FATCA, PFICs And Golden Visas: A US Expat Money Guide

Financial advisor Scott Schwartz joins the Expat Focus Podcast to talk about what it really takes for Americans to build a life abroad. Scott has flown as an international airline captain, sailed around the world, and now lives part-time on his boat in Malta. He's spent over three decades advising Americans living overseas, and his new book, Adapting Elsewhere: A Practical Guide for Americans Moving Abroad, tackles the parts of the move that nobody puts in the brochure.

Scott explains why moving abroad has shifted from a romantic retirement dream to a practical strategy, and gets into the financial traps that catch Americans out: FATCA reporting and why banks turn US citizens away, PFICs, worldwide taxation, and the biggest mistake of all – leaving the country before you've sorted out your financial institutions at home. He and Carlie also cover residency routes from Malta's reworked citizenship by investment programme to retirement visas, why international health insurance matters more than most people expect, and the case for the "Schengen shuffle" as a low-risk way to try somewhere before you commit.

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00:00 Welcome and guest intro

01:07 Scott's global backstory: pilot, sailor, advisor

03:24 From the cockpit to financial advising

05:28 Why he wrote Adapting Elsewhere

07:43 Building community, and life in Malta

09:57 Why Americans are moving now

13:09 Money traps: FATCA, PFICs and banking

16:44 Residency, golden visas and citizenship by investment