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The ‘wheres’ and the whys of UK expats in Europe

Among the most surprisingly popular destinations are Czech Republic, Slovakia and Finland (each of these countries is home to 5,000 or more UK expats).

Why do expats become expats?

You could be forgiven for thinking that migration is only a recent trend – one that reflects the “increasingly globalised world we live in”. However, although you would be right in assuming that the rate of migration has increased in recent years, the fact remains that humans have been migrating ever since our ancestors left the savannahs of Africa around two million years ago.

In reality, it is just much easier to achieve nowadays – the benefits of modern transport, the internet and expert expat financial advice are all pretty obvious.

And yet, it still takes imagination, as well as no small amount of gumption, to move from one’s country of birth to a place which may have only been visited for a few annual holidays. After all, it is so often easier to simply stick with the environment and lifestyle you know. MoveHub, a company specialising in helping expats make the move, analysed more than 180,000 of their customers’ experiences and discovered that the following were the major reasons people cite for deciding to embrace the expat life:

  • Better quality of life
  • Career progression
  • Economic pressure
  • Family ties
  • Lifestyle change
  • Politics
  • Wanderlust

Making the most of your brave new world

Whatever your motives, if you’re in it for the long-term and want to be assured of the best possible chance of future financial security for both you and your loved ones, the best way to achieve this is to receive expert expat financial advice.

So whatever the next few weeks, months and years bring in terms of whether the UK stays in the EU, Blacktower will remain by your side with all the most pertinent international financial advice that is right for you.

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

A state of uncertain uncertainty

A very good friend of mine told me the story that just when you think everything is working well for you, that man with the spade pops out from his hiding place and smacks you right in the face. Now, I’m not talking about what happens in Glasgow when you’re walkifinancial marketsng home from the pub on a Saturday night (and I’m Glaswegian so I’m allowed to joke about things like that); I’m talking about 2016 and what faces each and every one of us this year – uncertainty.  In fact, it could almost be classed as uncertain uncertainty. The key issue for British expats is obviously the UK referendum on 23rd June when the vote will be taken as to whether or not the UK will stay in the European Union.  

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Is it time to dump your Premium Bonds?

Is it time the 21 million people with over £60 billion saved should cash in their Premium Bonds? Of course, you could just win millions! Premium Bonds are a savings product where the interest is based on a monthly prize draw and the annual prize rate is dropping from 1.35pc to 1.25pc. This is the average return, indicating that for every £100 paid in to bonds, on average £1.25 a year is be paid out.

In practice, that’s impossible. The smallest prize is £25; so if 20 people each had £100 in, for one to win £25-plus, the remaining 19 win nothing.

They seduce with tax-free returns, but if you live in Spain that is not and has never been the case and now, in the UK, that’s no longer special with the new rule meaning all savings interest is automatically paid tax-free.

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