Assuming you are based in the US, an offshore corp ain't going to help and could be more of a real pain in the ass in future.
If you are not a US citizen, offshore corps are ... pretty nice *g* and can be used to purchase property almost anywhere (Bagdad ain't hot real estate right now!).
One of the fundamentals of offshore is asset protection - no asshole can take your corp or it's assets. Only you have control of bank accounts (wherever they may be!) and asset details.
Contrary to some myths, offshore formation agents and lawyers need not have any knowledge of either asset details or bank accounts. In fact, it has nothing to do with em.
There is a four rule guide on this...
(a) Incorporation in an offshore in X jurisdiction
(b) One or more.. as many as you like, bank accounts in anywhere but X jurisdiction.
(c) Your interest in the offshore corp is *never" disclosed to any party. If you need to play games "talking" about it, - get another offshore shell to talk about :-)
(d) Your 'playground" - or where you actually stay or have residence is not in the jurisdiction of the offshore. Nor is it in your country of citizenship.
The above is fine for citizens of almost all countries, with the exception of the US, Lybia and UAE. Unfortunatley these three countries don't offer their citizens freedoms in this area.
Dunno if that is what ya want to hear, but hope it helps!
