended time as you are just coping his ever move. But, it is a great place to start if you want to make money fast and you don’t really need to know how. Or you are willing to take your time learning, because he will teach you, it is just not going to be too quickly. The Forex Trading Made E-Z program was developed by an ex pilot who has found a very specific way of trading currencies and making money at it, which of course he teaches you.

After reading this article it is easy to see there are many different types of courses available, only a few were mentioned above. If your out to make a fast buck and you are not concerned with why or how you are making it then there is a course for you. If you want to turn this into a career and want financial independence, then there is a course for you. If you want to buy a piece of software and turn on the automatic trader and start making money, well there really is NOT a course for you, but you will have losses you can use to offset you gains made else where to reduce your tax obligation.

We have researched, tested & reviewed 100s of Forex Courses, Software Systems and Brokerage Firms which we only list our TOP 10 to help you LEARN FOREX TRADING

For 100s of FREE FOREX TUTORIALS please visit LEARN CURRENCY TRADING Good Luck! I look forward to seeing you on the trading floor making money!

A good credit score is your key to the best deals during this uncertain financial climate. A decent credit score can win you the best rates for financial loans and can place you on that job that you have been wanting.

You can negotiate for bargains for almost any deal when you have a good credit score. A FICO score of at least 700 is considered a good one. For example, a 760 FICO score may translate to a very competitive 6.11% interest rate on a 30 year fixed three hundred thousand dollar home loan. Compare it to a deal if you have a score of 620, banks will give the same loan for 7.42%.

A very good credit score will provide you leverage to get what you need and want.

What a Good Score can Bring

When you have a score of 700 up creditors and lender consider you as a low risk borrower. Here are some of the perks that your good FICO can give you:

• Job Offers- Companies see a good credit score as a reflection of one’s overall character. A credit report may be pulled by employers as part of their screening process. It is not a favorable picture therefore when an Ivy League graduate goes out of the real world with a messy student debt. According to studies, financial stress affects the productivity of employees.

• Lower Interest Rates- this is true for credit cards, home loans, and auto loans. A 30 point raise in your credit score can save you a lot of money on those finance charges

• Insurance- Auto and home insurers evaluate an applicant’s credit score to study the risk of issuing a policy at a certain monthly premium. Trending has shown that people with good credit score tend to make lesser claim over the years. This can be attributed to good financial habits leading to more careful driving or paying house bills on time.

• Utility Service- Credit scores may affect how utility companies can consider waiving some of those deposits to avail of their service. Even cable and phone companies consider a good credit score as a lower risk for their business.

Using your Credit Score to Your Advantage

You deserve to utilize a good credit score to your benefit. If a card company calls you to offer a balance transfer for a lower interest rate, evaluate the offer first and see what the total picture is. If you know you have a good credit score, negotiate for the best deal that you can get.

Be savvy when dealing with credit card companies or other lenders who may be doing business with a lot of bad credit histories. A business will be more than willing to gain or retain their good client.

If you are shopping for the best rates, do not look for too long or too often. In some way, this will hurt your credit score since multiple companies will be pulling your report even if you’re just looking for one loan.

Safeguards have been devised such that multiple inquiries for home loans and auto loans will just be considered as a single inquiry if done in a fourteen-day span.

Maintaining a good credit score can be a tough task. A single decision error can drop you credit score by the tens or hundreds. To avoid that be careful with your dealings and read every fine print in any contract before signing.

The author of this article was Benedict Yossarian. If you have taken a loan out in the UK within the past 10 years it is quite possible it could be classed as an unenforceable loan agreement if any clerical errors have been made. Consumer Credit Claims can help receive financial compensation for these incorrectly drafted loans.

Each investor gets in the stock market with the same main goal- to add to their own wealth. For generations, the stock market has shown to be a winning strategy to establish personal riches for investors around the globe. Although a lot of investors are fortunate in their quests, there are as well numerous others who lose money attributable to several basic investment errors. The five most common investment errors are the lack of portfolio diversification, ineffective market timing, lack of reinvestment, emotional investing and overpaying for investments and investment advice.

1. Lack of Diversification

Diversification is among the fundaments to a flourishing investment portfolio, yet so many investors neglect to properly address this step. Whenever an investor decides to invest into a particular industry sector or into a particular company without diversifying across other investments, they’re essentially putting all of their eggs into one basket. This move can significantly add to the investor’s portfolio risk and the possibility for loss of capital. A properly diversified portfolio will adhere to all components of an asset allocation, considering risk tolerance, investment capital available, investment time frame and the current portfolio’s investment class weightings.

