HELPLINE: 
Daniel Butcher, an expert financial adviser to expats, offers essential advice to Brits moving to France.
With 2021 around the corner and the Brexit transition deadline of 31 December 2020 approaching fast, what is the best way to bring lump sums from the UK into France or the EU?
DTB Wealth Management – a Conseil en Gestion de Patrimoine” (CGP), which is qualified in family law, accountancy, real estate and wealth management – recommends Assurance Vie.
“Assurance Vie, an insurance-based investment scheme, is an excellent product for those with assets such as ISAs, General Investment Accounts, liquidations assets or property sale proceeds, into France,” said Daniel Butcher, Founder of DTB Wealth Management and Assurance Vie specialist.
“English advisers are not allowed to give advice in the EU, so as French advisers with a British background, we are perfectly positioned to give British expats the best investment advice possible.”
Assurance Vie investment products are an optimal choice for expats looking to: generate an income (with low tax), plan their succession, reduce their overall tax burden and generate capital growth.
DTB Wealth Management currently has two favourite Assurance Vie products. The first is for those who are residents in France looking to invest at least €100,000 and who want to have access to their money at any time.
“The other is a new scheme that has been 100% designed for British expats in France and is managed by a well-known firm in Ireland, so all the paperwork is in English,” said Daniel, adding that both are “Brexit proof”.
“It is now a legal requirement that you can only sign an Assurance vie policy written in your native language, so English speakers can’t open a policy that is only written in French,” he said.
Expats currently navigating the Assurance Vie sector should know that advisors in France are required by law to provide at least two investment proposals for which fees must also be disclosed. An engagement letter must also be signed before any investment starts in France.
It is of the utmost importance that expats choose a knowledgeable, qualified and client-dedicated advisor, who will match the right independent Assurance Vie products with the people and the portfolio in hand.
“DTB Wealth Management is more than just an independent financial advisor,” said Daniel. “We hold the CJA (Code de justice administrative) in notarial, civil and family law, so we are also trained lawyers, and can offer our clients everything they need to make the best decisions for their assets.”
