Keep the IRS off Your Back! Advice for Americans Abroad

FATCA, FBAR, PFIC… this alphabet soup of tax/financial related acronyms can certainly send chills down the spines of Americans living abroad. And it should – the US is the only country on the planet (besides Eritrea) that taxes its citizens worldwide, and non-compliance can result in hefty penalties. Luckily, by understanding a few simple guidelines, you can better protect your savings while retiring abroad and never have to worry about the IRS. Here is some general financial advice for Americans retiring in the Philippines and elsewhere.

FATCA

FATCA (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) entered into force in 2010, and it has been reinforced during the past several years. Before, the government was relatively lax on tax reporting for Americans abroad. But today, it’s essential to report all your assets and financial activity every year. To ensure overseas Americans are tax compliant, the US has signed deals with thousands of companies and countries (the Philippines included) to ensure they report their transactions with Americans to the IRS.

That means if you’re making investments, or are earning money, or are using a bank account in a foreign country, those entities will report your activity to the IRS. When you file taxes and don’t report the same activity, the IRS sees that it doesn’t match and believes you are evading taxes. We all know that the consequences for tax evasion aren’t good.

My advice to stay FATCA compliant is to report everything each year via a qualified expat CPA. I stress expat because a CPA back home most likely doesn’t have the qualifications or knowledge to work with Americans living abroad effectively, the rules are very different. Even if you’re making under $100,800 (the current foreign earned income exclusion amount) and don’t owe any tax to the government, you’re still required by law to report everything correctly.

FBAR

The Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts, or FBAR for short, is a particular form for reporting foreign bank accounts. The IRS website states that you are required to report an FBAR form if you have “a financial interest in or signature authority over at least one financial account located outside of the United States, and the aggregate value of all foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year…” If you have a bank account with $10,000 (or the equivalent in foreign currency) or more, you must report it.

FBAR forms are available online and can easily be done by yourself. The most important thing is just doing it. That being said, having a professional review your info is never a bad recommendation, it’s better safe than sorry.

PFIC

PFIC stands for Passive Foreign Investment Company, and they can be quite nasty! In simple terms, most non-US investments, mutual funds, pension plans, life insurance products, etc., can result in a very high tax on gains each year. There are fantastic, tax-efficient investment products available to most foreign nationals living abroad, something that can add significant value to your golden years, but Americans must be very careful when making investments while retiring/living abroad.

At risk of sounding like a broken record, it may be a good idea to have a qualified expat professional review any non-US investments you possess to ensure they’re not PFICs. If you’re looking to make new investments while abroad, ask if they are PFICs or not. As a rule of thumb, if it’s not US-based, there’s a good chance it’s a PFIC. There are indeed specific, SEC compliant investments available to Americans living abroad, but the options are especially limited when compared to what other nationalities have available.

As you can see, it’s best to ask questions and, most importantly, report absolutely everything – honesty is the best policy. The IRS won’t accept “I didn’t know” as a legitimate excuse. If you’re FATCA compliant, you have absolutely nothing to worry about except working on your tan in paradise!

Keep the IRS off Your Back! Advice for Americans Abroad

Are the Guys at RTTP Fascist?

As you can imagine, we get a lot of comments on RTTP, and the fact is, we don’t publish them all.

It’s not that we’re drowning in a sea of comments, that would be a nice ‘problem’ to have.

The reason that comments don’t get published is that either, they add nothing to the conversation or have no relation to the article.

To most reasonable people, this makes complete sense but never a day goes by when I don’t get a nasty, hate-filled email from a visitor who’s angry that we didn’t publish his particular comment.

I say ‘his’ because it always seems to be men that take it as a personal insult that they didn’t get to have their voices heard on a mostly anonymous forum.

In 3 years of administrating RTTP, I’ve never had a single hate-filled email from a woman, so I guess that says something.

Let the Vitriol Flow

One such email arrived in my inbox last week in response to my recent article about how I never actually chose to live in the Philippines.

I’m guessing it must have struck quite a nerve with the author as he seems like he was apoplectic while writing his email.