2. Market Timing

Some investors get wind of success stories from investors and traders who win big time by timing the markets. Although market timing can turn out to be successful for a lot of investors, many investors make the mistake of investing into a stock while its price is climbing instead of at the ground level. Another market timing error is selling an investment when the investor thinks that the stock is about to come down, potentially causing the investor to lose capital growth opportunities if the stock does not in fact drop-off as anticipated. Though market timing is a winning strategy for many investors, it can be a risky investment strategy and is not suggested for most investors.

3. Lack of Reinvestment

Whenever an investor is to sell off their investments, a big mistake that can be made is to not reinvest the money into a different investment, therefore holding the proceeds in cash. In many cases, it is advisable to reinvest the proceeds into another stock that meets the investor’s own objectives. Another reinvestment error occurs when investors fail to take advantage of the opportunity that a lot of investments offer the ability to reinvest dividends. This is an good strategy for wealth building and should be considered by nearly all investors.

4. Emotional Decisions

Most investors make their trading decisions on an emotional basis rather than on a logical basis. For instance, emotional investors will sell off an investment as it is dropping in price, therefore taking a loss instead of waiting for the market to re-correct. Although the overall investment goal is to buy when low and sell when high, a lot of investors execute the exact opposite strategy based on their emotional reactions.

5. Overpaying for Investment Fees

The price that is paid for investments can have a huge impact on an investor’s total investment return. Consider investment trading fees, investment transaction fees and up front prices for investment advice in order to ensure that your net investment returns are as healthy as possible.

Larry Haywood is a stock market enthusiast, focusing on innovative and unique techniques for building up wealth via the stock market. For a limited time, you can claim the “Insider’s Guide To Forex Trading” e-book absolutely free at: http://www.mystockmarkettips.com/ebook-offer.htm

Press releases let you use the media to draw attention to your business, which makes it more credible in the eyes of the public. Consider five easy tips on how to make your press release great.

Proper Format: All of your press releases should be written in the proper format. Your goal should be to give you and your business a professional air. You will need to review your press release, checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation before sending it to any media source.

Writing Clearly and Pointedly: Since most media outlets receive a steady stream of press releases, they do not have time to read long ones. No press release should be more than two pages in length. In order to keep your press release at this size, your writing needs to be clear and pointed, answering the most important questions: who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Emphasize Benefits to the Reader: Your press release should encourage readers to do something. Depending on the situation, you might tell them to check out your website, visit the grand opening of your new store, or attend your special event. Your writing should emphasize the benefits that your reader will receive by taking part in whatever it is that your press release is promoting. Instead of just writing a straightforward advertisement, make potential customers see what’s in it for them.

For example, a press release about a new food processor needs to tell readers more than the simple facts that the new product is more compact than older models. Make customers see the benefits they will derive from purchasing it by wording it differently. You could say, “The compact size of our new food processor will let customers maximize counter space while chopping up foods with just as much power as previous models.” This tells your reader why they need to buy your product.

Keep the Mood Interesting: You need to write in a style that will make readers excited about your product. Dress up the facts in an effort to keep things interesting for your readers. With the above food processor example, you can tell customers that “the new compact, counter-saving model will be in stores this spring, just when you’ll need it to chop up fresh veggies to make the perfect summer salad” instead of simply stating “the new food processor will be available in the spring.”

Keep Your Target Customer in Mind: Always remember who your target customers are while you write and submit your press releases. This will also help you to determine what information should be in your press release and which media sources you should submit it to.

You wouldn’t, for example, submit a press release about a children’s health event to a newspaper’s travel editor, since this will not help you get your information to your target audience.

Are you searching for a way to make money on eBay? Find out how to start a thriving eBay business on the Online Auction Advisor website. Visit http://www.online-auction-advisor.com for a copy of my ebook “101 eBay Tips” – a $47 value absolutely free!

With the quantity of kit that is jammed into modern day server rooms its not unexpected that this causes problems with temperature. A lot of servers have a rackmount set up every particular section placed one on top of the other passing some of its residual temperature onto the unit overhead. a lot of the rooms have their own air conditioning to bring the overal room temperature into required levels. Server room air conditioning ensures the amount of space provided by the server to be hugely reduced. In a lot of the situations the need for room in offices will hugely surpas the expense of installing appropriate server room air conditioning.

I’m sure I am not the only individual that has been gradually coming round in the morning, grilling breakfast and considering of the day ahead when suddenly there is a awful alarm sound coming from the hall as your toast goes up in smoke and the whole building stinks of your smouldering breakfast. The solution is simple and easy to maintain and as long as you have planned it into the kitchen layout wont be to hard to resolve, the extractor fan. They come in all styles and proportions and are not the loud hoovers that were once available (you know the ones that swamped out the radio every time you opened them).

