Arranging suitable wills is an important part of financial planning and one that is too often overlooked or not addressed as it seems complicated – but can be much easier to organise than you might think. Wills are important and if you don’t have one this is something you need to address. Here are 15 reasons why you need a will: You own a property You have just become a parent You have dependent children You want to choose who would bring up your child(ren) should you both die You don’t want your UAE property to be split per Sharia Law divisions You have got married You have got divorced You ..read more

When you relocate from one country to another there is a great deal you need to think about. This includes the practical problems of shipping your possessions, finding a place to live, finding new schools for children, new employment and so on. No doubt you will have lists of things to do but one area that is often overlooked is the financial side. It may not be exciting but you need to be aware of these issues to avoid any nasty surprise tax bills, especially in respect of UAE income or offshore investments. Getting it right will save you money. Getting it wrong can be expensive. I provide an ..read more

When you have children, you get lots of advice and tips from everyone but one area that tends to be overlooked is the financial aspect. In the excitement of impending parenthood, or the crazy first few months – and years – you may never get around to taking some important financial steps. It’s too easy to forget this essential topic so this article is designed to be a useful guide to some of the issues you need to consider. Multiple surveys have put the cost of raising a child at eye-watering levels over their first 18 years and expats working in the UAE have the added cost of education and me ..read more

Another Spring, another UK Budget, but what will it really mean for you? Following every Budget or Statement, I write an article to give people who are not resident in the UK a concise overview of some of the main points, with particular reference to any changes that have relevance to those of us living outside of the UK, especially in the GCC. The UK press will cover many points in detail but much of it will not be directly relevant to expats so this article focuses on the points that will be of most interest. An announcement about a General Election is expected as the clock is ticking, so th ..read more

You could become a permanent resident, leading to citizenship in just five years. You and you family can obtain US passports and live the American dream. Join us for an online presentation on one of the most popular investment migration programmes in the world. Thursday 15th February. 1pm UAE time.    **  Link to register to be added shortly  ** (Please email in the interim and I will send it to you once I have it) If you read this after the live presentation, get in touch with me for a copy of the recording. Citizen by investment is a US Government approved scheme. While y ..read more

Once again Jeremey Hunt, as Chancellor of the Exchequer, has delivered an Autumn Statement, this time with a claim that there would be 110 measures “to help grow the economy”. We will be the judge of that… This article is a brief overview of some of the main points with particular reference to any cannouncements that have relevance to those living outside of the UK, and especially in the GCC. The UK press will cover many points in detail but many of the points will not be directly relevant to expats so this article focuses on the points that will directly affect us. As has become common in rec ..read more

Citizenship- or residency-by- investment could be the answer. As the world, and where we can choose to live, is affected by events and economics, many people are considering alternative citizenship and places to live. The recent pandemic, wars, economic factors – all have affected how we see our futures. And where we want to live and retire. It is not as easy as simply deciding you want to live in a certain country as obtaining residency and visas can be complex. The choices about where to live and work are restricted for most people and few nationalities have real freedom of movement. Holding ..read more

The times, they are a-changing, to quote Bob Dylan, and that is the case in the UAE as Muslim expats can now write UAE wills and distribute their assets exactly as they wish, in the same way as non-Muslims. This is a huge change, and very welcome for many expats, especially those who have bought property in the UAE. Provided a will is set up correctly, and formally registered, assets will no longer be subject to distribution according to Sharia Law. This is a very recent change and at time of writing has not been picked up by most lawyers and media in the UAE. All details have been confirmed w ..read more

Most expats have a need to move money between currencies and it makes sense to find a way to do this securely, easily and where you can save money. You can do this easily, from your desk or sofa. Importantly, this is fully secure, properly regulated and in view of recent issues with some UAE companies, I only work with a currency broker with a good track record. The online services offered by retail banks are rarely competitive and even if they do not charge a fee they make their profit on the poor rates of exchange offered. There is a better way.  Everyone wants to make savings so this i ..read more

Your family is important. Your children are important. When you have dependents and loved ones, you want to make sure that they will be financially okay, no matter what happens. Have a watch of this short clip to understand why you need to have life insurance. life insurance family protection If video is not visible please try viewing on a desktop or laptop as there may be a WordPress glitch. Thanks You don’t buy life insurance because you are going to die;  you buy it because those you love are going to live. Life insurance cannot bring back a spouse or parent, but it can make the roa ..read more