I don’t want to give his warped view of life in the Philippines too much air-time, but here are just a few of the highlights (or should that be lowlights?)

• ignorant locals


• wild, uneducated kids


• too hot, most of the time


• don’t understand English (to my desired standard)


• women go to work while the men go to cockfights

And the list goes on, and on and on.

I didn’t waste too much time counting all his grievances, but I’d make a rough estimate that there was about 20-25.

Many of his claims I might not necessarily disagree with, but I would argue that most of them could be said about any country in the World.

It was interesting to me how he made mention of the idea that anybody who disagrees with him must be wearing ‘rose colored glasses.’

I’ve spoken about the various color of people’s glasses in another article, so I won’t write about it again here, other than to say that if my glasses are rose colored, then yours are brown colored.

The color of dog shit!

He’d used the contact form on RTTP rather than post a comment, but yet towards the end of the email, he ponders to himself whether his ‘comment’ will make it to the pages of our site.

Three reasons it won’t be making it onto the site buddy.

1. It’s not a comment.

2. It doesn’t comply with our, very reasonable, comment policy, and, most importantly

3. It’s just a long list of things you hate and find objectionable about living in the Philippines as a foreigner.

What I found almost laughable about reading his email was that he’d been coming here from the UK, since 1998 but apparently he hates it with a passion.

Now I don’t know about you, but if I hated something as much as he obviously does, then I certainly wouldn’t be doing it for almost 20 years!

Some (Not So) Friendly Advice

Here’s my advice to him and anybody else that hates it over here and feels so strongly that they are driven to sit down for 20 minutes and write an email to somebody that they’ve never met or conversed with, to make their feelings known.

DON’T KEEP COMING HERE!!!

Seems logical enough, right?

He has a Filipina wife so is that the reason he keeps coming back?

Is life in the UK so shitty that the guy is willing to suffer such terrible hardships, just to make his wife happy?

Having lived in the UK for the first 30 years of my life I can say that that country didn’t suit me, but I was never tempted to spend my evenings flailing my body with a bull whip just to exorcise the demons that were lurking inside.

Reading his email reminded me of something I saw when I was in Cagayan De Oro a few years ago, visiting a friend, and it just so happened to be Easter.

There was a religious procession that passed by his house, so I went outside to see what all the commotion was.

What I saw almost knocked me off my feet.

In the middle of the procession, there were about 20-30 men with their shirts off, and they were flailing themselves with whips.

You could see the blood flowing from their wounds, and it certainly didn’t look very pleasant.

It looked damn painful, to be honest.

You can read more about it by checking out this interesting article that I found on the Vice website.

Stop the Tangents and Get With It!

Anyway, I digress – which is something I’m prone to do both in life and while writing.

We at RTTP enjoy and encourage reader interaction through comments. It says it right there on our comment policy page, so it must be true.

What we don’t welcome are lengthy diatribes that list all the things that the bitter individual doesn’t like about the Philippines or its people.

My advice to the guy that wrote the email is simple.

If you don’t like it here, then leave and never come back.

If you don’t agree with something that is written on this website, or any website for that matter, post a calm, well thought out comment, and let’s have a debate.

If you feel yourself slipping into a hate-filled tirade, then stop yourself quickly.

Don’t waste our time or yours because, guess what my friend, it will end up in the digital trash bin, where it belongs.

If all of the above fails and you still feel the need to vent your spleen then why not set up your own blog?

If you don’t have the technical knowledge to set up a website, there are plenty of tutorials that will show you how to do it.

If you can’t afford the hosting, then there are plenty of free hosting providers.

WordPress — which is the platform that RTTP and many other popular sites on the Internet use — have their own free blogging solution.

In short, there’s plenty of ways for you to get rid of your anger, but posting on this website won’t ever be one of them.

Conclusion

If you’ve posted a comment and it does not appear on RTTP, then the first thing you should do is to check the comment policy.

For the majority of comments that don’t get approved, not complying with our policy is by far the most common reason.

If you’re sure that you’ve followed the guidelines, then please use the contact form and drop us a quick message.

