For Americans abroad, the savings are decided long before April. We help you choose between the foreign earned income exclusion and the foreign tax credit, time income and moves around the residency rules, and sidestep the PFIC and self-employment traps — so your US return reflects a year you planned, not one you reacted to.
Year-round planning is about the handful of choices that change what you owe — made while you can still make them.
The single biggest lever for an American abroad. We model the foreign earned income exclusion (Form 2555) against the foreign tax credit (Form 1116) for your country and income mix — and decide which to claim, or how to stack them, before the year is locked in.
When you exercise equity, take a bonus, sell stock, or relocate changes what you owe. We plan the calendar around the physical-presence test, your move date, and the residency rules on both sides of the border.
Foreign mutual funds and many non-US pensions are PFICs — punitively taxed and ugly to report on Form 8621. We flag the traps before you buy and coordinate US and local retirement accounts so contributions still work in your favor.
Freelancing or running a company abroad? We look at self-employment tax, totalization agreements, and whether an entity election (or a different structure) lowers the bill rather than creating a Form 5471 headache.
A "low-cost" foreign index fund or ISA can quietly become a Passive Foreign Investment Company — taxed at the highest rate with interest charges and a Form 8621 for each fund, every year. We catch these before you invest, not at filing.
A move mid-year, a dual-status return, or breaking state residency — timing the date changes the bill.
RSUs vesting, options to exercise, a business sale, or a big capital gain across two tax systems.
Self-employment tax, totalization agreements, and entity choices for income earned abroad.
A short intake on where you live, your income types, equity, foreign accounts, and any moves or liquidity events you see coming.
An enrolled agent runs FEIE vs. FTC, residency timing, and estimated-tax projections side by side — so the trade-offs are numbers, not guesses.
A clear set of moves with deadlines: which election to claim, when to realize income, what to avoid buying, and quarterly payments to make.
The plan flows straight into your return. The same desk that planned the year files it — no hand-off, no lost context.
Most prep happens after the year is over, when nothing can change. Planning ahead is where the savings actually live — in timing, elections, and what you choose not to do.
Treaty positions, totalization, PFICs, and dual-status years are routine for us, not edge cases we research on your dime.
The strategy and the 1040 come from the same team, so the plan you paid for is the plan that gets filed.