Tax Treaties for Residency Status and Cross-Border Tax Planning

Commentators have expressed concern that stocks could be getting too expensive, with some predicting that if the trend continues it could lead to an unwelcome and “nasty” correction*. This follows both the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 recently hitting historic highs, while the Dow is only a half-percentage point rise from the same.

Edward Yardeni, a respected analyst of many years’ experience, recently released his market brief for November 2019 and warned that if the S&P forward earnings multiple reaches 19 or 20 – it is currently at 17, while a figure of 15 to 16 is more typical – it could be a sign that equities are significantly overvalued.

Retirement planning for most is about ensuring that we are safe, secure, happy and, hopefully, free of financial worries in our later years, while for some it is also about providing a legacy for heirs, whether family, friends or charity.

But in the United States achieving these goals is notoriously difficult. Not only do US citizens have to worry about the cost of healthcare, they also have to deal with a demanding Internal Revenue Service that can sometimes seem to undermine their goals.

It’s little wonder then that many of the most enterprising and adventurous Americans choose to retire abroad. Not only can such a move be a rewarding new chapter in people’s lives, it can also offer practical financial benefit – for example, access to free or affordable healthcare and a wealth of investment opportunity, especially in regard to pensions. It can also improve health in other ways as countries like Spain, Portugal, Italy, Japan and the Nordic and West African nations all have national diets that are proven to be very healthy – by contrast the US ranks last among industrialised nations in terms of the healthiness of its diet.