Death Of The American Abroad: Untangling U.S. Tax Across Borders

Many of my readers know I am now a contributor writing on Forbes.  My coverage area is US international tax law for overseas Americans and foreigners.  My article is copied below. It first appeared on Forbes April 22, 2024 here. In our global society, more and more Americans are living and working overseas. This inevitably … Continue reading Death Of The American Abroad: Untangling U.S. Tax Across Borders

Accidental Americans Learning They Are Citizens Face A Tax Dilemma

As some of my readers know, I am now a contributor writing on Forbes.  My coverage area is US international tax law for overseas Americans and foreigners.  My article is copied below. It first appeared on Forbes April 9, here. Don't miss out on my informative and easy-to-understand US tax content - Follow me on … Continue reading Accidental Americans Learning They Are Citizens Face A Tax Dilemma

US Estate Tax – What is “Situs”? Location of Assets Makes a World of Difference

My recent and upcoming blog posts are examining the US estate tax and how it often comes as an unwelcome surprise to the foreign investor in the US and to the foreign heirs when the investor passes away.  The family is often left to clean up the mess if the investor has not properly planned … Continue reading US Estate Tax – What is “Situs”? Location of Assets Makes a World of Difference

The Real World: When Foreigners Die Owning US Assets – Estate Tax, Federal Transfer Certificate and Related Troubles

My recent blog posts (e.g. here, and here) emphasized how important it is for Americans who are investing in foreign (non-US) assets to understand the US tax consequences of making that investment. Far too often I have seen individuals invest substantial amounts of money without knowing the tax impact of that infusion of hard-earned cash. … Continue reading The Real World: When Foreigners Die Owning US Assets – Estate Tax, Federal Transfer Certificate and Related Troubles

Tis the Season! Giving / Getting Gifts from a Foreign Entity?

Holidays are soon upon us, and many people will be making gifts to family and friends.  It is very common to make gifts of cash – typically sending funds from a bank account to the recipient’s account. When gifts are made by foreign persons to US persons, there are many US tax traps for both … Continue reading Tis the Season! Giving / Getting Gifts from a Foreign Entity?

Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024

Revenue Procedure 2023-34 was released by the IRS on November 9, 2023.   It provides full details about the annual inflation adjustments that are important in the world of US tax and impact over 60 tax provisions in the Internal Revenue Code ("Code"), including tax rate schedules and many other tax changes. Tax pro’s have been … Continue reading Tax Planning – “Foreign/International” Annual Inflation Adjustments Coming in 2024

The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons!

Sometimes I like to bring up issues occurring strictly in the USA and take a peek at how the US tax rules would shake out if foreigners were involved in the transactions.  It always makes for a much more complicated analysis. Here is one for today!  Let’s look at the juicy story of Justice Clarence … Continue reading The New York Times, USSCt Justice Clarence Thomas, Juicy Gifts & the Tax Lessons!

TikTok’s (Wrong) Tax Advice and How the Trust Tax Rules Really Work

My earlier post describing TikTok tax advice as to the magical workings of the “Non-Grantor Irrevocable Complex Discretionary Spendthrift Trust” (NGICDST) proved highly popular. The NGICDST is being marketed heavily on social media platforms and certain business websites. After the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) discovered the promotional material, the agency shut down any notion that … Continue reading TikTok’s (Wrong) Tax Advice and How the Trust Tax Rules Really Work

US Tax Issues Abound: A Global Look at Protecting Vulnerable Persons from Financial Fraud (The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter)

On Wednesday I presented a webinar for the Financial Planning Association’s July International & Cross-Border Planning Knowledge Circle. My webinar highlighted numerous US tax issues when safeguarding the finances of the elderly (or other vulnerable individuals), whether Stateside or overseas.  You can listen to the entire webinar here. The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter A … Continue reading US Tax Issues Abound: A Global Look at Protecting Vulnerable Persons from Financial Fraud (The Case of the Wicked Stepdaughter)

US Recipients of Gifts or Inheritance from a Former American: The Importance of Record-Keeping to Avoid Transfer Tax Liability

Did someone you know and love give up their US citizenship or a green card held for a significant time?  If so, that former US individual may at some point in the future, give you a gift or leave you an inheritance.  If you are a US person here’s what you need to know to … Continue reading US Recipients of Gifts or Inheritance from a Former American: The Importance of Record-Keeping to Avoid Transfer Tax Liability