Whenever I mention the acronym FBAR, Americans often say one of two things: “F what??” or “I don’t need to do that.”
What’s an FBAR?
The “Report of Foreign Bank Accounts” (FBAR) is a required U.S. government form, which is important in the post-9/11 world. The purpose of the form is to alert the authorities about accounts held outside the United States with a total value of $10,000 or more at any time during the year…. Read more
Imagine if your brokerage firm called you up and told you that they were going to sell out all of the positions in your brokerage account within the next 60 days.
“Why?” you ask them. They respond that due to increasing regulatory restrictions they will no longer service your account. They give you two options:
1…. Read more
Have you found that your Israeli bank no longer provides investment services for Americans living in Israel?
Because of onerous reporting requirements to the American government, many Israeli banks have stopped opening investment accounts for U.S. citizens. While dual American-Israelis can continue with banking and checking services, they need to look elsewhere for their long-term investing…. Read more
Making aliya doesn’t mean you need to close your American brokerage accounts. In fact, there are many sound reasons for maintaining assets in America even if you move away. Think twice before converting your American retirement accounts to shekels and bringing them to Israel.
Recently, some American brokerage firms asked their non-resident clients to transfer out their accounts…. Read more
Is financial success more about planning or luck?
In the book Rich Kids, Tom Corley discusses three different kinds of luck:
Random luck is the kind of luck we can’t control. Random good luck includes winning the lottery or getting an unexpected windfall. Conversely, examples of random bad luck include sudden illness or being struck by lightning…. Read more
What’s the best way to invest with your spouse? Should you have a shared savings account or separate accounts?
Whenever I help a couple set up U.S.-based brokerage and investment accounts, I ask whether they want a “joint” account, or whether they want to keep their money separate.
Shouldn’t couples always invest together?… Read more
When receiving an inheritance, it’s important to avoid making tax mistakes. Certain tactics, such as opening a U.S. brokerage account (see below for an interactive tool) can help. Watch out for these mistakes:
Mistake #1 – Taking money out of an IRA
To maintain the tax-deferred status of an inherited IRA (Individual Retirement Account),… Read more
Unsure of the benefits of a U.S. brokerage account? Use a free interactive form (Profile-Financial.com/interactive) to learn why it may be helpful to keep some of your investments in America even though you live in Israel.
One of the most common financial problems Americans living in Israel face is when their U.S…. Read more
After accepting all the good wishes and mazal tovs, the first thing parents of a newly engaged couple need to think about is the best way to pay for a wedding.
Making a wedding can be costly. If you have savings to cover the cost, great. That’s the topic of today’s article…. Read more
Some people say the next best thing to being personally financially successful is having rich kids. However, teaching children good financial habits can be challenging. Here’s where Tom Corley and his book Rich Kids comes in handy. This is a great resource for teaching children (of all ages) about money…. Read more
