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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.

Other News

Savings important to expats on frozen pensions

Although having solid expat regular savings is important no matter what the financial climate, it is good to see that recent efforts by campaigners to end the freeze on state pensions currently endured by more than half a million retired expats abroad may be gaining momentum.

As it stands around 550,000 retired Brits abroad have to rely on their expat regular savings to top up a state pension which was frozen at £67.50 a week; nearly a full £40 less than the sum received by other pensioners.

The unfairness of their situation is compounded by the fact that the Government has struck individual deals with certain nations ensuring the full, unfrozen pension, but has left the expat residents of another 150 countries stuck with the year 2000-level pension.

Read More

Reforms to pension tax relief may happen soon

TaxThe importance of putting money into a pension cannot be understated, and the British government has a regulation in place – the pension tax relief scheme – to encourage people to save. But many experts are predicting significant changes to the scheme. If you’re planning to retire overseas as an expat and take advantage of international pension transfers, you’ll need to stay updated with these changes.

How does pension tax relief work?

The pension tax relief scheme is an incentive to entice people to put money into their pension pot. To reward people for thinking ahead to their retirement, the government currently tops up their pension contributions based on the rate at which they pay income tax. So, basic rate taxpayers will receive 20 per cent tax relief (meaning they only need to pay £80 into their pot to get £100), while higher rate taxpayers are entitled to 40 per cent relief.

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