Quote:
Originally Posted by twostep
Marti I assume you had help for your visa process. What surprises me is that potential issues such as income reporting were not brought to your attention.
|
While many job transfers take things like income taxes into account, I don't think I've ever really heard of any expat getting upfront financial advice to explain the differences between the cultures.
I moved over here to France and have a US IRA and 401K back in the US. Even at a tax seminar here in Paris, organized by some hot shot (and VERY expensive) dual qualified (French and American) tax attorneys, they were very vague on how to handle the US retirement accounts for French taxes (particularly the wealth tax here). I happened onto a section of French tax law that keeps my retirement funds out of consideration (at least for now) for my French taxes - by declaring them as a form of life insurance.
It's not easy knowing what "oddities" of US tax law a newly arrived foreigner needs to know. And once he's sold the stock (or whatever) it's often not possible to shelter the transaction.
Quote:
|
Bev - what is so shocking about not making the US one's center of life?
|
You forgot to add a
- When you don't live there, it's amazing what a strange place it can seem.
Cheers,
Bev