HoneySuckleDreams

Mine is being set up in Malta so I'm ahead of the game for once  

A quick question to those that have moved to a QROPS How much say did you have in choosing a portfolio of investments ? Did you just go with the flow with what the "experts" said (they always seem to have fingers-in-pies) , or was there scope to come up with your own plan.  I've had a couple of portfolios placed in front of me, recently created ones. They have a mixture of investments from all over and were performing at 10-12% last year, although the previous couple of years were averaging 1-2%. I know they can go down equally well in this volatile market but is there somewhere you can go to get a more even balanced view of what is on offer.  

we use a plastic dip stick. crude, but effective.  

I thought I would report back with an update.   All the reports were done. As one of the pensions was a final salary scheme it had to be reviewed by independent "experts". Anyway, the upshot of it was that it was borderline if I moved (that one on it's own, but with the other defined benefits on...maybe). Apparently, the new QROPS would have to perform at 8% if I had to buy an annuity to replace it. (Is anyone buying annuities now?)   However.. due to the Brexit vote I asked for another transfer valuation as the other one had run its 3 months guarantee and was given before the vote. They are not obliged to give another one within 12 months so I had to write to the trustees. They agreed and I was quite surprised as the value has increased by almost 30% ! ... and that is quite a substantial amount.... in 3 months. I think they want to get rid of me :(   I am beginning to think that the UK is going to become a financial basket case in the coming years and I would not be any worse off my moving the pensions out.

and yet when you have to fill in anything,  or present documents, they always ask for place of birth and normally a copy of a birth certificate. So I don't understand the row to be honest. Uk is different of course  

[quote user="NormanH"]"No taxation without representation", but "No representation without taxation" also?[/quote]     Would that mean that all the "immigrants" paying tax in the UK would get a vote as well ? 

when they fly over Luxembourg close to Christmas they are going Nor East , over the top of Auchan and heading to Koblenz. Nothing so far though as it's a little early As an aside, I was back home in late August and we went up to the Col du Soulor to watch the migration, absolutely superb.

there you go ... Importing pets into France         

Some interesting information, thank you.   Our "local" office is 90 mins away in Toulouse, but it might be useful to go and have a chat with them to make sure we know what they need (and I do understand very well that each department may interpret the rules differently !).   All the boys are over 18 so they have to do it themselves and not rely on us.   As to the point raised by CT as to why. It's not tied to Brexit (per-se) but they would have an advantage being a French national, certain employment opportunities will be open to them, e.g. pompiers, gendarmes etc, in fact I think any Public role would be available, whereas it wouldn't if they just held British nationality (....my interpretation). Besides, they've been in France for more than half their lives and this is their home.  

Hi all   I'm looking for info from people who have been through the process of gaining French Nationality w.r.t the documentation required.   Wife and 3 kids are looking at going through the process and we've read the blurb and it talks about "Original Copies" of things like Marriage certificates.  Each child needs to present a dossier of their own, so do we need to "buy" Original documentation from the UK Govt website, get each one translated and submit them.  Or can we just have one "original copy" and then get 4 translated copies.  We can't obviously send the actual "original" of everything as we would have to wait for it to be returned before the next dossier can be started.   It seems daft to shell out money for 4 copies of Birth/Marriage certificates and then get each one translated.   Much obliged

I am in the process of moving 2 pension pots to a QROPS in Malta - I think you can take up to 30% on transfer. It maybe worth looking into that as well 

Thanks to both of you for some very good information.   I will take the weekend to have a think about it all and I will be raising some questions with the pension bloke next week.

I've been talking to a Financial advisor about pensions over the last few weeks, and as the events of last Thursday have taken center stage I'm asking for advice/opinion on moving an English private pension into a QROPS scheme somewhere in EuroLand. I have an current transfer valuation from one pension company that is binding for 3 months (which was given before the UK voted Leave). I have no idea if the state of the economy in the UK will hit the value of pensions and whether moving the money out is a good idea, or that rules will change.   Has anyone does this and are their pitfalls I should consider ?  Non of us have a crystal ball so we have no idea of what will happen to UK private pensions to ex-pats if the UK does actually leave the EU. My gut feeling is that Pensions are an easy target to raise money if the economy gets a rogering.   It will be another 15or so years to retirement age (with today's current rules !) so it's not something that is imminent.

