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10 Online Resources To Help You Live Your Best Expat Life
Friday, 24 July, 2020
Resources for expats
How will they help with your expat life?
Maybe expat life is just starting for you and you’re about to move overseas. You’ve got so much to plan, where do you start?
Or You’ve been an expat for years and realise you should have been filing a tax return for your rental property.
It could be time to head home and your kids are stressing about how you take the dog back.
Sound familiar?
Even if they don’t you’ll have your own issues with expat life…
While it may seem unique to you, we promise someones else has been through it already.
And guess what?
They can help you get through it…
Now imagine any of these issues arise and you know exactly where to go.
You can find the people who can help you resolve your issues.
Experience and expertise at your fingertips whenever you need it.
Initial advice or a second opinion on something…
And you can do it fast!!
There’s no need to be stuck with any issue
There’s plenty of places where expats can get help.
Whether its advice or information, free or paid there’s plenty of expat resources for you to tap into.
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how it helped us with our expat lives
When we decided to move our family back to the UK we had some big issues that we needed to figure out.
Our kids were getting to an age where the UK had a lot to offer them.
So moving back there was becoming more and more attractive...
We started to plan the move and made our lists of what we needed to do. Somethings were more straight forward than others. Though one thing that we really struggled with initially was immigration.
My wife’s Malaysian so repatriating for me was emigrating for her…
She’d lived in the UK before when she was at university and enjoyed her time there. Though that was more straight forward she’d applied for a student visa and when she was done she came back home.
We found the UK government site confusing, it wasn’t easy to navigate and there seemed to be more than one option…
Also, we didn’t know what was the best route for us and didn’t feel as though we had the information to make a decision.
We’ve been back in the UK for 5 years now. My wife’s had two spousal visas both applied for by us.
No lawyers or agencies and no fees other than those payable to the UK government.
So how did we go from a state of confusion to having the confidence to make our own visa application?
We used expat websites and forums.
Searching for expat websites, finding a couple which dealt with repatriation.
Then joining forums and looking for threads that talked about spousal visas for the UK…
We found a few and worked our way through, noting what was relevant to us.
As a result we started to understand the differences between the types of visas available.
This in turn helped us to clarify which was the best option for us.
Once we’d done this we were able to start researching the process involved with that visa.
If there was anything that we were unsure of then we’d ask question in the forums that we were using.
Sometimes we’d get differing answers from people which could be a bit confusing.
Though in the end we’d get a consensus opinion which fell inline with what we were thinking.
It was great to have access to people who’d been through the same thing.
We were benefiting from their experience and this was invaluable…
It allowed us to understand what was important in the process and what wasn’t making it easier for us.
Whilst it didn’t take away the uncertainty of waiting for someone to decide our future!
On the whole it was pretty painless…
This was definitely thanks to the resources that we had available to us in the expat forums.
So we appreciate the amazing amount of information available for expats online.
We also know just how much it’s needed and how helpful it can be.
Whether it’s general expat issues, country specific ones or ones that relate to going home.
Every bit helps and whilst expat life can be amazing, it also has its complications.
what makes our list
With this in mind we’ve put together, in our opinion some of the most useful resources available to expats.
So here goes:
expat network
Expat Network has a heap of resources for people looking to work or retire abroad…
It has job listings and forums dedicated to finding employment overseas.
They have destination guides that allow you to research the country where you may be heading. Though these are not as wide ranging as some other sites.
Expat network provides a great reference point for making the move.
They also have checklists, relocation quotes, education guides and other essential topics.
In addition there’s dedicated money articles covering pension investment and protection topics.
Links to service providers appear sponsored and not impartial recommendations.
Other than that, they have some useful content for expats and people looking to retire abroad.
InterNations
Internations is a network of expats located in over 420 cities around the world.
People on the ground contribute content relevant to expat life in the place that they’re living.
This provides an essential insight into any of these locations. It can also help you connect with other expats through events organised and promoted by the site.
They also have detailed location guides (over 200) that help you research.
These are written from the perspective and experience of people on the ground.
They also have single subject guides which look at a specific topic in detail. These cover areas such as multicultural communication, culture shock and expat finance.
Again, promoted providers appear to be sponsored so they’re not impartial if that’s what you’re looking for.
the money saving expat
This is an expat blog which focuses specifically on financial issues for expats.
A group of expats developed the site because they found existing resources disappointing.
It’s a free service for users and they are looking to grow the content that’s on there.
There’s a big focus towards expats in the U.A.E because they appear to be based there. Though the bulk of the content applies to expats located anywhere.
They cover a broad range of financial topics…
Areas include investment, insurance, banking, debt & borrowing, tax, property and pensions.
They also provide saving, education fee and mortgage repayment calculators.
Whilst the site says that they’re impartial their funding model doesn’t support this. Any professional organisations that appear on the site are there because they paid.
Having said this they have some useful articles.
They approach expat financial issues from a different perspective than most other sites.
This means that they touch on topics that are often overlooked elsewhere.
expatica
Here’s another site focused towards people moving and working abroad.
Whilst it has similarities to other sites, a unique aspect is its section on repatriation.
