Can Singapore Private Banking Replace Swiss Private Banks
Singapore private banking has grown massively over the past decade. Assets under management at Singapore private banks have grown to around 300Bn, 6 times what they were 10 years ago. It is estimated that Singapore manages around 5% of the world’s private wealth, while Swiss private banking manages around a quarter.
Singapore has benefited from tight bank secrecy regulation, in addition to a rise in the number of Asian millionaires, especially the type that want to invest with private banks and financial instruments rather than in property.
Yet in response to demand from the G20 group of developed countries, Singapore has promised to rethink its ultra private secrecy laws. Like Switzerland, Singapore has to walk the tightrope between keeping its sovereignty and international acceptance of its laws and banks.
One of the reasons why Singapore has grown is because it already was a large financial center in its own right. Unlike smaller tax havens and dependencies of other countries which have been accused of ”inventing” laws to benefit from capital flight, Singapore is a long-standing trading hub and center of international financial settlements.
There are several arguments in favour of Singapore keeping its privacy laws. Many private banking clients in Singapore are very powerful people among neighbours like China, Indonesia and Thailand. It’s in their interest to ensure that Singapore bank secrecy is not relaxed. Furthermore, Singapore is an international financial center – it cannot be blackmailed in the same way as other jurisdictions.
However Singapore has made concessions, and may not necessarily see its future in harbouring Western tax evaders. Singapore has signed TIEAS with a number of countries and promised to adopt article 26 of the OECD model tax convention on information exchange over tax matters.
After Swiss banking secrecy was put under the spotlight, it was widely reported that bankers were urging a massive flight of capital to Singapore, where bank secrecy rules still held strong. But in reality, basing any structure on bank secrecy is like building a house on a fault line, it’s bound to change. The smartest investors instead used techniques which do not depend on bank secrecy in any single country.
Savvy private banking clients are now using distinct structures which operate independent of bank secrecy such as investing through trusts or trust companies.
Further, the reasons for banking in an offshore centre like Switerland do not depend entirely on tax. In fact the biggest reason is security. Hundreds of banks have been going under in the US, not Switzerland. Investors are also escaping from currency devaluations, civil forfeiture and frivolous lawsuits.
Singapore wealth management is certainly growing in sophistication, but it is still in a learning phase. During the mid 2000’s when Singapore’s private banking industry was growing rapidly, it was alleged that ther were not enough bankers to meet demand. Singapore private banks were instead employing local hairdressers and carsalesmen with good people skills and turning them into private bankers.
Singapore private banking is modelled closely on Swiss private banking, even down to its family trust law. In terms of weathering geo-political events like the war on bank secrecy, Singapore may have to follow the Swiss lead also.
Hiring Financial Services to Plan Your Retirement Smartly
Ensuring financial freedom after retirement is a crucial factor in a financial plan. Most individuals have several plans to realize after retirement. Some people plan to buy a villa on a beach; while others dream of a world tour. Even if you do not have such ambitious dreams, you need money to be readily available after retirement for your daily expenses. This requires smart planning from early years. Taking a small step towards financial planning at an early age can guarantee financial security for a lifetime. If you do not begin early, the pace at which you would need to save would accelerate and the cost of the financial instruments at your disposal would increase.
One can hire financial services to demystify pension options and retirement saving plans. These service providers will answer your questions on how to sponsor your retirement plans and will help you to make an informed investment decision.
Financial Services: How Much Do You Need to Retire?
Consult financial services to determine the right time to start planning for retirement. Remember, retirement planning is not only about finance, it also involves mental preparation to get accustomed to a changed pattern of life. For some people, it is very hard to stop working altogether and spent time at home. In such a case, financial consultant may advise him/her to start working part time for a few years prior to full retirement. Alternatively, one can consider a home-based business after retiring from regular services.
