RetireJapan

I guess it depends if your bike insurance is a liability insurance (damages you do to others with your bike). Liability insurance I would definitely take, assuming I'm not covered by another insurance. But insurance to protect the bike, or myself: no thanks, the health insurance already covers me, a...

If so, are Americans the only ones that are totally screwed in finding tax free investment vehicles? Nope, IMO everyone who is an expat kind of goes through the pain. The only difference for US citizens is that on top of that you have to file in both countries, but other than that, the fundamental ...

For the past few years, my wife has been a stay at home mom with only some bank accounts and no income. This year we opened a brokerage account for her on SBI (with the goal of opening a NISA next year). Will she have to file a tax return? Or can we do a joint declaration on my return? Or maybe noth...

As always, Insurance should be here to handle dramatic expenses that you cannot handle otherwise. The "big 3" and hospital "long stay" insurances feel a bit strange to me, as I don't understand how they are not already handled by regular health insurance + cap on maximum hospital...

Something we've used in the past but that obviously depends on your circumstances is that hospital bills can be deducted from your income if they reach a significant amount. I don't remember the details, but basically if you give birth on a specific year it's very likely you'll meet the threshold. n...

deepdishj wrote: ↑Wed Nov 08, 2017 12:34 am Have you heard of this? https://www.maneo.jp/
5-7% is much more attractive than any Japanese bank.

At that rate, how is the risk being described on these investments? (can't find it due to my poor JP skills)

Can people share their tips for frugal grocery shopping in Tokyo? I'm in particular interested in ways to reduce our costs for "staples" like milk, bread, cereals (making my own granola here is super expensive for some reason), fruits, meat, flour,... We live close to an "Aeon" m...

Thanks! Also some details here: http://www.ata-tax.jp/service/index02_en.html As long as you aren't a PR, you don't have to worry about inheritance tax (or gift tax?) for a few years. I believe I'm a permanent tax resident. Out of the past 15 years, I've been in Japan for almost 10 years (might be 1...

My parents (who live in France) intend to give myself and my siblings a significant amount of money. I'm a resident of Japan from a tax perspective. Is there any documentation in English on gift taxation for Japan ? I could swear I have seen it before. The thresholds are different in Japan and Franc...

For French people I highly recommend Devenir Rentier forum and the book "Devenir Rentier en 10 ans" ! https://www.devenir-rentier.fr/ How much of the book (and the forum) applies for those of us living abroad? I can't imagine the headache of having to declare French income on my JP taxes.