ExPat/Non-Resident ETF Advice

sb_abroad

Registered User
Messages
3
Hi all,

I'm new to this site, so apologies if this has been asked before!

My family and I moved to Singapore a few years ago and intend to be here for the next 5 years. We have non-resident status in Ireland. I’m hoping to get some direction on what to do with my portfolio of ETFs.

I have been making regular contributions on Interactive Brokers buying diversified US exchange ETFs. I now have the following concerns:

-US Estate Tax: as a non-US resident I’m thinking to stop buying on the US exchanges (I don’t think owning non-US securities on a US platform like IB falls into the estate tax issue)

-Plan to switch to European exchange UCITS ETFs on Euronext but reading these forums it sounds as if these are not tax-efficient to Irish citizens…

-Given we are non-resident would it affect me to switch to Euro exchange ETFs? If no, would I need to sell these before returning to Ireland?

I would be interested to hear advice as the more I read online the more I get confused. I just want to invest regularly in the most tax efficient way.

Thanks,
SB.
 
You are non resident in Ireland but resident in Singapore. Therefore the provisions of the Singapore tax system are what you should be mainly considering. As far as I know the only items taxed in Ireland for non residents are rents from property located in Ireland, and government payments eg civil service persions.

However, you should review your investments in the light of the Singapore tax system. Many countries do not have capital gains tax or have no or low (by Irish standards) tax on dividends. If this is the case in Singapore I would suggest you to rejig your portfolio appropriately as five years good investment returns will make a worthwhile difference to your wealth.
 
Have you read Andrew Hallam's book on investing for expats?

Hi He-Man,

Yes picked it up this weekend and very interesting. He didn't have any specific advice for Irish expats. Is it a bit strange that he is advising Europeas to buy of the UK market instead of Euro exchange, incurring currency conversion costs? That's why I wanted to get advice on the Euro exchanges.

The book does convince me to sell the US ETFs. Decision now for me is to either change my Singapore dollars into sterling or euro and buy on thev equivalent exchange.

Thanks,
SB.
 
You are non resident in Ireland but resident in Singapore. Therefore the provisions of the Singapore tax system are what you should be mainly considering. As far as I know the only items taxed in Ireland for non residents are rents from property located in Ireland, and government payments eg civil service persions.

However, you should review your investments in the light of the Singapore tax system. Many countries do not have capital gains tax or have no or low (by Irish standards) tax on dividends. If this is the case in Singapore I would suggest you to rejig your portfolio appropriately as five years good investment returns will make a worthwhile difference to your wealth.

Thanks for your reply, I will check that out regarding Singapore tax and sell the US ETFs.

I do have rental income from home and use a collecting agent to take care of the income tax.

SB.
 
Hi He-Man,

Yes picked it up this weekend and very interesting. He didn't have any specific advice for Irish expats. Is it a bit strange that he is advising Europeas to buy of the UK market instead of Euro exchange, incurring currency conversion costs? That's why I wanted to get advice on the Euro exchanges.

The book does convince me to sell the US ETFs. Decision now for me is to either change my Singapore dollars into sterling or euro and buy on thev equivalent exchange.

Thanks,
SB.

I buy from the Amsterdam exchange (VEUR and VETY); the Frankfurt exchange (EXHB); and the London exchange (VUSD & VDEM).
 
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