I have seen many ads for mybaggage on IG but not able to find reviews on their service. Anyone here used them? What was your experience? They claim to ship door to door in 3 days. I am in the U.S. shipping to KL. Thanks.

Anyone in KL to recommend a GP or Internal Med doctor for US female in 50s? I am still looking into international medical insurance but will likely not get one and pay out of pocket. I will live in the Mont Kiara area. Thank you.

Hi guys - Somewhat of a weird question. But with all the turmoil and uncertainty in the US right now I am wanting to spread some cash around to other countries in other currencies to hedge against anything crazy here.

I am guessing some of you might have experience with this. I have worked in the past in several countries and had bank accounts when there, but I believe in most of them I had to use my work visa/and residence to do this. Thailand/Canada/HK.

Any feedback or tips would be great.

Can anyone recommend any? I was looking at this one https://panamarelocationtours.com/?\_gl=1\*lv8cao\*\_up\*MQ..\*\_gs\*MQ..&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwOe8BhCCARIsAGKeD55gUpawzX4r2t-X2sa5Ps4rM0MMWBLV-sB8iYvuveW3uYcjjsd6DLoaAhmKEALw\_wcB Is anybody familiar with them? Would you recommend. While I'm here, I am looking to retire on my Social Security (fingers crossed it still exists when I need it) and want to relocate to any place that won't tax me on it as an expat. So Panama and Costa Rica are on the list. But I'm open to recommendations.

What was most helpful in your budgeting and planning?

I'm a US Citizen with 1 Million in assets. Are there any recommendations for cities that I can move to? Right now I'm in Brooklyn.

I'm looking for cities that most closely fit these preferences:

• Good cycling infrastructure

• Young / Artistic Population

• Vegan Friendly

• Affordable Rent (< 1.5K Euro / Month)

Any ideas?

SO and I are trying to decide where to spend our retirement. We are both EU nationals.

What's important to us: good healthcare system (we are indeed retiring - paying for private insurance is not a problem if it gets you a better service), good weather, advantageous taxes on capital gain and pension.

We have a withdrawal rate of around €3.5/4k net/month and will have around 450k from the sale of our house here to invest in a new property where we will live.

We are both Italian nationals from the south, so we are indeed used to shitty driving and super hot summers (35-40°), although we could do with a slightly cooler environment.

We are also open to other countries not listed in the title if they fit within these requirements.

We have enough now to travel and enjoy a retired life, but not comfortably with the house costs (mortgage, utilities, taxes, insurance, upkeep...) included in the budget.

So we either keep working, or sell the house and all our stuff and retire.

So, do any of you that have done the latter regret it? Do you miss your home? What have you done to create the sense of home if you don't have one?

Note, we are about 5-7 years away if we keep the house, so it's not a ton longer and the house is nice for not much (less than $1800, including <3% mortgage).

For those of you who have already retired abroad, how close was your actual spend compared to expectations? One if the big disadvantages of ExpatFIRE is that moving abroad usually involves a large change in your spending, whereas regular FIRE is simpler because you can just estimate based on your current spending.

Predicting your spend in another country is challenging because it’s hard to predict what lifestyle changes it might come with, and you may be used to living very different lives than the locals. There’s also the risk that you’ve underestimated some costs for things you didn’t even know about.

So how close did you get? And what things did you get wrong, and what things did you get right?

I am very worried about myself and my future. Living here is destroying all my dreams.

Context: I graduated in Interior Design this year. I want to do a master's degree, but first (this year) I wanted to do an internship. Post-graduate internships are paid by law (500 euros a month…..a real bloodbath for companies and studios I guess ….)

In 5 months, I sent around 80 CVs and portfolios around, even to other cities. I had 6 interviews: they made me go to their city (in one case even 3 hours of travel, so 6 hours of travel in total), the interviews went well, and when they received the papers to sign they backed out. Why? Because it wasn't clear to them that optional post-graduate internships are paid by law.

