Living overseas can make managing your wealth considerably more complicated. You may have investments, pensions, property and bank accounts in several countries while potentially being subject to different tax and investment rules in each jurisdiction.
Use our wealth manager finder to compare the best wealth managers for expats and international clients.
How To Choose The Best Wealth Managers For Expats & International Clients
The best wealth managers for expats and international clients should therefore offer more than a globally diversified investment portfolio. They should understand the practical implications of managing wealth across borders.
Look for genuine international expertise
Start by checking whether the wealth manager actually works with clients in the country where you live.
Financial services regulation varies between jurisdictions, and a wealth manager that can advise UK residents may not necessarily be able to continue providing the same service after you move overseas.
This is particularly important if you expect to relocate again. Ask whether the firm has international offices, partnerships or regulatory permissions that allow it to continue looking after you in the countries where you are likely to live.
Tax residence matters
One of the biggest issues for expats is establishing where you are resident for tax purposes.
For UK tax, residence can determine whether overseas income and gains are taxable in the UK. UK residents will normally be taxed on worldwide income, whereas non-residents generally do not pay UK tax on foreign income.
Your wealth manager doesn’t necessarily need to provide specialist international tax advice themselves, but they should understand its importance and be able to work alongside appropriately qualified tax advisers.
Consider all your international assets
An expat’s financial affairs can easily become fragmented.
You might have a UK pension, an investment account in another country, overseas property, cash held in several currencies and shares from an international employer.
A good wealth manager should consider these assets together rather than simply managing whichever portfolio happens to sit on their platform.
This becomes particularly important when deciding how much investment risk you are taking and whether your overall wealth is properly diversified.
Currency risk
Currency can have a significant impact on international clients.
For example, you might have investments denominated in pounds but expect to retire and spend your money in euros or US dollars. Movements in exchange rates could therefore affect your future spending power.
Ask how the wealth manager approaches currency exposure and whether your portfolio can be structured around the currencies in which you are likely to have future liabilities and expenditure.
Pensions and retirement planning
Retirement planning can become particularly complicated when you have lived and worked in several countries.
You may have UK pensions alongside overseas retirement schemes and state pension entitlements from different jurisdictions.
A wealth manager experienced with expats should be able to incorporate these into your overall retirement plan and bring in specialist pension or tax advice where required.
Be particularly cautious about transferring pensions purely because you have moved overseas. Transfers can have significant tax, investment and regulatory consequences.
Moving country
Ideally, speak to your wealth manager before relocating rather than after you have moved.
Changing tax residence can affect your investments, tax position and the financial products available to you. UK tax rules themselves have changed significantly in recent years: from 6 April 2025, the old domicile-based system for foreign income and gains was replaced by a residence-based regime, including Foreign Income and Gains relief for qualifying individuals.
Pre-move planning can therefore be extremely valuable.
Check investment portability
Ask what happens to your portfolio if you move to another country.
Can you retain the same investments? Can the wealth manager continue advising you? Will certain funds or accounts become unavailable? Could your move create tax consequences when investments are sold or restructured?
A genuinely international wealth manager should be thinking about these issues before they become a problem.
Fees and international costs
Finally, understand the complete cost of the service.
Alongside normal wealth management and fund charges, international clients may encounter foreign exchange costs, international custody charges and additional fees for specialist tax or legal advice.
The best wealth manager for an expat or international client should ultimately be able to answer three questions: Where are you resident now, where might you live in the future, and how should your wealth be structured so that it can move with you?
For international clients, the ability to manage investments across different jurisdictions, currencies and tax regimes can be just as important as investment performance itself.