Moving to France from the US?
Plan Your Retirement. Protect Your Investments. Understand Your Tax Obligations with SJB Global USA.
Moving to France from the United States can be the beginning of an extraordinary new chapter. Whether you are planning to retire in Provence, purchase a home in the Dordogne, relocate your family to Paris or create a new lifestyle in the French countryside, the move involves much more than arranging a visa and finding somewhere to live.
Your financial planning deserves just as much attention as the practical side of your relocation.
Moving from the United States to France can affect how your retirement accounts are managed, how your investments are taxed, how income is reported and how your estate may eventually be passed to your family. Decisions made before you leave the US can influence your financial position for many years after becoming resident in France.
With careful cross-border planning, you can reduce uncertainty, avoid common mistakes and create a financial strategy designed to support your new life overseas.
SJB Global USA specializes in helping internationally mobile individuals and families manage the financial implications of living abroad. Working alongside A New Life in France, SJB Global USA helps Americans understand the important retirement, investment, taxation and inheritance considerations that can arise before and after relocating to France.
Financial Planning Designed for Americans Living in France
Moving country changes far more than your address.
Your French tax residency may affect how your income and investments are treated. At the same time, US citizens and green card holders generally remain subject to US tax reporting obligations even while living overseas.
Your retirement accounts may need to be managed differently. Existing investment products may become unsuitable once you are resident in France. Currency movements can affect your income, while French succession rules may influence how your estate is divided and taxed.
SJB Global USA helps bring these different financial considerations together into one coordinated strategy.
Rather than looking at retirement accounts, investments, taxes and inheritance in isolation, the aim is to create a complete financial plan that reflects your residence in France, your continuing connections to the United States and your long-term objectives.
Retirement Planning for Americans Moving to France
For many Americans relocating to France, retirement assets represent a substantial part of their overall wealth.
These may include 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, Traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, employer pension arrangements, Social Security benefits or other retirement savings.
Understanding how these accounts can be accessed, managed and taxed after becoming resident in France is essential.
SJB Global can help clients consider:
• 401(k), 403(b) and other employer retirement plans
• Traditional and Roth IRAs
• Retirement account consolidation
• Required minimum distributions
• Retirement income planning
• Social Security benefits
• Currency and withdrawal planning
• Cross-border taxation of retirement income
• Long-term cashflow forecasting
The most suitable strategy will depend on your age, retirement date, account types, tax residency, income needs and wider financial position.
The objective is to help ensure your retirement savings continue to support your lifestyle after you move, while taking account of both French and US financial considerations.
Investment Management for US Expats
Many Americans arrive in France with brokerage accounts, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, managed portfolios, cash savings or other investments established while living in the United States.
Once you become resident in France, those arrangements may require careful review.
An investment that was suitable while living in the US may not remain appropriate from a French tax, reporting or regulatory perspective. Certain US investment structures can create additional complexity for residents of France, while some European products may have unfavourable consequences for US taxpayers.
SJB Global USA helps clients review their existing investments and consider a strategy that reflects their new cross-border position.
This may include:
• Reviewing existing US investment portfolios
• Assessing the suitability of current holdings
• International investment planning
• Multi-currency investment strategies
• Retirement income portfolios
• Diversification and risk management
• Tax-aware investment planning
• Long-term wealth management
• Ongoing portfolio reviews
The aim is not simply to pursue investment growth. It is to create a sustainable, appropriately structured portfolio that supports your income, lifestyle and long-term financial security.
Understanding US and French Taxation
Taxation is one of the most important areas to consider when moving from the United States to France.
France generally taxes residents on their worldwide income, while the United States generally continues to tax its citizens and green card holders regardless of where they live.
This means Americans living in France may have tax filing and reporting responsibilities in both countries.
The US-France tax treaty can help determine how different types of income are treated and may reduce the risk of double taxation. However, the interaction between the two systems can be complex, particularly where retirement income, investments, property, capital gains and estate planning are concerned.