I'm going crazy from all the research gone up in smoke and essentially being unemployed. I'm waking up at night trying to find other places to send my portfolio because of the anxiety, and I can't take it anymore.

If it's so hard to find a low-paying internship here, how hard will it be to find a real job? It makes me sick to think about it already.

Since I want to continue studying in October, I would like to take the opportunity to do it abroad. In the meantime, I would like to look for a serious ( I mean in any sector but full time ) summer job right away.

I have already sent my application to two universities: in Denmark and Estonia.

Languages I speak: English, Italian. Just the basics of German and Spanish

The problem is that I don’t dream of a particular place, I just want to be in a place where I don’t have to worry so much about my future and where I can seriously commit to my work. I know I will always worry about my future anywhere like anyone, but it can't be like this everywhere. Italy is a black hole.

What are some places that have better living conditions and more opportunities?

I am 24yo and am currently dating someone who I will most likely marry and settle down with. We want at least one kid.

My end goal is to be able to move to asia and either retire or semi-retire somehow. I work in engineering, and my bf is in school but will work as a PT.

I’ve been putting 10% into my 401k and 20% into a HYSA to try and build up a nice emergency fund. I plan to adjust how I save after my fund reaches like 25k. I have a couple of stock investments into tech but they haven’t really been making me any money.

Since I am vietnamese, and my bf is chinese we are thinking of moving to either one of those countries to retire. We love the food, culture, and lifestyle and can speak the languages. I’ve visited vietnam before and loved it. I felt more alive. My mom also thinks I should try and retire in vietnam (which is what she is doing in a few years)

What advice could you give me to make sure I can retire comfortably in 20 years?

I want to build my life up again but after being back in the states, it's gonna take forever here. I found a way to get me almost anywhere but I want to be a little wiser. What's the most affordable country to become closer to financial independence? Is it fairly safe? Even for a female solo traveler? What are the apartments like or other places to live like there? What should I be aware of before going? Forgot to add that I'll be doing remote work, too. So I'll be making USD. Thanks!

Hi expats,

I am a USA citizen who lives overseas. In 2024 I earned USA-sourced W2 income, but haven't spent any time in the USA in 2024. I am planning to claim Foreign Earned Income Exclusion on my 2024 taxes.

Do you know if I can still request Form 6166 (Certification of U.S. tax residency) for 2024? And if yes, is there any difference between a Form 6166 issued to a person who lives in the USA and one that lives abroad and spends zero days per year in the USA?

Thanks!

hellloooo!

we are moving with portugal’s golden visa via investment.

wondering if anyone has experience with global citizen solutions, henley & partners, or EU seguros? or if you did it yourself?

did you like working with them? what is your review? TIA

Welcome to the ExpatFIRE weekly discussion thread. This thread may be used for discussions which don't merit their own post, or which might not otherwise survive moderation - Cost of living, visa, travel or other discussions without explicit link to FI, but of interest to seekers of Expat FIRE.

All ExpatFIRE rules still apply-- it is only moderation which is slightly relaxed.

I’m in a complicated situation regarding my visa status, and I’m looking for advice or insights from anyone who has been in a similar position.

I’m from Brazil, and my visa here has expired (1 year) due to personal and delicate reasons. I tried to regularize my situation, but I didn’t want to take certain jobs, and eventually, the “manifestation of interest” period ended, leaving me with no options to stay legally.

Now, my only choice seems to be returning to Brazil to apply for Portuguese citizenship (my great-grandfather was Portuguese, so I need to go through my father first and then myself).

My main concerns are: — What should I expect at immigration when leaving the country? — Would it be better to exit through Spain, given the political situation? — Has anyone experienced something similar or heard about what happens in these cases? — Is it worth trying to regularize my status before leaving, considering I can’t afford a potential fine?

I’d really appreciate any advice, shared experiences, or tips on how to handle this. PS: I don’t need any moral judgement, since I am aware of that.

