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Guides
Deep, sourced guides to the money side of living abroad as an American: taxes, transfers, banking, and investing. Every figure is sourced and dated; none of it is advice.
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Best countries for American expats: taxes, cost & healthcare compared
A side-by-side of all 8 destination guides (tax treaty, totalization, special regimes, top rates, and banking), plus "best for" picks.
Read the comparison
~$130,000
foreign earnings the FEIE can exclude from US tax
FEIE vs the Foreign Tax Credit: which saves Americans abroad more?
The decision framework, an interactive helper, worked examples, and the traps (5-year lock-out, lost Child Tax Credit, self-employment tax).
Read the guide$10,000
combined account balance that triggers an FBAR filing
FBAR & FATCA explained: what every American abroad must file
The $10,000 FBAR threshold, the higher FATCA Form 8938 limits, deadlines, the steep penalties, and a quick "do I need to file?" checker.
Read the guide1-3%
the spread a typical bank hides in your exchange rate
The cheapest way to move money abroad (Wise vs banks vs brokers)
Why the exchange-rate spread, not the visible fee, is the real cost, and which option wins for small recurring transfers vs a relocation lump sum.
Read the guideFATCA
why some foreign banks turn Americans away at the door
How to open a bank account abroad as a US citizen (the FATCA problem)
Why some foreign banks reject Americans, what each country needs (NIF, NIE, CURP, Anmeldung), and the multi-currency workaround you can set up before you move.
Read the guideRestricted
what a foreign address can do to your US brokerage account
Can Americans keep their US brokerage account abroad?
Why brokers restrict accounts with a foreign address, the expat-friendly fallback, and why you must avoid foreign funds (PFICs).
Read the guideForm 8621
the paperwork that makes foreign funds a US tax nightmare
PFICs explained: why US expats must avoid foreign mutual funds & ETFs
The punitive default tax on non-US funds, the Form 8621 paperwork, how local wrappers (ISA, TFSA, assurance-vie) become traps, and the fix.
Read the guide15.3%
the self-employment tax the FEIE never touches
Self-employment & quarterly taxes for American digital nomads
Why the FEIE doesn’t erase self-employment tax, how totalization agreements decide who you pay, and handling quarterly 1040-ES estimates.
Read the guide85%
the maximum share of benefits the IRS can tax
Retiring abroad on US Social Security: what gets taxed, and where
Where the SSA can pay you, how benefits are taxed (and how treaties change that), the Medicare-stops-at-the-border surprise, and totalization.
Read the guideSticky
some states keep taxing you abroad until you cut domicile
Do American expats still pay state taxes? (the sticky-state problem)
Federal FEIE/FTC do nothing for state taxes. How domicile works, the "sticky" states, and establishing a no-tax-state domicile before you leave.
Read the guideIn the pipeline
- US property & rental income abroad: how it’s taxed
- Renouncing US citizenship & the exit tax explained
- US estate & gift tax for expats and mixed-nationality couples
Also useful: the transfer cost tool and the country guides.