Practical questions for Americans choosing financial advice abroad.
An advisor comes recommended in an expat group. Their website mentions international clients. They understand the frustration of opening a bank account overseas.
That is a promising introduction. It is also where your research should begin.
When your financial life crosses borders, you need to know whether an advisor can serve you where you live, whether they have relevant experience, and how their work connects with the tax and legal advice your situation may require.
You do not need to become a financial expert to choose one. You do need questions that move the conversation beyond a reassuring sales pitch.
Explore the free Rethink Expats Starter Kit.
Start with the problem you need help solving
Write down what prompted your search. An old 401(k)? Retirement income in another currency? Investments in several countries? Professionals whose recommendations do not seem to connect?
Be specific. “I need help with my money” leaves considerable room for someone else to define the problem around the service they sell.
Ask: “Which parts of my situation would you handle, and which would require another professional?”
You may need ongoing investment management, a focused planning engagement, tax advice, or a combination. Establishing the scope makes expertise and cost easier to compare.
Verify the person and the firm
Ask for the advisor’s professional name, the legal name of the firm you would engage, and relevant registration details.
For U.S. investment professionals, use Investor.gov’s background-check resources and FINRA BrokerCheck as appropriate. Review current status, firm affiliations and available disclosures. Read a disclosure’s details and outcome; an allegation is not a proven finding.
Passing an exam is not the same as having an active registration. NASAA explains that passing the Series 65 alone does not authorize someone to conduct advisory business.
Ask: “Which legal entity will provide my advice, and where can I independently verify its status and yours?”
If the website uses one brand and the agreement names another, ask how they connect.
Check whether they can serve you where you live
“I work with Americans” leaves several questions unanswered.
Give the firm your actual residence, relevant citizenships and account locations. Ask it to explain the basis on which it can provide the proposed services, including any relevant authorization or exemption.
Do not treat a U.S. registration as an answer to every overseas question. Where local authorization is relevant, check the appropriate regulator. In the UK, for example, the FCA directs consumers to check permissions for the particular service.
Ask: “Given my residence and U.S. connections, what can your firm do for me, and what limitations apply?”
Also ask what happens if you move again.
Look for experience that resembles your circumstances
A working American in Spain, a retired couple in France and someone returning to the United States may need different help.
Request an anonymized example of a comparable situation. Listen for the advisor’s process: what they investigated, whom they involved, and how they evaluated alternatives.
Ask: “What would you need to investigate before recommending anything to me?”
Someone who recognizes unanswered questions is giving you useful information about how they work.
Find out what coordination means
“We work with accountants and lawyers” sounds reassuring. Establish what actually happens.
Will the advisor speak with your existing professionals? Who checks local tax consequences? Who follows up when recommendations conflict?
Ask: “If a recommendation affects both countries, who checks each side before we act?”
Identify who provides investment, tax and legal advice. Confirm whether coordination is included and whether outside professionals charge separately.
Understand the total cost and the incentives
Request a written explanation of fees, what they cover and how everyone involved is compensated. Ask about planning and management fees, investment expenses, custody or platform charges, commissions, and currency-conversion costs where applicable.
Ask: “Can you show me estimated first-year and ongoing costs, including charges paid to other providers?”
Also ask about compensation for product sales, asset transfers or introductions.
For firms required to provide it, Form CRS summarizes services, fees, conflicts, standards of conduct and reportable disciplinary history. Compare the applicable disclosures with what you were told.
Ask in what capacity the professional will act for each service and what duty they will owe you.
Question the need to move an account
If the conversation quickly turns to a rollover or transfer, ask what alternatives were considered.
“Why does moving this account fit my circumstances better than leaving it where it is?”
Request the reasoning, costs, restrictions and benefits you might give up. Ask what the advisor would recommend if you chose not to transfer the assets.
The decision should make sense before the paperwork begins.
Understand custody and ongoing service
Ask which institution will hold your assets, how the account will be titled and what authority the advisor will have. Confirm how you can independently view activity and receive statements.
Then look beyond onboarding. Who will be your contact? What will you receive in the first 90 days? How often will you meet? What happens if your advisor leaves? How can you end the relationship?
You are choosing a working relationship that needs to function after the introductory enthusiasm fades.
Before you say yes
Use the same checklist for every advisor you interview:
- I understand the work included and excluded.
- I have independently checked the person and firm.
- The firm has explained how it can serve me in my country.
- Its experience is relevant to my circumstances.
- I know who handles related tax and legal questions.
- I understand fees, compensation and conflicts.
- I know where my assets will be held.
- I understand ongoing service and exit terms.
Pause if answers remain evasive, pressure replaces explanation, or someone suggests inaccurate residency information to get around restrictions.
An advisor needing to check something is not automatically a concern. Watch whether they investigate, explain and document the answer.
Trust has a place in the relationship. Verification helps it earn that place.
Take your next step
Keep this checklist beside you when you interview an advisor. For more educational resources on managing financial life abroad, explore the free Rethink Expats Starter Kit.
Not sure which type of professional you need? Explore an Expat Pro Planning Session through American Expat Advisors. The session is educational and does not provide personalized investment, tax or legal advice.
Educational content only. Rethink Expats does not provide personalized investment, tax, legal or immigration advice. Requirements and available services depend on your circumstances and the jurisdictions involved.