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On the stand

By TIMES WIRES
Published December 14, 2006

Now the Swiss can get offshore accounts

When you think of bank secrecy, Switzerland comes to mind, and maybe the Cayman Islands as well. But Colorado? And therein lies the challenge for E. Jerry James, founder of what Worth magazine describes as the United States' first private bank for foreigners. James created American International Depository and Trust to take advantage of Colorado's Foreign Capital Depository Act of 2001, which was intended to attract capital to the state by offering legal protection and financial anonymity to foreign citizens, Elizabeth Harris writes. "We are providing a safe entree into the United States for legitimate businesses," James said. The federal government may not request or receive client information without a subpoena or search warrant and, Harris adds, the Colorado legislation "also requires someone seeking recognition of a foreign judgment against a depositor to prove that the decision was rendered in a system of impartial tribunals." Not surprisingly, James refuses to reveal the number of clients, accounts or assets his bank has, and Harris adds "he will not share any information that could ... disclose information about depositors."

You know what you're worth to them now

You know that data brokers are constantly trying to find personal information about you that they can sell to direct marketers that want to offer you life insurance, a new credit card and the like. But do you know what you are worth to them? According to Dave Ramsey, writing in Quick & Simple, a weekly magazine published by Good Housekeeping, here are the going rates:

- Bankruptcy details: $26.50

- Workers' comp history: $18

- Unpublished phone number: $17.50

- Cell phone number: $10

- Social Security number: $8.

- Date of birth: $2

- Address: 50 cents

It doesn't add up to much. Still, maybe you should ask for a piece of the action.

We're working longer, and loving it

Are you a workaholic? If so, you have lots of company, Harvard Business Review reports. "Today's overachieving professionals labor longer, take on more responsibility and earn more than the workaholics of yore ... which entails work weeks of 60 or more hours." Research into this phenomenon reveals "a complex picture of the all-consuming career - rewarding in many ways ... to individuals and to society." By and large, says HBR, extreme professionals don't feel exploited, they feel exalted. "A strong majority of them in the United States - 66 percent - say they love their jobs, and in the survey of global companies, this figure rises to 76 percent."

[Last modified December 13, 2006, 23:24:39]