Investors seeking growth and tax-advantageous investments often look to investing in a foreign country. While this is commonly done with foreign stocks or global mutual funds, there is an unusual trend in foreign investments among the world’s ultra-wealthy…moving to a foreign country.
Countries want wealthy new residents who will invest in their economies and hopefully create jobs. Even countries with strict immigration policies like Australia, the United Kingdom, and America, have created “investors’ visas” for potential new residents who can invest a certain amount in their prospective new country. For example, if you have $1.5 million in investments in the United Kingdom, you can become a permanent resident in five years, but if you spend $15.6 million, this is reduced to two years.
Recently I was quoted in a Wall Street Journal article on this topic: “Countries are trying very hard to attract foreign millionaires or billionaires. Everyone wants these people to bring their money and spend there.”
Wealth can fast-track visa applications. If you’re one of the “super rich,” many otherwise closed doors may open for you. While the wealthy move to more tax-friendly countries to protect their assets, it is important to look at the other side of the coin and realize if you are a U.S.citizen, simply leaving your home country does not make your tax obligations to America disappear.
How long will countries keep offering sweeteners to attract wealthy families? Interestingly, the injection of new wealth from these ultra-rich residents may not necessarily positively impact the economy of their new country. In Singapore, for example, the investors’ visa program has been suspended because foreign investors’ purchase of real estate has driven up local property prices far too high, creating difficulty for the established residents. This is also a known problem in Israel, where real-estate prices in some parts of Jerusalem have risen sky-high due to the purchase of investment properties by Jews living abroad, making it almost impossible for native Israelis to own property there.
To learn more about overseas investing, read What to Do With Your Money When You Make Aliya.
Douglas Goldstein, CFP®, is the Director of Profile Investment Service, Ltd., which specializes in helping people who live in Israel with their US dollar assets and American investment and retirement accounts. He helps olim meet their financial goals through asset allocation, financial planning, and using money managers.
Published October 27, 2014.