Once again, we love to get your feedback and welcome reasonable, thoughtful debate, so feel free to reply to this or any other post on the website.

Your feedback helps to make the site better so keep them coming.

You can quickly read the most recent comments and get involved in the conversation by visiting our recent comments page.

If you’re living in the Philippines and can help another reader out, then please feel free.

I’ve been here for over 12 years, but there’s plenty I don’t know about the islands.

No amount of time living here will make a person an ‘expert’ and anybody that claims otherwise is most likely lying or delusional.

Am I a fascist? You decide.

If not wanting to promote hate means being a fascist then color me Trump!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnxQI97e-jU

Are the Guys at RTTP Fascist?

I Never Chose to Live in the Philippines

People have many different reasons for choosing to live in the location they do.

I’m originally from the UK but now live in the Philippines and have done so for the last twelve years.

However, the truth of the matter is, I never really chose to live in the Philippines…

…it chose me.

If that sounds a bit rich and a little bit ‘hippy-dippy’, then let me assure you its not.

Read this article to the end and hopefully you’ll understand what I mean when I say I never chose to live in the Philippines.

Why Do You Live Where You Live?

For some, the place they live is simply the place they were born, and they never had the desire to move.

Perhaps they lack the resources or imagination to live somewhere else.

I make no judgment at all on anybody who chooses not to relocate, as long as they’re happy where they are then I say ‘more power to ya!’.

But the truth is, I know for a fact, that many people live their entire lives in a place that brings them little happiness or in some extreme cases…

…none at all.

For me, moving to the Philippines was something that was born out of a need to be somewhere else.

Anywhere else.

I’d always felt uncomfortable and out of place. Like I had an itch that I could never scratch.

Does that make sense?

I just wanted a place where I could feel happy and relaxed and free from worry and stress. It never seemed like an unreasonable goal to me but yet it was something that I could never achieve while living in the West.

Finding a Wife in the Philippines

For many people, getting married, having kids and settling down is what they think will bring them happiness. If that’s you and you’re genuinely happy then, that’s awesome!

I know that many visitors to this site are interested in finding a wife, and that’s great. I wish them well, and hopefully, someday, I’ll follow suit.

Finding a wife was never my primary reason for moving here.

Having been married twice before, I was never overly concerned with finding a spouse nor does it occupy too much of my time.

That’s not to say that I’m against the idea because I genuinely believe in the institution of marriage.

Committing to another person and promising to spend the rest of your lives together, sounds pretty sweet to me.

It’s just not something I’ve seen too much evidence of in my lifetime and can count the great unions on the fingers of one hand.

The Philippines is also a ‘no divorce’ country and annulments can be expensive and take a long time.

The next time I get married will have to be the last, and so I’m even more cautious than normal.

Negativity is Everywhere

I recently read a comment from somebody on our Facebook page, something to the effect that we – as in Retiring to the Philippines – are lying to our visitors by only promoting the beauty and benefits of living in the Philippines.

Initially, I was mad and was going to post a snide rebuke, but then I stopped myself and thought about it for a moment.

There are indeed quite a few posts on this website espousing a seemingly idealistic view of life in the Philippines for foreigners, but there is also some that point out the dangers and pitfalls that one might encounter.

The fact is that most of the guys that choose to write for our website are genuinely really happy with their lives and grateful to be living here.

That’s not to say it’s all roses and candy and we don’t encounter hassles and things that annoy us.

Of course, we do, and you know what? That’s life!

Whether those things are something that you allow yourself to be defined by is your call entirely, and nobody else’s!

The difference between us and some other foreigners that live in the Philippines is that we don’t try to impose our views or opinions on the locals or their government.

We accept and acknowledge that we are visitors and it is a privilege to be here, and not a right.

As I mentioned above, my reasons for living in the Philippines are to find personal happiness and avoid stress.

For me, it’s working out just fine, but it’s certainly not the traditional lifestyle of an expat in the Philippines.

My idea of happiness may be different from yours and to be honest, I expect it is.

