IAM Blog

In June, and again in August 2021, US brokerage firm Wells Fargo sent letters to many of its clients living outside the USA saying that they need to move their accounts to another brokerage firm by the end of September 2021. The letter states in part that “Wells Fargo...

Around nine million Americans live abroad, and thousands more join them every year. The most common reason why Americans move abroad is for a work placement, though others move abroad due to a sense of adventure or for romantic reasons.   Moving abroad can have a...

US expats looking for financial advice are faced with a number of options. Financial advisors for expats who offer investment advice can be broadly divided into two groups though: those that comply with a Fiduciary Standard, and those that comply with a Suitability...

Since January 1st 2018, any person or firm advising an EU resident, including US expats living in EU countries, regarding certain investments has to comply with new EU-wide laws known as the PRIIPs regulation.   What is a PRIIP?   A PRIIP is a Packaged...

US expats living in the EU are subject to EU-wide laws as well as national laws in the country where they live. One recent EU law that came into force that affects US expat investors living in the EU is General Data Protection Regulation, more often known as GDPR....

Merrill Lynch has recently been sending letters to many of their US citizen clients living outside the USA saying that their accounts will be closed as of October 1, 2016. The letter typically states the following: We have conducted an extensive review of our non-US...

Over the last few years I have written a number of articles on why US brokerage firms are closing accounts for American citizens living outside the USA and how we help those affected address the situation. It seems the severity of this issue is increasing. Recently...

Dealing with financial matters has become increasingly difficult for US citizens living outside the USA over the last few years as a result of what is called FATCA (Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act), which has led to both US and non-US financial institutions being...

It is estimated that there are between six and seven million U.S. citizens living outside the USA. As many formerly “emerging” markets become more developed Americans are finding that life in places like Ecuador, Uruguay, and Thailand may offer a good standard of...

If you have worked in the United States it is likely that you have paid into a US retirement account such as an IRA (Individual Retirement Arrangement) or a 401k (a company-sponsored retirement plan). The question arises as to what should be done with such an account...

Many US citizens living abroad have recently been contacted by their US brokerage firms to inform them that their accounts have either been frozen such that they can no longer change their investments or that they need to close their accounts entirely. Even large...

The IRS is at it again – making life more difficult for US citizens living abroad in its zeal to rake in tax dollars. A few years ago the IRS launched a major effort to combat money-laundering and tax evasion by US taxpayers using non-US financial accounts. No doubt...

If you have worked in the United States it is likely that you have paid into a US pension account such as an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) or a 401k (an occupational pension plan). The question arises as to what should be done with such an account once you give...

For the better part of this year investment markets have been largely trendless. There have been many ups and downs but no clear breakout to either the down-side or the up-side. The current state of things, a slowing and fragile economy in Europe as well as issues...

In the current low-interest-rate environment prevalent in many developed market economies it makes little sense to park one’s investment money in conservative fixed income investments that offer poor yields; perhaps even yields lower than expected inflation rates....

You have worked hard to build a nest egg and would like to invest your money in order that it work for you to provide for the lifestyle you desire; but while searching for investments or investment advisors you find it difficult to know who to trust or which...

15 October, 2002 I cannot think of a worse financial situation to be in than to have been retired and heavily invested in the stock market during the years 2000, 2001, and 2002. From the end of March 2000 to the end of September 2002 the Dow Jones fell 30%, the...