SJB Global USA can help clients understand the financial planning implications surrounding:
• French tax residency
• Continuing US filing obligations
• Worldwide income reporting
• Retirement income taxation
• Investment income
• Capital gains
• Foreign tax credits
• Tax treaty considerations
• Property ownership
• Wealth and real estate taxation
• Coordination with specialist tax professionals
SJB Global USA does not replace the need for qualified US and French tax advice. Instead, financial planning can be coordinated with appropriate tax professionals so that investment, retirement and estate planning decisions take account of the wider cross-border tax position.
Financial Planning Before You Move
The best time to review your financial affairs is often before becoming resident in France.
Planning in advance may provide greater flexibility and help identify issues before they become more difficult to address.
SJB Global USA can assist with planning around:
• The timing of your move
• Establishing French tax residency
• Retirement account withdrawals
• Investment restructuring
• Income and expenditure forecasting
• Currency management
• Property purchase planning
• Healthcare costs
• Retirement income sustainability
• Long-term financial objectives
A detailed financial plan can show how your income, savings, investments and retirement accounts may work together over time.
This can help you understand whether your plans are affordable, how much income you may need and how different financial decisions could affect your future.
Inheritance and Estate Planning in France
Inheritance planning is often overlooked during an international move.
Many Americans assume that an existing US Will or trust will automatically deal with their estate exactly as intended after they become resident in France. In practice, cross-border estates can involve both US and French legal and tax considerations.
France has succession rules and inheritance tax principles that differ significantly from those in the United States.
The treatment of an estate may depend on factors including residency, nationality, the location of assets, family relationships and how property or investments are owned.
SJB Global USA helps clients consider the financial planning issues surrounding:
• US estate tax considerations
• French inheritance tax
• French succession rules
• Existing Wills and trusts
• Ownership of French property
• Passing wealth to a spouse
• Providing for children and grandchildren
• Beneficiary designations
• Lifetime gifting strategies
• Cross-border estate planning
• Coordination with legal and tax professionals
Early planning can help provide clarity and make it more likely that assets are passed on in accordance with your wishes.
Managing Currency and International Income
Living in France while receiving income or holding assets in the United States creates an additional currency consideration.
Your expenses may be in euros, while your Social Security payments, retirement withdrawals, investment income or other assets may remain denominated in US dollars.
Changes in the dollar-to-euro exchange rate can therefore affect your spending power and the value of your retirement income.
SJB Global USA can help incorporate currency planning into your wider financial strategy, considering:
• Regular transfers from dollars to euros
• Timing of retirement withdrawals
• Holding assets in different currencies
• Managing short-term spending needs
• Protecting long-term income
• Reducing the impact of exchange-rate volatility
Currency planning should not be treated as a separate issue. It should form part of the overall retirement, investment and cashflow strategy.
Ongoing Financial Planning After You Move
Financial planning does not end when you arrive in France.
Your circumstances, investments, tax rules and priorities may change over time. You may purchase property, begin drawing retirement benefits, sell assets in the United States or decide to pass wealth to the next generation.
SJB Global USA provides ongoing financial planning and investment support to help clients keep their arrangements aligned with their changing needs.
This can include:
• Regular financial reviews
• Investment monitoring
• Retirement income planning
• Cashflow updates
• Changes in residency or family circumstances
• Estate planning reviews
• Coordination with tax and legal advisers
• Planning for future generations
The objective is to provide continuity, helping you manage your finances throughout every stage of your new life in France.
Working Alongside A New Life in France
A New Life in France provides trusted information and practical guidance covering the wider relocation journey, from visas and residency through to healthcare, property, everyday life and settling into the French community.
For Americans who also need specialist financial planning, SJB Global USA complements this support by helping clients understand the financial implications of living between the United States and France.
Together, the partnership provides access to practical relocation information and cross-border financial guidance, helping you make more informed decisions before, during and after your move.