Expat Wealth - Cross-Border Financial Advice for Expats in America and Americans Abroad

Many green card holders mistakenly believe they are no longer liable for US taxes after expiration. Properly relinquishing a green card requires completing Form I-407. If this is news to you (or you’ve never heard of this form) then you better listen to this week’s Ask An Expert.  Richard Taylor is joined once again by Virginia La Torre Jeker, a member of the NYS Bar since 1984 and preeminent US t...

You might already have missed the market bounce-back. That’s the warning from Richard Taylor and James Boyle in this From The Trenches episode of We're the Brits in America, where they break down the latest market movements and what they mean for investors and, in particular, expats.  With a mix of market updates and personal insights, they explore why staying invested during turbulent times is cr...

There are tax changes coming in the UK - new rules replacing the domicile system with a tax residency-based system. This could affect your inheritance tax exposure, among others if you’ve been out of the UK for over 10 years.  To find out what it all means, Richard Taylor welcomes back Aidan Grant, a partner specialising in Tax and Trust Estates Planning at the law firm Collier Bristow. Aidan advi...

The ‘Magnificent Seven’ (that’s Alphabet, NVIDIA, Amazon and the rest of the tech giants) currently make up over a third of the entire S&P 500. This is a problem for long-term investors because – as we saw when Chinese GPT DeepSeek got released in January – billions can be wiped off their valuation overnight. Are they overvalued as it is?  To discuss this and all the market movers from the start o...

In the UK, the five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 7.3%. In the US, it’s 13%.  This is a very special episode of Always An Expat, and a slight departure from the usual format, but it’s an important story to tell. Keith Hunt, a Scottish-born geophysicist, was working for Shell when, in 2022, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was detected early, in part due to his proactive ap...

Market pullbacks are necessary for long-term health. But what’s the best way to deal with them? Discussing it are James Boyle and Richard Taylor, back for another episode of the podcast. ‘I welcome a wobble right now’ says Richard.  Find out why, plus much more, in this week’s From The Trenches. You’ll hear discussion on the dangers of performance chasing, the value of diversification, and the imp...

An accountant moves to the US in the 1980s with a portfolio of non-U.S. mutual funds (classified as PFICs under US tax law). Decades later and the portfolio has grown significantly, but is never reported under the US PFIC rules. Assuming it was taxed like a standard investment, the accountant has blindly walked into an 80% penalty, lost to taxes and interest. This cautionary tale highlights the cr...

2024 was a year of volatility. Despite this, the S&P 500 finished the year 28% up – that’s on top of a 70% gain from the 2022 low. As always, the learning from this is that you just need to stay invested. Nobody knows what 2025 has in store but avoiding attempts to time the market will save you a lot of headache. To speculate on 2025 and wrap up the year that was 2024, Richard and James are back i...

You don’t want to be arguing with the IRS. But, if it comes to it, there are some defences. One is reasonable cause. For cross-border financial and tax obligations, it’s important to know it.  Richard Taylor asks an expert for their take on this. The expert is Virginia Jeker, a seasoned U.S. international tax attorney, and she talks about what it takes to successfully argue reasonable cause when f...

For Brits moving to America, there’s a rude awakening when it comes to healthcare. The NHS, with its free and universal coverage, might not be perfect, but it spares you from the endless choices, staggering costs, and fine print that define the U.S. system. Here, every doctor’s visit, every test, every prescription comes with a price - and for many, those prices are eye-watering. Retiring in Ameri...

It’s been a busy couple of weeks of high-stakes decisions and shifting landscapes. Richard and James jump right back into the trenches in the aftermath of the U.S. election, reflecting on the decisive results and how stability, even if brief, has brought some clarity to markets and investors alike. From here, they pivot to the UK budget shake-up, addressing the anxiety it’s sparked across the pond...

Transferring large amounts of money overseas can incur significantly large fees, if you go through the banks. FX brokers offer faster transactions, better fees and higher security. So how do they do it? And how much is there to be saved? This week for Ask An Expert, Richard is joined by FX broker David Nixon, Senior Partnerships Manager at Currencies Direct.  They explore the process, benefits and...

