I have just started up my own consultancy helping people protect their assets and businesses in Australia. I was lucky enough to be mentored by probably the best asset protection specialist in Australia and become part of his mastermind group. BTW this is not a plug, so I wont mention names. But one thing that never seems to stop amazing me is poeples beliefs about the saftey of their assests. I'm not just talking about property, i'm talking shares, business capital, cars (technically not an asset, but an investment none the less) jewelery, rare stamps ... you get the idea. People tend to think that they are generally safe from litigation and our wonderful legal and justice system in todays society. They think that its all rock solid because they have INSURANCE. The fact is that insurance companies, by their very nature, will try and get out of paying any claim, thats how they become multi-billion dollar mulinationals. They have all types of assesors to try and find a way out, and these guys are very well paid. They tend to shy away from things such as litigation and alleged criminal law suits. You'll find most policy fine print has an 'except when criminally negligent' clause to get them out of hot water when paying a claim. I'm not saying insurance isn't good.... its a great outer defence, but its not to be relied upon. The truth is many lives have been ruined by false lawsuits. People just a few years from retirement have it all taken away because sombody thought they would like a chunk of their hard-earned assests. Trying to change the 'It'll never happen to me' mentality is difficult because people still believe in the good in other people. But times are changeing. NSW Australia is in the top 3 most letigious states in the world, the other two in the USA. Just one look at the trials judge Judy deals with, anyone can see these cases are laughable, yet many times they trun out unjustly askew towards the payment of compensation. This is where fortunes are made and lost. By using some very simple yet effective strategies such as 'own nothing, control everything', the risk of ever being sued can be reduced to nil. Lawyers wont recommend going to court if they can see they are not going to get a penny, even if you are found guilty. So the trick is to take action before the anyone decides to sue, that way you can feel safe in knowing you are free to accumulate as much wealth as you like, and it will remain yours untill you say otherwise. Untill next time.