I’ve always been the type of person that enjoys their own company, and I don’t necessarily need other people to make me feel whole.

I was speaking to my stepfather the other day, and I commented that “most of the problems that I’ve had in my life were caused by other people,” and that’s true.

Left to my own devices, I tend to do just fine.

Too Anti-Social to be Sociable?

Somebody over here – a foreigner – once referred to me as ‘anti-social, ‘ and to some degree, they may have been right.

I would argue, however, that I’m not so much anti-social as hyper-selective and cautiously skeptical of people and their motives.

When I am in the company of others, I’m usually the life of the party and am an engaged and inquisitive conversationalist.

The fact that I’m not constantly surrounded by people and for the most part, don’t feel a personal need for permanent companionship, doesn’t make me anti-social.

It just makes me, me.

Conclusion

So to answer the question of why I live in the Philippines, I’d say, because it makes me happy and for the most part, people leave me alone.

That’s it!

Nothing magical and no great secret. It is simply a country and lifestyle that suits me and allows me to live my life the way I want.

Will it suit everybody? I’m guessing not.

Will it suit you? I have no idea.

One thing I can say though is that if you come over here with some pre-conceived notion of how you think things ‘should’ be, then you’re probably going to be disappointed.

I came here because of my need to be somewhere other than where I was, and at the time, it was Hawaii.

I’d also tried Australia, Canada, the Canary Islands and my homeland of the UK. I’d been searching for someplace to call ‘home’ for forty years and now I’ve finally found it in the Philippines.

I had no preconceptions, and I even had to check the map to see where the Philippines was!

That was twelve years ago, and for me, it’s been the best decision I NEVER made.

All the best!

If anything in this article resonates with you, then please feel free to post a comment below. Make sure you read our comment policy though before you do as I’m not a fan of negativity and they will no doubt end up in the trash before they see the light of day.

All part and parcel of working to keep my life positive and make myself a happy and content individual.

I Never Chose to Live in the Philippines

Returning to the UK with a Filipino Spouse

While most readers of this site will probably be more interested in moving from the UK or elsewhere to the Philippines, I assume there are also readers who are living in the Philippines already, and whom, from time to time, might flirt with the idea of moving home again.

This can happen for any number of reasons. The only permanent thing in life is impermanence, circumstances change constantly, and what seemed like a dream yesterday can grow tiring and stale. I decided last year when my son was born to return to the UK after living in Asia for almost a decade. Of course, my Filipina spouse would be coming with me.

If you’re thinking about this or do so from time to time, there are some things you should be aware of regarding the current visa rules for non-European nationals. Coming home to the UK with a Filipino spouse is extremely challenging, and there are multiple legal obstacles set up to specifically attempt to stop you from doing so.

All of these can be overcome, but being aware of them fully before making any such attempts is a crucial first step. As the old saying goes, you must ‘Know thy enemy’ to defeat him.

A Little Background

My situation is by no means unique, and I wouldn’t be the first expat to decide to return home after a major life event. As it so happens, the birth of my son also coincided with the largest crash the oil industry has seen in decades, which is how I made my bread and butter and how my wife and I had planned to stay in the Philippines permanently.

I had never even seriously considered returning home until these two events took place. However, after carefully meditating upon it for a period of months and visiting home for a trial run for the first time in years, we decided that the brighter future for both us and our son lay in the UK. I have no doubts whatsoever that we made the right decision, even though I do miss the Philippines in many ways.

Enter The Problem

However, we found ourselves in a precarious position. You see, British nationals with non-EU spouses are required to prove their income to the British government to show they can support their families. The minimum income threshold is￡18,600 per year at the time of writing. This increases with every child that you have who isn’t a British citizen.

Thus, the expat returning to the UK finds himself in a strange and frightening situation. He most likely does not have a job at ￡18,600 per year, and until he gets home and re-established, has little chance of finding one.

The UK government will give your Filipino spouse a 6-month tourist visa to visit in most cases. However, most expats agree that when returning home with your family this is nowhere near enough time to get settled, find a job which meets the minimum income requirements, and complete the necessary paperwork and gather the required evidence to prove it to the British government before the spouse tourist visa runs out.

