Most expat financial advice feels familiar and well-meaning, often from friends or advisors. But in today’s mobile world, strategies that work in one country may fall short for those with global assets, cross-border taxes, or heirs in different jurisdictions.

‘Buy a home - it’s the safest investment’

The decision to invest in property should consider more than just location or purchase price. Like in the case of Sarah*, who bought a London flat. When she moved to Singapore, renting it became a tax tangle. Selling later triggered a massive UK capital gains bill she hadn't planned for. Passing it to her US-resident daughter meant UK inheritance tax and complex US reporting.

Property can play a role in your plan—but only if treated as a global asset, not an impulse buy. Consider ownership structures, cross-border tax impact, and exit strategies. It’s not about avoiding property, but integrating it into a wider cross-border strategy.

‘Stick with your home policy’

Keeping domestic pensions or life insurance may feel sensible, but they’re often built for one country, one currency, and a fixed retirement path. Today’s expats live across borders, with evolving needs and multi-jurisdictional families.

Older plans can fall short. Portable options—like offshore life insurance or globally diversified investment-linked plans—add flexibility and complement traditional setups when life takes unexpected turns.

‘Send money home - don’t overthink it’

For many expats, remitting money back home is more habit than strategy—often landing in low-yield deposits or real estate, gradually eroded by taxes, FX fees, and currency depreciation. Ritesh*, a UAE-based entrepreneur, had millions in Indian fixed deposits that offered safety but little growth. Returns barely beat inflation, interest was taxed, and rupee depreciation chipped away at his USD wealth.

His portfolio only turned around when his advisor stepped in to reallocate funds into a globally diversified mix of ETFs, international bonds, and strategic alternatives, held within an offshore structure. This shift brought higher upside, tax efficiency, USD-linked growth, and protection from unpredictable policy changes.

Autopilot remittances won’t build global wealth. Send home what’s necessary—but structure the rest offshore, in jurisdictions like Singapore, Switzerland, or DIFC, where your capital can grow with clarity and purpose.

‘Own everything in your name’

For expats with assets or beneficiaries across borders, holding everything personally is rarely efficient. Direct ownership increases exposure to local laws, tax regimes, and forced heirship provisions. It also limits flexibility when transferring control or ensuring continuity.

Alternatives like DIFC Foundations or offshore holding vehicles provide legal separation between control and ownership, allow for succession by design rather than default, and reduce friction in inheritance or business continuity planning.

‘Financial advice is the same everywhere’

Many expats rely on financial professionals who are grounded in a single-country framework. Solutions need to reflect legal exposure across borders. A portfolio designed for one country may become inefficient or non-compliant in another. Expats require cross-border fluency from advisors who understand international tax standards, reporting obligations, and legacy mechanisms that hold up globally.

Time to discard the script

The financial advice that served a previous generation was shaped by certainty of geography, employment, and law. The safest decision for any expat may be to question the safest-sounding advice.

Seek specialists who speak the language of global mobility. Build structures that move with you. Your future self, and your globally scattered family, will thank you.

*The names used in this article have been changed for privacy purposes

Vikram Dhawan

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