Well, I'm sad to say that I will NOT be in Vegas tomorrow to see Brian put on another of his priceless seminars…I have a travel conflict.  For those of you who've attended his prior events, you know that there is simply no more valuable an educational and networking event in EB-5 Land.As I told you,  the opportunity to speak at Brian's Houston event a few weeks ago was a great one for me and I'm still returning calls from the productive networking which unfolded.  I'm very bummed about not going to this particular one, though.  (And NO, not just because it's in VEGAS!….)In this event, Brian grabs the Asian Tigers by the tail, targeting the need-to-know information for EB-5 Regional Centers and projects looking to do more in China and th…

Folks, my son Alex sent me an article I truly enjoyed and I wanted to share it with you.  It is definitely a pro-Obama piece, but that's not why I'm linking it.  I'm doing so because Alex, after reading it, commented that he was glad for the international experience he's had as a result of his life as the child of former wayfarers.One thing is for sure: parochialism and narrow points of view are damn near impossible to maintain when you are a citizen of the world! (-:Andrew Sullivan's TCK Commentary…

On September 11th, 2001, I was in Miami when a realtor friend phoned to tell me that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade Center.  I thought, as many did, that this initial news must be a mistake.  But it wasn't.  It was the beginning of what would be, ultimately, the single most transformational event in the life of Americans since the Depression and the Second World War.  It was the beginning of a new, fear-based America…a new paradigm.I reacted in a similar way to the first news about Bin Laden's death: disbelief.  I'm one of those who, for reasons most definitely not macabre, insists on seeing photos of the dead man.  And although as a Christian it is impossible for me to feel joy at the death of any human being, this person was le…

While am hardly qualified to give tax advice, I know I need to address this issue with clients BEFORE making a recommendation regarding permanent residency.  If you are a high-net-worth individual considering U.S. residency, do yourself (and me, if I subsequently resolve your immigration issue) a favor by contacting my go-to guy on pre-immigration tax planning, Steve Cantor at Cantor & Webb…

Folks, this is hardly a newsflash but given that I've explained the Substantial Presence test probably 10 times in the past 7 days, I wanted to provide you with the IRS site link which explains it in pretty clear language.  There seems to be a lot of confusion out there!Right now there is a small army of EB-5-promoting immigration attorneys who:Have their eye firmly set on the prize of a nice fat finder's fee ANDAre conveniently hiding behide the "I'm just the immigration guy" facade.As a result of this, I am getting a steady stream of affluent foreigners who've been recklessly steered toward an EB-5 permanent residency…a residency which will make them liable under U.S. law not only for their foreign earned income but for estate taxes AND capital gains …

I am happy to announce that after weeks of drafting content, site design, and review, Alejandro Barrere has unveiled a spectacular new site for our new consultancy, Private Placement Partners, LLC.  Check it out here.  PPP (the acronym  for the big old mouthful of a name I came up with) is a partnership betwee Alejandro, Joseph Chetty, and me, created to address the very specific and targeted marketing needs of clients seeking to raise foreign venture capital (FVC), whether via EB-5 planning, other investment based visa options, or no-visa FVC investors.  As you will see in the site bios, Joe (financial guru) and Alejandro (web guru) bring decades of specific domain expertise to our venture.  Me, uh…well…I guess I pretty much just bring my big mouth and love of…

WOW, what a seminar!  Brian Su's Houston event was, without a doubt, the singular most productive day I've had since immersing myself in EB-5dom, and that is not hyperbole.  The presentations were superb and we all learned a great deal.  (I, for one, finally understand a lot more of Dr. Scott Barnhart's econometric musings!)But the heart and soul of the event revolved around Brian's ability to pull together a very diverse group of folks from within the EB-5 sector, including various experts, agents, and Regional Center representatives.  The networking was invaluable for all of us.  And as I predicted, John Jiang, Managing Director of Henry Global Consulting Group, Ltd., one of China's biggest EB-5 agencies (and, I hastily add, one of very f…

[Note to Readers:  after trying every possible camera angle, lighting and HD resolution variation, I have come to the conclusion that despite the ease of presenting my blog as a video, it borders on cruelty to the viewer.  Accordingly, I am shelving my Peter Jennings aspirations and returning to the written word.]At the Doubletree in Houston — yes, I ate the warm chocolate chip cookie while it was still warm — getting ready for Brian Su's big event tomorrow:EB-5 Regional Center WorkshopI'm looking forward to all the speakers but I must admit that I am most eager to hear what John Jiang, Henry Global Group's U.S. Managing Director, has to say. HGG is one of the largest EB-5 agencies in China, with over 50 offices there and in the U.S. Unlike many of their counterp…