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Job opportunities rapidly accelerate in France

As a popular destination for British expats, France offers many opportunities and can provide a high quality of life, with lots of exciting opportunities. And now it appears that there are burgeoning employment opportunities as well.

Like so many other countries, France was hit hard by the financial crisis of 2008 and the country's economy was damaged, as was its job market. However, France has made a gradual recovery and new statistics suggest that recently its pace of recovery has rapidly accelerated.

Research from RegionsJob has shown that the number of jobs being created in France shot up to 200,000 in the third quarter of 2017, which is an increase of over 40% when compared with the same period in 2016. France has not seen as many vacancies created since the financial crisis.

British expats in the Netherlands could do with more financial help

We all need a little bit of extra help from time to time.

For instance, in one popular expat destination, the Netherlands, research was recently published to suggest that many expats could do with more financial help.

The survey, carried out by the International Community Advisory Panel (ICAP), an independent foundation hoping to strengthen the connection between the Netherlands' international community and the Dutch government, has shown that the majority of expats living in the Netherlands do not receive enough help from the Dutch government when it comes to several key matters, including finding affordable housing and integrating their children into the school system.

Malta and Portugal have the best citizenship programmes

When relocating to a new country, it's good to know all your options so you can ensure you have the smoothest transition possible. For one thing, there's the financial side to worry about.

This includes deciding on the best expat life insurance policy to buy as well as receiving expert pension transfer advice so that your retirement savings aren't negatively affected by the move. 

Naturally, some nations offer a smoother residency transition, with Portuguese citizenship and Maltese citizenship among the best, according to research.

Understanding citizenship entry requirements

You will, of course, also need to be aware of the entry requirements for each country.

Several countries have systems in place with the goal of attracting expats who will be able to gain residency in return for an investment. In a post-Brexit world, these may be the best options for some overseas movers. Although not suitable for everyone, some of these systems are of a very high, reputable standard and hold a range of benefits for expats who are eligible. A recent survey has analysed which countries offer the best of these migration schemes, with people choosing to buy Malta citizenship and Portugal citizenship as a matter of priority.

What makes the best citizenship programmes?

The Pensions Black Hole

Meeting financial advisorThere’s quite a buzz around pensions at the moment – and rightly so, as they provide the backbone of our income in our later years. But currently, pension deficits are hitting the news, and figuring them out can still prove difficult.

Pension deficits concern what are commonly known as “final salary pensions” or Defined Benefit schemes.   Final salary or defined benefit (DB) schemes are essentially occupational pension schemes that provide a set level of pension at retirement, the amount of which normally depends on your service and earnings at retirement or in the years immediately preceding when you retire. Because your pensionable salary is used as one part of the formula in order to calculate your pension, a final salary scheme is commonly referred to as a ‘salary related’ scheme. Two common examples of ‘final pensionable salary’ would be your last year’s pensionable earnings or an average of your last 3 years’ pensionable salary.

Recently, there have been high-profile failures of these systems, such as the folding of Monarch Airlines – and the collapse of their pension fund. Initially, it appeared that owners could still walk away with a profit (after new hands tried to turn the airline into a more accessible and “Ryanair-like” product) by offloading debts, and this included dropping the pension fund. Ironically, this was once a major credit to the business. The fund, which is now in the Pension Protection Fund (PPF), had been under speculation of being left short when the business first began to struggle back in 2014, after years of asset-stripping.

Number of Expats looking for buy-to-let property increases

For expats, when it comes to money, planning ahead is essential so that your financial future remains stable.

There are several effective ways to get prepared, which include everything from taking out a suitable life insurance policy for expats, moving your pension into an overseas scheme so that you get tax advantages on your retirement savings, and making smart decisions on investment opportunities so they will provide worthwhile returns in the future.

One major investment opportunity that increasing numbers of British expats are keen to be a part of is the buying of UK property to then rent out to tenants – AKA buy-to-let.

Britons in Spain are likely to be uninterrupted by a no-deal Brexit

For most people living abroad expat retirement planning needs to be thorough, and preferably carried out with the assistance of an experienced expat financial adviser. Unfortunately, unforeseeable events have the potential to derail all those carefully made plans and there is one such event that has affected nearly all British expats with equal detriment, and that, of course, is Brexit.

As state pension systems slip, investment advice becomes paramount

When an expat is faced with the question of what to do with their pension, there are several options available to them. And it's important to understand everything that could be beneficial for your pension pot because very few countries offer their citizens high standard pension systems, as shown by the latest Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index, which ranks the pensions provided by the governments of 30 countries.

The good news is that the Index's ranking had a few standouts. Near the top of the table, coming in at number two (beaten only by Denmark), was the Dutch system, which is great for any expats in the Netherlands who are eligible to receive the country's state pension. If you've lived or worked in Netherlands, then you would have built up a Dutch state pension. The longer you have lived in the country, the larger your Dutch pension will be (you can combine it with a state pension accumulated in another EU and EEA member country).

The End of NHR? Not the End of the World but Planning is Everything

Time may be running out for British retirees to move to Portugal in order to take advantage of its valuable Non-Habitual Resident tax programme. Currently, talk abounds that the scheme will come to an end in 2018 and be replaced with a 10% net expat tax regime from the first day of the New Year. Luckily, for those who feel they may be tempted by a move to Portugal, any move before this cut-off date will ensure that they are able to enjoy the benefits of NHR status as they currently stand.

However, it is important to bear in mind that UK QROPS, QNUPS and SIPPS pension transfers usually take around three months, so, although nothing concrete has yet been announced, time is of the essence for any person to make the most of both NHR status and any associated pension transfers.

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