The S&P 500 recently closed at 5,750, up 20% year-to-date and in defiance of gloomy predictions of a recession late last year. The market is up 60% since the closing low in October 2022. The September jobs report showed 254,000 net new jobs, exceeding expectations and demonstrating continued strength in the labor market, despite slight softening in jobless claims. So what does this mean for you an...

“I don't want a valuable life lesson, I just want an ice cream.” Those are the immortal words spoken by Bluey, beloved Blue Heeler puppy from Australia. We can all relate, but when it comes to Australian/American cross-border financial planning, a life lesson might be what you need. You can have an ice cream afterwards. To deliver the lesson, Richard is joined by Ashley Murphy, founder of Arete We...

CPI increased by 0.2% in August, putting the year-over-year rate at 2.5%. So, inflation is stabilising and we can all celebrate? Possibly. The U.S. added 142,000 jobs last month too, leading to a slight decline in the unemployment rate. What does this mean for markets? Richard and James are back in the trenches, to bring you the latest cross-border financial advice. What does the CPI data tell us?...

Working with cross-border attorneys who have expertise in both US and UK law is crucial for navigating the complexities of international estate planning. Luckily, we’ve got one here. Paula Jones is a cross-border estate planning attorney. She’s the principal and founder of Jones Estate Group, a law firm based in Philadelphia that serves clients across the US and internationally.  Richard and Paula...

With inflation easing to 2.9% for the first time in two years, we're now entering a particularly critical phase in the economic recovery. Richard and James are back in the trenches to guide you through it. As always, it’s about sticking to your investment plan during these volatile times. What’s been the impact of interest rates on spending? Richard and James speculate that higher interest rates h...

Do you know enough about living trusts? They’re a tax-neutral and effective tool in the US to avoid probate – BUT they can have severe UK tax implications for UK domiciliaries. Probate can be time-consuming, costly and cumbersome – especially in New York and California – so it makes sense to avoid if you can.  To explore the options, Richard is joined once again by Aidan Grant, a senior associate...

James and Richard are back once again in the financial trenches. The UK election is done and dusted, but there’s still much to discuss.  The US elections are approaching and, as always, with them fears of a market downturn. Having a systematic investment plan during these volatile times is essential, as James explains. It can be difficult to go against our ingrained emotional and psychological imp...

A complex web of unique tax obligations could cost you millions – if you don’t know how to navigate it.  In recent years, as global mobility has increased, so have the financial details for expats. The UK’s inheritance tax system, with its comparatively low exemption thresholds, poses significant challenges for Brits who’ve amassed substantial assets in the States. Whilst the US offers more genero...

The US taxation system is unique, complex and significantly different from the UK’s. It demands proactive compliance due to its stringent reporting requirements and severe penalties for failing to do so.   There’s a lot of noise in this space and a million different situations you could find yourselves in – that’s why it’s important to seek out cross-border tax experts for their niche advice.   Th...

Richard Taylor recaps recurrent themes and issues he’s seen throughout his career as a financial planner, as well as the principles that he’s built up to tackle them head on. Rich imparts practical advice on several key points which he says are fundamental to his belief system and are key to successful financial planning, making it in America, and living a fulfilling life. We're the Brits in Ameri...

“You have to treat it as a foreign country; you have to make the same kind of preparation for market entry as if you were preparing to go into India or Indonesia or somewhere else.”  That’s a quote from Duncan Edwards, guest on this episode of WTBIA. Despite the cultural similarities, treat the US like any foreign market – do your prep. Duncan is the CEO of the British American Business, a leading...

Richard Taylor and James Boyle are back, bringing  you the latest reports and their unfiltered takes on what’s going in the world of US/UK cross-border investing and financial planning.  Rich and James start with a look at how the markets behaved in May, which was generally very positive. As said many times on the show before, it’s important not be reactive or make emotional investment decisions....

Richard Taylor and Sean Kearney are in the trenches, giving you the latest reports and their unfiltered takes on what’s going in the world of investing and financial planning. Sean is the founder of Amvoy Wealth, an Irish/American financial planning and investment management firm based in Dublin and New York City.  You need to understand dual taxation. The US and Irish tax systems shouldn’t be vie...