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Anyone in the world By Michael Russell The Principality of Liechtenstein is a tiny country locked in between Austria and Switzerland; it has just 33,500 residents and ranks as one of the world\'s smallest countries. But it\'s also rich and has been ruled by the same aristocratic family for centuries, making it one of the world\'s most politically stable nations. Not long ago, a popular saying in German-speaking Europe was, \"In Switzerland, the bankers don\'t talk. In Liechtenstein, they don\'t have tongues\". But all that\'s changed. After reports by Interpol that traces of practically every white-collar crime committed in Europe led to Liechtenstein, the OECD\'s Financial Action Task Force put this tiny country on its money laundering \"blacklist\" in 2000. Swift and painful changes followed. Declaring that \"Liechtenstein faces the biggest domestic and foreign political crisis since World War II\", Liechtenstein\'s ruling prince spearheaded sweeping financial reforms that gave the government much greater powers to investigate suspect financial transactions, confiscate laundered assets and cooperate with authorities in other countries in investigations of serious crimes. While Liechtenstein retains a culture of privacy and bank secrecy laws remain on the books, it now has the same know-your-customer rules that are in effect almost everywhere else in the world. However, Liechtenstein still does not cooperate in foreign tax investigations. Any foreign tax official inquiring about an account in Liechtenstein is politely shown the door. Until the new laws took effect, it was possible to hire a lawyer to form a Liechtenstein company or trust and then operate a bank account for that entity without the bank ever knowing the identity of the owner. The lawyer was bound by law never to reveal his clients\' identity. It was the ultimate tool for anyone wanting true anonymity. Liechtenstein was the last place in Europe to offer such a service and it attracted many billions of dollars as a result. With a near-monopoly for such dealings, Liechtenstein banks had an easy life. So easy that they even had the guts to charge customers a percentage for cash deposits.just think of a shop asking you for a percentage of what\'s in your wallet before you are allowed to buy something! Life couldn\'t have been more profitable. Even better, until the early 1990s, there wasn\'t any competition. Only three banks existed in Liechtenstein. They shared business among themselves, the locals got well-paid jobs and no one had to work particularly hard. Foreign banks finally pressured Liechtenstein into letting them set up shop, but even today there are only 16 banks active in the country. Given this state of affairs, when the laws changed in 2000, a huge crisis resulted for Liechtenstein\'s banks. Many trusts and companies wound up their anonymous accounts rather than identify their beneficiaries. Some banks lost as much as 20% of their clients. The influx of money slowed and, simultaneously, the dot-com boom ended, taking equity markets down with it and cutting deeply into the banks\' commissions and custody fees. It seemed that the world had conspired against Liechtenstein banks, with everything going wrong at once. But in retrospect, the tough times did Liechtenstein a lot of good. The new laws forced the banks to stop being fat and lazy. They were forced to cut costs and fees to provide competitive services. They also learned a lesson about focusing on a single market - asset management - and how to market their services effectively. In short, Liechtenstein banks re-launched themselves as a safe and clean place for stashing away funds. One of Liechtenstein\'s three original banks is the Verwaltungs und Privatbank. Most of VPB\'s voting shares are controlled by a trust set up by Liechtenstein\'s ruling family, headed by Prince Alois. VPB offers the entire spectrum of banking services, but the focus lays on asset management and related services for wealthy clients. Of Liechtenstein\'s fat and lazy banks, VPB was one of the fattest and laziest. But financial realities forced it to change. Profits dropped more than 80% between 2000 and 2002, due to shady but profitable clients closing their accounts, falling stock markets and high costs. VPB\'s share price got hit too, falling from its all-time high of CHF380 in 2000 to a low of CHF117 in 2003. In Vaduz - the only city in Liechtenstein - the official currency is the Swiss franc (CHF). But during this time, VPB laid the groundwork for a fresh start, cutting costs and, for the first time, actively marketing its services. These changes are now bearing fruit. VPB\'s attraction is safety. A growing number of foreign investors are anxious to stash money in a safe haven where it will neither be taxed nor confiscated. In other words, a place like Liechtenstein, where the public finances are so sound that personal income tax was abolished because there wasn\'t anything to spend the money on. Individual freedom and privacy is sacrosanct and there\'s no history of government confiscation for legitimate funds. Michael Russell
