Ross Naylor - Financial Advice for British Expats

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Ross Naylor - Financial Advice for British Expats

I’m Ross Naylor, a Warsaw-based Chartered Financial Planner providing expert financial advice to British expats.

I offer clear, actionable guidance on expat pensions, international estate planning, and cross-border wealth management.

24/08/2026

It is now no longer possible to use Class 2 National Insurance Contributions to top up your UK State Pension entitlement while living overseas 😭

If you have been paying them previously by Direct Debit, you will now need to reapply to make Class 3 contributions going forward.

You can do so using form CF83: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-to-pay-voluntary-national-insurance-contributions-when-abroad-cf83

26/06/2026

One of the biggest mistakes that I see expats making is assuming their pension will continue to operate exactly as it did when they lived in the UK.

Many focus on investment performance but overlook practical issues such as drawdown flexibility, provider restrictions, overseas taxation, beneficiary options and currency planning.

In my experience, these practical considerations often have a greater impact on retirement outcomes than investment performance alone.

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👋🏻 Hi, I'm Ross.

I am a financial adviser who specialises in helping expats to get their financial ducks in a row 🦆 🪿 🦆

Drop me a dm, if you would like to have a no-strings chat.

25/06/2026

Did you know that you can keep contributing to a UK pension for the first 5 years of living overseas and get tax relief on your payments?

Many expats miss this until it is too late, which is such a shame.

It is literally free money from HMRC.

Who doesn’t like that 🙂

You can find out more in a post that I wrote on the subject.

The link is in the comments below.

24/06/2026

One thing that often catches Brits out when they retire overseas is the “frozen” state pension.

If you retire in the EU, you will be fine.

Your state pension will increase in the same way as it would in the UK.

However, there are many other countries where it does not.

Instead, it remains at the level it was at either when you first started receiving payments or when you moved abroad.

This can significantly reduce your pension’s value over time.

I recently started working with a couple who retired to Belize 20 years ago.

They are now in their 80s and the amount they can buy with their pension has fallen by more than 50% due to this policy.

I wrote a post that explains this subject in more detail and lists the countries affected.

You can find a link to it in the comments below.

23/06/2026

Every week I speak to Brits who are looking to retire in Europe 🇪🇺

Here are the 3 pieces of advice I repeat the most:

𝟭) 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲

• Ideally, start 12-24 months before you move
• If you leave it till later, some opportunities may have already been lost
• The best outcomes usually come from planning well in advance

𝟮) 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗞 𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀

• Pension taxation varies from country to country
• Drawdown options can sometimes be restricted for non-residents
• What works well in the UK may not be the best solution once you move abroad

𝟯) 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

• Different countries tax pensions, ISAs and investments differently
• The wrong structure can create unnecessary tax complications
• A little planning before you move can save a lot of headaches later

The people who tend to have the smoothest retirements aren't necessarily the wealthiest.

They're usually the ones who started planning early and took the time to understand the cross-border implications.

Hope it helps.

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👋🏻 Hi, I'm Ross.

I am a financial adviser who specialises in helping Brits who are retiring overseas to get their financial ducks in a row 🦆 🪿 🦆

Drop me a dm, if you would like to have a no-strings chat.

22/06/2026

UK pension rules are changing (again) 😥

Currently pensions are not subject to inheritance tax.

That will change from April 2027 and will apply even if you have been living overseas for years.

For some families, unused pension funds will soon become one of the largest Inheritance Tax considerations in their estate plan.

Here are 5 things to think about:

💭 Do you know roughly how much of your wealth sits inside pensions?

💭 Have your beneficiary nominations been reviewed recently?

💭 Would your spouse or children know where all your pensions are held?

💭 Are your wills and estate plans still appropriate?

💭 Could your executors realistically manage this process from overseas?

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👋🏻 Hi, I'm Ross.

I am a financial adviser who specialises in helping expats to get their financial ducks in a row 🦆 🪿 🦆

Drop me a dm, if you would like to have a no-strings chat.

