American Expats: Don’t Get Caught by U.S. Tax Rules on Foreign Investments
Submitted by Creveling & Creveling Private Wealth Advisory on April 10th, 2013By Chad Creveling, CFA and Peggy Creveling, CFA
While most expat Americans are aware of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) and the increased reporting requirements for foreign holdings, many are still unaware of the IRS’s particularly harsh tax treatment of foreign-incorporated investments such as overseas mutual funds and pension plans. As a direct consequence of increased reporting from FATCA, we are also likely to see more rigorous enforcement of the IRS’s Passive Foreign Investment Corporation (PFIC) rules. This article is intended to help you understand PFIC rules so that you can minimize the U.S. tax consequences of investing overseas and avoid penalties, both now and over the long run.