Timing is Everything: The Market is in Freefall Creating a Window of Tax Opportunity – Make Your Gifts Now

The US gift tax is a tax imposed on the transfer of property by way of gift. The giver of the gift (the donor) is the party who must pay the tax. Generally, any transfer to an individual without receiving something of equal value in return (measured in money or money's worth) is treated as … Continue reading Timing is Everything: The Market is in Freefall Creating a Window of Tax Opportunity – Make Your Gifts Now →

Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part II)

Part I of this blog post introduced the topic of the "foreign" pension or employee workplace savings plan, and examined in some detail how these plans are becoming more and more popular in the United Arab Emirates. The plans, however, give US expatriate employees some serious US tax headaches. Today's post focusses on these thorny … Continue reading Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part II) →

Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part I)

“Foreign” pension or similar plans are a very common feature in the lives of US expats residing and working abroad. As used here, the word “pension” is only a general term. While pensions in the United States often refer to defined benefit retirement plans, my use in today’s blog post refers to a pension as … Continue reading Oh No! I Have a “Foreign” Pension or Employee Savings Plan and Uncle Sam is Killing Me (Part I) →

US Beneficiary of Foreign Trust: Understanding US Tax Filings

I have written a series of blog posts about foreign (i.e., non-US) trusts and the US tax issues associated with them including the US tax filing and reporting requirements for each of the different players in the foreign trust scenario (creator or "grantor"/"settlor" of the trust), the trustee; and today, the US beneficiary. One of … Continue reading US Beneficiary of Foreign Trust: Understanding US Tax Filings →

US Tax Filings by Fiduciary of Foreign Trust

I have written various blog posts covering foreign (i.e., non-US) trusts. Many of them concern US tax filing and reporting requirements with regard to such trusts. My initial post provided a general overview of the troublesome US tax issues surrounding foreign trusts, and my blog post here navigates the tricky waters in determining if a … Continue reading US Tax Filings by Fiduciary of Foreign Trust →

US Tax Filings by US Grantor of Foreign Trust

Today's post is a continuation of a series of blog posts dealing with foreign trusts A general overview of the US tax issues surrounding foreign trusts can be found here. When a US person is involved in any way with a foreign trust extra caution is required. Strict US tax filing responsibilities come into play … Continue reading US Tax Filings by US Grantor of Foreign Trust →

OOOPS! I Created a “Foreign” Trust

My earlier blog post set out the tax problems that arise when one has created a "foreign" trust with US beneficiaries. This post will probe the factors used to determine whether a trust is a US trust or a “foreign” trust. It will also point out a possible pitfall for many families who have members … Continue reading OOOPS! I Created a “Foreign” Trust →

A No-Go — Foreign Trust with A US Beneficiary

Often, persons living abroad are asked to help care for an elderly parent who lives in the USA. Similar situations can arise for other family members, some of whom may be US citizens living outside of America, but who need assistance due to age or health-related issues. Quite often the care required is simply a … Continue reading A No-Go — Foreign Trust with A US Beneficiary →

Real Life Examples: A US Tax Mess, International Community Property

Attention all mixed nationality couples, with one spouse having US citizenship or US resident status while the other is a nonresident alien (NRA)! Your tax advisor should be looking at all possible issues surrounding your fact pattern. If you live in a foreign jurisdiction or US state (there are 9 of them) with a community … Continue reading Real Life Examples: A US Tax Mess, International Community Property →