Coming back to finances, it is important to analyze your monetary requirements in the long run. Prepare an estimate of monthly expenses in consultation with a financial expert. Now consider different investment options that align with your long-term financial goals. Pension funds are an important source of income post retirement. Thus, one should give due consideration to different types of pension plans available and understand how one can monetize them. Other instruments that blend well with retirement planning are:
Savings
Property
Investments in stocks
Individual Savings Account (ISA)
Ask the Financial Service Provider about Types of Pension Plans
Financial service providers focus on three basic types of pension plans:
State pension
Personal pension
Company pension
State pension is probably the most reliable foundation for your retirement. An individual who has attained the state pension age can claim it. According to UK Government data, the state pension age for men is 65. However, the state pension age for women will increase from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020. Usually, the contributions to National Insurance (NI) are accumulated over the years to provide pension to individuals. Additional state pension is rendered to individuals who are taking care of a child or are employed.
Personal pension schemes, which can include Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP)for higher earners, are an important investment option for better control over retirement planning. It involves investment into HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) approved financial products. Some of the financial products covered under SIPP are:
Stocks listed on recognized exchange markets
Investment trusts regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA)
Commercial property
Bullion market
Authorised unit trusts
Futures and options traded in recognized markets
One can seek expert SIPP advice to leverage these investment options and secure financial freedom after retirement. Remember, state pension guarantees only sustainable income to every individual. To maintain a good lifestyle and make your ends meet, personal pensions (including SIPPs) are an important element in your long term financial planning strategy.
Company pensions are set by employers and vary between organizations. Usually, the company pension fund is deducted from an employee’s salary or deposited by the employer or both.
Since April 2006, the government has simplified regulations governing personal and company pension. Tax relief has been increased on investment into retirement instruments. With investment planning, it is possible to invest into a homogenous mix of different types of pension instruments. Consult financial services providers to make the best of the available retirement options.
[Top]Manage Securities And Investment With Financial Advisors Help
If you are in need of financial services and consultancy, then you need to understand one thing. This point is that you need the services of financial advisors. Though a financial planner and a financial advisor are related terms, there is a small difference in the terms. An advisor is different from a planner and analyst. These are the three pillars of financial planning in the market. They make our lives much simpler, if we are planning for an investment.
Do not let your money rot away in the savings account
Normally when we have liquid assets, then what do we do. We choose between the two options:
Let it stay in the savings account
Invest your money in a savings scheme or national security bond
Due to these normal investment channels, your money seems to grow very slowly. Due to the extreme amount of people investing in such schemes, the government has created a policy for small growth in investment. Those who need to grow their wealth faster and quicker need to invest their money in a better investment channel.
That is where the financial advisors need to enter the scene and handle it in a better manner. Though they might not give a fully fledged plan, but they might be able to guide you in a better manner. You need to understand the fact that anybody can become a financial advisor and lend his consultancy. So the domain of financial advisors is pretty large. There will be all kinds of financial professionals who will be vying to lend their consultancy. You should pick up the professionals who have a lot of experience and above all they are certified. This is how you can grow your wealth in a secure manner.
The financial Scene in India
The financial scene is India is extremely good with all kinds of financial professionals entering the field. You will find a lot of chartered accountants, financial lawyers, CFPs and Insurance agents selling you a lot of financial consultant . That is because of their relation in the field for the financial vehicles for a long time.
ou can avail the service of the professional, whom you think is the most suitable for the job. This way you can even research for the financial professionals history. All you need to understand that you need to perform the best research for securing your investment in the best possible manner.
[Top]Decorating a room with a personal photography canvas print
When it comes to decorating your home it can be a challenge, not only for budget but it also present a challenge with getting inspiration and ideas of how you would like it to look. Going online if you have a computer to hand is always a really great way to find out some ideas and get some colour schemes into your head as to what you want to decorate that room with, maybe you want a chocolate brow couch in that room or maybe you want to paint the walls all different colours like duck egg blue on one wall and then yellow on another. Whatever you choose to go with its always a good idea to keep your mind open and try and focus on a couple of different ideas and targets, especially if you’re looking to decorate that room with wall decoration like canvas prints or posters as they can tend to look really great if you get the colours and picture just right.
Let’s say your decoration your new born baby’s room and its going to be a boy. You could of course paint it blue and you could get some cream stuff in there to like a cream cot which would look lovely. What if you were to decorate the walls with some loving photos of mum and dad for your baby to look at wile it sleeps or while it sit and looks up in the mornings or at night before it goes to sleep. It would be such a wonderful thing for your baby to looking up and see mum and dad in a photo canvas print that was professional made and processional take taken by a talented photographer. That would be such a treat for your baby.
