But as money bleeds out of the worldwide economy, many ordinary people are asking themselves why they are bank-rolling a system that doesn't work , and whether or not there is a way out. What these people are looking for is a safe and private haven for their money..

Does it exist?

Banking in Switzerland or the Cayman Islands may not offer the privacy is once did, but as attempts are made to water down their bank secrecy laws other alternative and 100% legal routes are springing up to offer world citizens the guarantee of safety and privacy which they deserve.

Now some of the best offshore accounts can be found in low-profile jurisdictions which are not signed up to any international tax or information-sharing agreements.

Another popular method is to use a professional nominee to open an offshore bank account for you. These can be pricey and may only be available in certain countries, but they can effectively shield your financial identity.

A similar but more economical method is to open an account in the name of an offshore company. While this will provide a a first line of defence in that the company name rather than your own appears on financial transactions, in 99% of cases banks will also need to know who you are and keep a record of it.

An alternative route being considered seriously by many investors is a treasury account. This involves depositing with a registered financial company which can hold your funds in their name, even though your funds are legally separate from those of the company. An account like this will offer the same benefits as any bank account, and sometimes many more. You can get multiple currency accounts, trade stocks anonymously and send almost unlimited transfers without burdensome red tape.

But surely the greatest advantage of this type of account is that is protects your privacy to the maximum extent possible in this day and age - and at less than the price of a standard offshore account it's unbeatable value.

Although it's getting harder to use offshore banking directly, there's still ways to set up the secret safe haven you deserve.