It quickly becomes apparent that without a stroke of serious luck, either your spouse will not be able to come with you, or he/she can come but will have to leave and return to the Philippines until the process is complete. Most agree this is absurd and is a violation of the basic right to family life, and even some in the British legal system have agreed, but nonetheless it remains the law and unless your spouse wants to be permanently deported, you will have to comply with it.

So, in a nutshell, the expat with the Filipino spouse will have to either leave their family behind and return to set things up for something which could take a year or in some cases a lot longer to complete, or will have to bring their family, and then send them back to the Philippines while they work on the rest of the process.

The Courts

This has been fought in the British courts, with the initial trial siding with the British citizens and their families. The Court of Appeal, sadly, did not agree, and rules in favor of the Home Office. This case is now in the Supreme Court, but with Brexit and other such political volatility, nobody expects a final answer anytime soon.

The Solution

There are a number of different solutions to this problem, all of which should be carefully considered before any move is made. They are all somewhat absurd in nature and will make the logical man scratch his head in amazement that elected officials could be so utterly incompetent and could create such a mess, but they are nonetheless the only options the expat has.

1. Be or Become a Mac Daddy

If you’re a mac daddy with a fat pension and make more than ￡18,600 per year (more if you have kids), you have no worries. Apply before you come, provide approximately 6 months of evidence, pay the fee, and bob’s your uncle.

2. Job Hunt

You could try to secure a job before you come, particularly if you work in a lucrative field which will easily surpass the income requirements. It can be difficult to convince someone to hire you when you’re not even in the country, have no address there, and are simply promising you will return.

That said, it has been done. It may take a few connections and a little luck, but I would be lying if I said it is impossible. This still leaves you with a slight time issue and at least an extra round of flights to buy.

Sadly, it may also mean time apart from your family if they need to come back to the Philippines for a while in the event that their tourist visas expire before the necessary evidence is collected and the application launched for a spouse visa.

3. Go to Europe

I haven’t mentioned this yet, but this law does not apply to European citizens living in the UK, who are free to bring their families to live here without restriction. Anyone holding an EU Family Permit is able to come to the UK and stay, and your spouse is entitled to get one in many other EU member states, other than the UK.

Many expats returning home take the route. It’s called the Surinder Singh route and involves you picking a country in Europe, moving there, and staying for a period of roughly 3 months while you obtain the Family Permit. Once this is issued, you may return to the UK without hindrance (at least until Brexit takes place).

Most agree this is a major and unnecessary hassle, but again, it is the law. You could also approach it as a final adventure before returning home and turn it into a positive.

4. Surrender Your British Nationality

Yes, I’m dead serious. After contemplating all of the options, this is exactly what I decided to do, exercising my right to Irish nationality in the process.

If you have any other European nationality, you can surrender your British passport and move here with your spouse unrestricted and immediately. Once you get your certificate of renunciation you can apply for your spouse to join you in the UK under the EU Family Permit scheme talked about above. This is legally required to be issued within 3 weeks.

You can get your British nationality back again at a later stage, but it’s costly and there may not be any great reason to do so.

Conclusion

Apart from the conclusion that Britain has gone barmy on immigration, you can see here that an expat returning home with a Filipino spouse does have some obstacles to overcome, but does not have an impossible task ahead.

If you find yourself in this situation and are looking for a way forward, consider the options you have above. I also highly recommend getting in touch with an immigration solicitor as confirming which option is best for you under the guidance of a trained professional is a much better idea than spending endless hours scouring the internet and worrying at night about whether or not it will work.

You do have options to return home with your family. While this punitive and unfair law is current, I still believe that the arc of the moral universe is long, but does bend towards justice. At some point, hopefully, not too far in the future, this draconian law will be overturned.

Returning to the UK is your right, even if you never exercise it, and being aware of these current rules is step 1 to making an informed decision about your future.

Returning to the UK with a Filipino Spouse

Is it Still Safe to Retire in the Philippines?

