Retiring internationally isn't just retirement planning with a passport attached. The tax law is different, Medicare doesn't follow you, and Social Security has wrinkles nobody warns you about. Find someone who does this every day.
Where to find one ↓Why this isn't a standard conversation
Most financial advisors know retirement planning. Fewer know what happens when you move it across a border. These are the gaps that catch people off guard.
The US taxes citizens on worldwide income regardless of where you live. That means annual federal returns, FBAR filings if your foreign accounts exceed $10K, and potentially FATCA reporting. An advisor who hasn't navigated this before will miss things.
Medicare Part A and B don't cover you abroad except in very limited circumstances. You need a private international health plan — and figuring out how that interacts with your existing coverage, your destination country's system, and your costs requires specific expertise.
You can collect Social Security while living abroad in most countries, but the timing of when you claim still matters enormously, and some countries have totalization agreements with the US that affect how benefits are calculated. Get this wrong and you leave real money on the table.
Portugal's NHR program, Mexico's tax treaty with the US, currency risk between the dollar and euro — these aren't theoretical. The right advisor will factor your destination's specific rules into the plan, not just the US side of the equation.
IRAs, 401(k)s, and brokerage accounts all behave differently for expats. Some foreign financial institutions won't hold US accounts. Required minimum distributions don't care that you moved. Knowing how to restructure before you leave can save significant tax drag.
If you own property or hold assets in another country, your US will and estate plan may not cover them cleanly. Some countries have forced heirship rules that override what you've written down. A specialist will flag the gaps before they become your family's problem.
Don't wait until you're packing
The most common mistake isn't picking the wrong advisor — it's waiting until you're 18 months from retirement to find one. By then, the high-leverage decisions are already locked in.
This is when Roth conversions, Social Security optimization, and asset location decisions can actually move the needle — sometimes by six figures. An expat-focused advisor at this stage helps you build the right foundation before foreign residency complicates everything.
Still plenty of time to adjust the plan. Key questions: Medicare bridge coverage for the years before you move, whether to do a final Roth conversion push, what the withdrawal sequence looks like, and how your destination country's tax treaty with the US affects your income.
If you don't have an advisor yet, now is urgent. Account restructuring, foreign bank account setup, FBAR planning, and Medicare decisions often need to happen before you establish foreign residency — not after. Some of these moves can't be undone.
Finding the right advisor
Not all financial advisors are created equal. Here's how to find one who will actually help, and the red flags that tell you to keep looking.
A fiduciary is legally required to act in your interest, not their firm's. Ask directly: "Are you a fiduciary at all times?" If the answer is anything other than yes, keep moving. Fee-only fiduciaries (no commissions) are the gold standard.
Ask: "How many clients do you currently have who are retired or planning to retire outside the US?" A specialist should have a real answer — not "we can handle that." Organizations like AAFCPA and the American Citizens Abroad network can be good starting points.
Bonus points if they've worked with clients in your specific destination. The NHR regime in Portugal and the US-Mexico tax treaty are quite different. An advisor who knows your country's specifics will catch things a generalist won't.
If an advisor's first move is recommending a specific annuity, life insurance policy, or managed fund — before understanding your full picture — that's a signal they're paid on product sales. Get a second opinion before signing anything.
First call prep
A good advisor will welcome these. A bad one will get defensive. Either way, you'll learn what you need to know.
Some advisors operate under a fiduciary standard only in certain contexts (like managing retirement accounts) but not others. You want someone who is always legally obligated to act in your interest.
If they pause or have to look this up, they're not your person. A specialist should be able to explain both without hesitation and tell you how they coordinate with expat-focused CPAs.
They don't need to be insurance brokers, but they should have a point of view and know the landscape. Medicare not following you abroad is a big gap — a real expat specialist will have navigated this with other clients.
This answer will be different for someone moving to Portugal versus Mérida versus staying in Florida. If you get a generic "it depends on your break-even age" answer, push harder — or find someone who's done the cross-border math before.
The answer is often yes, and the timing matters. Some moves need to happen before you trigger foreign residency. An advisor who handles expat transitions should have a checklist for this.
Fee-only (flat or hourly) is usually cleaner than assets-under-management for a planning engagement. Get the fee structure in writing before you share financial details.
Where to look
Skip the Google search. These directories are specifically designed for finding fee-only, fiduciary advisors — the only kind worth hiring for retirement planning, and especially for international moves.
napfa.org
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. Every member is fee-only — no commissions, no conflicts. Use their "Find an Advisor" search and filter for advisors who list expat or international retirement as a specialty.
xyplanningnetwork.com
Fee-only planners, many of whom specialize in retirement and pre-retirement planning. Many work fully remotely — useful when you're planning a move abroad and need someone comfortable with cross-border complexity.
garrettplanningnetwork.com
Fee-only advisors who work by the hour or flat project fee. Good if you want a one-time international retirement plan reviewed without committing to an ongoing AUM relationship.
cfp.net/find-a-cfp-professional
Verify credentials and check for disciplinary history before you book a meeting. A non-negotiable step — takes 2 minutes and should be done on every advisor you consider.
A note from RetireVibes: We don't do the financial math — that's not our lane, and we think pretending otherwise would be doing you a disservice. What we can tell you is that the cost of getting this wrong — in taxes, in benefits timing, in uncovered healthcare gaps — is almost always higher than the cost of getting good advice early. Talk to a fiduciary.