The Metaverse – PPLI and EWP – Episode 3

Transform Your Assets Inside an EWP Metaverse

PPLI Is Your Partner in Creating Financial Strength and Stability

It makes sense to partner with a concept that is recognized as a cornerstone of financial stability—the six principles of Expanded Worldwide Planning, or EWP for short. The six principles are recognized as such by Wikipedia in its article on International Tax Planning. You too can employ these principles to grow and strengthen your own financial assets. How can you accomplish this? By using an asset structure that has at its very roots the six principles of EWP.

The metaverse is a concept that has been thrust into our lives. Is it something new and or just a fad that will die out in a few years? At EWP Financial we are creating our own metaverse that has at its foundation the rock-solid Six Principles of EWP. In this video, through compelling images and concise dialogue, we explain how these Six Principles can create for you a financial future that beneficially transforms your own assets for tax efficiency, privacy, and asset protection.

We continue to bring you relevant articles on the Metaverse. This week we bring you articles from the worlds of sports and gaming; two areas that have been exploring new ways to use the metaverse. These two articles are courtesy of Cointelegraph.

Berlin-based football app enters the metaverse following $300M fundraiser

By Arnold Kirimi

The financing round was led by Liberty City Ventures, with participation from blockchain platforms and venture capital firms, including Animoca Brands and Dapper Labs.

OneFootball, a German football media application, has raised $300 million in a Series D round to grow the company’s presence on Web3 and develop new features on its platform.

According to a Thursday announcement, OneFootball and nonfungible token (NFT)-centric Animoca Brands created a joint venture called OneFootball Labs. The new platform will “enable clubs, leagues, federations and players to provide digital assets and fan-centric experiences based on blockchain technology.” Furthermore, fans will be able to obtain and store virtual collectibles using their email address and credit card.

The financing round was led by Liberty City Ventures, with participation from blockchain platforms and venture capital firms, including Animoca Brands, Dapper Labs, DAH Beteiligungs GmbH, Quiet Capital, RIT Capital Partners, Senator Investment Group, and Alsara Investment Group.

Animoca Brands will provide its expertise and network in blockchain, NFTs, gaming and the metaverse to help OneFootball develop new products and services that will increase digital fandom while generating new income streams for the football industry. In a statement, Lucas von Cranach, founder and CEO of OneFootball, said:

We believe the future of football away from the stands and off the pitch will be decentralized and built on Web3, giving back the ownership of data and digital assets to the fans.”

Murtaza Akbar, the managing partner at Liberty City Ventures, highlighted OneFootball’s 100 million monthly active users as an opportunity to take advantage of blockchain technology for a massive community of football fans.

Earlier this year, Cointelegraph noted that increasing interactivity and ownership of virtual items are some of the metaverse’s most outstanding features. “OneFootball might be jumping on both opportunities to provide more fans greater access to the “beautiful game.”

Manchester City, the English Premier League champions, announced their entrance into the Metaverse by signing a three-year agreement with Sony to provide virtual reality to professionals for image analysis and skeletal-tracking technology from Hawk-Eye. Neighbours Manchester United have also entered the Web3 ecosystem after a partnership with Tezos, announced on Feb. 10.

The first metaverse designed for non-crypto gamers releases theatrical trailer ahead of launch

By Sarah Jansen

The metaverse is evolving rapidly, increasing the barriers to entry for those without previous crypto knowledge.

The appeal of blockchain-based gaming is clear: participate in activities you might have already been doing and make some money at the same time in a realm constructed by tokenized and tradable items. While attractive in theory, the reality is that these models cater to those with a familiarity with nonfungible tokens (NFTs) and surrounding technologies. Consider that most of these games present a steep learning curve with some knowledge, costs and other setup required before a player can participate in the ecosystem.

Emerging as a low barrier to entry, Bezoge, the first crypto game for non-crypto people, presents Legends of Bezogia with its unique in-game tokenomics and currency. The play-to-earn (P2E) MMORPG game lets players pillage enemy SHIBs and DOGEs to rid the world of fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD). Following the P2E model, players are invited to select a Bezogi and start their journey into earning blocks and rewards, whilst Bezogi NFT owners can rent or summon additional Bezogi if they already own two.

Where this game differentiates itself from other releases is its design as a mainstream offering that can be played by anyone. To enable this functionality, the game features a fully decentralized NFT rental platform where players can rent NFTs to use in gameplay without collateral or gas fees. Therefore, non-crypto gamers can now participate in Legends of Bezogia as they would in any other free-to-play game, eliminating previously mentioned high barriers to entry.

Bringing this project to life is a team of more than 30 in-house staff who share that the objective of this release is to become “the first crypto game for non-crypto people.”

In alignment with this mission, the team has released a Theatrical Trailer introducing the breeds found in Legends of Bezogia as an introduction to their Alpha signup.

Bigger and better play to earn

Bezogi exists as an NFT, in-game character on the Polygon Blockchain (MATIC) that will also be interoperable across multiple chains in the future. These characters are of one definitive colorway, a trait that is more than just aesthetic and instead holds significant meaning in the Legends of Bezogia due to differing bloodlines. On the surface, these creatures are cute; however, upon taking a deeper dive, every bloodline demonstrates a role as a fearsome warrior.

