News & Insights

Catalonia’s push for independence after a referendum has plunged Spain into its worst political crisis since the attempted military coup in 1981.

The crisis could have huge repercussions for the Spanish economy. Catalonia itself has its own language, parliament, police force and controls some of its own public services, such as schools and healthcare.  It is one of Spain's wealthiest and most productive regions and has a distinct history dating back almost 1,000 years.

Most people look forward to their retirement and see it as the time to achieve some lifelong dreams; perhaps finally being able to move to a perfect retirement destination, such as Portugal.

But the road to retirement has gradually become increasingly more difficult, as new research has found out.

One of the biggest concerns for prospective expats moving overseas is how easy it will be to fit in with the locals. Moving to a foreign country can be intimidating, especially when travelling to a place with a vastly different culture to home.

It's understandable to want to make a good impression in the community, and the most effective way is to learn a language.

Recent pension transfers I have been involved with include British Airways and BT, amongst others, and these have prompted me to consider their perceived “gold-plated” image and whether clients may be better off transferring out to a Self-Invested Pension Plan (SIPP), perhaps, or a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme (QROPS).

If you are contemplating your pension planning, ask your pension trustees to send you a Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) and you may be shocked by the size of the sum involved. The British Airways Scheme recently offered over £500,000 transfer value to a member whose pension entitlement would be £20833 at retirement. That’s 24 times the income.

In the UK, the first week of October is National Work-Life Week, which encourages employers and employees to look at how they can improve their well-being at work and strike a healthier balance between family life and their job. The aim is to help reduce stress among a company's workforce by offering more flexible ways of working, allowing workers to have time for other priorities in their life.

Of course, it's not just in the UK where this is an important issue. Many workforces worldwide could do with a better work-life balance, and if you are soon to be moving to another country for work, it's likely you'll be wondering what the work culture is like. After all, spending long hours at your workplace without much else to do in your free time may mean you miss out on some of the best aspects of moving to a new country, such as forming a new circle of friends. And too much neglect of your personal life may end up affecting your emotional well-being and this is often one of the main stress factors expats have to deal with.

Brexit has thrown up so many concerns for expats already that it's no wonder expats are feeling jittery.

And now it has emerged that private pension providers based in the UK are in danger of not being able to pay pensions to British expats after Britain leaves the EU in 2019.

The risk is so significant that Nicky Morgan, chair of the Treasury select committee, has written a letter raising his concern about the matter to Phillip Hammond, asking the chancellor whether he plans to discuss the problem soon during Britain's exit negotiations.

Portugal offers an attractive regime of taxation to European Nationals considering a move here.

The regime is entitled (NHR) which stands for Non-Habitual Residents. Uncommon with other EU nations, a flat rate of taxation at 20% is applied to income derived in Portugal and a near total exemption for international income. For most European nationals, the NHR regime offers a simple and efficient residency programme.

The absence of wealth, inheritance and gift tax, coupled with a residency permit which allows free movement within the Schengen area, makes NHR extremely popular.