'La rentrée' sees tax and financial planning webinars, podcasts & events return to Expatland

For Americans abroad, an important feature of la rentrée is that wealth management companies and expat tax specialists are again sponsoring events – online and in person – as minds begin to turn to 2021 tax returns, and this year, to November's looming midterm election, for which the Democrats (more than the Republicans, for some reason) seem determined to get expats involved and voting this year. 

Below, we're highlight some of the events we've been told are set to take place, in the days and weeks ahead, that are aimed at U.S. expats...

Wednesday, Sept 14: (3:30pm - 5:30pm GMT +8): The first monthly seminar, of ten that are scheduled, in the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong's new "Onward Hong Kong" series that will look to address the challenges and opportunities Hong Kong faces over the next 25 years. This first seminar is entitled "Hong Kong's Position in the New Global Environment", and will take place at AmCham Hong Kong's offices in Central.  The "in person" price for AmCham Hong Kong members is HK$350; non-members, HK$500; and to participate "virtually", HK$120.

Yirui Yang, deputy commissioner of China's Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong SAR, will be the opening keynote speaker; other speakers currently include Geoff Siebengartner, managing director and head of Government Affairs & Corporate Responsibility for JP Morgan Chase's Asia Pacific operations, and Tao Wang, managing director and head of Asia Economic Research at UBS Global Research. The event is closed to the press.

For more information on the seminar, and to register, click here. To read more about the new Onward Hong Kong series, click here.

Wednesday, Sept 14: (12:30pm EST): ''DAUK Tax Lunch Power Hour':  The Democrats Abroad UK's Tax Committee is hosting its monthly online 'Tax Lunch Power Hour', an informal, "drop-in discussion on U.S. taxes" during which tax myths will be debunked, and the respective advantages of self-filing one's taxes or seeking help from an accountant will be explored. The event will not be recorded to enable participants to feel able to share and talk freely. Although participation is free, a US$10 donation is suggested. To register to participate, click here.

Wednesday, Sept 14: (2:30pm – 3:30pm BST, 3:30 – 4:30 CEST): Free Dunhill Financial Zoom webinar on the "insurance needs of U.S. expats in Belgium" and how best to address them, featuring Dunhill Financial's Joshua Madden and Tom de Mesmaeker, a specialist insurance broker with a company he founded in 2008, A & V Consult, after working as an insurance broker for AXA Bank in Belgium. 

For more information and to register for the webinar, click here.

Dunhill Financial was founded in Brussels in 2011 by Brian Dunhill – an American expat who is originally from Florida – and is now based in London. It is regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as by the UK and European regulators.   

Wednesday, Sept 14: (7pm BST): 'Navigating the Financial Investment Playing Field': The Riviera chapter of Democrats Abroad France is hosting an in-person event for expats at Nice's Anglican church (Holy Trinity, on Rue de la Buffa), which will feature Dunhill Financial's Brian Dunhill. According to the Democrats Abroad France's website, Dunhill will explain how Americans living in France can best manage the investment "advantages and challenges" they face. The event is described as being free for Democrats Abroad members and American guests, but donations are invited. Additional details about the event and instructions to register for it may be found by clicking here.

Thursday, Sept 15: 'DAUK Tax Committee Presents: Student Loan Relief for Americans Abroad Webinar': Via a Zoom link-up, Democrats Abroad Taxation Task Force chair  Rebecca Lammers, with assistance from MyExpatTaxes, will look at how expatriate Americans can take advantage of the recently-announced program in the U.S. that will enable those making less than US$125,000 a year to not have to pay US$10,000 to US$20,000 in federal student loans. (Click here to learn more about that.)  

The webinar will begin at 6:30pm London time (1:30pm in New York, 7:30pm in Paris, 2:30am in Japan on Friday Sept. 16), and last about an hour, with a Q&A session at the end. According to Lammers, "this event is for you if: You think you qualify for the US$10,000 loan forgiveness but you're not totally sure; you defaulted on your student loans and don't know how to face it; you've lived abroad for a long time, and don't know what your student loan options are now; you're concerned you can't afford to pay off your student loan, or you already know a lot but you just want a straightforward answer for a specific issue". 

More information and registration details may be found by clicking here.  Although the webinar is free, a donation of US$10 is suggested. Those unable to attend the event are urged to "RSVP anyway" in order to get an email with a link to the recording afterwards.

The Democrats Abroad stresses that it doesn't provide personal tax advice or recommendations, and that those who are interested in obtaining such advice engage a qualified, professional tax adviser.

Friday, Sept 16 to Sunday, Sept 25: 'Living and Investing in France Conference 2022' (followed by five days on tour to Provence and the Occitanie): As she did last year around this time, France-based American property expert Adrian Leeds, owner of the Adrian Leeds Group, is co-hosting this event with Opportunity Travel; and also like last year, Dunhill Financial's Brian Dunhill will be on hand to provide some expert content, on the subject this year of "how to manage your finances as an expat living in France".

Dunhill's presentation will take place during the first part of the two-part event (Sept. 16- 18), which is being limited to 70 participants, and which is entitled "Get to know NIce and the French Riviera!" Like last year, this part of the conference will take place at the Splendid Hotel & Spa, 50 Boulevard Victor Hugo, in Nice. 

Other scheduled speakers during this part of the event include the director of the Nice Office de Tourisme, Denis Zanon; Pik Consulting's Benjamin Pik, with tax adviser Jonathan Hadida; , Tax Advisor; Kim Bingham of Private-Rate.com, an international mortgage brokerage; and immigration attorney Daniel Tostado. (A full list of the speakers may be found by clicking here.) 

Part II of the conference is entitled "Experience the Lifestyle on the French Riviera!" and is being limited to 30 participants. This part of the conference is being hosted solely by Adrian Leeds, and essentially consists of a luxury coach tour of the Provence and Occitanie regions of France, with professional tour guides on hand to "educate and entertain".

The price for both parts of the conference is, according to the Adrian Leeds website,  €4,400 per person, or €6,100 for two (double occupancy).

More information may be found on the Adrian Leeds Group website by clicking here;  and to register, by clicking here. 

Wednesday, Sept 28: (6:30pm - 7:30pm GST): 'DAUK Tax Committee Presents: Estate Planning & Wills': The Democrats Abroad UK's Tax Committee says it's organizing this "difficult but important" Zoom webinar to educate its members and other American expats living in the UK about the "basic things" they should know, ahead of the "later stages of life"  when the time will come to "pass on [their] estate (which is just a fancy word for everything you own)".

To register for the DAUK Tax Committee Estate Planning & Wills webinar, which is US$12 per person (US$7.50 concessions), click here. 

Monday, Oct. 3: 12:30pm, Paris time – Monthly in-person MeetUp of the Association of Americans Resident Overseas As it does every month, the Paris-based  Association of Americans Resident Overseas will hold its monthly lunch, which brings AARO embers together for what is usually a lively discussion of political issues affecting overseas Americans,  from taxes to voting to citizenship to whatever else is on the minds of those present.  More information, as well as the facilities to sign up to attend, may be found on the MeetUup site: http://www.meetup.com/american-197/

 If your company or organization has an event coming up that you'd like to have listed here, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..