By now most people who keep an eye on the Philippines will have come across sensationalist headlines of blood in the streets and a growing body count since the election of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Naturally, this causes many people concern, and some may be wondering if it’s still safe to retire in the Philippines.

So, are the rumors true?

Yes, to a large extent the rumors in the newspapers are true. People are definitely dying and there is a lot of killing in the streets. However, what newspapers eager to sell copies and run by vested interests won’t tell you is that there is absolutely zero evidence to show it is actually Duterte who is responsible for any of it.

It’s true that he hasn’t exactly discouraged the idea, and at times has crossed the line and actually encouraged it, but the killings could just as easily be the work of panic-stricken drug lords who realize the game is over and who are trying to tie up loose ends.

While there have been failed attempts to link the president to death squads, there is no smoking gun, and until there is, I will stick by the principle of innocent until proven guilty (I know there’s some irony in this, but that’s life).

The second thing that isn’t reported is that in most of the country nothing violent or terrifying is happening at all. Think about how big the Philippines is, and how many towns, cities and provinces there are. Yes, 1 or 2 people involved with drugs are being bumped off every few days, and undoubtedly some of them are innocent, but in the grand scheme it really isn’t that many and like everywhere in the world, if you stay out of it, you generally don’t have anything to fear.

My insight into this is largely due to the fact that I grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and I’m aware of how most of what qualifies as ‘reporting’ is exaggeration and propaganda. I used to walk along the very same streets which I’d seen utterly destroyed on TV the night before, and not notice much of a difference. It’s pretty much the same here – there’s a war going on alright, but there’s absolutely no sign of it, at least from my vantage point.

I will say, however, that I have noticed several positive changes since the election of Duterte. Just yesterday a brand new trash truck pulled up outside my house and emptied the bins, white lines have magically appeared in the middle of the roads, people are actually stopping to let me cross the road, and new electrical pylons are being erected as I write this.

I’m not sure I can connect the two in a direct cause and effect relationship, but change is in the air and it is palpable. From what I can see, it’s largely positive, being that I neither take nor sell drugs and have nothing whatsoever to fear.

I’m not trying to paint the Duterte administration as some angelic Godsend, nor is it really my place to comment on the politics of a country in which I am not a citizen. I will reserve judgment, as it is both polite and prudent to do so, until the results are in and history is written.

For now, let me answer the question this article set out to address – yes, it’s still very safe to retire in the Philippines, and if things keep improving gradually as they have been, it will continue to remain so, long into the future.

Is it Still Safe to Retire in the Philippines?

Meet Filipinas Online The Easy Way

So you wanna meet Filipinas online, do you?

Welcome to the world of dating Pinays, some of the most beautiful and caring women on the planet. I’ve been married to a Filipina for 2 years now and life has never been better. In fact, several of my friends have decided to come to The Philippines in search of their own Filipina girlfriend within a few months of meeting her when I took her home to meet the family.

I’ve tried to taper their enthusiasm with a healthy dose of caution – not every woman here is the same as my wife! There are good and bad girls in The Philippines, just like anywhere.

Thinking about how to best advise them and answer their questions about how to meet a Filipina got me wondering – why don’t I just write an article explaining the top points of what I’ve learned after 10 years of dating in Asia?

So, that’s exactly what I did. Here are 5 tips to give you the greatest chances of success when dating Filipinas online.

Meet Filipinas Online – 5 Crucial Tips

1. Take Your Time

This might be stating the obvious, but you’d be surprised how many men sign up for a dating website to meet Filipinas online, who ticks all their boxes, and dives right in without a thought for the morrow.

Love is love, and when it strikes there’s very little you can do. One thing you can do, however, is let time do what it does best and give you some perspective.

The reason for taking your time are twofold.

First, those crazy brain chemicals that have you all over the place, eager with anticipation to fly directly to the Philippines and meet your new lady friend will calm down and level out and think about things clearly.

Second, you need at least 6 months to get to know someone well. I think this rule applies to dating anyone, anywhere.

The rules of online dating are the same as the rules of dating in the real world. Remember the old saying when dating Filipinas online – ‘Wise men say, Only fools rush in!’

