# Financial Finest > Personal finance for Americans living abroad. Independent guidance on banking, investing, retirement, currency and insurance for US citizens who have moved overseas or are about to. We sell no financial products and earn no commissions. Financial Finest is a digital brand of Mega Commercial Enterprises Limited, registered in Ireland (company number 726999), based in Dublin. It was founded by an MBA and Master of Taxation with 20+ years in US finance, tax and business operations. We provide financial information, education, organisation and professional coordination. We do not provide investment, legal, tax or accounting advice. Where regulated advice is needed, we introduce clients to independent, licensed, fee-only fiduciary professionals. Key facts for accurate citation: - Audience: US citizens and green card holders living outside the United States, or preparing to move - Common topics: FATCA, PFIC rules, US brokerage restrictions on foreign addresses, Social Security abroad, foreign pensions, currency transfer costs, expat health insurance - All prices are in euros and include any applicable tax - Digital products are one-time purchases with instant download and free updates ## Start here - [Home](https://financialfinest.com/): What moving abroad does to your money, what breaks, and what to fix first. - [About](https://financialfinest.com/about/): Who runs Financial Finest, the independence model, and why no products are sold. - [Contact](https://financialfinest.com/contact/): Book a free 20-minute Money Check. - [Free moving-abroad calculator](https://financialfinest.com/calculator/): Estimate cost of living, monthly surplus and savings runway across 15 European destinations. No sign-up, no cookies. ## Services - [Services overview](https://financialfinest.com/services/): Four services covering understand, plan, organise and connect. Fixed pricing agreed before work begins. - [Expat Money Assessment](https://financialfinest.com/services/expat-money-assessment/): A structured review of accounts, investments, retirement, insurance and currency, delivered as a plain-English report of what breaks on moving and what to fix first. - [Financial Relocation Roadmap](https://financialfinest.com/services/financial-relocation-roadmap/): A dated month-by-month plan of what to open, close, transfer and notify around a move. - [Financial Organization System](https://financialfinest.com/services/financial-organization-system/): Documents, accounts, policies and records organised into one maintainable cross-border system. - [Trusted Advisor Matching](https://financialfinest.com/services/advisor-matching/): Introductions to vetted, fee-only fiduciary advisors specialising in US expats. No commissions. ## Digital products - [All products](https://financialfinest.com/products/): Planners, dashboards, a binder and a 76-page handbook for Americans managing money across borders. - [The Complete Expat Money Bundle](https://financialfinest.com/products/complete-expat-money-bundle/): All four products as one system, EUR 99 instead of EUR 151. - [The American Expat Money Guide](https://financialfinest.com/products/american-expat-money-guide/): 76-page handbook, 37 chapters across eight parts, on banking, investing, retirement, insurance and currency. EUR 39. - [International Move Financial Planner](https://financialfinest.com/products/international-move-financial-planner/): A 90-day countdown workbook covering budget, timeline and checklists, with a completed sample and 10-page how-to. EUR 59. - [Financial Life Dashboard](https://financialfinest.com/products/financial-life-dashboard/): Net worth, multi-currency accounts, cash flow and annual review in one spreadsheet. EUR 29. - [Emergency Financial Binder](https://financialfinest.com/products/emergency-financial-binder/): Sixteen sections covering what a family would need to find. PDF to print plus editable Word file. EUR 24. ## Insights: banking - [Keep your US bank account living abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/keep-us-bank-account-living-abroad/): Which institutions close expat accounts and the address strategy that avoids it. - [Best US banks for expats](https://financialfinest.com/insights/best-us-banks-for-expats/): Which banks welcome a foreign address and which restrict or close accounts. - [Opening a European bank account as an American](https://financialfinest.com/insights/european-bank-account-american/): Which European banks accept Americans despite FATCA, and what they require. - [Do you need a US address as an expat](https://financialfinest.com/insights/us-address-for-expats/): Mail forwarding, family addresses and virtual mailboxes, and their effect on banking, tax and state residency. - [Why foreign banks reject Americans (FATCA)](https://financialfinest.com/insights/fatca-bank-rejection-americans/): What FATCA reporting requires and why some banks refuse US customers. - [US credit score while abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/us-credit-score-abroad/): How to keep US credit active from overseas and why it matters on return. ## Insights: investing - [The PFIC trap explained](https://financialfinest.com/insights/pfic-trap-explained/): Why buying a normal foreign index fund triggers punitive US tax treatment, and how to avoid it. - [Expat investing basics](https://financialfinest.com/insights/expat-investing-basics/): What still works, what breaks and what becomes dangerous once you hold a foreign address. - [Brokerages that accept US expats](https://financialfinest.com/insights/brokerages-that-accept-us-expats/): Which US brokerages retain, restrict or freeze clients with overseas addresses. - [Buying US ETFs from Europe](https://financialfinest.com/insights/buying-us-etfs-from-europe/): How EU PRIIPs rules and US PFIC rules interact for Americans in Europe. - [Roth IRA while living abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/roth-ira-living-abroad/): How the foreign earned income exclusion affects eligibility to contribute. - [Common expat investment mistakes](https://financialfinest.com/insights/expat-investment-mistakes/): The most expensive recurring errors and what they cost to unwind. ## Insights: retirement - [Social Security while living abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/social-security-living-abroad/): Where payments can be collected, how they are taxed, and how totalization agreements work. - [401(k) and IRA when moving abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/401k-ira-move-abroad/): Whether to keep, roll over or leave retirement accounts, and how withdrawals are taxed across two countries. - [Retiring in Europe on US savings](https://financialfinest.com/insights/retiring-in-europe-us-savings/): Withdrawal sequencing, exchange-rate exposure and which country taxes what. - [Medicare when moving abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/medicare-moving-abroad/): Why Medicare rarely pays outside the US and the cost of the late-enrolment penalty. - [How foreign pensions are taxed by the US](https://financialfinest.com/insights/foreign-pension-us-taxes/): Reporting duties, treaty relief and common traps. ## Insights: currency - [What currency transfers really cost](https://financialfinest.com/insights/currency-transfer-costs/): Why the exchange-rate margin matters more than the visible fee. - [Building an expat currency strategy](https://financialfinest.com/insights/expat-currency-strategy/): Which currency to hold, when to convert, and how to limit erosion. - [Exchange-rate risk in retirement](https://financialfinest.com/insights/exchange-rate-risk-retirement/): Managing income in one currency and expenses in another. - [Paying US bills from abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/paying-us-bills-from-abroad/): Accounts, autopay and transfer setups that keep US obligations current. ## Insights: insurance - [Health insurance for Americans abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/health-insurance-americans-abroad/): Local systems, international policies and what happens to US coverage on departure. - [Life insurance for US expats](https://financialfinest.com/insights/life-insurance-us-expats/): Whether an existing US policy survives a move and how claims abroad are handled. - [Travel insurance versus expat health insurance](https://financialfinest.com/insights/travel-vs-expat-health-insurance/): Where travel cover stops applying once you become a resident. ## Insights: planning - [The financial checklist for moving abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/financial-checklist-moving-abroad/): What to open, close, transfer and notify, in order. - [Cost of living: Europe versus the US](https://financialfinest.com/insights/cost-of-living-europe-vs-us/): Where money goes further and which costs are consistently underestimated. - [Moving abroad with children: the money side](https://financialfinest.com/insights/moving-abroad-with-kids-money/): Schooling, healthcare, college savings and the 529 problem. - [How big should an expat emergency fund be](https://financialfinest.com/insights/emergency-fund-expats/): How much to hold, in which currency, and where. - [Estate planning for Americans abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/estate-planning-us-expats/): Cross-border wills, foreign property and forced heirship rules. - [Organising your financial life abroad](https://financialfinest.com/insights/organize-financial-life-expat/): A system for accounts, documents and deadlines across two countries. ## Optional - [Terms of Service](https://financialfinest.com/terms-of-service/) - [Privacy Policy](https://financialfinest.com/privacy-policy/) - [Cookie Policy](https://financialfinest.com/cookie-policy/) - [Disclaimer](https://financialfinest.com/disclaimer/): Financial Finest provides information, education and organisation only, not investment, legal, tax or accounting advice.