Estate Planning When You Live in a Foreign Country
From SML Planning Minute by Security Mutual Life Advanced Markets Team
April 7, 2026 · 8 min · Episode 378
About this episode
This episode discusses the complexities of estate planning for American citizens living in foreign countries and the potential tax implications.
Estate Planning When You Live in a Foreign Country Episode 378 – There are many American citizens who will spend an extended period outside the United States. What happens to your estate if you die while residing in a foreign country? It’s complicated. Planning is essential. More SML Planning Minute Podcast Episodes Transcript of Podcast Episode 378 Hello, this is Bill Rainaldi, with another edition of Security Mutual’s SML Planning Minute . In today’s episode: estate planning when you live in a foreign country. When it comes to federal estate taxes, most Americans have nothing to worry about. The federal exemption for 2026 is $15 million per person, a number far higher than most people will ever accumulate. However, there are twelve states that have a state estate or inheritance tax, and one, Maryland, that has both. For state estate tax purposes, the exemption can be significantly lower, such as Massachusetts, where the exemption is $2,000,000. [1] Keep in mind that by default, the U.S. imposes estate and gift taxes on its citizens, no matter where they live. In other words, you can’t get around your U.S. taxes just because you moved to a foreign country. [2] But…
People in this episode
Host: Bill Rainaldi
Topics covered
- estate planning
- foreign country
- tax implications
- U.S. citizens abroad
- state estate tax
- double taxation
Keywords
- estate planning
- foreign country
- U.S. taxes
- state estate tax
- double taxation
- federal exemption
- inheritance tax
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Security Mutual Life
Places: United States, Maryland, Massachusetts
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