[quote user="alittlebitfrench"]Get out in terms of being racist or get out to better yourself ?[/quote]   Racist - or rather Xenophobic as we are technically the same race   She isn't a very nice person and shouldn't be anywhere kids never mind being a teacher  

Some of our neighbours are worried about the EU having more of an influence.   Some of our neighbours are farmers so are more than willing to continue as-is   My youngest son's French teacher has been telling him to get out of her country ever since he started in her class

Theiere...My guess is that Hoddy is looking at a couple of tea spoons of the stuff, not 25kg bags...

[quote user="Hoddy"]I've been looking at a recipe for 'Gliko". [/quote] Is that "Glyko" and that you are pickling something or other   Slaked lime in French is eau de chaux... limewater. Maybe the pharmacy could help ?  

We have Outlook Express (OE) on the PC at home. We have 3 Tesco webmail email accounts and 2 orange accounts set up within Outlook.  I have been using Orange WebMail to check stuff also and my son has been checking his webmail account via Tesco webmail. Today - all webmail inboxes are empty, both Orange accounts and all 3 Tesco webmail accounts. The outlook express accounts are OK the emails are still present There is more to the history on this. 1) we had Outlook Express on one Hard drive, which packed up (I don't have the option to keep emails on the server with OE) 2) new HD with Outlook proper so I set up all the accounts again and made sure the "keep on server for 365 days was set" 3) Outlook proper HD packed up, so I retried the original OE hard drive which has been working OK for the last month or so 4) you still keeping up ?   so what could have caused all the emails to disappear ? It's as if OE has taken over and cleaned everything from the server(s)  

[quote user="NormanH"]With France still (controversially) in an offical 'state of emergency' the Police has enough to protecting the public from possible attack without having to bother with these thugs. [/quote] Are these the same Policiers Municipeaux that are on strike for the duration of the football tournament ?

Don't you people read the dark net ? This is all part of Putin's plan to destabilise the west. He would love a Brexit so that EU is weaker and he can smooth his way through western Europe.   I have friends that were in Marseille over the weekend (French not English) and they got caught up in the confrontations. They were in a bar with English fans and having a laugh and a sing song, no problems what so ever, until a group of people came in with their faces covered and started fucking up the place. Not long after the police arrived and basically hit anyone wearing an England shirt.   Do not believe everything you read in the news papers. Yes, there are some meat heads looking for a fight, probably a couple of hundred, but the other 40,000 are there to have a good time. And don't forget that when Marseille was given the England v Russia match everyone said that there would be trouble.   The Russians...you just wait for the World Cup.    You haven't seen anything yet. If Russia meet the Ukraine in the 16's there will be deaths.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m38dIuZGzys   we thought originally that they were scops owls but eventually narrowed it down to the toad  

My son has an interview with the Marines tomorrow, 9am in Brighton.. He left the house yesterday afternoon for Toulouse airport and arrived at 19h00. Flight was supposed to go at 21h55 but was already 3hrs late when he arrived. They cancelled it at 23h45. By the time he had his luggage and the promise of another flight it was 2:30 am. His flight out tonight at 21h55 is already 1hr late. Life's a bitch at times. At least when my trains/flights are delayed/cancelled it only costs me a days pay. For him, this could cost him his dreams.  

This is a list of current and predicted strikes coming up List-Of-Grèves Interesting to see that the municipal police are going on strike for the entire time the football is on - and I thought there was a security threat at the moment ? Also, the Lycees and collages on strike - for the entire BAC

[quote user="Leanne"]EVERYTHING I have read implies that French children are completely perfect; tantrum and attitude-free. [/quote] You haven't been reading the right stuff. I've pm'd you  

I hadn't realised there was a 90bhp limit (is there?). Our car is (was 152bhp...once upon it's life) and we had no problems.. There is no rule applying LHD over RHD for conduite accompagnee. As long as they do the km's , and to be honest, the little booklet you have to fill in for the km's they do is open to interpretation ! If they pass the test they can drive. It's up to you. They can take a crash course and be on the road in 4 weeks but the insurance will be horrid. Or then can go the CA route. They spend a year on the road and the insurance is peanuts. Absolutely no difference it it's RHD or LHD (was it the Garage that told you that they had to drive a LHD?)