I just want the protection of an offshore foundation. Do I need a corporation as well?
You don't need a corporation for your foundation if you are not conducting, for profit, active business (passive investments include stock trading is ok). Having said that, if your money trail leads straight to your foundation bank account thats not good. The very first rule of asset protection is that your stockpile of money should not be at the end of the money trail. So if you were to just wire the money directly into your foundation account, it will leave a trail that leads straight to your money. Secondly, a wire from a US bank account directly to Panama bank account might not be your wisest choice. At a minimum you should wire the money to a respected country like Canada first, and then on through to Panama. Call for details.