hi everybody, this is my first real post here on bmt. so here it goes...i am a usa citizen and always had the goal of being able to trade (mainly futures) from a nice overseas country for an extended period of time (years upon years). what country in your opinion would be ideal for this? i prefer somewhere in asia and was looking at either hong kong, philippines, or thailand. so here are some questions...if you can add any input to any of them, i would greatly appreciate it...

1) if i trade futures, is that income considered capital gains or foreign income?

2) any other countries i should consider? what foreign countries have the best tax rates for futures traders?

3) considering some countries do not have a capital gains tax like hong kong, is it better to set up an llc there as opposed to the usa? and if i set up an llc in hk, would i be able to get my own work visa? would i still be taxed in the usa even if my llc is in hk?

4) if i set up an llc in the usa and trade overseas in a country with no capital gains/foreign income tax, do i only get taxed by the usa?

5) in regards to question 4, i have read that if i am working overseas for more that 330 days, then i can exempt up around $80,000 usd for that tax year. is this correct?

i know all these questions should be for a tax specialist but this goal/dream is still pretty far off so i just want to get an idea from people who may know or have experience in the matter. i tried doing a bunch of research on the internet but a lot of it is pretty confusing and just not available in clear terms. anyways, from what i have gathered, i think i am leaning towards the philippines b/c they have a very simple retirement visa process available. anybody over 35 and a $10,000 refundable fixed deposit can get a retirement visa!! btw, i'm 38. all comments welcome and appreciated. thanks everyone...

Check this thread as well:

Best Caribbean or Central America location to retire? (Now with South America!) I'm planning to retire to the Caribbean. Since NexusFi (formerly BMT) has a lot of people from all over, I thought I could ask input from you guys on the advantages/disadvantages of certain locations (specifically if you live there or near by you …

Mike