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Latest

Where the two systems disagree, what it costs, and what to do about it. Written when there is something to say, not on a schedule.

Investments

Why the ISA is the first thing we ask about

It is the most efficient thing a UK saver can hold, and for a US taxpayer it is frequently the most expensive. The gap between those two facts is where most of the damage happens.

ISA
PFIC
Form 8621
Americans in the UK

11 August 20265 min read

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Moving

The arrival-year mistake we see most often

The first year in a new country is the most complicated return most people will ever file, and the one they are least prepared for. Here is what usually goes wrong.

Relocation
Residence
Split year
Planning

28 July 20266 min read

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Reporting

FBAR: the threshold is aggregate, and that changes everything

Almost everyone knows the number. Far fewer know that it applies to all your foreign accounts added together, at any moment in the year, whether or not the money is yours.

FBAR
FATCA
Form 8938
Reporting

9 July 20264 min read

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Business

If you live in the UK, your LLC is probably the wrong vehicle

It is the default recommendation from almost every US adviser, and for a UK-resident owner it can produce tax in both countries with no relief in either.

LLC
Structure
Form 5471
Brits in the US

17 June 20265 min read

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Pensions

The lump sum question nobody wants to answer

The UK says a quarter of your pension is tax-free. The US has not agreed. What you do about that depends on a treaty reading that genuinely divides practitioners.

Pensions
Treaty
Lump sum
Retirees

22 May 20265 min read

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Moving

Five things to do before you move, and one thing not to

Almost everything that saves tax on a transatlantic move has to happen before you land. A short list of what to do while the planning window is still open.