Finding reliable and trustworthy banking services is an important part of living and working abroad, and expats will find that, in most countries, a range of options are available. You may wish to maintain a bank account at home, for paying bills and other activities, but you will probably also need a local bank account, … Read more

Ah, April… The month when spring starts to feel properly sprung. Gardens shake off the winter blues and come back to life, and lambs gambol around in the dew-strewn paddocks. At least that’s the storybook version; the grown-ups in the real world are often too busy stressing about tax returns to appreciate the wonders of … Read more

Thinking about moving to Australia? There’s a lot to recommend it! With stunning landscapes, friendly people and so much to see and do, Oz certainly has a lot to offer. In general, those in professional sectors can enjoy a higher wage than in many other metropolitan cities globally – however it’s essential to consider the … Read more

It’s that time of year again – tax time. The Australian financial year runs from 1 July to June 30. This is followed by a flurry of activity as people around the country begin scrambling for their receipts to begin what used to be a laborious process of filling out forms and following up on … Read more

On top of excellent career opportunities, Australia offers a very good quality of life, beautiful natural scenery, a lovely climate and impressive cities. This means that are lots of reasons to spend money and enjoy the opportunities available.However, expats should also appreciate that gaining a temporary residence visa, or even a long stay business visa, … Read more

The Australian government has set a limit of $500,000 (around £250,000) for non-concessional contributions, known as ‘after-tax’ contributions, for anyone contributing to an Australian pension. The idea is aimed at catching Australians who were boosting their pension funds with large contributions, particularly with the proceeds of a house sale, which they could then draw down … Read more

Expat retirees make up a considerable portion of expat populations around the world. For a variety of reasons, many people choose to spend a substantial portion of their retirement in foreign countries – they may have spent years working there, they may have some ancestral connection with the country, they may love the culture, or … Read more

Sydney used to be ranked as Australia’s most expensive city for expats. While that may still hold true, the good news is that the 2014 Mercer Cost of Living Survey indicates that it has dropped a whopping seventeen places from number nine to twenty-six. This fall in cost of living has occurred in other Australian … Read more

Where personal prosperity is concerned, Australia is no joke. It is currently one of the richest nations on the globe, and – as recently as 2011 – the World Bank’s annual economic forecast determined that Australia would “grow more rapidly [in 2012] than global high income countries as a whole.” (i) Meanwhile, Australia is placed … Read more