Good news only, please

Expats are in many ways the most forward-thinking of global citizens; living abroad shows a desire to embrace something more complex than a simple national identity and way of life. Yet, at the same time, it is also the most ancient act; humans began as nomads and then migrants, so being on the move is part of our species’ natural curiosity.

But there is more to being an expat than simply picking a destination on the map and moving there. By looking at all the available options and factoring in the many variables, people have an opportunity to make the most of their prospects and to enjoy the richest and most varied life possible.

Fortunately, this is what most expats do: the most recent HSBC expat explorer survey found that a move abroad adds around USD21,000 to the average salary, with some countries offering even more. For example, Switzerland, which has long been a destination of choice for the globally minded expat, boosts income by an average of USD61,000 a year.

UK pensions consultancy, XPS Pensions Group (XPS), has reported a concerning rise in “red flag” pension transfer scam activity. It says that the number of red flag incidents rose from 13% in June 2018 to 34% in June 2019 and calculated the total value of the pensions savings placed at risk during the 12-month period at £73,000,000*.

It is possible that the rise in red flags could be a by-product of the enhanced reporting processes that came into effect with the June 2018 revisions to the Pension Scams Industry Group (PSIG) Code of Good Practice (originally published in 2015). These served to highlight pension scam warning signs, to encourage greater awareness of fee and charging structures, and to improve communication between pension schemes and their members.