u/HeirophantGreen

Japanese wife (49) and US me (55) are considering FIREing in Miyazaki, Kyushu in the near future. Dual income working in Tokyo now but looking to quit full-time work and just enjoy life where my wife is from. I have PR btw.

We have no kids. We own a small mansion in Yokohama but have closed the sale on it and will move to a rental. We'd look to buy a mansion down in Kyushu on a mortgage -- and it looks like 25-30M is completely fine for size/location/age based on listings.

Quick overview of finances

Assets:

- 150M in US stocks (admittedly weighted to semis but plan to spread more to ETFs) and her 新NISA (1-2 yrs from max). And yes, I do realize withdrawing from the stocks will incur 20% Japanese tax. EDIT: A weakness here besides the lack of diversification is that these stocks were mostly from when the rate was 110usd/jpy so the value grows the weaker the yen gets but conversely, a stronger yen will decrease total value (in jpy).

- 20M in cash

Expenses:

- About 400k/month, but I suspect it'll be slightly less in Kyushu

- Will take on a mortgage but that's factored in the item above. No other debts.

Income:

- We'd do part-time work with a combined income of 3M (haven't looked too hard into this but maybe 20-30 hrs/week but would stop if assets appreciate considerably)

I saw the thread below from 2-3 years ago positing some numbers required -- leanFIRE (66M), FIRE (100M), fatFIRE (300M) with the caveat that those are general numbers and ymmv.

https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanFinance/comments/1gfkjg5/defining_leanfire_fire_chubbyfire_fatfire_amounts/

I'm using a 3% safe withdraw rate in my headmath. It seems like we should be in the clear. Of course, a market downturn could sour those plans. Pension will start at 65 but that'll be about 2M combined. All in all, this FIRE plan feels secure but I see such a large range of numbers that people state for themselves and sure, I mean, everyone has different expenses and needs. I want to make sure I'm not overlooking something.

If any of you would like to share your insights, we'd really appreciate it!!

I have no plans to shuffle off the mortal coil yet but my wife will need the help of a Japanese-speaking accountant with US tax knowledge when I pass.

She and I have been putting together a list of info for "when that time comes," including our financial accounts. According to my research, there's currently a requirement to file a transfer certificate for a US citizen's assets declaring to the IRS that the assets don't owe taxes (if those assets are under the $15M threshold). Also, taxes will need to be filed for the tax year that I pass away.

I've looked through the sub and some recommendations pop up from time to time but they seem to be mostly for corporations or small businesses. There are international firms like H&R Block but my wife won't be able to navigate advanced financial terminology in English. From a thread in the wiki, Takahashi Tax Office came up and has potential but couldn't find info on specializing in inheritance. https://tk-tax-accounting.com/ There are other things I want to ask but I do want to secure an accountant for our list.

Can any of you folks recommend an accountant that knows a thing or two about inheritance? Thanks in advance!

Edit: I did find Yasuda Accounting from a past thread and am reaching out to see if they can help.

https://yasuda-accounting.com/