2. Be Realistic

If you’re 58, have a pot belly and a few missing teeth, albeit with more than a smattering of charm, recognize the warning signs when a 19-year-old model caliber lady is interested in you. You must be honest with yourself and honest with the woman you will talk with while trying to meet Filipinas online.

Sorry to take away your ego enhancer, but if you go down this rabbit hole you’re entering a world of hurt. Why is she interested in you when she could easily take her pick of younger men who know the name of Bieber’s latest hit song? You’ve got to be aware that there are lots of very poor, very desperate girls in this country who will do almost anything to survive, including rinse a sucker like you.

Let me be clear: NOT ALL FILIPINA GIRLS ARE LIKE THIS – FAR FROM IT! I’m not being a racist, a misogynist or a prick for saying it. It’s a sad fact of life and I’ve known guys who have been taken to the cleaners in a haze of love and emotion. I don’t want the same happening to you, dear reader.

Set realistic expectations for yourself and always ask ‘What’s in this for her?’ Understanding her intentions is a key part of successfully dating.

3. Look at Her Profile History

Before I settled down and got married I admit I to was interested in finding out how  to meet Filipinas online. During this period of my life, I learned to spot the girls who lingered for a little too long on those sites, and I began to learn that this meant one of two things: she is a serial dater or she has problems and moves from one guy to the next rapidly.

This is another reason for taking your time and getting to know both the site you are using and any ladies you talk to on there.

Be especially aware of ‘Off-On’ profiles. These are ladies who repeatedly delete and reopen their dating profiles. This should ring alarm bells in your head and cause you to ask yourself ‘What’s she up to?’

3. Meet Her in The Philippines

When you do find a fantastic woman who you really could fall for (oh, you will, believe me), at some stage, you will need to meet her to move things forward.

Start with video chats on Skype. This is much better than texting when it comes to getting to meet Filipinas online.

Eventually, however, you’ll want to meet face to face. Coming to The Philippines is a great idea in and of itself. This is one of the most beautiful countries you’ll ever visit, and coming to meet a love interest is just the icing on the cake.

Meeting your lady friend in The Philippines is also a good idea because it will allow you a great insight into her, who she is, and her culture. There are actually many different cultures within The Philippines, so getting to know her city, her island, family and individual quirks is best done here in her home country.

Besides, you coming to The Philippines is much easier with regards visas, travel costs, and other associated factors.

You’ll be glad you did, whether you decide to move things forward or not!

5. Give Her the Benefit of the Doubt

Dating Filipinas online is no different to dating any woman from a totally different culture. You’re going to have misunderstandings and assign meaning to things where there is none. This can lead to communication problems and a breakdown of the relationship.

Always give her the benefit of the doubt and try to see the best in these situations. What you think her actions mean could be totally different in reality.

Of course, there are blatant warning signs (such as asking you to send large sums of cash to her), but there are lots of little cultural mannerisms, expectations, and norms which it would be a shame to let get in the way of a burgeoning relationship.

The best way to deal with these is to seek to understand. If something doesn’t seem right to you or has you scratching your head, try talking to your love interest and asking her about it.

Opening direct lines of communication and seeking to understand one another can only help you decide whether you’re right for each other or not. This is especially true in cross-cultural relationships.

Dating a Filipina Summary

If you meet the right Filipina online you’re in for what could be the most rewarding relationship of your life. I’ve never met a woman as caring, attentive and genuinely happy as my wife, and I would love everyone to find the same in their partner.

Remembering the 5 tips above will set you on the right track and let you go in with your eyes open.

Best of luck in your quest to meet Filipinas online!

Meet Filipinas Online The Easy Way

Banking in the Philippines

You have now made your move and decided to relocate to the Philippines. You will obviously want to have easy access to your money which is almost certainly paid into your bank back home. To do that, you will want to open a bank account here in the Philippines. Which bank should you choose here? A large, reputable bank is preferable.

