Do you already have a financial plan put together by a professional adviser or planner back in Europe or the US before you came to live in China? If you do, then you are well ahead of the game.Great news. Now check up on him. Those expats who already have a comprehensive strategy for meeting all of [...]

Americans, Europeans and other expats working in Shanghai on a long-term posting quickly realize that they have to deal with many of the same financial issues they faced back home – but now they lack familiarity with the rules and a support system to help them reach a solution. Luckily for Shanghai expats there are [...]

Shanghai expats living in China and being paid a western-style salary have a unique opportunity to do some heavy lifting when if comes to their financial planning. Many new expat households in Shanghai start out by pumping up the lifestyle a little (housekeeper, driver, etc), while others are able to accumulate a fair bit of cash. [...]

Shanghai expats have to realize that among all of their other personal and professional responsibilities, they can’t forget about the need to manage their own household finances while living over here. One of the most important step in real financial planning is making the decision to build a formal plan. If you’ve reached the point [...]

Not too long ago everyone was talking about great ideas for making money – stock markets, real estate, emerging market funds, A share trading…  Even people A LOT less smart than you seemed to be doing great.   Now, however, the markets are unpredictable and the economic news is frightening.   Investing is always less sexy [...]

Expats living and working in Shanghai eventually have to grapple with the question of what to do about savings and investing. For those of you who aren’t earning or saving anything – well you clearly have a different set of priorities to deal with in the short term. But for those of you who are earning more [...]

You get the calls most day from IFAs – or Independent Financial Advisers in Shanghai and other big business centers in China. Sometimes they seem like an unwelcome intrusion, but the irony is that some of these guys really do know what they’re talking about and can really help you get a handle on your long-term [...]

Do expats in China need a will to protect their assets in the extremely unlikely event that they pass away here? Yes, No and Maybe. Let’s take a look at the purpose and function of a Last Will and Testament. A will has 2 functions.  First, it is a legal document that carries the weight [...]

Step 1 — Make a lot of money. Ok, we didn’t say the steps would be easy — just not complicated.  So, Step 1 is about making the money — and making it work for you by doing sensible things with it, like avoiding unnecessary taxes and reducing fees.  Step 2 is spending it — [...]