FATCA, PFICs And Golden Visas: A US Expat Money Guide

Financial advisor Scott Schwartz joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about what it really takes for Americans to build a life abroad. Scott has flown as an international airline captain, sailed around the world, and now lives part-time on his boat in Malta. He's spent over three decades advising Americans living overseas, and his new book, Adapting Elsewhere: A Practical Guide for Americans Moving Abroad, tackles the parts of the move that nobody puts in the brochure. Scott explains why moving abroad has shifted from a romantic retirement dream to a practical strategy, and gets into the financial traps that catch Americans out: FATCA reporting and why banks turn US citizens away, PFICs, worldwide taxation, and the biggest mistake of all – leaving the country before you've sorted out your financial institutions at home. He and Carlie also cover residency routes from Malta's reworked citizenship by investment programme to retirement visas, why international health insurance matters more than most people expect, and the case for the "Schengen shuffle" as a low-risk way to try somewhere before you commit. #MovingAbroad #AmericansAbroad #ExpatFinance #LivingInMalta #ExpatLife 👉 Visit Expat Focus at https://www.expatfocus.com 00:00 Welcome and guest intro 01:07 Scott's global backstory: pilot, sailor, advisor 03:24 From the cockpit to financial advising 05:28 Why he wrote Adapting Elsewhere 07:43 Building community, and life in Malta 09:57 Why Americans are moving now 13:09 Money traps: FATCA, PFICs and banking 16:44 Residency, golden visas and citizenship by investment 18:40 Where to start, and how to build your team 20:34 Working, retiring and healthcare abroad 22:39 The Schengen shuffle and exit plans 27:05 Mobility as a financial hedge 32:01 What a first advising conversation looks like 36:03 How to get in touch, and the next book 37:34 Wrap up and call to action 🎥 Video/Transcript – https://www.expatfocus.com/international/podcast/fatca-pfics-and-golden-visas-a-us-expat-money-guide 📝 Show Notes Adapting Elsewhere: A Practical Guide for Americans Moving Abroad – https://www.adaptingelsewhere.com/ Scott Schwartz, International Asset Management – https://iamadvisors.com/ 👉 Follow Expat Focus here: RSS | https://www.expatfocus.com/feed YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ExpatFocus Podcast | https://www.expatfocus.com/podcast LinkedIn Page | https://www.linkedin.com/company/expatfocus LinkedIn Group | https://www.linkedin.com/groups/673267 X | https://x.com/expatfocus Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/expatfocus Bluesky | https://bsky.app/profile/expatfocus.bsky.social Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/expatfocus TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@expatfocus Mastodon | https://mastodon.social/@expatfocus Website | https://www.expatfocus.com