All the major banks here all have slightly different rules and processes to open that bank account. There are many types of bank accounts including foreign currency deposit accounts. It falls outside of my expertise to advise you on which type of account you need so I suggest you research that and seek professional advice.

Opening an Account in the Philippines

The general principles in opening an account are that you will have to show proof of ID and provide residence details. Many banks will refuse to open an account if you are on a tourist visa without the ACR card. Once you have that card, then there should be no difficulty opening an account. The process at the bank can take as little as 30 minutes or so and you usually have to wait several business days before you revisit the bank to collect your new debit card. Again, the rules differ from bank to bank, but generally you have to be a customer of the bank for at least 6 months and have a land-line in your name before you can apply for a credit card. I would suggest checking the web sites of all the major banks in the Philippines before you visit your local branch in order to open your account.

Keep your Bank and Credit Cards Back Home

The solid advice from the experts, which I endorse, is to keep your current primary account back home. It’s also a good idea to keep one or two of your home country’s credit cards active too. What about your address back home? Find a good friend or family member who is willing to receive your bank and credit card statements at their address. You can always check your statements online.

So what are the reasons for keeping a “financial footprint” back home? Simple really! You never know what the future holds in store. What if you decide to move back home, or are forced to because of reasons totally out of your control? Your accounts back home, whether bank or credit cards, will ensure you maintain your credit score. It’s a good idea to use your cards now and again for say online purchases, as it doesn’t matter where you now live but shows you are “financially alive and kicking”. In the event of a repatriation, voluntary or otherwise, this should ensure you encounter no problems with items like mortgages, car loans and almost anything else that requires borrowing money.

One of the advantages I found with retaining my home country issued cards was when I was dealing with the Apple Store. I discovered that using a Philippines issued bank card, whether debit or credit, locked me out of certain features of the store. Purely as an aside, it’s also worth considering a VPN to change your location to your home country to further ensure you benefit from features with online retailers that apply to citizens of the United States and the United Kingdom for example, but not to citizens of other countries. Yes, I know that’s discriminatory but please accept that I don’t make the rules!

A further consideration is this: there will be occasions you need to send money to friends or family back home and it’s far easier and cheaper to do this if both parties, you and the recipient, have accounts in the same country. Forget checks! A check drawn on foreign banks can take a long time to clear and it’s not unheard of for such checks not to be accepted at all by banks in the United States or the United Kingdom. Yet another advantage is that your U.S. or U.K. card also has a far greater chance of being accepted at any ATM wherever you travel in the world.

Online Banking

It’s not difficult to track and manage your home based accounts in this digital age. The days of trusting a close friend or family member to take care of your finances back home in your absence have long gone. Using any established bank or other financial institution, enables you to pay any kind of bill from your home country online and schedule money transfers to any individual or organization you wish in the same country as your home account. All it takes is a few clicks on the bank website after you go through the security log in procedures.

But to return to your Philippines bank account – the best advice is to keep sufficient in your new account for your regular payments in your new country. It’s also wise to have a separate savings account with the same bank as your “rainy day” money or “slush fund”. However, it’s also the wise man that keeps the substantial part of his savings in the financial institutions of his home country owing to the enhanced stability of the banking system in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. There are better protective measures in place for savers in the more financially stable countries of the world. Another reason to keep more of your nest egg back home is to do with stable currencies and interest rates. Historically and over the long term many western currencies have been far less volatile than some third world countries. Many savings vehicles back in your home country pay a rate of interest even on some checking accounts.

International Money Transfers

You still need to transfer your home based money to your Philippines account. By far the easiest way to do this is by using one of the many companies that specialize in international currency transfers. Like your online banking, this is also done with a few clicks of the mouse. If you shop around you will find out which are the most reliable, speediest and cheapest. You should closely examine the fees that are charged in conjunction with your actual rate of exchange. It’s no good transferring say $1000 for only a flat fee of say $2 then finding out you are not receiving a competitive exchange rate. Of course, these companies have to make a profit but make sure it’s not at your expense!

I’m sure these tips will save you a few dollars if implemented correctly. If you bump into me and that is the case, then buy me a cold beer!

Banking in the Philippines