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Food for expat thought: Takeaway anyone?

Emery added that, while there are a lot of great things about living in France, “You just can’t get a good curry”. So, the unusual delivery was arranged through a Facebook group of like-minded expats.

Yes, this is quite extreme, and some expats may disagree with the group’s verdict on Indian food in France, but the group’s mission does go to show how much expats can miss a taste of home from time to time.

If you find yourself in a similar position, there may be no need to go to such lengths.

Hope for hungry expats

If it’s British food you miss, you’re in luck.

As well as Emery, and his friends, there have been many other expats before him who’ve craved their native diet – expats such as Mark Callahan. Speaking to the Guardian, Callahan explained how he missed small British essentials such as Kellogg’s cereal, Tetley tea, and Heinz Baked Beans when living in America. So when he heard of the British Corner Shop, a food exportation business set up in 1999, he knew he had found his true calling and proceeded to take over the company in 2004.

The British Corner Shop (BCS) now sells favourite British food brands and delivers them to expats worldwide (and there’s no shortage of similar businesses, with Britsuperstore and British Shop Abroad offering the same service).

According to figures released by BCS, the most popular items ordered on the site include Warburton crumpets, Cadbury chocolate, Heinz tomato soup, and McVities biscuits.

Beat the expat blues

Whether it’s good old fish and chips, Hob Nobs or maybe even the infamous British weather that you’re missing, there are plenty of effective remedies available to help cure your longings. Just take a look at our blog on beating the homesickness bug for more advice.

Although it can be hard to predict the little things you’ll miss while living abroad you can predict, at least to some degree, how moving overseas will affect your finances and how you can maximise your wealth to help you better prepare for the future, especially when it comes to expat retirement planning.

Contact Blacktower today for some independent financial advice. While we can’t make you a curry, we can provide hot wealth management advice.

This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute, and should not be construed as, investment advice, investment recommendations or investment research. You should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any financial planning activity. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the information contained in this communication is correct, we are not responsible for any errors or omissions.

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Assurance Vie and Fonds En Euro/Sterling

Simon VerityMany clients have sensibly opted to invest in Assurance Vie (Investment Bonds) type arrangements in France for the huge income tax and inheritance advantages offered though these products for French residents. A large selection of clients have also taken the option of using the Fond en Euros or Sterling funds preferring the guaranteed rates of return offered and the invested capital’s security.

Indeed so used are the Fond en Euros funds within Assurance vie “wrappers” that often clients believe that they are one and the same. The Fond en Euros main principles are that your capital’s value is guaranteed and you are given an annual rate of interest. The assurance vie ensures your funds grow free of French taxation due to the code of law relating to Life Insurance products. This combination has been so used in France and so much money tied up in these arrangements that the Government want to bring in a statute to limit the percentage invested into Fond en Euros per investor portfolio as they see this type of fund as stagnating the French economy and restricting investment into industry via the purchase of “actions” or shares. 

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Expats Can Take Advantage of Tax Changes in Murcia and Andalucía

Goals for 20182018 has brought good news for many expats tackling the idiosyncrasies of finance in Spain and, especially for those who want to manage their legacy planning successfully.

This is because British and other EU citizen expatriates in Spain have received a boost in relation to succession tax laws.

Under the Spanish regional system, expats in Spain (but not those from outside the EU or EEA) can avoid costly Spanish state succession rules on passing; instead they are able to take advantage of kinder regional laws, such as those just implemented by Murcia and Andalucía.

In these areas, if you have Spanish assets but have not quite yet become a fully-fledged expat or indeed if you have Spanish property but still reside full-time in the UK; your heirs, wherever they may live, are entitled to the full range of succession tax reliefs offered by the region in which your assets are invested. Sometimes this may be as much as 99% succession tax relief or, in some cases, total exemption.

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