Panama has a number of unique attributes that make this a great asset protection jurisdiction for corporations, foundations, banking and stock brokerage accounts. Some call Panama the Switzerland of Latin America but this is not fair, Panama is far better than Switzerland and any other jurisdiction. Read why Panama excels:

Offshore derived Income is not taxed and does not need to be reported. You can have a Panama Corporation, and/or Foundation that banks in Panama and has an office in Panama and yet will not pay any Panama taxes if all the income is derived from offshore. Right here is a big reason for choosing Panama.

Bearer Share Corporations are allowed in Panama. Most jurisdictions have eliminated bearer share corporations. They are referred to as an S.A. Corporation having this designation after the corporate name. This means the ownership of the Corporation is not recorded anywhere just the directors (which can be employee professional directors provided by our law firm). These corporations can be used to own or control assets such as bank accounts, stock brokerage accounts, real estate, boats, planes, vehicles, businesses, precious collectibles like artwork, jewelry, stamps, coins, etc. The owner has the stock certificates of the company which can be transferred privately as often as needed with no reportage of the new owners. No one need know who owns the corporate shares except the original owner and new owner. When you think about it ownership could be transferred 10 times in a day. When you send an international bank wire using the S.A. Corporation no one monitoring the international wires as some countries do knows who the actual owners of the corporation are that are receiving the funds. If ownership of a corporation is publicly recorded rest assured it is in numerous databases and can be accessed in seconds to determine who is actually receiving money sent to a corporation.

Panama uses the US Dollar as its currency. No currency conversion costs. No currency devaluation problems or issues like most of the little tax haven countries have. In Panama the ATM machines spit out US $20 bills. Even USA coins are used in Panama. Panama is stable. It is a neutral country. Panama controls the Panama Canal and does not have a standing army. Most of these small countries never ever use their armies to repel an invading army from another country. These little banana republic countries use their armies to control the people, suspend elections, hold rigged elections, keep dictators in power under the guise of democracy etc.

Panama is in a treaty with the USA regarding the Panama Canal which Panama has sole control over. If the canal is threatened by a foreign power as in an invasion, the USA has the right to come in and protect the canal and the canal zone which is the area surrounding the canal (25 sq. miles only, not the entire country) - think aircraft carrier groups, marine expeditionary forces, air force fighter planes, navy seals, etc. The treaty does not allow the USA to take over Panama per se just the few square miles around the canal, not the banking district. So who is crazy enough to try and attack Panama, a UN certified neutral country, no one. US air force jets could be in Panama within two hours, an aircraft carrier group would probably be there in 24 hours. So we can forget about Panama being invaded by another foreign power, it would be essentially the same thing as attacking the USA directly. The same would apply if a dictator tried to seize control over Panama. The USA would see this as a potential threat to the Panama Canal and take military action, fast. The USA has no authority in Panama. Their Federal Agents have no authority or power. USA courts have no authority in Panama. Panama is a free country that has a treaty with the USA concerning protection of the Panama Canal. Interestingly enough China is involved heavily in commercial operations in the canal ports and also has a vested interest in seeing Panama and the Canal operate freely and smoothly. If anything happened to the Panama Canal shipping worldwide would be interrupted which means there are a lot of nations that want to see Panama operate as a free democracy maintaining it’s neutral status. Panama is at very low risk for revolution or military attack.

Panama holds free elections as a democracy, really and truly. Panama cares about their people. Medical care is affordable, food is cheap, housing affordable with special projects for the working folks to own their homes, homeless people are absent, college is made affordable and many young people attend. Panama has two medical schools, two dental schools, two law schools etc. In Panama 15%-20% of the work force are employed by the 135 banks domiciled there. Since Panama values these jobs do not expect to see any changes in banking laws, same for their corporate laws. Panama has over 400,000 corporations domiciled there. The only information sharing going on concerns bona fide criminal cases on file in a court as a criminal prosecution, serious criminal cases of money laundering and narcotics trafficking, terrorism, and child pornography. Panama has little interest in pursuing fiscal crimes. Income tax violations in Panama are civil offenses only. Panama also serves as a maritime registry for ocean going vessels. Panama is anything but a banana republic. You can feel safe and secure in Panama. Go for a visit if you like.