To illustrate the distinction between each, players are invited into the red corner with a breed of warriors known as the Red Zerkzogi. These warriors are covered in blood yet remain well-groomed and obedient. This group often has an arsenal of impressive weapons at their call, making them known killers. The red warriors are joined by the Yellow Speedzogi, recognized as being the fastest life-form in Bezogia, obsessed with gathering blocks and scavenging loot.

Continuing the introductions, players will meet the Blue Shieldzogi, a protector of Bezogia, the White Holyzogi, a keeper of the sacred Recovery Seed and the Green Freezogi, a frozen Bezogi that enjoys the thrill of a kill but is hooked on noxious gases. The final three spots are made up of the Orange Fudzogi, a group of meddling tricksters, a Black Darkzogi that burns blocks to summon new Bezogi, and the Golden Mintzogi, who run the lands of Bezogia and now command great respect and power.

With each Bezogi exhibiting a different set of skills, players are encouraged to carefully consider the space where each operates in the greater ecosystem. After deciding, interested parties can find Bezogi and Petzogi for purchase on the OpenSea platform.

30,000 holders and growing

The team shares that their efforts in P2E gameplay have resulted in 30,000 meme coin holders, alongside a Metaweek Gold, RBK Promotions Boxing Gala and the Dubai Soccer Award Gold Sponsorships. Furthermore, Bezoge has also begun pursuing influencer partnerships with those who have millions of followers. This effort will be followed by a series of guild partnerships that are still in progress.

With several other developments underway, the team continues to hold weekly AMA updates, providing additional detail about the latest developments. The intent is to attract gamers from all walks of life to a constantly changing digital construct the world recognizes as the metaverse.

Disclaimer. Cointelegraph does not endorse any content or product on this page. While we aim at providing you with all important information that we could obtain, readers should do their own research before taking any actions related to the company and carry full responsibility for their decisions, nor can this article be considered as investment advice.

In our next video, we will reveal the financial tool that makes an EWP asset structure possible. Thank you for watching and hope you will join us for episode four in our Metaverse Series.

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Metaverse – PPLI and EWP – Episode 1

The Expanded Worldwide Planning Video Series

Our Journey Together: An Exceptional World of Asset Structuring – Episode One

Beyond Facebook and Apple’s Metaverse with PPLI and EWP

Welcome. The metaverse envisioned by companies like Facebook and Apple entails an augmented, virtual reality where users are not just scrolling, posting, and commenting, but interacting in a fully-realized computer-generated world. This type of metaverse is being defined today, but the final outcome is something nobody knows.

The transformative metaverse that an EWP Asset Structure creates for your assets is analogous to one of nature’s most miraculous events: the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Once your assets are placed into a properly designed EWP Asset Structure, they are shielded from taxation, while simultaneously achieving maximum privacy and asset protection. A stunning financial transformation indeed!

The caterpillar world that your assets previously occupied has been freed into the new reality of the butterfly. Your assets remain the same. What these same assets can achieve for you has been fundamentally altered.

This type of financial metaverse has been in existence in various forms since the 1980s. You don’t have to wait for it to define itself. An EWP Asset Structure creates a new reality for your assets by using a simple and straightforward financial tool–life insurance, in the form of Private Placement Life Insurance, or PPLI for short.

This series of videos introduces you to the Metaverse of EWP Asset Structures and how you can use them to achieve maximum tax efficiency, privacy and asset protection.

As the Forbes article below states, some are calling 2022 the year of the metaverse. With this in mind, we bring you an example of how high-end real estate is working with the metaverse.

ONE Sotheby’s Is Selling The First Real-World Home Through The Metaverse Using NFT Technology

Emma Reynolds,Senior Contributor

I cover home design and luxury real estate.

Some might argue that 2022 is the year of the metaverse, and specifically, metaverse real estate.

Together, ONE Sotheby’s International Realty and Voxel Architects, along with general contractor and NFT collector Gabe Sierra, are introducing the first ever ‘MetaReal’ mansion that includes a real-world home and a virtual counterpart in the metaverse. The virtual home will live within The Sandbox metaverse, a community-driven platform where creators can monetize voxel assets on the blockchain.

The buyer of the NFT asset will also acquire ownership rights of the physical home, set to be completed in Miami in Q4 of 2022. This is the first time something like this has been done.

The home in Miami will be built on a one-acre lot in one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods. It will span 11,000 square feet and include seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The virtual property will exactly mirror this, and Voxel Architects is helping to create it. The ‘MetaReal’ Mansion will be auctioned off in 2022 at a yet-to-be disclosed reserve price. The exclusive sales agent for the property is Michael Martinez of ONE Sotheby’s, who plans to execute the transaction on the Ethereum blockchain.

