"It's not that people plan to fail, it's that they fail to plan," is one of the favorite sayings of James ("Jimmy") Miller, the American founder and principal of Baobab Wealth Management, who, as he explained to the AXFNJ's John Richardson last month, had been living in Moscow, Russia, for the past four years, until the Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February. At which point he, his wife and their young son were forced to race to join the thousands of other non-Russians who were hopping any plane they could get to leave the country...

When Americans who've never been to Moscow try to imagine what it must be like to live there, they typically envision a cold, bleak and unfriendly place, full of restrictions and constraints, says James ("Jimmy") Miller, the American founder and principal of Baobab Wealth Management, who, at least until the end of last month, has been living there for the past four years, (while also maintaining a base in Alaska)... 

Many – though by no means all – of those in the business of advising American expatriates on their tax or wealth management issues are expat Americans themselves. While this obviously isn't necessary to knowing all that's needed to be able to help clients plan their investments and for their retirements and stay out of trouble, in some cases it can't help but give the individual in question valuable added insights.