Contributed by Digital Media Circle, 10 February, 2014
If you're living abroad and retired, you might think that investing in the financial markets is not a viable option for bolstering your savings. In fact, this is not the case, as more and more options are being made available to those who have made their homes in different countries to their birthplace of origin. Brokers for offshore clients now exist all across the internet, and you only have to take a look at a large multi-currency broker online to be able to see that opportunities for expats in the world of trading are expanding considerably. If you've been on the fence about getting involved, here are some good reasons to.
Wide Availability of Offshore Brokerages
As previously stated, the internet is now literally flooded with perspective brokers all vying for your business, and many are now offering their services to offshore clients to help you make the most of your situation. This is good for you, because it's a buyer's market, with brokers driving down their fees piling on the advantages to help ensure you get the best return on investment.
Broader Range of Possibilities
Along with the fact that there are a growing number of brokerages out there looking for your custom, these offshore brokers are now offering a great number of benefits. For example, a diverse portfolio of investment opportunities, and tax incentives to make investing your money offshore advantageous from a tax perspective. You might, for example, be able to escape stamp duty if it still applies. You also might receive better tax performance through your securities when you invest offshore. Of course, naturally, everything ultimately depends on your personal circumstances, but if things line up well for you, you might be in a better position in your foreign domesticity with respect to trading than you would be in your country of origin.
An Expanding Toolkit of Instruments
You're not limited by the type of investing you wish to partake in, either. Many offshore brokerages offer a variety of facilities which can help you to with a range of instruments. These include futures trading, options, commodities, treasury an investment-grade corporate bonds, and gold. What this means is that you're not limited with respect to your form or method of investment, so if you've been nervous about the limitations of expat trading, you shouldn't be – it might actually be better for you.
Global Community
With most forms of investment, what you're really doing – regardless of your locality – is participating in a global community of investors. This means that whatever the instrument and whatever the investment, you're not alone in what you're doing. Additionally, when you take into consideration that most brokers offer social integration with their platforms, you'll be able to discuss your ideas with other skilled traders, and learn viable strategies from people based all around the world. In other words, despite your expat status, you're not alone – you're surrounded by the international trading community.
So there you have it, some of the reasons why, if you're an expat looking for an extra source of income, perhaps upon retirement, you should become an investor.