How many trillions of American money are in offshore accounts? Any good guesses?

[Quixote1818]

I must say that now whenever I get into a debate about our debt, it's so easy to point to Romney only paying 13% in taxes or less as to WHY we are in so much fucking debt! So this got me wondering how much American money there really is out there in Switzerland and the Cayman islands so ass hole crooks who are not the least bit patriotic can avoid paying taxes.

Thoughts?

[HooptieWagon]

1. I read an article a couple weeks ago that estimated the figure at $13 trillion.

Seems high to me, but its def a lot.

[Quixote1818]

2. I googled that number and found this article.

21 Trillion but that is not just the United States.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/frederickallen/2012/07/23/super-rich-hide-21-trillion-offshore-study-says/

[HooptieWagon]

3. Apparently the figure article cited is world wide.

So 13 trillion for Americans might be close. That's about what the national debt is... I guess we now know where the money went.

[Quixote1818]

4. Yes, 13 trillion sounds about right to me to. nt

[BadgerKid]

5. Bush's discontinuation of tracking the M3 money supply

has always bothered me. M3 includes deposits of eurodollars (basically CDs held in offshore bank accounts). I can't look it up right now to check for it order of magnitude.