UK Premium Bonds (Account Options)

Premium Bonds are a very unique type of account – a savings account crossed with a lottery. I think they’re pretty neat, and a nice, safe way of making short term savings a little fun. Synopsis Premium Bonds don’t have any parallel in the US, so a quick explanation of how they work: you deposit

UK Innovative Finance ISA (Account Options)

I’ll be honest, this isn’t one I’ve done a huge amount of research on, because I don’t see a good case for using one. I’ve just covered the basics below, for completeness and awareness. If anybody has found a good use for an Innovative Finance ISA in the portfolio of Americans in the UK, I’d

UK Cash ISA (Account Options)

Now we’re getting to the accounts that aren’t part of the flowchart for a “typical” American in the UK planning for retirement, but they have their purposes and might be useful in your individual plan. Synopsis A Cash ISA is a glorified savings account that’s UK tax free, US taxable. Most people don’t pay UK

My Story

I don’t intend for this site to be primarily about me – I won’t be doing monthly net worth updates or anything like that (maybe an annual high-level look back at the year). But I thought it might be useful to give a little bit of my history, so you can get to know me

The US/UK Tax Treaty

Big caveat up front: I am not a lawyer! This is 100% a layman’s reading of the tax treaty – it’s entirely up to you to confirm my interpretations. I’ve tried to call out situations where there are various interpretations so you can make your own judgment or seek out professional advice. Don’t try to

US & UK Taxable Brokerage (Account Options)

I’ve lumped US and UK taxable brokerage accounts together because they’re conceptually very similar. There are slightly different challenges, based on the available investments, but I’ll call out where they differ. For most Americans in the UK, you’re best off with a US account, if you can get somebody to let you have one! Synopsis

S&S ISA Experiment – Getting Started

One of the triggers that got me started with this site was my recent experience of opening a Stocks & Shares ISA. I’d like to share my experience so far with all of you, in the hopes it might help if you’re in a similar situations. I’ll also post periodic updates, to see how this

UK Lifetime ISA (Account Options)

Lifetime ISAs are a relatively new product, and are an interesting hybrid of a “normal” ISA and a pension, kind of like a Roth IRA. Your money is locked up until age 60 except for a first home purchase, but it’s tax advantaged. The low contribution limit means this won’t be a huge part of

UK Stocks & Shares ISA (Account Options)

ISAs are a really interesting kind of account – there’s nothing even close to them in the US, where you can invest, allow your investments to grow tax-deferred, and then withdraw them whenever you want. Sadly, that means the IRS doesn’t recognize them as anything special – but I think they still have a place

UK Self-Invested Personal Pension (Account Options)

A Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) is a common type of retirement savings vehicle in the UK. It doesn’t have a neat equivalent in the US – it’s kind of like a 401(k) but just for you. Synopsis A SIPP is very similar to a UK employer-provided pension, although won’t typically have employer contributions (it’s allowed,