01/10/2026
Setting up a business in Germany looks straightforward—until you peek under the hood. There isn’t one “corporate tax rate,” there’s a stack: a national piece, a small add-on, and a local charge that shifts by city. For expats choosing between a GmbH and going solo, those layers matter. Pick the right postcode and structure, you […]
01/10/2026
Ask any American who’s settled in Italy what brought them here and you’ll hear the same themes: slower days, long mornings at the café, Mediterranean rhythms, the art, the food, and a sense that life runs on a different clock here. Most Americans living in Italy fall into a few camps: remote workers escaping high-cost […]
01/14/2026
Your laptop says “New York,” your laundry says “Lisbon.” Welcome to the club. Thanks to remote everything, plenty of people now work for a U.S. company while living in Spain, Japan, Canada—or wherever the Wi-Fi behaves. Here’s the catch: who you are (U.S. citizen, green card holder, non-U.S. hire, or freelancer) changes the rules. Payroll, […]
01/10/2026
The term “California exit tax” gets thrown around like it’s a cover charge to cross the Nevada line. It isn’t. What people are mixing up: (1) a rumor about paying just to leave, (2) splashy wealth-tax proposals that grabbed headlines but didn’t become law, and (3) the perfectly normal rule that California still taxes California-source […]
12/23/2025
Living abroad is great until rent, utilities, and “mystery building fees” start gnawing at your budget. The IRS does throw you a bone: if you live overseas long enough to qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, you may also get a break on housing—employees can exclude eligible costs, self-employed folks can deduct them. Think […]
01/18/2026
Inheriting cash or a flat in another country feels like winning the life lottery—right up until you remember the IRS has opinions. Here’s the good news: there’s no separate foreign inheritance tax under U.S. law. The less-good news: there are rules, forms, and deadlines, and the IRS would very much like you to follow them. […]
12/07/2025
If you’ve ever daydreamed about swapping rush hour traffic for toucans and monkeys, you’re not alone. Americans living in Costa Rica are discovering that the country’s famous pura vida philosophy isn’t just a slogan—it’s a lifestyle. Think year-round sunshine, beaches on both coasts, misty rainforests, and a daily pace that moves about as fast as […]
12/07/2025
Every year, more Americans pack up their lives and head across the pond, trading California sunshine for London drizzle—or at least for the promise of six weeks’ vacation. But living in the UK isn’t just about tea breaks and castles. For U.S. expats, international students, and digital nomads, that first year is often a whirlwind […]
12/03/2025
Not long ago, going without health insurance didn’t just mean taking a risk—it also meant paying the IRS. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), taxpayers without full-year coverage faced the “shared responsibility payment,” unless they qualified for an exemption. That’s where Form 8965 came in. Filing the form allowed taxpayers to claim a health coverage […]
12/01/2025
Here’s a fun fact no one tells you before moving abroad: you might end up paying into two social security systems at once—your host country and the U.S. Talk about double the paperwork, none of the fun. That’s where totalization agreements (a.k.a. international Social Security agreements) come in. These bilateral deals coordinate the U.S. system […]