Retirement Planning Guides

Written by an expat who had to work it out himself.

US Tax

Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): The 2026 Rules Explained

The age went up, the penalty came down, and Roth 401(k)s are exempt now. What's actually required in 2026, worked through with real numbers.

12 Aug 2026  ·  9 min read Read →
Tax & Pensions

Retiring Abroad as a US Expat: Australia, Canada, Germany, Netherlands

Superannuation, RRSP/CPP, German and Dutch pensions — the treaty quirks and PFIC traps for each, side by side.

10 Aug 2026  ·  11 min read Read →
Mechanics

How Totalization Agreement Credits Actually Work

A worked example: 8 years of US credits, 15 years of UK National Insurance — what totalization actually does with that, and what it doesn't.

8 Aug 2026  ·  6 min read Read →
Glossary

What Is an OCI Card? Property, Tax, and Residency Rules

What an OCI card gives you, what it restricts, and who's actually eligible. Updated for the 2026 digital e-OCI system.

6 Aug 2026  ·  6 min read Read →
Glossary

Windfall Elimination Provision: What It Was, and Why It's Gone

A short, direct explanation of WEP, GPO, and the January 2025 repeal that ended both.

5 Aug 2026  ·  5 min read Read →
UK Pensions

What Is a SIPP? UK Pension Types Explained for US Expats

SIPP, ISA, and workplace pension — what each actually is, and the one that causes real US tax trouble.

3 Aug 2026  ·  7 min read Read →
US Tax

FBAR, FATCA, and FEIE: What US Expats Actually Have to File

Three different forms, three different thresholds, one confused expat community. What triggers each one in 2026, and the penalties for skipping them.

1 Aug 2026  ·  8 min read Read →
FIRE

Coast FIRE Abroad: Does Geoarbitrage Change the Math?

A lower cost of living abroad moves your Coast FIRE number for real. It doesn't fix the part of the plan people usually get wrong.

29 Jul 2026  ·  7 min read Read →
Calculator Guide

US Social Security + UK State Pension: The Complete Calculator Guide

WEP is gone as of January 2025. Here's exactly which fields to fill in, in what order, and the two mistakes that throw the numbers off — with a worked example.

27 Jul 2026  ·  11 min read Read →
Expat Retirement

Retiring in India as a Westerner: The 2026 Reality Guide

India has no retirement visa, Goa doubled in price, and the 182-day rule determines your entire tax position. The honest guide for UK, US, German, and Israeli retirees considering India.

10 Jul 2026  ·  16 min read Read →
AI & Retirement Tools

Ask Claude or ChatGPT to Fill In Your Retirement Calculator

If you've been chatting with an AI about your retirement, it already knows enough to populate RetireFlexi. No MCP servers, no developer, no re-typing. Here's the three-step process.

6 Jul 2026  ·  10 min read Read →
Cost of Living

Cost of Living Abroad for Expat Retirees: What Five Years Did to the Global Rankings

Japan dropped from rank 7 to rank 66. Mexico got 21% more expensive. Vietnam nearly halved in cost. The 2021 vs 2026 Numbeo comparison for every destination expat retirees actually consider.

29 Jun 2026  ·  15 min read Read →
Expat Retirement

Retiring in Portugal as an Expat: The 2026 Reality Check

D7 visa requirements, the actual tax math for US and UK expats now that NHR is gone, cost of living by region, and how Portugal compares to Panama and Mexico.

22 Jun 2026  ·  14 min read Read →
Tax & Pensions

Expat Retirement Planning: The Technical Reality You Need to Know

Tax treaties, QROPS transfer costs, the 2027 UK pension IHT change, US foreign tax credits, and how to calculate your actual net income after tax and currency conversion.

13 Jun 2026  ·  13 min read Read →
Expat Retirement

Best Expat Retirement Countries in 2026: Where Your Money Actually Goes Further

Six countries compared on cost, healthcare, and visa requirements — plus the tax traps most expat guides miss and the three questions you need to answer before you pick.

6 Jun 2026  ·  11 min read Read →
Multi-country

Can you claim both US Social Security and the UK State Pension?

Most expats who worked in both the US and UK can claim both. Here is how the Totalization Agreement works, what WEP does to your benefit, and how to model both in RetireFlexi.

29 May 2026  ·  8 min read Read →