Cross-Border Retirement Planning

Planning for borderless ease

If you are a professional who has worked in the US and the UK, you may have collected an array of retirement plans that are now time-consuming to access, understand or make investment changes. Moving countries may mean your account is being closed. Vie International’s retirement planning solutions are designed to remain accessible wherever you choose to live.

You may have worked in the US, have a 401(k) or an IRA.  Now you are living in the UK or overseas.

You may have worked in the UK, have a personal pension and may be spending more time outside of the UK, perhaps living in the US or at a second or third home in another country.  Perhaps you are reaching retirement and your UK company pension requires you to transfer to a SIPP.

At Vie International, we provide holistic financial planning advice, however or wherever your retirement savings are held.  We help with navigating contribution and withdrawal rules on every plan from the UK and the US, as well as anticipating related tax obligations.  We take time to discuss your goals, collaborating to reach an optimum plan for your wealth.

US UK tax efficient savings and growth

Diverting earnings into retirement plans continues to provide an excellent opportunity for long-term tax efficient saving in both the UK and US.

Over the last 20 years, we have experienced constant change to the Annual Allowance, Lifetime Allowance, Pension Commencement Lump Sum [PCLS], pension protections and tax treatment of withdrawals.

The present UK government has announced that UK pensions will no longer be exempt from Inheritance Tax [IHT].  From 6 April 2027, defined contribution pensions will be subject to 40% IHT on the remaining balance after a married couple passes away. UK pensions and some US retirement plans grow tax-free and so we work with our clients to determine growth strategies that would continue to benefit the next generation.

Investing goals mapped to your risk tolerance

We work to understand your tolerance of financial risk and investing goals to help ensure your retirement funds grow to match your needs . We invest your funds in highly rated yet low-cost US UK reporting funds, encouraging you to invest for the long-term.  Our investing strategies are based on independent research and access to preferential funds.  We use investing platforms that are accessible whether you are UK or US resident.

Is ethical investing important to you? Are there some sectors you wish to avoid?  We create a fund portfolio for you to reflect your personal preferences, whilst using our cross-border investing experience to optimise fund choice.

We guide you through the maze of investment choice to ensure your unified investment proposal contains a careful selection of funds that are tax efficient and compliant in both the US and the UK and in the currency of choice.

You will have online access, quarterly information and meetings where your advisor will discuss your portfolio. The information choice is yours and we tailor this to match your preferences.

At retirement, or beyond your lifetime

Retirement assets can be held in GBP, USD or EUR and we match plan design and platform location to you.  Whether you plan to leave your money to grow or wish to access your funds in your chosen currency, we set up retirement plans with the aim of giving you financial security and to ensure that your pension funds are available for your future, wherever you may live.

Have you considered which currency you would like at retirement?  Where in the world do you plan to retire? We can tailor your plans to provide currency diversification within your wider asset portfolio.

We ask you to consider the beneficiaries of your plans or, since the announcement of IHT levied on pensions from 2027, we can suggest alternative strategies for tax-efficient planning and savings.

If you are inheriting an IRA or have reached an age where the IRS requires you to receive a distribution from your IRA, Vie International can help administer the Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) to you.

The PAL Solution

From April 2027, inheritance tax will be levied on pension assets that remain at the demise of the second spouse.

For those who have saved into a pension throughout their working life, a 40% IHT charge in addition to the beneficiaries’ marginal tax rate levied on the remaining payout may seem too high to bear.

At Vie International, we have developed a solution so that in 3 steps, tax can be paid yet your assets are preserved to leave money to your beneficiaries in a more tax efficient method.

Ask us about the PAL solution: a Pensions, Annuity and Life insurance combination to preserve your wealth.

Next steps

If you would like to learn more about managing your retirement funds, contact Vie International for a retirement planning review.

We can consolidate and manage your US Traditional IRAs, 401(k)s and Roth IRAs as well as your UK personal pensions, SIPPs, IPPs and defined contribution (DC) company pensions.  We will take time to understand your investing goals and risk tolerance to devise a plan that suits your aspirations.