About The Client
The client is a high-ranking professional working for Total, a supermajor oil and gas company, and has worked for other supermajor oil and gas companies in the past. Currently, the Client resides in France. The nature of the Client’s career requires frequent relocation.
The Client has been with us since 2003. In that time, the client has relocated multiple times, including to Denmark and the Middle East.
The Context
Since the tax laws of a country may favour a certain investments over others, every time the client relocates, their portfolio had to be updated. This had to be done while keeping in mind the client’s risk appetite and financial goals.
We had to research and understand the tax laws of each country the client relocated to in order to ascertain that they did not impede their targeted return.
This was crucial to ensuring that these shifts didn’t interrupt the client’s ability to realise their financial goals.
The Problem
Due to the nature of their work, the client was often relocated internationally. This meant that their portfolio was constantly subject to drastically new tax laws and economic policies.
In some cases, this meant that the return on a whole class of assets could be drastically minimised or even made negligible due to a relocation.
When the client resided in the Middle East, investing in MFs was a lucrative option. However, the same did not apply once the client moved to Denmark as one was required, by law, to pay tax on notional gains as well.
The Solution
Keeping our strategy up to date with the relevant tax laws and economic policies of each country the client shifted to was top priority. Therein, we were able to pre-empt any major disruption to the client’s investments and plan around them.
In light of our research, we realised that moving the client to a PMS, wherein the securities are held entirely in the client’s name, unlike MFs where it is a pooled investment, would be better aligned to Denmark’s economic policies.
By conducting the whole process with our trademark honesty and transparency, we were able to create a successful investment strategy that sustained the client’s ability to achieve their financial goals.
Things That Matter
We took it upon ourselves to proactively research and understand the different economic policies and tax laws in each country, and the options available to the client there.
We had built enough trust with the client that the client was open to us handling their finances even in new geographies.
Value Additions
Due to the nature of the client’s professional role and the constant relocation it necessitated, currency volatility was an important aspect to consider, aside from just the returns.
Taking this into consideration, we offered the client a platform that would cater to global markets rather than restricting them to the options available in India