The recent increase in media interest in personal identity theft has provided a reminder that company identity theft at Companies House is still a major problem for UK limited companies. These companies are being encouraged to proactively take action to deal with company filing fraud at Companies House. There are over two million company records held by Companies House which currently reports that of the five hundred thousand documents filed at Companies House each month, including company accounts, approximately fifty are identified as false.

Company hijacking at Companies House can involve:

The company directors are changed - Fraudsters file change in company director forms 288 to notify Companies House of a change to the company's officers. These will either be stolen identities of real people or completely fictitious individuals pretending to be a company director. They will also notify Companies House that the company's true officers have all resigned.

The companies registered office is changed - Fraudsters file a form 287, signed by a bogus company director, to change the company's registered office to an address of their choice at Companies House. Once this is done, any communications from Companies House will be sent to the company at the new registered office, ensuring that the company itself doesn't receive notifications from Companies House of any future changes.

Supporting documentation may be obtained - The fraudsters notify Companies House and effectively have the company under their control as far as third parties are concerned, as they appear to be the legitimate company directors. In order to give credibility in their subsequent dealings with third-parties, the fraudsters may request, for example, a Certificate of Good Standing from Companies House. This official document then confirms the status of the fraudsters as being the company directors.

As far as third parties are concerned, the fraudsters appear to have gained control of a company and appear to be the genuine company directors. This can include obtaining supporting documentation from Companies House and then approaching suppliers of high value, easily disposable, goods and placing orders apparently on behalf of the company, with delivery being made to the company's "new" bogus registered office, which the fraudsters can obviously access.

In another case, the owner of a business was surprised to discover that the registered office of his family business had been changed from the address at which it had been located for the last hundred years. Even the company's nameplate was stolen from the building where it was located.

Since April 2005, identified instances of company filing fraud seem to have leveled off below the peak, but are still at a relatively high historical level of approximately fifty incidents a month. The Metropolitan Police agree that a single filing fraud could cost £1 million and could very seriously damage the victim business.

One large part of the fraud is that the company itself doesn't discover the changes at Companies House until the fraudsters have had time to complete their scam and then disappear.

Other frauds include setting up bogus companies, falsely adjusting company accounts and even stealing the identity of the auditor to ensure that these company accounts appear to be credible. A credit agency has recently revealed that nine auditors have had their details taken to approve a false set of company accounts over the last nine months. Another hundred sets of company accounts have been set up using completely fictitious auditor details over the same period.

When a new nonprofit is created, the founder or founder(s) generally recruit a small group of people they know and trust to help get things going. These people often wear many hats ranging from janitor to baker to teacher's aide to board member.

As the organization begins to grow up, the lines become clearer between serving on the Board and volunteering in the program or office, though people will often continue to serve in multiple roles.

Up to this point the Board typically has 4-8, maybe 10, members and most discussions and decisions are made by the group as a whole or default to whomever is closest to the daily operations. Eventually, the Board realizes that in order to increase the impact of the organization, it needs to extend its efforts beyond its initial program efforts. That generally means more emphasis on fund raising, finances, marketing, and evaluation (proving that the organization is good at what it does).

For many organizations, this is when the discussion turns to recruiting board members with skills that complement the founding group and exploring an effective committee structure. For a small organization, Board committees can support the staff in key roles or actually do the work until funds are available for a staff person.

Committees are great when they work and a terrible burden and experience when they don't. My philosophy on committees has evolved over time – I offer four key insights:

1) Committees should be formed around the current needs of the organization, not out of a Board book that says "every board should have X, Y, and Z committees."

It is too common for a well-meaning board member to use a board book or their experience with another organization to create a board structure for your organization. While there are many committees that most organizations have in common, your first venture into committee work can be overwhelming if you try to catch up with a mature organization too quickly.