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Anyone in the world By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Mansi_Aggarwal]Mansi Aggarwal Gambling is popular amongst the young as well as the old. For many individuals gambling is a source of earning while for others it is a means to perfect entertainment. Today gambling is not just confined to the four walls of a casino. It has made its way to houses by virtue of computers (online gambling) and other gambling equipments. While many people are enticed by online gambling, those who desire to have a real feel of the game get gambling set up at their home only. The gambling set ups are more or less same for all the games though there are some variations. For instance the tables of different games are different. A poker table is unlike a blackjack one. But some of the common gaming equipments are dice, cards, coins etc. Dice is perhaps the foremost requirement of any gambling sport. It also can be the cheapest of all gambling equipments. This is because of the myriad variety of dice available today. A plastic dice will be significantly less expensive in comparison to an ivory made dice. In ancient times stones, pebbles, chalks etc. personified dice. Since people were not very particular regarding the equipments of the game, they would mark the holes on any tiny handy nugget and commence their game. Gradually dice came to acquire a proper cubical structure with pierced holes on all the sides. However in comparison to a dice used in household games, a casino dice has more precision. Casino dice is also known as perfect dice as it is carved in a way that each side weighs equal after the holes have been pierced on each side. This provides an equal probability of either side being the outcome. The other essential ingredient of gambling is cards. Usually cards are exclusive to every casino. This is because the backside of the card bears the logo of the casino. The casino cards are primarily of two types- bridge size and poker wide. Initially cards were made out of hard paper and different paintings were made on them. The suits and faces of contemporary cards are a gift of France. Casino tables have their own charm. These tables are designed differently for different types of games and are quite expensive. For instance a single poker table can cost its buyer several thousand dollars. But here too prices vary with the quality of the table. The table face has a woolen felt surface with the games name on it. Along with it the odds and the areas for placing bets are also specified. However with the help of blueprints people often make gambling tables on their own. This is the most cost effective way to play the game. Besides these assortments nowadays kits are available for different games. For instance a bingo kit has in it everything (such as bingo balls, markers, hand cranked ball cage etc.) that is required to play bingo. These kits make children too quite familiar with the game. Mansi aggarwal writes about gambling equipment. Learn more at [http://www.buygamblingequipment.com]http://www.buygamblingequipment.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mansi_Aggarwal http://EzineArticles.com/?Gambling-Equipment-Guide&id=133119 buy soma online no prescription
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Anyone in the world By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Giancarlo_Casio]Giancarlo Casio The difference between my old country and my new country is enormous. In this country you can take five dollars and turn it into a million dollars. In my old country that same five dollars would feed your family for a few days but you could never turn it into more than that. Gambling is a way of life. Whether you gamble at your local Texas Holdem Friday night poker game, whether you gamble at a casino on blackjack, whether you gamble on slot machines or you gamble on the stock market there is no difference. When I came to this great country I had nothing. And now, after years of studying the great gamblers and their systems it does not matter if I am handicapping a horse race, a NBA basketball game, the Super Bowl I know and trust in my betting system that I will make a living. And I also know that in my heart there is no other life for me. I could never go back to my old country. They do not see and they do not understand. They come from a different world, a different time. It is not like this country. This country is full of hope. And money brings this hope. The opportunity here is huge. A single poker chip is an opportunity. And what you do with that poker chip is completely up to you. But one thing I must tell you is that you must have a gambling system. Study the great gamblers out there. Take their betting systems and refine them, make them your own. Practice and test them, test them over and over again until you have mastered them. Whether it is poker, blackjack, craps, the horse races or what ever your game is master your system of gambling. And if you dont know how find somebody who does and learn from them. Learn from them and reap from their experience. There are so many betting systems out there that provide you with all the information you need. The opportunities are vast and at your finger tips. And remember, the greatest gamble in life is love. If you love what you do, if you love who you are with, if you love yourself you cannot fail no matter what anybody tells you. So go out there and master your life. Master your gambling system. And most of all have fun. (c) Giancarlo Casio. All rights reserved. Giancarlo Casio is a very proud man and writes from his heart. His articles can be found at http://www.gambleonthis.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Giancarlo_Casio http://EzineArticles.com/?Get-a-Betting-System&id=286048 fastest way to order valium online
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