condo <strong>in</strong> <strong>an</strong>other country may f<strong>in</strong>d it beneficial <strong>to</strong> have a b<strong>an</strong>k account <strong>in</strong> the local currency <strong>to</strong> pay their bills. Other people may choose <strong>to</strong> open a foreign b<strong>an</strong>k account for currency diversification. This <strong>in</strong>vestment strategy <strong>in</strong>volves hold<strong>in</strong>g assets <strong>in</strong> several different currencies <strong>to</strong> m<strong>in</strong>imize the risk of los<strong>in</strong>g value should the purchas<strong>in</strong>g power of the dollar weaken. <strong>What</strong>'s more, <strong>in</strong>terest rates may be higher <strong>in</strong> other countries as compared <strong>to</strong> what is currently offered at U.S. b<strong>an</strong>ks. Don't discount the drawbacks <strong>to</strong> foreign b<strong>an</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g. Keep<strong>in</strong>g money <strong>in</strong> a foreign b<strong>an</strong>k account isn't risk-free. A country hit with a recession could see its currency devalued <strong>an</strong>d that could me<strong>an</strong> a person's b<strong>an</strong>k account will be worth signific<strong>an</strong>tly less. Another concern is political <strong>in</strong>stability, which could lead <strong>to</strong> policy ch<strong>an</strong>ges. Although the ch<strong>an</strong>ce is rare, Sargent says a new regime could decide <strong>to</strong> nationalize b<strong>an</strong>ks <strong>an</strong>d seize foreign assets. More likely, <strong>in</strong> his op<strong>in</strong>ion, is the ch<strong>an</strong>ce of identity theft or other cybercrimes. "Believe it or not, we have some good security <strong>in</strong> the [U.S.] <strong>in</strong>formation services sec<strong>to</strong>r," Sargent says. Other countries may not have the same level or security, or their consumer protection laws may not protect people who lose their money because of fraudulent tr<strong>an</strong>sactions on their account. Don't pl<strong>an</strong> <strong>to</strong> use <strong>an</strong> offshore account <strong>to</strong> evade taxes. For some, offshore accounts have been used as a tax shelter. <strong>Money</strong> placed <strong>in</strong> a foreign b<strong>an</strong>k account could be <strong>in</strong>vested, <strong>an</strong>d the IRS would never know about <strong>in</strong>come earned from those assets. Instead of pay<strong>in</strong>g U.S. tax rates, affluent households could set up a second residence <strong>in</strong> a country like Monaco, where there is no personal <strong>in</strong>come tax, <strong>an</strong>d keep their money <strong>in</strong> accounts there. "It's not you or me," Sargent says of those who use foreign tax shelters. "It's people who live a different life [th<strong>an</strong> the average family]." The problem is this strategy is illegal. By law, U.S. citizens need <strong>to</strong> pay taxes on all <strong>in</strong>come, regardless of where it is earned. That me<strong>an</strong>s <strong>an</strong>y <strong>in</strong>terest or ga<strong>in</strong>s earned on foreign <strong>in</strong>vestments must be <strong>in</strong>cluded on federal tax returns. However, <strong>in</strong> the past, countries such as Switzerl<strong>an</strong>d <strong>an</strong>d Bermuda didn't require <strong>in</strong>formation about U.S. account holders <strong>to</strong> be released, which me<strong>an</strong>t people could easily conceal their earn<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>an</strong>d avoid pay<strong>in</strong>g taxes. That's ch<strong>an</strong>ged <strong>in</strong> recent years, as the U.S. has been actively work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>to</strong> elim<strong>in</strong>ate the use of these tax shelters. Most notably, agreements have been made between countries <strong>to</strong> facilitate the release of b<strong>an</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>formation from traditional tax havens like Switzerl<strong>an</strong>d. It's no longer a question of if someone will be caught for foreign tax evasion but when, Zier<strong>in</strong>g says. "[It] was simple before the IRS enforcement," she says, "[but] a us<strong>in</strong>g offshore account <strong>to</strong> hide money doesn’t make sense <strong>an</strong>ymore." Underst<strong>an</strong>d the IRS requirements for offshore accounts. As part of its attempt <strong>to</strong> crack down on tax evaders, the IRS now requires people <strong>to</strong> declare whether they own <strong>an</strong>y foreign assets or have signature authority on a foreign b<strong>an</strong>k account. Failure <strong>to</strong> make this declaration could result <strong>in</strong> a penalty equal <strong>to</strong> half the bal<strong>an</strong>ce held <strong>in</strong> the account. Any <strong>in</strong>terest or capital ga<strong>in</strong>s earned on money <strong>in</strong> <strong>an</strong>other country must be declared at tax time as well. Under the Foreign <strong>Account</strong> Tax Compli<strong>an</strong>ce Act, some foreign b<strong>an</strong>ks will report this <strong>in</strong>formation <strong>to</strong> the IRS <strong>to</strong> help ensure U.S. residents meet their tax obligations. F<strong>in</strong>ally, those who have more th<strong>an</strong> $10,000 <strong>in</strong> assets across all foreign accounts must submit <strong>an</strong> <strong>an</strong>nual Report of Foreign <strong>B<strong>an</strong>k</strong> <strong>an</strong>d F<strong>in</strong><strong>an</strong>cial <strong>Account</strong>s form. Hav<strong>in</strong>g money <strong>in</strong> a foreign b<strong>an</strong>k account isn't illegal, <strong>an</strong>d it c<strong>an</strong> be convenient for those who ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong> a second home outside the U.S. or travel frequently. However, before you open <strong>an</strong> offshore account, make
sure the benefits outweigh <strong>an</strong>y risk from lax consumer protection laws <strong>an</strong>d <strong>an</strong>y <strong>in</strong>convenience posed by IRS regulations.