I suggest an organization look first to their mission and strategic plan. What needs to be accomplished? Where are you focusing most of your efforts over the next one to two years? Where can the board's work best benefit the organization? Common initial committees might be one that is externally focused - perhaps Marketing, PR, Fund Raising and one that is more internally focused, perhaps finance and developing board policies. This assumes that the Board officers are already acting as, at least, an informal Executive Committee handling Exec Dir evaluation and review and orientation of new board members. Using this approach, each committee can identify what it needs in new members and skills and work with the other board members to find and recruit those people.

The next committee is typically charged with program evaluation or planning and evaluation. This group helps define what "Success" is for the organization and how well you are doing.

2) With the exception of an all-volunteer organization, committees should exist to complement staff roles and responsibilities, not duplicate or mirror them.

For very small organizations, committees may take the place of staff efforts - either until a staff person is hired or for the long-term if the organization expects to remain small. In this case, committee responsibility descriptions may look very similar to staff job descriptions.

But in most organizations, the Board committees play a role in helping the board, staff, and organization become more effective – not to do the work. Board members can help provide objectivity in the evaluation of service delivery or the development of external communications. They can also help connect the organization to people, companies, and resources that might not be accessible to staff members directly.

For example, the Program Committee or Program Evaluation Committee should focus on answering questions like – “What are we trying to accomplish? “and “Are our programs having the impact we want?”. The Finance Committee focuses on ensuring that internal controls are in place to reduce the likelihood of fraud or theft and on identifying the risks to the organization and making sure that appropriate insurance and loss prevention strategies are in place.

Typically, the committee, with a staff member, works to develop a plan and then decide who will turn the plan into action. In an organization with few or no staff, the committee members become the primary implementers. In an organization with staff, the staff often leads the implementation with committee members playing critical roles in reviewing progress, adding specific expertise, and making connections with people, funders, other nonprofits, business, or government that can help the organization reach its goals.

3) Board members aren't truly engaged unless they are responsible for doing something outside the routine Board meetings - so I think almost all boards should have some committees.

An unfortunate truth of board service is that we typically tell prospective board members that we will not expect much of their time and then we are upset if they don't do more than the absolute minimum.

If your board meets quarterly, it can be hard to get board members to think about you more than 6-8 hours a year (when they are sitting in board meetings). If you meet monthly, it can be hard to keep attendance up because so little of consequence happens in the 30 days between each meeting.

If board members can be engaged in a committee that is doing work that they feel is interesting and worthwhile, and that allows them to use their skills in ways they enjoy, you will build bonds between board members, increase buy-in to the organization, and get more accomplished.

4) Task Forces (short-term committees) create energy and work to quick completion of a defined outcome. Standing committees with poorly defined responsibilities frustrate Board members and waste their time attempting to be productive.

I have found one effective way to launch committees is to treat them as short-term task forces with a distinct project to complete. For example, a Marketing/PR committee might start by putting on a new event or getting out a regular newsletter. I have found that efforts like “assembling a 3 year marketing plan” do not create much energy because no one has seen anything actually happen.

After the initial success, the group can more easily define the additional skills and people it needs on the team and who is the natural leader. Some groups might work effectively in a task-to-task basis on an on-going basis. Others, like finance, usually define more of a regular routine to their meetings and schedules.

Bryan Orander is President of Charitable Advisors, based in Indianapolis, Indiana. Following a 12 year career with a Fortune 50 corporation and a 6 year stint as a Program Director for a large nonprofit, Bryan has been a full-time consultant with nonprofits for almost 10 years.