The metaverse counterpart of the home will serve as an extension of the real-world home, allowing the buyer to host in-home meetings, events and parties with guests from around the world,” Meta Residence founder Gabe Sierra tells Forbes. “By mimicking the real-world environment of the buyer, we are creating an experience that blends the lines between metaverse and reality. Imagine fighting off a dragon, traversing over a mountain range, and finally arriving at your metaverse property, where you are greeted by your friends who are visiting to check out your new Bored Ape NFT. After interacting in your virtual living room, you exit the metaverse, and you are now sitting inside that same real-world house. That is the experience we are creating.”

NFTs as they pertain to real estate are relatively new, and for those who have a hard time making sense of the concept, you’re not alone. In short, the metaverse is a virtual world and there are more than one. Facebook, for example, hopes to be the largest. The tech company changed its name to Meta earlier this year.

Please watch our FIRST NFT COLLECTION

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRYPTO – PPLI and EWP – Episode 4 – The EWP Stories Video Series

Cryptocurrency, Private Placement Life Insurance and Expanded Worldwide Planning

The Expanded Worldwide Planning Stories Video Series

Episode 4

Introduction

Welcome. Many investors in the crypto space have lost faith in some of our long-established institutions. These investors are looking for relevance in newer and more decentralized modes like the blockchain concept. At EWP Financial we embrace the six principles of Expanded Worldwide Planning, or EWP for short. These six principles are introduced in the opening paragraph of Wikipedia’s article on International Tax Planning.

This video will explain the six principles of EWP and how they help to safeguard your crypto assets and maximize them for tax efficiency, asset protection and privacy. A properly designed EWP Asset Structure can give you what no other asset structure can offer. These six principles are the key to the relevance you are searching for in your quest for financial security.

We include excerpts from an excellent article from Cointelegraph by Robert W. Wood that discusses some of the tax aspects of cryptocurrency.

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The major tax myths about cryptocurrency debunked

By Robert W. Wood
More crypto tax enforcement is coming, and many taxpayers are complying going forward, and amending prior returns if they have something to clean up.

Crypto and taxes may not be a match made in heaven, but taxes seem inevitable, and the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made it clear it is going after people who don’t report. With IRS summonses to Coinbase, Kraken, Circle and Poloniex, plus other enforcement efforts, the IRS is on the hunt. The IRS sent 10,000 letters in different versions asking for compliance, but all were nudges to encourage taxpayers to be compliant.

The IRS hunt for crypto has often been compared to the IRS hunt for foreign accounts more than a decade ago. Unfortunately, it is not clear if there will ever be a crypto amnesty program emulating the offshore voluntary disclosure programs the IRS formulated for offshore accounts.

Related: More IRS crypto reporting, more danger

The IRS made its first big announcement about crypto in Notice 2014-21, classifying it as property. That has big tax consequences, accentuated by wild price swings. Selling crypto can trigger gain or loss and be taxable. But even buying something with crypto can trigger taxes. Paying employees or contractors does too. Even paying taxes in crypto can trigger more taxes.

We are already seeing crypto audits by the IRS, and by some states (notably California’s Franchise Tax Board), and more are sure to follow. At least now, there are tracking and tax return preparation alternatives that can make the process easier than it was in the early days. Everyone is trying to minimize taxable crypto gains and to defer taxes where legally possible.

Still, it is easy to get confused about the tax treatment and take tax positions that may be hard to defend if you are caught. With that in mind, here are some things I’ve heard, that I’ll call crypto tax myths.
Myth 1
You can’t owe any tax on cryptocurrency transactions unless you receive an IRS Form 1099. If you did not receive a Form 1099, you can check the box on your tax return that says that you did not have any transactions with cryptocurrency.

Actually: Tax may still be owed, even if the payor or broker does not file a Form 1099. A Form 1099 does not create tax where no tax was previously due, and plenty of taxable income is not reported on Forms 1099. A Form 1099 might be wrong in which case, explain it on your tax return. But if you are audited and your best defense is that you chose not to report your transactions because you did not receive a Form 1099, that is weak.

Myth 2
If you hold your crypto through a private wallet instead of an exchange, you don’t need to report the crypto on your tax returns.

Actually: Private wallet or exchange, the tax rules are the same. The impulse to hide ownership by moving wealth to anonymous holding structures is not new. When Swiss banks began disclosing their U.S. accountholders to the IRS and U.S. Department of Justice, many U.S. taxpayers tried just about everything, but nearly everyone paid in the end, usually with big penalties. The cryptocurrency question on the IRS Form 1040 is not limited to cryptocurrency held through exchanges. If you say “no,” even though you hold crypto through a private wallet, you are potentially making false statements on a tax return signed under penalties of perjury. You might be betting that you will never get caught, but thousands of U.S. taxpayers who have Swiss bank accounts who can attest how poorly that bet can played out.

Myth 3
If you hold your crypto through a trust, LLC or other entity, then you do not owe tax on the crypto transactions and do not have to report. Besides (the myth continues), income generated through LLCs is tax-free.

