Hi friends,

Happy holidays! This time last year, we were in the Philippines celebrating the season with extended family.

Speaking of global living - in our latest episode of the Modern Family Finance podcast, we dive into the topic of international living.

Having lived in Europe and Asia for years at a time myself, I’m a huge advocate for living abroad. Not only does it offer an adventure that can reshape your perspective, it also can fast-track your financial independence (because let’s be honest, almost anywhere is cheaper than the Bay Area!).

I know many of you dream of living abroad but feel overwhelmed by the logistics of securing residency or citizenship. That’s why I’ve invited Jon Green, director at Latitude Consultancy, to join me. Latitude has helped over 6,000 people obtain second passports or residency permits in 20 countries.

For Lisa and me, international living is still part of our long-term vision. That’s why Lisa is working with Latitude on obtaining her Italian citizenship through her great-grandparents. As the Italians say, "Chi viaggia vive due volte"—those who travel live twice.

​In this 42-minute episode, Jon answers the following questions and more:

• Why do some Americans want to get a second passport?
• What are popular paths to residency in Europe for Americans?
• What are other regions of the world where Americans seek passports?
• How can you immigrate to Canada?
• Can you really obtain Italian citizenship from your great-grandparents?
• What is the future like for these citizenship and residency programs?

If you’re short on time, you can catch the key points in the show notes.

What's on our mind:

This year, Modern Family Finance proudly supported impactful Bay Area organizations including Glide Memorial, known for its commitment to providing vital services to San Francisco’s marginalized communities; National Center for Lesbian Rights, a leader in legal advocacy for LGBTQ+ equality, and the 5 Buckets Foundation, whose mission is to create meaningful financial education for all. Additionally, we partnered with our clients to champion their passion projects, contributing to the Grande Center, which educates rural communities in El Salvador; and The Trees Musical, a bold and imaginative creative project. Together, we’re building a stronger, more vibrant community.

What I want to share:

• ​You’re Invited to Wall Street’s Private Party. Say You’re Busy (Wall Steet Journal): You might be hearing more pitches to buy private assets (e.g. hedge funds, private equity). But WSJ personal finance writer Jason Zweig argues that “while some managers of alternative assets deliver superior returns, most don’t - and getting access to the few outperformers is all but impossible for most investors.”
• ​Gifting without the Headache (Kitces): This is a lengthy article written for advisors to help clients navigate gift taxes. The punch line: Unless you’re planning on passing on more than $13.6M (double that if you’re a couple), give freely as you will not be subject to a gift tax liability. If you’re one of the fortunate few where this is a “problem”, then read on as there are many ways to smartly give in a tax-efficient manner.
• ​Understand & Apply the Psychology of Money to Gain Greater Happiness (Huberman): This podcast episode asks the question: How do we use money as a tool to create psychological security, freedom, and a deeper sense of life purpose? I love this topic, because that’s the whole point of our work with clients.

Photo from our lives:

This year, we’re celebrating our first Christmas back in our San Francisco home! The kids’ excitement over picking out a real tree has filled the house with holiday magic. Wishing you joy as you create new memories with your modern family.