Air conditioning is being used more these days in everyday situations. Most stores have air conditioning in them to make the buying space more tempting to there potential clients. If you get into your favourite car you are more than likely able to turn on the air conditioning unit on a hot sunny day. Office buildings usually have some sort of air conditioning installation within them, even if this is just air conditioning for the server room. I found it interesting that after the smoking ban started, the air standard has diminished on a lot of flights because the air doesn’t have to be so intensly cleaned by the air conditioning.

Make sure you get your air conditioning checked by a professional PAT Testing company to ensure your equipment is safe.

PT, for those of you who are not familiar with the initials, stands for many things. Some of the more popular are Perpetual Traveler or Permanent Tourist. Others are Prior Taxpayer, Privacy Thinker, or Prepared Thoroughly. But what is PT all about?

In a nutshell, a PT arranges his or her business and personal affairs as a Sovereign Individual, by unfurling various ‘flags’ or country bases and by treating governments as service providers instead of rulers. For example, there would be a citizenship flag (“second passport”), an official residence flag, a banking flag and so on. Each of these would be from different jurisdictions. That way, you are not bound to any particular country.

The ultimate PT goal is not to be resident anywhere! That is how you become a Permanent Tourist, at least on paper. You might for example spend five months of the year in one home, five months in another, and a couple of months vacationing, visiting friends or taking a cruise in between. That way each country treats you as a tourist and does not consider you a tax resident. You then keep all your assets stashed safely offshore, earn your money over the internet in other countries, and live totally tax free completely legally. If you drive cars, own real estate etc they are all held in company names, or simply rented or leased. So you don’t appear on any government ‘Big Brother’ style databases.

PT is based on the theory that most countries treat tourists better than citizens.

In fact, the beauty of this idea is its simplicity. As a ‘PT’ wherever you are, you always appear to be from somewhere else!

You can usually live and travel in better style and for less money than it costs to remain where you are. You can also chose to enjoy places that encourage the lifestyle and social norms you have always wanted to live.

PT will appeal to a wide spectrum of people who dream of being able to disappear when events and times in life make it convenient to do so. As a PT, a Perpetual Tourist, you run your own life. Using freedom tools such as the flags theories you can put a significant distance between yourself and bureaucrats that want to determine what is best for you, ‘for your own good’ of course!

A Brief History of the PT Theory

The PT theory was, according to urban legend propogated in the books, inspired by Harry Schultz, a Monaco-based newsletter publisher of North American origin who first coined the “three flags” theory back in the 1960s. Schultz’s claim to fame is that he is quoted in The Guinness Book of Records as the world’s highest paid investment consultant.

Later, a writer using the pseudonym W.G. ‘Bill’ Hill wrote a series of books including PT1, PT2 and The Passport Report which were published by Scope International Books in Hampshire, England. This same company published books by authors including Adam Starchild, Reinhard Stern and Jon Golding and Bob Beckman, also under the imprint ‘Milestone Publications.’

Scope went out of business in the mid nineties and was absorbed by an American direct marketing company who are still using much of the material today. The majority of it however has been toned down somewhat, not surprisingly as it is published from within the USA.

Other writers have taken up the PT theme in books like The International Man by Doug Casey, The Internationalist by Nicholas Pullen, and most recently in 2006 by a group mysteriously calling themselves “Grandpa and Others.” They wrote an attractive-leather bound three-volume set of limited edition books known as Bye Bye Big Brother. Or simply “BBBB.”Bye Bye Big Brother is also available in an abridged, paperback version from Vera Verba, a Chicago-based imprint. But hardcore readers should be aware that the abridged version has edited out some of the more cutting edge, controversial material included in the original.

From Three Flags to Six Flags

 The original theory espoused by Harry Schultz and Harry Browne (“How to Find Freedom in an Unfree World”) talked about three flags:

• Have your citizenship somewhere that does not tax income earned outside the country.  
• Have your businesses and speculations in stable, low or no tax countries.
• Live as a tourist in countries where what you esteem is valued, not outlawed.

Later W.G. Hill added two more flags – business havens where you make your money, and playgrounds where you spend your time, as a separate flag to your official residence – thereby creating a five flag theory – the level of complication or sophistication is up to you! Finally, in Bye Bye Big Brother, a sixth flag was added – cyberspace, where all the other five flags come together, a place where you can be everywhere and nowhere at the same time!

Shortcomings and Concerns about the PT Theory – and the Dangers of Camouflage Passports!