Actually: Owning crypto through an entity may keep the income off your tax return. But unless the entity qualifies (and is registered) as a tax-exempt entity, the entity itself will likely have tax reporting obligations and may owe taxes. For tax purposes, LLCs are taxed as corporations or partnerships, depending on their facts and tax elections. Single-member LLCs are disregarded, so the LLC income ends up on the sole owner’s return. If your entity is a foreign entity, there are complex U.S. tax rules that can make you directly liable for certain income produced within the foreign entity.

Myth 4
If I structure the sale of my crypto as a loan (or some other non-sale transaction), I don’t have to report the proceeds.

Actually: Consider if you are loaning or selling the crypto. The IRS and courts have robust doctrines to disregard sham transactions. Are you getting the same crypto back that you are loaning? Are you charging interest on the loan, and paying tax on the interest as you receive it? Some loans may not hold water. And if you sell crypto and receive a promissory note, that may complicate your taxes further with installment sale calculations.

Myth 5
A crypto exchange is a type of trust since you can’t unilaterally change the policies of the exchange. So you do not own the crypto in your account for tax purposes and do not have to report transactions through an exchange.

Actually: The IRS has not said any of this. IRS guidance suggests that the IRS views taxpayers as owning the cryptocurrency held through their exchange accounts. It seems highly unlikely that the IRS would view crypto held through an exchange account as owned by the exchange itself (as trustee), rather than owned by the account holder. Taxpayers often own their assets through accounts held by institutions, such as bank accounts, investment accounts, 401(k)s, IRAs, etc.

In most cases, the tax law treats taxpayers as owning the money and assets held through these accounts. Some special accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs have special tax rules. And having an account treated as a trust is not necessarily a good tax result. Beneficiaries of trusts, and particularly foreign trusts, have onerous reporting obligations. Thus, before you consider crypto exchanges as trusts, be careful what you wish for. Calling something a trust does not mean income generated within the trust is exempt from income tax.

Myth 6
Congress’s amendment to Section 1031 of the tax code that limits like-kind exchanges to real property doesn’t make crypto-to-crypto exchanges taxable.

Actually: Section 1001 of the tax code provides that a taxable gain results from the “sale or other disposition of property.” The sale of any type of property for cash or other property can create a taxable gain. The IRS says crypto is property, so trading crypto for other crypto is a sale of crypto for the value of the new crypto.

Before the Section 1031 amendment took effect in 2018, a crypto-for-crypto swap might have been ok as a like-kind exchange under Section 1031. But the IRS is pushing back on this position in tax audits and has issued guidance that denies tax-free treatment for certain cryptocurrency swaps. That is not precedential and does not cover the waterfront, but it tells you what the IRS is thinking. In any case, now that Section 1031 has limited like-kind exchange treatment to real property, crypto-to-crypto swaps are taxable unless they qualify for another exception.

Takeaways
Every taxpayer is entitled to plan their affairs and transactions to try to minimize taxes. But they should be wary of quick fixes and theories that sound too good to be true. The IRS appears to believe that many crypto taxpayers are not complying with the tax law, and being careful in the future and doing some clean-up for the past is worth considering. Be careful out there.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Robert W. Wood is a tax lawyer representing clients worldwide from the office of Wood LLP in San Francisco, where he is a managing partner. He is the author of numerous tax books and frequently writes about taxes for Forbes, Tax Notes and other publications.

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Conclusion

EWP Asset Structures are tailored-made for holding crypto and NFT assets. At EWP Financial we welcome you to enter our world of satisfied clients, and find out what our simple and straightforward asset structure can do for you.

Take a look to our first NFT COLLECTION.

If you found this video useful, please give us a Like, and click on the subscribe button below. We look forward to having you as a client. Thank you for watching.

To learn how the wealthiest families in the world conduct their financial affairs, please call +1 530 692 1007, or email us at info@expandedworldwideplanning.com.

At your convenience, we can arrange a call to discuss how our unique blueprint can vastly enhance your asset structure. Contact Us.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this video are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual on any financial structure, investment, or insurance product.

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRYPTO – PPLI and EWP – Episode 3 – The EWP Stories Video Series

Cryptocurrency, Private Placement Life Insurance and Expanded Worldwide Planning

Episode 3

The Expanded Worldwide Planning Video Stories

Introduction

Welcome. Since you have invested in crypto coins and/or tokens you are familiar with the blockchain concept. You are at the forefront of a worldwide, game changing movement, which lately has morphed into NFTs and the metaverse. Throughout the world governments are struggling to define crypto assets. Different governments throughout the world define crypto assets in terms of traditional assets like money, property, a commodity, or an unregulated asset class.

Please take a look to our first NFT COLLECTION

Recently the United States has subjected crypto assets to what some have called the draconian reporting requirements for cash transactions with severe penalties for violations. In our written article, we have excerpts from an article by Simon Chandler of Cointelegraph which details how governments worldwide are working with the classification of crypto assets.

In the first two videos in our crypto asset series, we introduced you to our firm, EWP Financial. This video focuses on three important questions that our most sophisticated investors ask us.