John was a former boss of mine. Before I started working for him, I had heard from others that he had a very good reputation and so I was really looking forward to working with him. The office was a very busy one with lots of customer interaction and a very heavy processing workload. After the first couple of months, I got the feeling that there was no real harmony in our relationship and I found it difficult to work out why. John was good with the customers and well liked by other staff, but we just didn't seem to hit it off. It was not until my formal performance appraisal some months later that I finally found out what the problem was. The job I'd taken over was in a real mess and required a great deal of management skill to get it back on track, which I believed I had done well. During my performance appraisal discussion, John acknowledged my good work in this area, but (and it was a big "but" for him) he didn't see me doing enough marketing with potential customers.

You see, John's pet interest was marketing and he expected all of his people to make this their number one priority.

Do you know what your manager's number one or key priorities are?

Although we often have performance discussions with our manager, how clear are we on the order of priority they have for each area of our performance? How clear are they themselves about their "expectations" of us? These "expectations" are often unwritten and in fact may be somewhat different to the formal performance requirements of the role.

So, what's the best way to manage the relationship with your boss? There are two aspects of this; firstly four clear action steps that you can plan for and take at the start of your working partnership and secondly, four "rules" that you should follow in all your dealings with your boss to ensure a productive working relationship is maintained.

Step One: Agree your manager's expectations of you

A simple way of doing this, is to have a discussion with him or her (preferably soon after you start in the role). Ask your manager;

• "What are the top three priorities in the role that you would like me to focus on?"

• Or, if you have a formal performance discussion, ask your manager to assign a percentage figure of "importance" against each one of your key responsibility areas (each area should be given a percentage out of a total for all areas of 100%) so that you can assess his or her priorities. You should also ask "Why this is so important?" as the answer will give you a lot of good clues for developing the relationship.

Should this discussion merely be a repeat of the formal performance requirements of your role, then you will need to gather some of the "unwritten" ways your boss will assess both you and your performance. Sometimes, the boss may not even be consciously aware of these expectations, but none the less they will be there. One good way of doing this is to ask him or her to explain their ideal employee. You can do this with a question such as: "You've probably had many good people working for you previously. What is it about these people that you particularly liked?" If you want some more information, you can always ask your manager to describe some of the characteristics and behaviours of their most disappointing employees.

Step Two: Assess yourself

What is it about you that impedes or facilitates working with your boss? Draw up a (short) list of "Things that I like about working with my boss" and "Things that I don't like about working with my boss". Work out some ways to overcome, or at least manage, the things that you don't like, for these are probably the areas that your boss is least happy with. If necessary, ask some of your peers for assistance, particularly those who seem to have a good relationship with him or her.

You should also review the information about your manager's ideal employee and most disappointing employee that you obtained in step one. What will you need to do to ensure that you take account of your manager's likes and dislikes in his or her employees?

Applying this step doesn't mean that you have to change your style or personality. However, it does mean that you need to be careful that your behaviour does not clash with your manager's expectations.

Step Three: Understand your boss

You don't have to become lifelong friends with your boss, but you do have to understand him or her. For example, try to develop strategies for the following:

- How does he/she like to receive information? When? What form? Does he/she like lots of detail or big picture? Give it that way.

- What is his/her number one strength? Capitalise on it.

- What is his/her number one weakness? How can you help?

- What's the boss' central goal? How can you assist?

- What are his/her main pressures? How can you help minimize these?

- How does your boss handle conflict? How can you help (or avoid)?

Step Four: Recognise that there are differences in style and adapt

For example, you may have different personality styles; you may be an introvert, your boss may be an extrovert, or vice versa. This doesn't mean that you suddenly have to change, but please do think about his or her style and learn to manage it. For instance, extroverts like to work out problems by talking them through. So, if your boss is more extroverted, then it can be quite useful to talk through issues with him or her to reach a decision. Introverts on the other hand, like plenty of time to think about a problem and then discuss their ideas and possible solutions. If your boss is more introverted, then you will need to go to him or her with very well thought out proposals and recommendations – trying to reach a conclusion by talking the issues through with this style of manager will definitely not work. Make sure that you have a good understanding of both yours and your boss' style so that you can learn to manage the differences.

Implementing the above four steps with your boss will go a long way to building a solid foundation for the relationship.