First time post here and would appreciate anyone's insight. I'm 50M, single and no kids with approximately $2M NW (Brokerage, 401K) and will be receiving a $7K/mo pension starting this year. Will receive (hopefully) SS starting at 62 in the amount of $2K/mo. Love Spain, Italy, Greece and SEA. Would I be able to afford living comfortably in any of these locations?

Edit: Thanks to everyone for their input! To clarify, living comfortably doesn't necessarily mean luxury, but I would lean towards that if the climate/safety of the location is good.

Hello,

I'm currently based in Amsterdam and hold a Spanish and British passport. I have around 500k in stock invested in ETFs and stock. Thanks to a tax-exemption in the Netherlands (30% tax ruling), I'm exempt from Dutch income tax on bank accounts, shares and other investments.

I'm considering moving to Spain in 2 years, where I can benefit from a similar tax exemption (Beckham Law) for 6 years. But I'm wondering if I should be thinking long term.

Could I open an offshore holding company in Singapore where I can move my investments? Like a loan or deposit. I read that you need a local address and director, but online providers can do this for you. For example: https://swiftly.sg/#pricing

This company will manage all my investments, and I believe Singapore doesn't have tax capital gains or dividends. Is anyone doing something like this?

If so, could I pay myself back in dividends when I want to early retire?

I know the rules of this sub, and just to be clear - I'll only do this if it's legal.

Thanks for your help!

I have 2 HSA accounts (HealthEquity, Optum) and due to a recent change, I have an option to move them to Fidelity HSA.

I am planning to move outside the US in a year, and would like to make the HSA decision to optimize for international use.

How easy/hard is it to deal with Fidelity HSA for international medical expense claims? If you have experience with HealthEquity or Optum HSA when living internationally, any feedback on them would also be useful. Thanks in advance!

Hi all, long-time reader here! Been looking to pull the trigger this year, wanted some feedback for my plans to see if I missed anything.

First and foremost, I don't plan to stop working long-term. I have enough connections in SE Asia where I can more or less find a full-time or part-time job if needed - though with a lower salary ceiling than the US. I spent 5 years living/working in Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore - so I feel quite comfortable with the region already.

Stats

• ~$1M in investments (401k, IRA, brokerage)
• ~$50k in emergency funding
• ~$80k to spend on living costs for the next few years
• No kids, no debt, no mortgage, currently single

Plan

• Spend 6 months bouncing around PH/MY/VN/TH/ID, finding a new home base and community
• Afterwards, commit to a home-base for 2-5 years (most likely Manila or Kuala Lumpur)
• Spend time with friends/hobbies, start a family, and consulting if money is needed

Budget ($3-4k/mo)

• $1,250 Fun Fund (traveling, gadgets, etc)
• $1,000 Rent
• $1,000 Food and Health
• $750 Recurring costs (phone bills, etc)

My concerns: I feel monetarily safe for the next 2-5 years, but after that time period scares me a bit. With costs of starting a family, health, aging parents, and other unknowns - I'm not sure if this is the right time to leave my job. I suspect this is a common problem and would love to hear from other's experiences. Since I'm a US citizen, I can always move back to the US but finding another high-paying job might be difficult.

Thanks!

Hi all,

Without giving too many details I work in the US Govt and there’s a significant chance that I lose my job at some point in the next year or so. I am about halfway to my FIRE number (30f, net worth 400k)

Has anybody taken a 4 year break to coast in the middle? I kinda want to get a PhD anyway and they’re very affordable in several countries. The visa situation is also a lot easier when you’re there to be a student I’ve been told.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I’m at a crossroads in my life and could use some insight from those who’ve navigated a similar journey. I (48/m) don’t know if this is a mid-life crisis or just a deeper need to step away from the rat race, but here’s my situation:

I’m a retired military vet with passive income and healthcare covered. I also have about $250K in savings and another $150K to add once I sell my home.

Recently, I’ve felt an overwhelming urge to leave the U.S., especially after a tough breakup a few months ago that’s left me reevaluating everything. The current political climate isn’t helping either. So I've decided to fast-track my plans to leave the US and retire 10 years earlier than planned.