These three questions pertain to any asset class, and they are very pertinent to crypto assets. It is our hope that the answers to these questions will give you the assurance you need to place your own holdings into this simple, straightforward, and very powerful asset structure, an EWP Asset Structure.

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Excerpts from Cointelegraph Article

Money or Assets? How World Governments Define Cryptocurrencies

The world’s governments want to see cryptocurrencies as everything but what they really are.

By Simon Chandler
Cryptocurrencies — what are they? Money? Commodities? Securities? Utility tokens? Or something else? Few national governments seem to be in any kind of agreement on this question, and for now, at least, their divisions have given such currencies as Bitcoin and Ethereum a floating, indeterminate status on the global stage.

As a result, cryptocurrencies lack a single, definite existence, with some nations treating them as money (e.g., Japan, Germany) and others treating them as an unregulated, speculative asset (e.g., Mexico, Denmark), making them the financial equivalent of Schrödinger’s cat. However, as this review of classifications of crypto throughout the world will show, cryptocurrencies are all these things and more, which is why they deserve to be classified by future legislation according their own, unique qualities.

United States: securities, commodities, property, money

As an indication of how difficult it may be for world governments to ever reach a global consensus on the status of cryptocurrencies, it’s worth pointing out that there’s currently little consensus within nations — let alone among them. This is nowhere more evident than in the United States, where five separate agencies have all had their own competing classifications of cryptocurrencies.

First up is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which — up until June — defined cryptocurrencies in general as securities, meaning assets in which someone invests in the expectation of receiving a return. In March, for example, it issued a public statement indicating that it would regulate anything being traded via an exchange platform as a security.

“A number of these platforms provide a mechanism for trading assets that meet the definition of a ‘security’ under the federal securities laws. If a platform offers trading of digital assets that are securities and operates as an ‘exchange,’ as defined by the federal securities laws, then the platform must register with the SEC as a national securities exchange or be exempt from registration.”

Bitcoin declined by 10 percent following this announcement, yet the statements of other American authorities and agencies differ with the SEC’s assertion that cryptocurrencies are securities. Because, also in March, a New York federal judge ruled that the Commodities and Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) can regulate BTC and other currencies as commodities, putting them on the same level as gold, oil and coffee.

If this wasn’t already confusing enough, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has defined cryptocurrencies as taxable property since March 2014, when it declared:

“For federal tax purposes, virtual currency is treated as property.”

Observers would be forgiven for supposing that three separate definitions were enough, yet two additional agencies treat cryptocurrencies as money. The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is the bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department responsible for enforcing economic sanctions, which can include sanctions against certain cryptocurrencies (e.g., the Petro). In April, it announced that it would be treating “virtual currencies” in the same way as fiat currency, making any individual who handled a cryptocurrency covered by an economic sanction liable for prosecution.

Canada, Mexico and South America: commodities, virtual assets, legal tender

Like the U.S., Canada doesn’t regard cryptocurrencies as legal tender. However, its approach to virtual currencies is slightly more unified, with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) currently defining them as commodities — a definition which would appear to apply in general throughout most government agencies.

In Mexico, the emphasis is also on cryptocurrencies as commodities. On March 1, the government passed the Law to Regulate Financial Technology Companies, which includes a section on “virtual assets,” — aka cryptocurrencies.

Travelling farther south, the picture is mixed. In Venezuela, the government (in)famously announced the oil-backed Petro in December, and in April, it decreed that the cryptocurrency must become legal tender for all financial transactions involving government ministries.

While classifications of one kind or another generally apply in the above American nations, cryptocurrencies suffer from a partial non-existence in others. In Brazil, the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM) declared in January that cryptocurrencies cannot legally be classed as financial assets, despite the fact that the Brazilian Revenue Office had previously stipulated in 2017 that they’re to be regarded as such for tax purposes. In Chile, cryptocurrencies are neither securities nor money, although the central bank has recently begun considering specific regulation.

And in Colombia, the Financial Superintendent has also declared that digital currencies don’t count as money or securities, while, for tax purposes, it can be considered a ‘high-risk investment.’

While South America often takes a restrictive stance toward cryptocurrencies, some nations within the continent are slightly more accepting. In Argentina, cryptocurrencies aren’t legal tender and they don’t have any regulation specifically applied to them. That said, they are treated as goods under the terms of the nation’s Civil Code, while a December update to tax regulation classifies them as income derived from shares and securities.

What such variations indicate is that, when it comes to the classification of cryptocurrencies, the economic and political situations of the nations concerned make a difference. The inherent abstractness of cryptocurrencies makes them adaptable in terms of their function, so their particular classification and usage all depends on the political and economic conditions prevailing in a particular nation, and what that nation wants to use them for. This is why, in countries where the national currency and economy are relatively weak — or where freedoms are restricted — cryptocurrencies tend to be denied legal status.

Europe: private money, units of account, contractual means of exchange, transferable value

This tendency becomes more apparent when the status of cryptocurrencies in Latin America is compared with their status in Europe. In Germany, the continent’s biggest economy, Bitcoin has been recognized as “private money” since April 2014.

