There are definite and strong advantages to placing some of your hard-earned money in offshore bank accounts:

First of all you get protection against your government. Nobody knows what a government will do next, anything is possible. But, unlike funds held in your home country, wealth stashed offshore is greatly protected against any negative actions your government might take, or legislation it might introduce, tomorrow.

Secondly, you get protection from predators and parasites. Offshore wealth is shielded from attentions of asset hunters. Avaricious litigants, thieves, fraudsters, conmen, blackmailers (disgruntled ex-business partners and ex- spouses) who all seek to pinpoint, target and eventually attack individuals with visible wealth. These sharks have weapons at their disposal, and they use them. They routinely run asset searches to identify just who has what worth targeting. But offshore assets are safe. Asset searches won't uncover offshore assets, these remain totally invisible and safe from attack.

Thirdly, with an offshore bank account you are insured against unknown events tomorrow might hold. You never know when you might be mighty glad of offshore cash reserves. If circumstances at home make it impossible or unwise for you to stay, or impossible to access your domestic funds, your offshore funds provide you with a financial lifeboat.

"Not all banking havens are suitable, safe, or secure."

Finally, you can rest secure in knowledge that you have a secret nest-egg. You can build and grow a private stash of cash beyond gaze of anybody in your home country.

The first thing you need do, to enjoy benefits of an offshore bank account, is to select a good offshore banking haven where you can open your accounts. This is easier said than achieved. You aren't short of choice, from Bahamas to Vanuatu, Cyprus to British Virgin Islands, Switzerland to Cayman Islands. Countries world over are in market for, and only too happy to accept, as much foreign capital as they can get their hands on.

However, you must bear in mind that not all banking havens are suitable, safe, or secure. Some are excellent. Others are ticking time bombs. If you open an account in wrong country, it can prove very costly in more ways than one.

What you need to do is to find out how particular banking havens measure up before you lodge any of your cash or assets there. This will require you to perform some research and investigation. This is well worth doing, and thoroughly. Mistakes avoided at this early stage save time, trouble and money further down road.

I suggest you measure quality of any haven which interests you by subjecting it to my Ten-Point Suitability Test. Satisfy yourself on all points crucial to your particular requirements.

1. Location, Location, Location? Where is haven located? Do you want to visit your cash regularly? If so, is it convenient or practical to have it stashed in a banking haven thousands of miles away from where you live?

Can you access your haven by air - directly or indirectly? Is it a problem getting entry to your haven? Will you need to queue for an entry visa every time you want to visit?

Also, be aware that making regular, visible (visa records are a paper trail) trips to a known banking haven is like waving a red flag at any government snoop who might be taking an interest in your affairs and movements.

Give some consideration to time differences. Can you manage your financial affairs efficiently if it's midnight in your haven during business hours at home? Are you happy to wait up until early hours to speak to financial managers?

2. Do You Speak The Language? Effective, smooth-running financial management depends on fluent communication. Do bankers and professionals in your haven speak English or some other language with which you're familiar? You may need to discuss complex financial matters in technical detail. It could cost you dear if things are confused or compromised by language barriers.

3. How Easy Is It To Stay In Touch? Are there sufficient and reliable telephone and fax lines? Are email facilities available? Is airmail delivered quickly? How efficient is surface mail delivery?

If your banking haven is deficient in these areas, it may become difficult to maintain regular and instant contact with your advisors and account managers. Is this acceptable?

4. Is The Tax Situation Right For You? Ensure your haven provides exact tax treatment you need. Mistakes can prove expensive. Some havens impose withholding tax" on foreign-held bank accounts. Are you satisfied that this is fair exchange for benefits your account will deliver.

5. How About The Legal System? Are laws in your prospective haven based on English common law? Is judiciary of a high standard? Is it independent? Is Court system effective? Are there rules to resolve conflicts of law? Are banking regulations stiff? Or is there ample opportunity for a fly-by-night merchant to slip through nets?

Are banking services registered with regulatory organisations that uphold professional standards and procedures?

Satisfy yourself that haven has local laws and legal practices which provide adequate protection of your funds and investor rights.

On July 15, 1993 Walter S. Mossberg, author and creator of weekly "Personal Technology" column in The Wall Street Journal, was quoted as saying: “The promise of ‘paperless office,’ [and home] where documents are entirely created, distributed, read and stored on computers, has been about as reliable as promise of a check in mail.”

Now, almost a decade later, that statement is as true as it was then and possibly even worse! Many still have mind set that everything that is on their computer must also be printed out, never of course to be seen again! You WILL have paperwork, in some form or another, until you die. It’s a fact, a part of life that will not go away. The truth is you will continue to have piles and junk cluttering your desk unless you take control of situation and learn how to handle everything that lands on your desk.

Take a second and look at your desk, your countertop, dining room table, or what ever you call your desk or workspace. How much of your desktop can you actually see and use? Do you even know what’s in those piles? Does it look like something might be starting to “grow” from all yesteryears of lunches, snacks, and dinners you’ve had there? Do you have so many gadgets and doodads, personal items and pictures scattered about on your desk? When was last time you saw whole top of your desk and it saw a can of polish?

Here are just three interesting statistics from two polls from Coopers & Lybrand and USA Weekend:

>>The average desk worker has 36 hours worth of work on their desk and wastes up to 3 hours a week just “looking” for STUFF!

>>7.5% of all documents get lost and 3% get misfiled.

>>Professionals spend 5 to 15% of their time reading information, but up to 50% looking for it!

Think about your desk for a minute and how your days play out:

>>Estimate how many hours of work you have piled on your desk?

>>Estimate how much time you waste each week looking for stuff on your desk?

>>How many documents did you lose or misfile last year?

>>Are you scheduling regular time to read?

>>What do you do with article, magazine, or memo you have read?

>>After reading, if you keep, can you find it if needed?

Ten Tips to Clean Off Your Desk