Financial Planning for Expatriates

As an expatriate, planning your finances can be confusing and complicated, particularly if you live and work in several countries during your lifetime. Each and every country has its own set of laws and regulations. Additionally, the quality of advice in many countries may be poor and entirely unsuitable for your needs, particularly if you intend to relocate out of your current country of residence in the future.

Some of the potential complications include:-

Retirement Planning

It can be difficult to know for how long you may be living and working in a foreign country, particularly if you have been posted abroad by your employer. It may be that during your working life you take on several expatriate postings in several different countries or you may be retiring permanently to a foreign country with retirement entitlements and investments from back home.

Investment Planning

Many investments bought in countries such as The UK, Italy, France, Australia and Canada will continue to be taxed even if you are no longer resident. Additionally when you are no longer resident for tax purposes in your country of origin, it is often impossible to purchase additional investments or make ongoing adjustments to your portfolio.

Protection Planning

If you have taken out an insurance policy in your home country, you may be paying for something which does not cover you and your family in your current country of residence. Additionally, if you have direct investments in several countries it is highly unlikely that any will written in your home country will cover these.

Tax Planning

If you have bought investments whilst living overseas then these may not have the same tax treatment in your next country of residence or when you retire to your country of choice. Have you considered that your country of residence may not be your country of domicile for estate or inheritance taxes and that your loved ones could be paying a larger than necessary tax bill.

Consistent Ongoing Help and Advice