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Euro vs Pound – Brexit Impact

When judging the likelihood of a Brexit I prefer not to listen to polls as they never seem to get it right.  Currently, polls are showing 50-55% to stay in and 45-50% a Brexit depending on which one you look at.  I prefer to look at what the real experts are saying, the guys who put their money where their mouths are and use every resource and data available.  These are the bookies!  Both William Hill and Paddy Power are offering odds of 1/3 that the UK will stay in and 9/4 for a Brexit.  This averaged out indicates around a 30% chance of the Brexit happening.

When investing I try to eliminate extra risks for my clients so it is best to keep things simple.  If you hold Euros and live in Spain, invest in Euros.  If you hold Sterling invest in Sterling and do not change for change’s sake as this will just create additional costs and risks that are not needed.

I have been a fully-qualified financial adviser for 28 years and also understand the needs of expats and the rules that apply to ex-British living and retiring in Spain. So if you need to talk through your own situation then please feel free to contact me and we can have a no obligation discussion about the best way forward for your investments. Get in touch by filling in one of our contact forms.

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.

Other News

Safeguarding your Pension and Assets

Many UK expatriates do not realise that even if they have left and are no longer resident in the UK, they remain UK-domiciled and therefore subject to UK Inheritance Tax (IHT) on their worldwide estate at a rate of 40 per cent after allowances. This can come as a major shock. 

Brexit

What can be done about this? There are several options. 

Transfers of wealth on death between husband and wife are exempt from IHT, but only if the spouse is also domiciled in the UK (or both are non-domiciled). This catches out many expatriates who have married a foreign passport holder who is likely to be domiciled elsewhere. Even then, the IHT is only delayed rather than avoided, because on the death of the survivor the tax will be payable on the passing of the family assets to the next generation. 

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CRS Obligations and Expat Financial Advice

Address bookExpat financial advice providers and their clients need to be especially vigilant to ensure that they meet their legal obligations under the newly updated Common Reporting Standard (CRS), which will come into effect in September 2018.

It is likely that those who do not take steps to ensure full familiarity and compliance with the latest and extended OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) rules regarding the reporting of offshore income may face investigation and penalty.

Due to the complexity of cross-jurisdictional financial management, expats are perhaps the group at the highest risk of innocently falling foul of the rules, particularly if they are poorly advised or have a wealth manager or financial adviser who fails to securely or promptly deliver important communications.

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