View on the PT theory is that it’s a great idea, provided you treat it as what it is: a slightly tongue in cheek knock at the establishment with a wicked sense of humor. A client of mine recently read it and said it was riveting, like reading a novel.

PT is a well thought out idea to break free and escape, especially if you like international living and the traveling lifestyle. It’s probably aimed more at those with well over a million safely tucked away in a Swiss bank seeking the kind of asset protection arrangements that their lawyers would not tell them about… while being less useful (but nonetheless interesting reading) for those who are just starting out on their quest for offshore wealth building opportunities.

PT is certainly not a step-by-step plan you should follow blindly. Indeed, it’s clearly not for everybody. We say, “by all means read the literature.” It’s an idea you can read about, absorb and enjoy… and then adjust to your own situation.

 always had a slightly different vision, and still do today.  What’s the difference? Well it’s not easy to live out of a suitcase, or to have to worry about counting the days you are in a certain country due to limited tourist visas or the concern that you will become a tax-resident. There are more sophisticated plans available today, and we write about them in our newsletter for members. We also tend to focus more on opportunities for creating wealth.

An Important Warning about the Legalities of the PT ‘Six Flags’ Theory

Here’s an important warning. Some of the tactics in the original PT books might have seemed like harmless fun back in the eighties, but in today’s world they could get you into hot water.

By way of example, one of the products frequently promoted was the so-called camouflage passport. Camouflage passports are booklets that look like passports from countries that used to exist but don’t any more – the intention being to fool anyone who might have learned about countries like Ceylon, Dutch Guiana, British Honduras or the U.S.S.R. in their school history classes, but who didn’t know that those countries today are called Sri Lanka, Suriname, Belize and Russia. Camouflage passports were promoted as a way to avoid terrorist attacks, by confusing terrorists in a hijacking situation into thinking that you came from a neutral country rather than a target country like the USA, UK or Israel. However in the current environment merely having a camouflage passport in your possession is more likely to get you labeled as a terrorist than anything else!

Indeed, it has been said that ‘Big Brother’ thinks PT stands for Potential Terrorist!

Peter Macfarlane is an author and lecturer on offshore finance, investment, due diligence and wealth creation matters. He is joint editor of The Q Wealth Report http://www.qwealthreport.com

Many times, we see others as well as ourselves getting into the debt trap very easily. A deadly debt trap never allows the savings to remain with you. However hard you try to save money, you ultimately spend them on paying huge interests on your accumulated debts. So what all, does it take to save money and lead a care-free life without debts? To crack this puzzle, you need not think hard.

While we can see various reasons trigger one deep down into the word of debts, we can broadly classify these so-called reasons as personal, economic and social. Personal situations may include reasons like loss of job, cut in the pay, accumulation of existing debts, treatment of illness, family crisis and so on. Personal situations are never predictable and so one should always be prepared for any such crisis contingencies, which can cause a major blow to the income. It is always advisable to set aside some portion of your income in a different bank account, so that it can be effectively used during such contingencies.

Coming to the economic triggers, one can get blown away with a sudden loss in business, tumbling sales, bad debts, inflation, economy slowdown etc. Currently, we are indeed witnessing the recession in the economy with the cost of living doubled and the means of income reduced.

While personal and economic reasons may be unpredictable, social triggers definitely are self- sponsored and can be truly avoided by adopting certain means. Don’t you think you will be in a posh car showroom tomorrow, if today you see your junior colleague getting that swanky car to the office? Yes, I am talking about status anxiety. As you put a step ahead each time in your career and status, you always tend to get anxious about maintaining the same. As a result, you do not even hesitate for a single moment and delve deep down in the debt-pool.

When we go out for shopping with our friends, we do tend to splurge more than what we actually should. Many things are purchased just because “My friend also bought it”. And to make things simpler, we always carry the very famous “plastic money” with us. Credit cards had come as a convenience, but now we use it to satiate our status hunger. Although, it may sound a little strange, but it’s always wise to ask yourself a small question “Do I need to buy this?” before you actually swipe your card for the purchase.

And what happens next is the rather unending sequence of debt repayments. If you have bought an exotic product on debt, just check out the interest rate you are paying on the actual or principal amount and then you would come to know the real worth and utility of the product.

You get into debts largely because of two reasons – Improper planning and tendency to spend more. Always remember that debts should be availed ONLY if necessary and ONLY to the extent of what you can repay without much encumbrances. Budgeting, planning and control are three simple, yet magical keys to have a debt free life.

Andy Eaton is £21,040.57 in debt, read his personal blog and discover his step-by-step plan for why and how he is eliminating his debt. His journey to debt free is going to happen quickly for him as he is using a plan. Follow his amazing story at http://www.sick2debt.com