Why Americans Go Broke Retiring in France | Hidden Costs of Moving to France

These are the cons of retiring in France that most Americans discover only after moving, and some of them can cost your family six figures. France doesn't bankrupt retirees with high prices. It does it with rules. In this video, we go through 5 France retirement financial traps, from the least painful to the most dangerous, and explain how to avoid each one early. #5 The winter bill: buying a stone house in France looks romantic in June, but a poor DPE energy rating can push French heating costs in winter above €5,000 a year. #4 The driving deadline: your US driving license is only valid for one year, and the French license exchange depends on which state issued it. #3 The frais de notaire: French property notary fees are about 8% of the price, and that's before the taxe foncière and other hidden costs of France. #2 Article 53: the new PUMa health charge changes the math of French healthcare for expats on a visitor visa. #1 French inheritance tax: an unmarried partner or stepchild can pay 60%, and forced heirship rules decide who gets what. Americans retiring in France are hit hardest, but Brits, Canadians and Australians face many of the same traps, and we cover the UK exceptions too. Dreading the French bureaucracy for expats? Check out The France Navigator app https://easyfrancenow.com/navigator?via=TheExpat Videos mentioned: 💡Subscribe to @the_expat. I upload new episodes every week! This video is based on this article: 🗣️ Your residency renewal, your doctor, your neighbors — none of it happens in English. Start speaking Spanish, Italian, French or Portuguese here 👉 https://www.jdoqocy.com/click-101847884-15734907?sid=YoutubeLink1 Planning to move abroad? Read one of these 3 📚books BEFORE: 📚 1 - https://amzn.to/3UkgWUn 📚 2 - https://amzn.to/3U6gacp 📚 3 - https://amzn.to/441oWwJ ➡️Podcast "The Expatriate": https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-expatriate--5406772 🚨 QUESTION - Which country or city would you like us to talk about? 🔴 *** ABOUT THE CHANNEL *** From ten years living as an expatriate in the Middle East, South America, and Eastern Europe, to facts from reliable sources. Straightforward, no-nonsense guides for every expat. Some of the links posted and mentioned may be affiliate links, meaning that the author will have a commission for any transaction. 💡 TOPICS IN THIS VIDEO 💡 retiring in france, americans retiring in france, retire in france mistakes, cost of retiring france, france retirement financial traps, moving to france downsides, living in rural france, buying stone house france, dpe energy rating france, french heating costs winter, hidden costs of france, us driving license france, french license exchange us, driving in france us, french bureaucracy for expats, france visitor visa rules, frais de notaire france, french property notary fees, taxe fonciere france expat, buying property in france, french healthcare for expats, puma health charge france, article 53 healthcare france, french healthcare visitor visa, french inheritance tax expat, france 60 percent tax, forced heirship rules france, pacs inheritance tax france, french succession tax partner, us expat taxes france #retireabroad #movingtofrance #livinginfrance 🔎 EXCERPT 🔎 France doesn't bankrupt retirees with high prices. It does it with rules. And those rules are not hidden. They're all written into French law. But almost nobody talks about them until it's too late, and most of the people they hit are Americans, Brits, Canadians, Australians who did their homework on everything except these. Today you will discover 5 of those peculiar things in France that might hurt your finances. The first one shows up in winter. The second can take away your right to drive, one year after you arrive. The next hands the government a big chunk of cash before you've even unpacked. One came out of Parliament just months ago, and it's aimed at people exactly like you. Some of these cost you a few hundred euros a year. Some cost you tens of thousands the day you move in. And the worst one can cost your family six figures, even if you did everything else right. Every one of them has a fix, but the fix only works if you know about it early enough. So today I will show them to you from the least painful to the most dangerous. Let's start with the cheapest mistake. Sort of. #5 — The Winter Bill When you check for French properties online, the listing photos are almost always taken in June. Almost nobody photographs a French stone house in January. Have you ever wondered why?