19/06/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘅-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝘅-𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲❓

When you take your Pension Commencement Lump Sum at retirement, it is tax free in the UK.

This is why it is often referred to as Tax Free Cash.

However, if you take it while you are resident outside the UK, it may be taxed locally.

Some examples of countries where this applies are:

🇨🇦 Canada
🇫🇷 France
🇬🇷 Greece
🇪🇸 Spain

Therefore, if you are planning to retire in one of these countries and want to draw your Pension Commencement Lump Sum, you should probably do so before moving.

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𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹?

Every Tuesday, I send a short email with:

📌 Clear, Actionable Tips

📌 Step-by-Step Guides

📌 Timely Updates on Expat Financial Rules

You can subscribe along with 900+ other expat families using the link in the comments below

https://rossnaylor.com/subscribe/

18/06/2026

🇬🇧🏡 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝗞 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘀

Last week, a reader of my newsletter emailed me with a great question:

“𝘙𝘰𝘴𝘴, 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘒 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘜𝘒 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘵. 𝘋𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘹 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘜𝘒 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵?”

It’s a question I’m hearing more often.

And it’s suddenly become very relevant because, from April 2025, the UK moved from a domicile-based IHT system to one based on residence.

That means your length of residence, not where you were born, will determine your exposure to UK inheritance tax.

⚖️ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝗨𝗞 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘀 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘀?

“Situs” simply means location.

If an asset is legally located in the UK, it’s a UK situs asset, regardless of where you live.

Examples include:

🏠 UK property
💷 Some UK bank or building society accounts
📈 UK-listed shares (e.g. Barclays, BP, Tesco) or funds
📜 UK gilts (some of which are exempt from IHT)
💰 UK pensions (from 2027)

So even if you’ve lived abroad for 20 years, you may still have assets that sit squarely in HMRC’s sights.

🧭 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀

- From April 2025, UK inheritance tax depends on residence, not domicile.
- After 10 years of UK residence, your worldwide assets may become subject to UK IHT.
- It takes up to 10 years of non-residence for overseas assets to fall back outside the UK IHT net.
- FOTRA gilts (Free of Tax to Residents Abroad) remain IHT-free for non-residents.
- Mixed-nationality couples face capped spouse exemptions unless they make an election.

Many expats assume that living overseas protects them from UK IHT.

But if you still own UK situs assets, you may be mistaken.

I’ve written a full article breaking down:

🔹 What counts as a UK situs asset
🔹 How the new 2025 residence rules work
🔹 What’s changing for UK pensions in 2027
🔹 And practical planning steps to consider

You can read the full post here (link 🔗 in the comments below 👇🏻)

17/06/2026

Cross-border financial planning is often about understanding how relatively small rule changes ripple through a much larger financial picture.

The recent change in how expats can top up their state pension entitlement is a good example.

It is now no longer simply about “buying extra pension years”.

It is about understanding the role the UK State Pension should play within an internationally structured retirement plan and whether maintaining access still represents good value for your own circumstances.

For some expats, these changes will mainly mean higher costs.

For others, they may represent the closing of a door altogether.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳:

💡 Am I already inside the current voluntary NIC system?

💡 How many qualifying years do I already have?

💡 Could I lose eligibility to make voluntary NICs?

💡 Am I relying too heavily on the UK State Pension within my wider retirement plans?

💡 How exposed is my future retirement income to changes in UK policy decisions?

Want to know more about the changes to state pension rules for expats?

Check out my recent blog post on the subject.

The link is in the comments below 👇🏻

16/06/2026

If you are approaching retirement, particularly overseas, it is worth asking yourself the following questions:

💡 How many years of planned spending do I currently hold in cash?

💡 Would a major market fall force me to sell investments to fund my lifestyle?

💡 Do my investments have a clear purpose, or are they simply one large portfolio?

💡 How will I generate income during the first five years of retirement?

💡 If I am retiring abroad, are my buckets aligned with the currency I will actually spend?

I recently wrote a blog post on the "bucket approach" to generating retirement income.

You can find a link to it in the comments below.

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