Get to know the authorThe over 9 million Americans who live overseas are natural adventurers, and ambassadors for their country. While living far from the land of your birth presents challenges as well as adventures, thankfully in the age of more or less global internet coverage, there are many resources that expats can take advantage of to find information and generally make life easier. In this article we look at the top 5 US expat resources in 2020.
1 – Expat Financial
Expat Financial primarily provides expat insurance services – health insurance, life insurance, disability insurance, and travel insurance. Expat Financial also provides a wealth of other general information for expats though, including a global, country by country healthcare guide, advice on living, working and retiring abroad, and a list of other resources of expats.
2 – Expat Buddy
Expat Buddy is a free app that lets expats connect with other like-minded expats locally. The app has seen a good take up among Digital Nomads in particular. Connecting with other expats when you arrive abroad can make the transition much smoother, and alongside sites such as Meetup and Internations, Expat Buddy facilitates this in a smoother and intuitive way.
3 – Transferwise
Transferwise is an international money transfer tool. It lets expats send money between 82 different countries easily, cheaply, quickly and securely. The way it works, expats can send money to a bank account in any of the countries where Transferwise operates, either using a debit card or local bank wire in any of the other countries. Transferwise’s currency exchange rates and fees are much lower than banks offer, saving expats several percentage points overall on every international transfer compared to using a bank. Registering and making a transfer takes just a few minutes.
Transferwise also offers free multicurrency business accounts, and multicurrency Mastercard debit cards that allow expats to receive and spend in different currencies and countries without incurring bank fees.
4 – Earth Class Mail
Earth Class Mail allows expats to receive mail in a virtual address in the US. The firm receives the mail and scans it so expats can view it as a pdf file in a secure account online. Expats can then decide whether to keep it or not.
Earth Class Mail will also deposit checks sent to expats in the States into a US bank account, a useful service for expats who run a business.
6 – Bright!Tax Blog
All American citizens are required to file US taxes, including expats, reporting their worldwide income. The Bright!Tax blog is an award-winning resource on US taxes for expats, containing over 650 searchable articles on the many different topics expats might seek information about, and the countries where expats live.
Filing US taxes from abroad can be complex though, so it’s always advisable for expats to seek advice from a specialist, who can help them to ensure that they’re not compliant, but as tax efficient as possible too.
