by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Published on Aug 22, 2019 | Advanced Global Planning, Americans working abroad
“Should I contribute to social security?” You might think that is an odd question to ask. Afterall, most of the US citizens with earned income have no way to opt out of paying into social security system. This is because US payroll tax, which funds social security...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Published on Jul 30, 2019 | Money and the heart, Work with financial planner
Recently I encountered a situation that allowed me to discover a new approach to financial planning. Normally, clients come to me with some existing “goals.” They might not know clearly about the amount, the timing, or the importance of these goals, but they have...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Last updated Jun 28, 2019 | Published on Jun 28, 2019 | Money and the heart
This post is about making the right financial decisions. To get to that, I’m going to start with a real-life basketball story. 2018-2019 NBA season just wrapped up a couple weeks ago. As an NBA enthusiast, I was glad to see the Raptors brought home their first...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Published on Apr 29, 2019 | Global Living Basics, Work with financial planner
If you have moved internationally in the near past, you may have noticed that it is difficult getting straight forward answers about what to do with your cross-border finances. You may have gone to financial advisers in your resident country. As soon as they hear you...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Last updated Jul 30, 2020 | Published on Mar 27, 2019 | Globetrotters working in the US, Investing, Tax Planning
15 years ago, when I came to the US to study, most of the international students I knew wanted to stay in the US and get their green card. As my life brought me to other countries, I came to meet more people for whom the US is only one stop in their global journey....
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Last updated Feb 23, 2019 | Published on Feb 23, 2019 | Global Living Basics, International Transactions
You may have read my International Transactions 101 series on this blog. While I detailed how money transfers and exchanges actually happen in the back end of each service, I have not actually tried every single method personally. A while ago I’d had the opportunity...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Last updated Jan 22, 2019 | Published on Jan 22, 2019 | Global Living Basics, Organize, Plan, Systematize, Work with financial planner
As we welcome the new year and leave the first 100 posts of this blog behind, I want to share with you something that has been on my mind. On this blog I’ve covered topics ranging from basic to advanced, from explaining details to compiling all-inclusive checklists....
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Last updated Nov 29, 2018 | Published on Nov 28, 2018 | Money and the heart
You are now reading the 100th post of this blog! Thank you for being part of this journey, no matter when you started. In 2014, while in Auckland, I began responding to some common personal finance questions from expats that I’ve seen over and over in community...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Published on Oct 31, 2018 | Americans working abroad, Global Living Basics
One of the common discussions I have with US clients working overseas is how to exclude their foreign income from US taxation. Many people know about Foreign Earned Income Exclusion (FEIE) already, but are concerned about being able to meet the physical presence...
by Hui-Chin Chen, CFP® | Published on Sep 12, 2018 | Advanced Global Planning, Americans working abroad, Globetrotters working in the US
Other than concerning 401(k)s, one of the most common questions I receive from clients moving away from the US is, “What do I do with Social Security when I move overseas?” The short answer is, nothing. Social Security is technically a government benefit program. Even...
I'm Hui-chin Chen, a globetrotter & certified financial planner helping you manage your finances from afar and on the go.