In the U.K., cryptocurrencies have generally been left undisturbed by regulation, and what’s interesting to note is that the government has recognized that comparing them to pre-existing currencies, commodities, securities or any other financial instrument would be inaccurate. In 2014, its HM Revenue & Customs department wrote:

“Cryptocurrencies have a unique identity and cannot therefore be directly compared to any other form of investment activity or payment mechanism.”

Across the English Channel, France has also held off applying any specific regulation to cryptocurrencies, although it has been making concerted efforts with Germany to propose laws that would be international in scope.

In the Netherlands, the central bank also denies the currency status of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, having written in a January position paper:

“We do not consider cryptos as money.”

In contrast, a Dutch court ruled in March that Bitcoin can be considered a “transferable value,” making it equivalent to property. This bears some resemblance to a definition being worked on by the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance in a draft decree, which describes cryptocurrencies as a “digital representation of value […] used as a tool of exchange for purchasing goods or services.”

Beyond the EU, Switzerland is perhaps the most significant European nation when it comes to crypto, not least because it has aggressively positioned itself as a desirable place for crypto traders and businesses. In 2014, its federal government published a report in which cryptocurrencies were defined as assets, rather than as currencies or a means of payment. But since then, the landlocked nation has introduced several “regulatory simplifications” in order to attract fintech companies, and it’s in this climate that new approaches to cryptocurrencies have emerged. In November 2017, the regional district of Zug began accepting Ethereum and Bitcoin as payment for administration costs and municipal services, effectively recognizing both as money. It was soon followed by the city of Chiasso (in Ticino), which announced in February that it would start accepting Bitcoin as payment for tax on amounts up to 250 Swiss francs.

Such examples from Europe offer two major takeaways. The first is that EU (and non-EU) nations — much like the U.S. and Canada — are holding back on specific crypto-focused regulation, thereby giving cryptocurrencies the space and time to solidify into definite, stable forms. As such, nations are reluctant to attribute any single ‘definition’ or ‘status’ to digital currencies. Correspondingly, the current application of numerous different categorizations is merely the result of attempts to apply any relevant pre-existing laws that, in lieu of specific legislation, might curb abuses of crypto. These categorizations are stop-gaps and shouldn’t generally be taken for what certain nations or governments ‘really think’ about crypto.

But secondly, even though many European states are gearing toward the announcement of bespoke cryptocurrency legislation, it would seem unlikely that many will advance so far as to actually recognize Bitcoin, Ethereum or any other major coin as legal tender. With the notable exceptions of Switzerland and Germany, the majority of European states deny that cryptocurrencies are money and given how jealously governments and central banks tend to guard their financial powers, it’s unlikely they’ll shift from this stance anytime soon.

China and East Asia

Jealousy is particularly acute in China. In December 2013, the Chinese government issued a notice proclaiming that Bitcoin is not a currency.

“In terms of nature, Bitcoin is a specific virtual commodity that does not have the legal status equivalent to currency and cannot and should not be used as currency in the market.”

Nonetheless, the same notice also acknowledged that “[Bitcoin] transactions act as a way of buying and selling goods on the internet,” and given that it made no attempt to prohibit or discourage such activity, it’s arguable that the announcement acted as a tacit recognition of cryptocurrencies as a means of payment (i.e., as money).

Unfortunately, the Chinese government’s position has hardened considerably since 2013. It banned ICOs in September 2017, while it also prohibited crypto exchanges that same month and later blocked foreign exchanges, citing “financial risks” as its motivation for both acts. In other words, it effectively denied that cryptocurrencies are legitimate securities, assets or commodities in China, just as it had denied their status as currency four years previously. And given that it has also been taking steps to make mining more difficult this year, the current political and regulatory climate in China is now denying cryptocurrency any kind of official status.

Things aren’t so gloomy for crypto elsewhere in Asia. In Japan, the government has gone through an opposite process to China’s, classing Bitcoin as “not currency” in 2014 and then correcting its position in March 2016, when the Payment Services Act finally recognized cryptocurrencies as money. However, as an indication of the uniqueness of crypto, the actual definition included in the act described cryptocurrency more specifically as a “property value” that can be used to buy goods and services, rather than as a currency.

Over in South Korea, cryptocurrencies are recognized as an “asset with measurable value,” a verdict furnished by the nation’s supreme court on May 30. It is consistent with the regulation and guidelines issued by South Korean authorities to date.

In Singapore, the government is also inclined to view cryptocurrencies as assets rather than money. In August 2017, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) warned ICOs and crypto exchanges that it has jurisdiction over those tokens falling under the definition of securities, a warning it repeated in September and also this May to eight exchanges that hadn’t yet registered with it.

Unique identity

Again, what such stances underline is that most developed nations are cautiously open to cryptocurrencies as a new financial instrument, as a new means of generating income and raising capital and as the basis of a new technology — i.e., blockchain. However, it’s clear that few currently want to recognize Bitcoin or any other decentralized coin as money, especially if their governments happen to be more authoritarian. This reluctance is particularly evident in certain examples we’ve skipped over: In Russia, cryptocurrencies are “not a legal method of payment” but rather property, while the government in Turkey has previously stated that Bitcoin is “not considered as electronic money” under current law and isn’t compatible with Islam.

