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“It is so big on the outside but the reality is that it feels very small on the inside.” Said Raj who was describing how he feels after the first nine months of his expatriate assignment in the United States. Raj is from Delhi, India. His relocation came quickly and, like many expatriates, without sufficient preparation. His company provided him with a start date, a one-way ticket to Washington D.C. and a hotel for the first 30 days. From the moment he arrived he has been learning things as he goes. This prompted the realization that what he was truly experiencing was a very small aspect of his expatriate opportunity. Recognizing that he is in the United States and the ...

There’s always plenty to report on in the world of expats and international moving. It seems like every day brings challenges to life outside the U.S., however that doesn’t mean leaving your native country for life in a new and exciting place isn’t a positive experience – it just means you have to be more educated about the world and, as we know, that’s never a bad thing. Here are some of the latest news items to keep you up-to-date in the world of expats… Saving Less – Western Expats in UAE are Saving Less for Retirement A first-of-its-kind study recently revealed something that has been suspected by financial advisors, but never quantified by a study, until now. The first ...

If you’re a U.S. expat, or if you’re planning to retire/repatriate elsewhere, you may have heard some talk online, and in the media, about Bitcoins, read on…. If you aren’t totally sure what Bitcoins are, they are basically a type of currency based in a digital form. They’re safe, secure, portable – but not yet widely used. For a general overview, here’s a YouTube video posted by the people at Bitcoin: Advantages of Bitcoins Being a new currency in the digital age, there are definitely some advantages to using Bitcoins. These advantages don’t necessarily make the currency perfect in any sense, but they might provide you some promise if you’re looking for alternatives to traditional currencies. Advantages of Bitcoins include: ...

The spirit of travel and adventure certainly wasn’t born in America, but there’s no denying it as part of the fabric of our nation. As such, an appreciable percentage of the population chooses to travel, and often relocate permanently, to countries far away from the United States and the lifestyle and social benefits that come with life stateside. One of those social benefits is Medicare. The questions arise almost instantly for those who dream about travel after retirement – what do people who leave the United States do about Medicare coverage? Medicare, as a rule, does not provide health coverage outside of the United States. For practical purposes, this includes American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, the ...

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA) came into law in 2010 and has changed the way that the US focuses on tax reporting for US taxpayers residing, or holding assets, in foreign countries. The US Government claims that hundreds of billions of dollars are lost annually due to unpaid taxes by US taxpayers holding assets in foreign countries. The measure, approved by congress, is intended to recoup some of that money.  FATCA, already set into action and gaining traction around the world, will target non-compliance of tax law by U.S. taxpayers holding foreign accounts. The objective is the reporting of financial assets and the focus is on offshore assets, some types of foreign financial accounts and the compulsion of ...