HSBC wants more information from you

Big Banks are turning quickly into Big Brother! Arbitrary punishments are meted out from politicized regulators and greedy jurisdictions (led by the USA where judicial positions are used by ambitious individuals to promote their personal - often political - career, then to switch into highly-paid jobs with the firms they regulated). The cause of misdeeds are in the meantime not addressed - fraud, illegal activities (often again activities that are MADE illegal by legislative fiat, e.g. prostitution, poor or oppressive tax laws, anti-tobacco campaigns, poorly-thought out subsidies or tariffs, anti-drug fanaticism).
The end-effect will be that more and more people will bypass traditional banks, payment systems, possibly reduced their economic activity, esp in the better-earning strata of the population, thus making economies less efficient and more stagnant. All this by administrative fiat without any democratic legitimacy!
Big Banks are turning into Big Brother!

Tax Striptease - Your Freedom is eroded once more

Notwithstanding the fact that Swiss Bank Secrecy saved many a life among those persecuted during the Third Reich the Kleptocrats ruling in our Pseudo Democracies are hell-bent on achieving total control of the lives of their citizens. One day a government will blackmail citizens to hand over all assets held outside its jurisdiction - the 'Land of the Free' is already close to a totalitarian tax dictatorship and others will follow as long as the march to ever-increasing government spending and waste continues unabated.
Ausländer müssen UBS intime Steuerdaten geben

Gold is the ultimate protection

Governments are waging a silent war against Cash. They don't do it openly but sail in the tailwinds of Financial Technology Companies, including Credit Card providers and Banks that do the dirty work for them. Cashless societies open the door to total control of all activities and by implication also total control of the citizens, or maybe one should call them worker ants that are only allowed to finance the more and more absurd spending perpetrated by the Polit-Establisment. Gold is even more unpopular in that Nomenklatura and it is no wonder that there are persistent efforts to make it difficult to buy and hold gold.
Given that it is the ultimate insurance policy against total state control of your wealth careful planning is imperative when purchasing and storing gold.

Sad end to Swiss Bank Secrecy

Switzerland has been created as the result of a tax revolt against its Hapsburg (Austrian) overseers. So it is sad that a proud nation abases itself to become what can only be seen as a tax collector for the USA. Different nation states with different laws and customs were the main factor behind the fantastic cultural and economic development of Europe - in stark contrast to the unitary state of China.Nevermin d that bank secrecy helped any number of persecuted people to escape from Nazi Dictatorship with their lives and the means to start a new life elsewhere!

Credit Suisse said to freeze accounts in search for U.S. assets

Superstate knows no Respect for Citizen Rights

News that the Obama 'administration' (mal-ministration would be a better word) is drawing up plans (Reuters) to give all U.S. spy agencies full access to a massive database that contains financial data on American citizens and others who bank in the country should send shudders down the spines of all freedom-loving citizens (are there any left?) all over the world. Soon the difference between living in the 'land of the free' and living in a tinpot dictatorship will be only a question of degree.
As pretext the bureaucrats wheel out the same old excuses - fight against terrorism (self-inflicted as no one tells the US to interfere in other countries' affairs) or fight against various 'crimes' (most of them just the outcome of bad legislation, remember the Prohibition and its side-effects?).
Private Banking Advisory stays true to its name and will protect the privacy of any consulting client - wherever they happen to be.