u/NewtLarge2012

Hi everyone,

My husband and I are retiring in 2027 and transitioning to a "perpetual tourist" / slow travel lifestyle (e.g., 6 months in Thailand, 3 months in Vietnam, 4 months in Colombia, etc.). We don't plan on establishing permanent tax residency in any single foreign country, nor do we plan on living in the US again.

I am a strict rule-follower, but I feel like I am stuck in a massive compliance Catch-22 regarding where to hold our portfolio (ETFs, Treasury bonds, Roth IRA) to avoid KYC/AML account freezes.

The Comparison I'm Weighing:

Option 1: The Schwab International Route. I want to be 100% legal. However, Schwab International requires proof of a foreign residence (utility bill/lease) to open/convert the account. Because we are slow traveling in Airbnbs, I won't have these documents.

Option 2: The Interactive Brokers (IBKR) Route. Many say IBKR is the "gold standard" for nomads because they handle multi-currency better and are more tolerant of expats. However, I’ve heard their KYC for people with no fixed address can still be brutal.

Option 3: The Domestic "Base" Route. Using a mail-forwarding service (like South Dakota or Florida) to maintain a U.S. domicile and telling a domestic brokerage I'm "traveling indefinitely." Does this actually work for 20 years, or is it a ticking "tax bomb" if they decide to force-liquidate the account?

My questions for fellow slow-travelers:

1. If you use IBKR vs. Schwab International, which one was easier to set up and maintain without a long-term foreign lease?

2. For those using IBKR, how did you satisfy the "residential address" requirement if you were moving between Airbnbs every 3-6 months?

3. Is there a specific "nomad-friendly" way to bridge the gap between a domestic US account and an international one while in transit?

Thanks in advance for the technical insights!

Hi, everyone!

This is my first post and I'm a fairly newbie in the community. We're planning on "retiring" early next year and loving overseas while slow traveling (for example, 8 months in Thailand, 5 months in Vietnam, 1 year in Georgia, 6 months in Morocco, 4 months in Colombia, and so on). We're not planning on returning to the US unless there's an emergency such as death in the family.

We don't have a huge portfolio (less than $500k) and are currently working with EJ on a 3-bucket strategy to fund our FIRE dream. I've read through different threads and am still confused on the best way to approach handling our investments (which would include CDs, Mutual Funds, MM, EFTs, Stocks, and potentially annuities) logistics.

1. Option 1: EJ (and 2 other financial firms) are saying to keep the US address of a relative, use it for all financial institutions, let them know you're going to be traveling and follow "Don't ask/don't tell" rule and we'll be just fine as companies like Charles Schwab do not care on where we're logging in from.

2. Option 2: Some of the threads in this Sub and articles online (as well as Gemini convo) point that it's very risky and I shouldn't be "lying" about my residency and should work with a broker who targets international investments. I tried Creative Investments but their portfolio minimum for International is $500k-$1M.

I prefer to sleep well at night and not worry about the risks, even if it requires more paperwork as I'm a rule follower. However, I'm at the end road and confused on the best way to approach this topic and get clarity given our "unorthodox" plan. Has anyone here been slow traveling the world without returning back home and if so, how do you manage your finances?

Thank you very much in advance!