I’m in the process of applying for a visa to move to Portugal with my daughter (her mom is fully supportive of the move), and I’m hoping for approval by June. My house goes on the market soon, with the plan to close in late May when the school year (and my contract) ends.

Right now, I’m unhitching myself from my current life—selling my house, preparing for the move, and figuring out what’s next. The transition period feels unsettling, though. The thought of not having a place to call home for a while and living in limbo until the move is daunting.

I want to use this time wisely, but I’m not sure where to start or how to stay grounded during this period of waiting. Has anyone been in a similar situation—preparing for a big life change while managing the uncertainties of the in-between? I’d love to hear how you handled it, what you did to stay focused, or any advice on how to make the most of this transitional time.

Hello,

Doing some tax planning ahead of expat fire to France. I am curious if anyone has done a Roth conversion while being France resident and if CSM was applied (assuming they meet the other eligibility criteria) ? Based on my understanding, I would think not since the traditional and Roth accounts are retirement accounts but thought I'd ask if anyone had been through it ?

Hello everyone, I am planning to move to Colombia short or medium term depending of my work circumstances. Currently living in the UK with kids and wife (she's Colombian). Does anyone have experience re the tax treatment over there as I heard of relative high taxation regime for Colombian residents (tax on worldwide income, wealth tax etc). Maybe the wrong forum to post although that move is my current plan A fire plan. We already have a house over there (in bucaramanga) and anticipate a relative low COL even with sending a couple of kids to private schooling. Any insights would be appreciated!

Hi expats, need your opinions on a hypothetical ‘what would you do’ scenario. Here it goes: if you had the money to invest (500k USD+), which of the following options would you chose. You can only pick one, tell me which one from the options below and why it is better than the others.

Option 1: Invest all your money in index funds and forget about them for the next 25 years to let them grow in order to provide you a traditional retirement. Until then, you will have to keep working for the next 25 years to maintain a livelihood. This is the traditional path taken by many; however, this will require you to endue a uncertain job market, high levels of stress, anxiety and a constant grind that you don’t really enjoy.

Option 2: Use the money to purchase a property in cash to live in as your primary residence in your country/city of work to get an instant ROI as you no longer have to pay rent/mortgage in the future. This option provides you peace of mind knowing that you will not go homeless and your family has a place to call home. However, there is a risk you lose money in the long run as the property may not grow in value. You can then use your freed up income to plan for future investments.

Option 3: Use the money to acquire a Citizenship by Investment passport through a real estate option, knowing that the real estate you invest in will appreciate in value and generate some rental returns. The CBI passport gives you an instant mobility upgrade from your current 3^(rd) world passport, creates a backup option to move to in case you lose your expat employment in your current country of residence. However, the catch is that you lock in your money for the next 3-5 years as part of this deal and extend your FIRE goals.

Option 4: You purchase real estate assets in a high rental yield country like the UAE, you use this option to obtain a golden visa/tax free residence. Your rental returns are sufficient for you to ‘retire’ to your country of origin and allows you to take better care of your health and build a business, without risking your family in case of failure. The only catch is that your country of origin is politically unstable and this option risks your family’s future prospectus, your child's education, etc., although you have the golden residency to use as an escape if needed. With this option you no longer need to work a day job, but that also means you lose your income and have to rely on your passive income from your investments.

Option 5: Immigrate permanently to a ‘first world’ country with significant job opportunities in your area of work and set yourself up on a path towards eventual citizenship and a stable future for your family. You use your money to buy a house in cash and get a good head start. However, with this option you expose yourself to high taxes and have to move to a country which does not align with your life principles, nor do you have a positive outlook for the country given the rising cost of living, social unrest and growing racism which will likely impact you and your family in the future.

Hoping to get some feedback on my thinking regarding health insurance.

