The Authority in International and
Cross-Border Financial Planning
Education, Community, Tools and Research for the International and Cross-Border Financial Planner.
The Need for Cross-Border Planning
Cross-border clients face special financial planning challenges including:
Tax:
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Reporting obligations and compliance
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Tax planning strategies made available by multiple jurisdictions and the tax treaty
Retirement
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Accrued obligations in various countries
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Distribution strategies
Investments
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Finding brokerage firms that will work for a given pairwise countries
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Purchase and management of real estate and other assets from abroad
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Foreign country mortgage
Estate Planning
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Creating compliant/effective wills, trusts, and plans
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Asset protection strategies
Insurance
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Relative strengths and weaknesses of different country policies
Client Knowledge, Behaviour and Other
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Healthcare planning
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Comparing cost of living - post-tax
Banking
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Foreign exchange / International Money transfers
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Opening accounts, managing accounts in home jurisdictions, understanding bank costs, and how banks think and work.
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Global Anti Money Laundering
Advisors working with cross-border clients face special challenges including:
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The known unknowns (i.e. pension transfers and withholding)
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Where to find answers?
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Differences in cross-border planning to domestic planning (fact-finding, banking/custodial relationships, understanding of taxation of income/assets/estate, working with professional team)
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Investment restrictions
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Strengths and weaknesses of the US financial system
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Definitions of residency and domicile
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Source of Income and effect on tax/estate planning
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Various treaties (Income tax, Totalization and Estate tax)
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Different kinds of expats - (working holiday, domicile uncertain and permanent mover) & their fact patterns
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Insurance opportunities
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Immigration
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Challenges in working with expats
About the Global Financial Planning Institute
Formed in 2020, the Global Financial Planning Institute exists to provide education, community, tools/resources and ongoing research for financial planners, wealth managers, private bankers, CPA/accountants, and other advanced financial professionals working with international and cross-border clients in the US and Americans abroad.
Education
The GFP Institute offers the Master Class series in US Inbound/Outbound International financial planning. This course is the foundation for US financial planners seeking to work with incoming or outbound expatriates or Americans abroad.
At launch, the focus of the GFP Institute will be on rolling out the GFP Master Class series. In 2021, we plan to launch the community, tools/resources and research functions. These will be offered for GFP Institute members only. In future years, we plan on offering specific pairwise country cross-border education, so that our members may provide 'book-ended' financial advice.
Community
None of us are smarter than all of us. From connecting with international and cross-border peers to obtaining a referral to a service provider, we all appreciate the value of community.
Tools / Resources
From PFIC tax calculations, to a 'Covered expatriate' exit tax illustrator, we shall be offering a suite of tools to make the work of an international and cross-border financial planner that much easier.
Research
We shall be providing up to date information to do with regulatory and legal changes affecting the international and cross-border financial planning world.