There are vast books written on this subject, many by renowned academics and economists. It has been said, with some justification, that one needs a PhD to understand many of them. Don’t worry! This short article isn’t going to start debating history, politics and the economic theory but rather it will look at some day-to-day … Read more
by Joe Lopez from The Rights Group in Spain Spain and the Costa del Sol in particular, has been a favourite destination for legitimate and some not so legitimate UK nationals for many years. The last five years have seen a property explosion on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca with new construction projects … Read more
Recently one of our visitors enquired about what appeared to be the double taxation of his UK service pension in Germany. As this is a concern which might be shared by a number of expats in a similar situation we thought it might be useful to reproduce the question (anonymously) and the reply from a … Read more
The old saying about “death and taxes” is much overused, but it’s also pretty true. Wherever you are in the world and whatever the political makeup of the local government, you can be sure that if they agree with the UK on nothing else they WILL agree on the need to tax people. Some cynics … Read more
One of the primary considerations when thinking of international or overseas retirement is healthcare and medical insurance cover. Many USA citizens already are very familiar with medical and health insurance at home but have little knowledge of how such plans work overseas, or even of the standard of medical facilities, hospitals, doctors and so on, … Read more
by Alan Forsyth Understanding the Opportunity Cost of any decision you make is critical – to ensure you make the best choices to maximise your profits, long term earnings. While most investors have got involved in property investing because they understand the opportunities to make money through leverage and capital growth or high yields, I … Read more
Submitted by an Expat Focus reader Early on in our relationship, I decided to impress my would-be husband. I enrolled in a course on financial issues – learning all about bull markets, bear markets and share prices. I spent 12 weeks sitting in the hall of the Australian Stock Exchange learning about dividends and options. … Read more
Most of us would love to be able not to worry about our monthly finances or the cost of living. Assuming for a moment that you’re not one of the super-rich, it’s probably a fair bet that you’ve researched the cost of living in your new home country or the country you’re thinking about moving … Read more
by Lucy Peacock from Home Espana Spanish tax laws are often confusing for Spaniards and non-Spaniards alike. Capital Gains Tax (CGT) – the tax which you must pay on the profits from selling your home in Spain – is no exception. The following is a brief overview of the rules, which we hope will allow … Read more
One of the most common answers given when expats are asked why they’re moving overseas is that they want to change their way of life and experience the culture of another country. It’s always a little odd therefore, to find that many seem very reluctant to change their bank as part of their international relocation. … Read more