Why are our pensions in crisis?

Living as an expat in Spain, or indeed in any other country, brings particular and sometimes very complex wealth management requirements because managing personal finances across multiple jurisdictions is inherently complex and invariably requires specialist advice.

This goes some way to explain why thousands of British expats have recently been caught and penalised for either failing to pay taxes or unlawfully claiming British pension and other social security benefits while living and, in some cases, working abroad.

Cross-border taxation for expats is a notoriously confusing area of wealth management and can seem especially onerous with new data sharing and enforcement rules in place. Unfortunately, not all asset managers are as familiar with tax reporting requirements as they should be. This may seem inconceivable, but wealth management professionals in Spain, across Europe and indeed the globe have an obligation to clients to ensure that they understand and follow all the rules.

There is a feeling among some financial advisors that expats should be rushing to ensure their pensions are switched to a recognised HMRC QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme) before Britain begins to formalise its exit from the EU.

Of course, it is natural that expats should look to make their wealth management decisions, including the possibility of a valid HMRC QROPS, at a relatively early stage so that they can have confidence and clarity regarding their financial arrangements; however, it is also worth remembering that the new British Prime Minister, Theresa May, has said that she does not intend to invoke Article 50 this year, meaning that there is still plenty of time to receive the right financial advice and to make a prudent decision