Because most governments are still unsure of how cryptocurrencies will develop in the future, and possibly because they don’t want to recognize the radical implications of decentralized money, they’ve shied away from establishing a distinct legal identity for cryptos. Instead, many have attempted to apply whatever relevant pre-existing laws they can, in the hope that this will curb those effects of cryptocurrencies that may be undesirable from the perspective of a national government. This is why, on an international level, cryptocurrencies have been swamped by a flood of miscellaneous categorizations, from private money to property and ‘transferable value.’

On the other hand, the variation in classifications is also a product of the versatility of cryptocurrencies. Because they generally aren’t issued and control by a central body, there are few restraints on how they can be used. Some holders may therefore use them as a means of payment, others may treat them as a speculative financial instrument or as property, while the future could bring yet even more functions. This adjustability to the needs of holders is one of crypto’s defining characteristics, which is why the U.K. government was probably right to say in 2014 that cryptocurrencies have a “unique identity.” And it’s also why, when the world’s governments finally get around to introducing specific legislation for cryptocurrencies, they’d be well advised not to attempt to subsume them entirely under existing legal categories.

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Conclusion

In our next video we explore in depth the Six Principles of EWP, and why Wikipedia discusses them in their article on International Tax Planning. These Six Principles are at the core of any properly designed EWP asset structure, and explain why Private Placement Life Insurance is best suited to protect your crypto assets from evasive government regulation and taxation.

If you found this video useful please give us a Like, and click on the Subscribe button. We look forward to connecting with you in Episode Four in our Crypto Series.

To learn how the wealthiest families in the world conduct their financial affairs, please call +1 530 692 1007, or email us at info@expandedworldwideplanning.com.

At your convenience, we can arrange a call to discuss how our unique blueprint can vastly enhance your asset structure.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this video are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual on any financial structure, investment, or insurance product.

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CRYPTO – PPLI and EWP – Episode 2 – The EWP Stories Video Series

Cryptocurrency, Private Placement Life Insurance and Expanded Worldwide Planning

The EWP Stories Video Series

Video 2

Introduction

Welcome. In our first video of our series on crypto currencies we introduced you to our firm EWP Financial. In this video we continue with this topic, but first an important point: if you are new to asset structuring, you are probably thinking, well, EWP Financial seems like a good firm with plenty of experience, but what is EWP Financial going to do for my crypto currency? Why should I put my crypto into this type of asset structure?

The answer is simple. In a properly designed EWP asset structure, once your crypto is inside the structure, you will no longer pay any taxes on your holdings, and your reporting requirements will become minimal. This is very powerful. Below are excerpts from an excellent recent article by Robert W. Wood from Cointelegraph which discusses crypto tax reporting requirements. The author’s Six Crypto Tax Myths are listed, and to receive his answers please go to the full article.

What do you have to give up to achieve this result? The answer is very little? A small change in how your holdings are titled, and some changes to give you a more diversified portfolio.

What fees will I have to pay to achieve this outstanding result? The answer is very minimal fees. Usually about 1% of your crypto holdings annually.

Now more valuable information on EWP Financial, and how you can become one of our very satisfied clients in wherever country you might reside. We continue with our theme of financial architecture.

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The major tax myths about cryptocurrency debunked

By Robert W. Wood

More crypto tax enforcement is coming, and many taxpayers are complying going forward, and amending prior returns if they have something to clean up.

Crypto and taxes may not be a match made in heaven, but taxes seem inevitable, and the United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has made it clear it is going after people who don’t report. With IRS summonses to Coinbase, Kraken, Circle and Poloniex, plus other enforcement efforts, the IRS is on the hunt. The IRS sent 10,000 letters in different versions asking for compliance, but all were nudges to encourage taxpayers to be compliant.

The IRS hunt for crypto has often been compared to the IRS hunt for foreign accounts more than a decade ago. Unfortunately, it is not clear if there will ever be a crypto amnesty program emulating the offshore voluntary disclosure programs the IRS formulated for offshore accounts.

Related: More IRS crypto reporting, more danger

The IRS made its first big announcement about crypto in Notice 2014-21, classifying it as property. That has big tax consequences, accentuated by wild price swings. Selling crypto can trigger gain or loss and be taxable. But even buying something with crypto can trigger taxes. Paying employees or contractors does too. Even paying taxes in crypto can trigger more taxes.

We are already seeing crypto audits by the IRS, and by some states (notably California’s Franchise Tax Board), and more are sure to follow. At least now, there are tracking and tax return preparation alternatives that can make the process easier than it was in the early days. Everyone is trying to minimize taxable crypto gains and to defer taxes where legally possible.

Still, it is easy to get confused about the tax treatment and take tax positions that may be hard to defend if you are caught. With that in mind, here are some things I’ve heard, that I’ll call crypto tax myths.