I mostly live abroad but have been maintaining U.S. coverage even though I only plan on being in the U.S. for 2-3 months per year. Comparing U.S. and international coverage here is what I found:

COST: About the same (I qualify for ACA subsidies), income limits don't create a big issue for me.

COVERAGE: I have Blue Cross Blue Shield and it is possible I have international emergency cover (I have the suitcase icon on my card but they use a lot of weasel words about how it doesn't apply to every plan, and my plan documents are similarly vague).

For international plans, there are a lot of weak points in the coverage. For example one plan through IMG I am quoted a $1 million limit but with a $2500 outpatient limit. I would imagine 98% of health care scenarios would be outpatient. Emergency accident - $500. Most likely travel catastrophe is getting his by a bus or something, absolutely pointless.

So the U.S. coverage gives me an actual out of pocket limit, while the international plans give a limit to what they pay that has further more specific limitations on types of care that are ridiculously low.

My biggest gripe with the U.S. plan is my primary care doctor isn't even a doctor - you'd think for what they charge I could have a doctor.

UNKNOWNS: I don't actually live at my primary address, I don't really have a primary address. I wonder if I had a $1 million hospital bill if Blue Cross would come knocking about where I actually spend my time. That is to say I wonder if I am really insured at all

CONCLUSION: For now I'm just planning to self-insure while abroad. I can pay for a hospital stay if I break my leg or something. I realize this leaves a gap in some scenarios (catastrophic injury in an expensive country) but seems to be a narrower gap than if I only had one of these weak international plans

Thanks for your thoughts

I know that if you claim FEIE and exclude all your income, you can’t contribute to any type of IRA because you will have 0 taxable income.

Does this apply to Mega Backdoors? Assuming I claim FEIE while on a W2 from abroad, can I max out my pre tax 401k then max out contributions for post tax 401k and then rollover that to a roth ira?

I understand that non-EU spouses can travel in the EU without implicating the 90/180 rule where the visits are NOT to the country where the EU citizen holds a passport. Any time spent in the country of citizenship WOULD be subject to the 90/180 rule for the non-EU citizen spouse. See here for a discussion of this.

That page discusses how visits to any one country can be up to 3 consecutive months.

Question: Can you *leave* a country and then come back, such that total time spent in the country is more than three months? E.g. suppose husband is a citizen of Germany, wife is citizen of U.S. Can husband and wife stay in Spain for two months, go to France for a week, then go to Spain for another two months, without violating any of the rules? If so, how do you document this if there are no entry/exit borders? Show a hotel reservation? Something else?

How should I be calculating my after tax assuming I’m expating from the US to France?

I know the rule of thumb is 25x to calculate how much I need to save to generate a specific amount of money annually but that money is pre-tax, right? How do I get to a post tax number?

My (29F) career (finance) generally only has opportunities in large metro cities (e.g. NYC, SF) where I've lived for the past ~6-7 years. The high cost of living here and having to work quite long hours in exchange for a high standard of living (e.g. high rise building, nice clothes, international travel a few times a year) is starting to wear on me and I dream of retiring or finding a chill, remote job and spend less on material possessions. However, it would be career death if I did that and would be very difficult (impossible, if I'm being honest) to return my field.

I've visited Lima a few times and really loved it there. I think about moving there quite often just as a daydream. I feel like the nest egg I've amassed just goes a lot further there, than in the US metro city, and could live like a queen for a long time. I'd still plan to work but find something closer to baristaFIRE type job and live off that while keeping my savings intact to continue growing over the next ~30 years before actual retirement. I can speak Spanish so if I have to find work that is based in Lima, that's another possibility.

Have been decently frugal over these years in my career and have about $700k saved personally (largely in brokerage, some 401k) and about $40k liquid cash. Part of me feels like its not enough and I would likely regret the move if I drew down too much on my savings and not being able to return to my career or find a high paying job. I'm not married and don't have kids so there's nothing tying me down to a geography per se.

Is it crazy to leave the US for Peru as a US citizen with a "good career"?