In addition to these four steps, there are also four rules that I believe you should always follow in your ongoing relationship with him or her if you want it to be truly productive.

Rule One: There should be no surprises for your boss!

Keep your boss informed of what's happening in your area on a regular basis, particularly potential problems. If you are in doubt as to what to tell or not tell your boss, always ask yourself: "Would this information have an impact on my boss' position?" It's generally better to communicate too much than too little.

Rule Two: Never hide a problem

No matter how much you try, hidden problems will always come back to bite you (they are like lies – they will always find you out). Far better to be proactive. Keep in mind that you will help your situation if you present the information in a style that suits your boss; try to get the words "right" by communicating in a style that suits your boss' communication style.

Rule Three: Always do your homework

Before approaching your boss with a question or to ask for help, always do as much research as possible so that you have the complete facts. If he or she constantly has to send you away for more information, then you have not prepared properly. Try to bring your solutions or suggested solutions with you when presenting a problem on which you want some help. This will demonstrate to your boss that you are taking initiative although you may not have all the answers.

Rule Four: Do not underrate or undercut your boss

Present a united front – support your boss with others. Disagree with him/her in private, never in public.

Finally, remember the person who has most control over your immediate future (other than yourself) is your boss. Treat him or her with that respect. From my experience, following these four rules and implementing the four steps mentioned earlier, will ensure that your relationship with your boss is a very positive one. By following these boss management strategies with my manager John, I was able to turn around what had started out as a poor relationship. So much so, that when I decided to resign some time later to take up a better job offer, John tried hard to keep me as I had become one of his "ideal employees".

A recent leadership study in the United States in 2006 by the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, sponsored by US News & World Report, offered the following data:
• 70 % of Americans believe there is a leadership crisis today.
• Americans have lost confidence in leadership in five sectors: education, religion, business, Congress, and the executive branch. Only medical and military leadership have more than a moderate level of confidence.
• In no sector did confidence increase from last year.
• Only 38 % believe their leaders have high ethical standards.

Many see crisis here; I see opportunity. The leader you have been waiting for is you. You lead by your example. You lead by communicating clearly to others what needs to be done. Leadership is teaching and inspiring others to get it done. Leadership is influence. We begin to lead when we stop complaining about others and start inspiring them with our vision and our example.

Why should people follow you? Peter Drucker said in an interview with Forbes Magazine that Harry Truman had the charisma of a dead mackerel, but his staff practically worshipped him. It was because his integrity was impeccable. Harry always said what he meant and meant what he said. Yes meant yes. And no meant no. How's your integrity? Do you tell the truth (with compassion) or do you tell people what they want to hear?

It is time that those of us who are disappointed in leadership step up, and become leaders ourselves. It is time that those of us who are managing start leading. It is time that those of us who are leading listen to the people and ask ourselves: "What needs to be done now?"

How do you develop your leadership and the leadership of the people around you?
• Leadership seminars and classes.
• Executive Coaching
• Ongoing reflection and practice.

I coached a supervisor who had difficulty with a more experienced colleague who was authoritarian in her approach. He felt victimized by her and felt the need to protect his people from her. Through coaching I helped him to see the motive behind her actions and to let go of blaming her. He realized that he had benefitted greatly from her manner in that he had become more organized, more efficient, and a better communicator. Furthermore, he realized that he had some her characteristics, too. His shift in perception allowed him to communicate with her as an equal, not as a victim. This made all the difference.

There is no professional relationship that cannot be transformed by changing your perception. When you change how you see someone, you give them someone new to respond to. Coaching, reflection, and practice help to elevate you to higher levels of functioning. If you are ready to step up to a higher level of leadership, there are plenty of resources out there to help you. There are coaches, seminars, books, and classes that will help to challenge you and shift your perceptions.

We can no longer afford to sit back and complain about leaders. The answer is always found within. We cannot change others, but others will be influenced when we change. Your organization, your family, your community, and the world needs you to step up and lead.