As a fiduciary financial advisor in Greer, Holland Capital helps employees of global manufacturers who have retirement savings or pension rights in two countries bring them into one retirement plan. We work with clients in Greer by video and phone, and meet in person by appointment at the Regus center on Millport Circle in Greenville.
Two countries. Two sets of retirement rules. One retirement.
Greer has about 41,500 people (Census estimates, 2020 to 2024), and about one in eight residents was born outside the United States. BMW Group’s largest plant in the world sits on the edge of town.
If you started your career abroad and now work here, part of your retirement may sit in another country: a state pension record, a company pension or a savings plan. The rest is in a 401(k), an IRA and your local accounts.
Each country has its own rules for when you can draw and how the money is taxed. Seeing all of it in one place is where planning starts.
Pensions and Social Security in Two Countries
The United States has Social Security agreements with a number of countries, including Germany, that can use work credits from both systems to help determine eligibility. That can help you qualify for a benefit when you do not have enough credits under one system by itself.
We gather statements from both systems and estimate what each one may pay, and when.
How the Money May Be Taxed
If you are a U.S. tax resident, you generally report income from worldwide sources, including taxable foreign pension income. A tax treaty may change how some of that income is taxed, depending on the country and the plan.
Foreign accounts can also create separate U.S. reporting requirements. We work with a tax professional who handles cross-border returns, so the plan and the filings match.
Deciding Where You Will Retire
Some people stay in the Upstate. Others plan to return home or split their time. The answer changes which accounts to draw first, which currency you will spend and which tax rules apply.
The plan compares the places you are considering, so you can see the trade-offs in numbers.
Your U.S. Savings
Your 401(k), IRAs and taxable accounts are the part of the plan we can manage directly. With investment management, we invest them around the income you expect from abroad.
How We Work with Clients in Greer
Holland Capital Management is an independent registered investment adviser and a fiduciary. M. Chad Holland, CFA, CFP® works directly with clients and is responsible for the planning and advice.
Bring your latest statement from each foreign pension or savings plan, your U.S. Social Security statement, your 401(k) and IRA statements and your last two U.S. tax returns.
The result is a written plan that shows each source of retirement income, the country it comes from and the year it starts.
The first conversation is free. If there is work worth doing after that, we will define the scope and cost before you decide whether to move forward.
Our offices are in Charlotte, North Carolina and Winter Park, Florida. We work with clients in Greer primarily by video or phone. When an in-person meeting makes sense, we meet by appointment at the Regus center at 128 Millport Circle in Greenville.
For clients whose investments we manage, accounts are held directly at Charles Schwab in the client’s own name. Holland Capital manages the investments but does not take custody of client assets. If a client ever needs in-person assistance from Schwab, the closest branch is in Greenville at 12 East Washington Street.
We work with clients throughout South Carolina. You can see the other South Carolina communities we serve here.
Our what we do page explains how a planning engagement works.
RETIREMENT ENGINEERING™
The Order Matters
Five retirement decisions and why timing matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Move My Foreign Pension Into a U.S. Account?
A foreign pension generally cannot be treated like a U.S. 401(k) rollover. The answer depends on the country and the type of plan, and a transfer can create tax problems. We review the options with your tax professional before anything moves.
Why Work with a Fiduciary on a Two-Country Retirement?
Holland Capital acts as a fiduciary when providing financial planning and investment advice. With savings in two countries, that means advice on every account, including the ones we cannot manage.
Our fee is set in writing before we begin.
Do You Meet Clients in Greer?
Most of our work with Greer clients happens by video or phone. For a face-to-face meeting, we reserve a room at the Regus center on Millport Circle in Greenville, about 25 minutes from downtown Greer.
Photo: Bill Fitzpatrick / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