This makes it interesting for those of us looking to head home.
There are sections for moving & living abroad, education, finance, healthcare, lifestyle and more…
These sections touch on subjects such as visa’s, pets, schooling and job hunting.
Expatica has a global site (the one we’ve linked to) and also individual country sites.
There are fourteen in all and whilst this is not as many as other sites the level of content is very detailed…
If your destination country isn’t there, then the global site is still helpful for expats in general.
So far so good…
Right?
Advisers Worldwide Expat Life Insurance
Life insurance is important for everyone!
Though that’s even more true for expats…
They almost always fall outside the state safety in the country where they live!
Their families don’t qualify anymore for benefits back in their home countries.
Employers may provide some support though this is going to be minimal and far less than’s needed.
On top of this many expats have an issue with their life cover and they don’t even realise it!
If it isn’t dealt with then it would prove disastrous for their loved ones.
We’ve put together this series on life insurance specifically for expats!
Its purpose is to take them through a process so that they can make sure that they’ve got effective life cover!
Which means that if their family needs to claim it will pay out the benefits and it will do it quickly.
If you have a life insurance policy right now we show you how to confirm whether it’s effective…
That’s because there’s a very big chance that it isn’t, so be sure.
Don’t waste your money and…
Don’t find out the hard way!
It’s a definitive guide of expat life insurance.
Advisers Worldwide Expat Life Insurance Calculator
Following on from the life insurance series we’ve put in this helpful resource.
Just in case you’ve found out you need to get some life insurance or you don’t feel as though you’ve got enough.
Here’s a life insurance calculator that we’ve prepared for you…
Put in your information and it will tell you how much life cover you need.
There are different ways of calculating how much life insurance you need.
So, it’s worthwhile looking at a few and using an average.
Though ours is a great starting point for you and it’s quick and easy to use.
Expatriates.co.uk
This is a site that’s focused towards British expats.
They have some great content relating to financial, legal and property matters…
They have 11 destination guides which is a little limited. Though they do cover some major expat destinations.
Another thing that’s definitely helpful are the country specific healthcare guides.
There are 22 in total at the time of writing. These guides provide detailed information on the healthcare system in a particular country.
They also provide information on things to be aware of such as common illnesses that can occur.
Links to providers are definitely sponsored on this site so it’s not impartial.
andrew hallam
Andrew Hallam was a high school English teacher and expat.
His investment strategy made him into a millionaire…
He is also the author of Millionaire teacher and Millionaire expat.
In these books he details the investment principles which he has stuck by.
Andrew speaks around the world to expats on his investment strategy.
His website is chocked full of useful investment information.
It also highlights things that you should be looking out for.
The common pitfalls that catch expats out around the world.
He provides a really useful investment framework and good practices to follow.
advisers worldwide expat pension calculator
Following on from the last investment related resource, here’s another useful one.
If you want to check whether you’re doing enough or looking to start saving for your retirement.
Then we’ve put together this pension calculator for you.
As an expat providing for retirement generally falls squarely on your shoulders…
So making sure that you’re on target or getting it right is important!
That’s because if you’re not then it could be difficult to catch up again.
Having a review every five years will help you keep on track and mean it’s not too late to act.
Also it’s not uncommon for people to struggle because they don’t know where to start.
So, we’ve used our experience to provide you with a helpful tool.
This will show you if there’s a shortfall between what you’re doing and what you want.
We’ll also show you what you need to if you want to meet your objectives.
The rest is down to you!
expats blog
This is a compilation of blogs and posts from expats situated all around the world.
A site for expats created by expats. They’re sharing experiences about their life as expats where they live.
There’s articles that cover an extensive range of topics…
Some of which are banking, currency transfer, jobs, emigration and visas.
There are expats blogs based in 149 countries spanning the globe.
In addition to this there’s a broad spectrum of forums that you can access.
These are based on both geographical location and at times a specific subject area.
For example there’s a Hong Kong Baby – Parenting & Pregnancy forum for the expat community there.
ARE YOU MAKING THE BEST FINANCIAL CHOICES?
"Expat Money Series" puts you in the driving seat"
conclusion
You may be getting ready to start living your expat life. You’re doing your research in preparation to make the move.
You could be a seasoned expat about to get reposted to a new location. Understandably you want to know what you’re in store for, what are the risks and what does it have to offer.
If you’re an expat and you’re about to make some important financial decisions. You may be looking for some reassurance or information to support your decision.
Or as I was you may be looking to repatriate and need some help so you make the right choices.
Information online is important for expat communities.
Often they don’t have the same protections as they did back home. They don’t have the safety net that they may have had from the state.
Plus healthcare may be very different to what they’re used to and is provide for in a different way.
Our bonus offer helps you to fill one of these gaps. Our “Expat Money Guide” gives you a reference point for your finances…
We highlight the issues that can arise for any expat with their financial planning.
We also show you how to deal with them and the options that are available to you.
You’ll also access industry insider tips that could save you tens of thousands.
It also shows you the things that you must avoid and the mistakes that many expats fall prey.
Just click to subscribe and we’ll send you your copy of “Expat Money” for free!
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