Myth 1

You can’t owe any tax on cryptocurrency transactions unless you receive an IRS Form 1099. If you did not receive a Form 1099, you can check the box on your tax return that says that you did not have any transactions with cryptocurrency.

Myth 2

If you hold your crypto through a private wallet instead of an exchange, you don’t need to report the crypto on your tax returns.

Myth 3

If you hold your crypto through a trust, LLC or other entity, then you do not owe tax on the crypto transactions and do not have to report. Besides (the myth continues), income generated through LLCs is tax-free.

Myth 4

If I structure the sale of my crypto as a loan (or some other non-sale transaction), I don’t have to report the proceeds.

Myth 5

A crypto exchange is a type of trust since you can’t unilaterally change the policies of the exchange. So you do not own the crypto in your account for tax purposes and do not have to report transactions through an exchange.

Myth 6

Congress’s amendment to Section 1031 of the tax code that limits like-kind exchanges to real property doesn’t make crypto-to-crypto exchanges taxable.

Takeaways

Every taxpayer is entitled to plan their affairs and transactions to try to minimize taxes. But they should be wary of quick fixes and theories that sound too good to be true. The IRS appears to believe that many crypto taxpayers are not complying with the tax law, and being careful in the future and doing some clean-up for the past is worth considering. Be careful out there.

This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.

The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph.

Robert W. Wood is a tax lawyer representing clients worldwide from the office of Wood LLP in San Francisco, where he is a managing partner. He is the author of numerous tax books and frequently writes about taxes for Forbes, Tax Notes and other publications.

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Conclusion

In our next video, we answer three important questions that are most sophisticated clients ask us:

Is it legal?

Can they steal my money?

Will I be audited?

The answers to these questions will surprise you, so stay tuned, and thanks for watching.

If you found this video useful, please give us a like, and click on the subscribe button below. We look forward to connecting with you in Episode 3 of our crypto series

To learn how the wealthiest families in the world conduct their financial affairs, please call +1 530 692 1007, or email us at info@expandedworldwideplanning.com.

At your convenience, we can arrange a call to discuss how our unique blueprint can vastly enhance your asset structure.

Disclaimer

The opinions expressed in this video are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual on any financial structure, investment, or insurance product.

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

.

The EWP Stories Video Series – CRYPTO-PPLI and EWP – Episode 1

Cryptocurrency, Private Placement Life Insurance and Expanded Worldwide Planning

The EWP Stories Video Series

Video 1

Celebrating a happy ending and a new great  beginning we want to introduce you to a fresh Video Series

Welcome. The blockchain concept has given birth to crypto currencies. This is a relatively new phenomena in our lives. Yet taxes have been with us since early dynastic Egypt and probably before. Recently passed tax legislation in the U.S. is a cause of concern for all those who hold crypto currencies. Similar laws are being passed by governments throughout the world. For this recent U.S. tax legislation, we include below excerpts from Robert W. Wood’s excellent article in the Cointelegraph.

What most of you don’t know is that there is a simple and straightforward solution to these new taxes that has existed since the 1980s. The beauty of this solution is that it is asset neutral, meaning even though crypto currencies are a new asset class, this solution wholeheartedly welcomes crypto currencies. For this solution, crypto currencies are handled the same as any common asset class like stocks, bonds, and real estate.

What is this simple and straightforward solution to the grave tax problem that is facing crypto currencies: Private Placement Life Insurance, or PPLI for short. But not just any PPLI policy. The solution is a PPLI policy that is structured to embody the six principles of Expanded Worldwide Planning, or EWP for short. Our firm, EWP Financial, was an early adopter of this powerful yet conservation asset structure.

This series of videos will give you the basic principles of a properly designed EWP asset structure. An EWP asset structure is the perfect solution to the recently introduced tax legislation in the United States that threatens to wipe out a good portion of your gains in crypto currencies. An EWP asset structure is equally effective if you are a tax payer in a country outside the U.S. In this video, Part One, we introduce you to EWP Financial and our unique approach to asset structuring.

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Expanded Worldwide Planning Stories Video Series – Part 2 – Episode 1 – ASSET PROTECTION 1

International Tax Planning

Asset protection planning

Introduction to #Asset #Protection

Welcome. In this video the topic of our story is one of the cornerstones of any asset structure–asset protection planning. Expanded Worldwide Planning, or EWP for short, gives a wealthy family asset protection by its very nature, it is not something that must be added.

Why is this so? Because life insurance is one of the rare items that is favored for asset planning under the tax code. This is especially true for the advanced structures that our firm constructs for wealthy families worldwide. Remember, most families place the majority of their assets into an EWP structure, so they achieve superior asset protection for all these assets worldwide.

Our story involves Janet Johanson, an exceptionally talented entrepreneur, who seemingly did all the right things to protect herself against an untimely loss of her assets. How did the devastating loss of $100M wipe out her early retirement? One of her advisors made a critical mistake. We hope you will learn from this video, and not travel down the same path.

Learn more about Asset Protection and Cryptocurrency

by Michael Malloy, CLU TEP RFC.
CEO, Founder @EWP Financial

Michael Malloy-CLU-TEP