Moreno’s Fast-Track Citizenship Bill: Tax & Social Security Bombs, Diplomatic Chaos & More

One email from a tribal member sparked today’s article. A Native American reader of my recent Forbes piece on Senator Bernie Moreno’s Exclusive Citizenship Act of 2025 wrote in with a simple, powerful question: “How would this affect us?” In fewer than 10 words, that message prompted me to dig much deeper. What follows is … Continue reading Moreno’s Fast-Track Citizenship Bill: Tax & Social Security Bombs, Diplomatic Chaos & More

Offshore Crypto: IRS Steps Closer To Automatic Reporting Under OECD CARF

The United States along with  over 70 other countries has adhered to the Joint Statement on the OECD’s Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework, “CARF”.  CARF is the digital-asset counterpart to the Common Reporting Standard “CRS” that has exchanged bank and securities account data among signatory countries (now well over 100 countries). The United States has formally indicated … Continue reading Offshore Crypto: IRS Steps Closer To Automatic Reporting Under OECD CARF

Global Assets, U.S. Persons: Cross-Border Tax Planning Mandatory

In her recent Forbes article “Foreign Trusts – How Structure Can Prevent a Million-Dollar Penalty,” Priya Royal emphasizes a core maxim of cross-border tax planning: whenever U.S. persons are part of the “clan,” heightened vigilance is required. The same principle holds true when U.S. situs assets are involved in foreign families or their structures. Global … Continue reading Global Assets, U.S. Persons: Cross-Border Tax Planning Mandatory

Unregistered U.S. Citizenship: Hidden Risks For American Born Abroad

Each year, thousands of children are born overseas to one U.S. citizen parent and one non-U.S. parent. Under U.S. immigration law, many of these children are U.S. citizens from birth, provided the American parent satisfies a relatively simple test: at least five years of physical presence in the United States, with two of those years … Continue reading Unregistered U.S. Citizenship: Hidden Risks For American Born Abroad

Forms W-8BEN and W-9: Which to Use, When, and Why Many Get It Wrong

It is crucial to understand the differences between Form W-8BEN and Form W-9 when receiving payments from U.S. sources. This is especially so if the taxpayer operates, invests, or maintains financial accounts overseas. Many taxpayers get this wrong, often to their detriment. This article provides the guidance needed to understand which form is required and … Continue reading Forms W-8BEN and W-9: Which to Use, When, and Why Many Get It Wrong

A Complicated U.S. Tax Life: Foreign Spouses And Community Property

When love crosses borders, tax complexity often follows. I know this from first-hand experience having married a Swiss national almost 4 decades ago.  When U.S. citizens marry foreign nationals who are not U.S. tax residents a host of U.S. tax rules can upend marital bliss by causing tax compliance complexities that are often difficult to … Continue reading A Complicated U.S. Tax Life: Foreign Spouses And Community Property

Exciting Update: Revamped US Tax Primer for Expats & Global Citizens + Must-Watch YouTube Interviews!

Hello subscribers, global go-getters, expats, and anyone navigating the maze of US taxes abroad! I've got some exciting updates that'll make your financial life smoother and your dreams of living overseas a whole lot less taxing. First, I just rolled out a complete refresh of my flagship US Tax Primer for American Expatriates Worldwide and … Continue reading Exciting Update: Revamped US Tax Primer for Expats & Global Citizens + Must-Watch YouTube Interviews!

Former IRS Leaders Endorse Residency-Based Tax For Americans Abroad

Nearly a year ago, in the waning days of the 118th Congress, Representative Darin LaHood (R-IL) introduced a groundbreaking piece of legislation that sent ripples through the expatriate community and the international tax world: the Residence-Based Taxation for Americans Abroad Act (H.R. 10468). As I detailed in my earlier Forbes article, this bill represented a bold step … Continue reading Former IRS Leaders Endorse Residency-Based Tax For Americans Abroad

USCIS Update: Citizenship, Denaturalization, Tax Compliance, Moral Character

In recent months, several seemingly unrelated developments in U.S. law and policy have begun to converge in a way that should capture the attention of tax professionals, immigration lawyers, and globally mobile individuals.   On one front, the Department of Justice continues to press denaturalization cases against U.S. citizens who obtained their status by fraud or … Continue reading USCIS Update: Citizenship, Denaturalization, Tax Compliance, Moral Character