Financial advice before leaving UK - any recommendations?

[fromage]

Hi

Did anyone take financial advice before leaving the UK and, if so, which company did you use and were they any good? 

I should be grateful for any advice or recommendations.

Many thanks.

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

Personally, I didn't take any specific advice. I have a feeling that if your affairs are sufficiently complex to need such advice then you've probably already got an accountant/ tax advisor or whatever who could point you in the right direction.

If you have any specific questions then try posting them here. Few, if any, of us are qualified to advise on technical financial matters, but there's a wealth of experience of knowing the questions that you should be asking.

[Chiefluvvie]

Hi - I'd recommend Blevins Franks for international financial, tax and employment advice. May not be for everyone but worth every cent for us! You need the international expertise - something most regular accountants / tax advisors simply don't have.

It's important to remember that there are certain things you can put in place BEFORE becoming a non-UK resident that you simply cannot do afterwards - specifically related to trusts, inheritance / succession.

Just google them.

It's all do-able! Best of luck...

Chiefluvvie

[JohnFB]

Yes. I used PKF Guernsey. You need to ask the right questions, and there is a price. But it was a very good base line to move forward from. Plus they do not sell anything for commission.JFB

[Sprogster]

Remember once you have become tax resident in France, it is too late to do anything if financial problems arise, so professional advice before you go is defnitely a good idea, especially if you have any pension arrangements with lump sum options, which in France unlike the UK I believe would be taxed as income.

[nectarine]

Also open any bank accounts, buy Premium Bonds (you can change them to new address) and get cahsback credit cards ... once here you can't get that.

[just john]

[quote user="fromage"] I should be grateful for any advice or recommendations.[/quote]

Don't sell up, or if you do, buy a little bolt hole, ask those trying to move back . . .

 

[Aly]

I would recommend getting financial advise particularly if you have any assets so you can make an informed decision if France is right for you.

My recommendations  are  PKF Guernsey - very good or  Sykes Andersen. Both have websites.

What you should look for in my opinion is one off independent advise and not someone who wants to invest for you in various so called tax saving schemes.

I would check search engine for previous recommendations too

[Chiefluvvie]

Yep - another vote from me for PKF Guernsey - great regular updates as well!

Chiefluvvie

[andyh4]

I used KPMG - but then I wasn't paying.  I would agree that you need a company with an international prespective.  Your local accountant on the high street will just not have the breadth of knowledge.

[The Deans]

I would definitely recommend Siddalls. They did a full study on our financial situation, attitude to risk etc and a produced a very thorough report of our options and what we needed to do before and after moving to France. Also a lot of information about how financial things work here. We have used them again for advice when we inherited money and about taking private pension income.

[fromage]

Excellent, thanks for all your replies.  We knew about Siddalls and Blevins Franks but not PKF or Sykes Andersen so will also have a look at them.

Really appreciate all the practical tips as well so if there are any more of those then that would be great too.

Thanks again.