Lets fast forward a few years, once you baby is all grown up then it would be a lovely idea to get that same photographer to take some up to date photos of you and your little family and then you can change your canvas prints that you have hung up previously up in your baby’s room to new canvas prints, that’s a great idea if you’re looking to freshen up a room. You don’t have to go over board and decorate the whole room, simply by changing a few of the wall dcor or little ornaments can always to a room such wonders. You also have the option of printing art or Disney images or things like that on canvas prints for your little Childs room; whatever they are likening at that point in time would be a great idea to lift that room with colour and happiness.
If you’re decorating a room downstairs then there’s so much you can do depending on what style or look you’re going for. There are lots of interior magazines you can look at for ideas and there lots of website online that can help you achieve the looks that you want. Having wall decoration is a stunning way to not only brighten up a room but it also shows of personality and shines off the feeling that you went to a lot of effort to get the look you have.
If you’re in to a certain band or you really like a film star then getting photos of them to decorate your home with is also such a brilliant way to be happy with your home decoration. You could get wall murals of your favourite movie scene or you could simply have some really detailed photography canvas printing made from your favourite holiday destination. If you were to get your favourite holiday destination on a canvas print then it would simply remind you of that lovely holiday you had at that certain place which is just brilliant.
[Top]The Main Advantages of Women Financial Advisors
During a forum back in 2010, then president of Citi Personal Banking and Wealth Management said that America would never have experienced the 2008 financial crisis if it was the Lehman Sisters and not the Lehman Brothers.
That being said, the financial services industry is still undoubtedly a man’s world. Based on a report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 31% of financial advisors in the US are women, which means almost 8 out of 10 financial brokers and consultants are men. This is contraindicative to the recent findings of a research done by Pershing, a financial consultancy firm under the BNY Mellon group, which revealed a projected rise in demand for women financial advisors.
From the standpoint of financial advisor recruiters, this is a simple economic situation – high demand and low supply equals a lot of opportunities. If you’re a woman in the financial industry, this is a great time to look for better jobs and greener pastures. In doing so, it pays to know what your main advantages are over your male counterparts. This would allow you to strongly position yourself during job interviews.
So, what exactly are your key advantages as a female financial advisor?
Women Understands Women
Women-owned businesses account to trillions of dollars per year. According to the same report from Pershings, female investors are more likely to hire financial consultants than their male counterparts – 46% versus 36%. The study also shows that female clients are more likely to develop a long-term and loyal relationship with a consulting firm. Not coincidentally, most of these women entrepreneurs prefer to hire female advisors. Why do you think is that? For one, it is a consensus in the industry that women clients require more intensive consulting and they take more time than female clients. This is because female investors are more detail-oriented.
Also, the number of wealthy women who are not necessarily investors or entrepreneurs is rising. These are those who just got divorced, was recently widowed, etc. They have real money and they need help in managing their finances. According to financial services recruiters, this new breed of rich women are more comfortable working with female consultants because they are more patient, are typically good listeners and wouldn’t mind hearing about the personal stories of their clients.
Women Generate Clients in More Varied Ways than Men
According to the 2012 Fidelity Broker and Advisor Sentiment survey, 71% of female wealth managers attend industry gatherings and in-person seminars. This is significantly higher compared to the 36% of men who attend such networking events. The report says nothing conclusive about this information but it’s easy to draw an educated hypothesis – women develop more connections and therefore, more opportunities to acquire new clients. Also, women are more open to clients who are looking beyond the traditional investment platforms.
Experts also observe that female financial advisors are craftier in promoting their expertise. Carol Pepper, the woman behind the New York-based investment firm Pepper International wrote a book to promote her services. Chapin Hill Advisors president Kathy Boyle often gives speeches to create thought leadership for the firm. She also use blogging as a tool to reach potential clients.
Women have made and are continuously making their mark in the financial services arena and though they are still outnumbered, it wouldn’t be surprising if they equal or surpass the number of financial advisors in the future.
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