Expense Teardown

07/08/2026

Final Preperations and Arrival

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01/08/2026

These are the must-do things to do 3 to 1 months before Moving

By three months before departure, the major financial choices should be understood. The next job is ex*****on: tell the right organisations at the right time, assemble the Evidence needed to open and operate accounts, test how money will move, and remove dependence on an address or phone number you....

25/07/2026

New post is out.

This is just one of two parts since it is so dense

How to organise your finances, assess tax and banking risks, build your moving budget, review property and investments, and prepare for life abroad.

23/07/2026

Working on Sundays newsletter and one big article.

Putting a lot of work into it.

Hope you all enjoy it

20/07/2026

Moving overseas? Avoid expensive money mistakes before you go.

Get the free Expat Money Move Checklist: practical money tasks to complete before relocating to another country—covering banking, exchange rates, emergency savings, documents, your home country obligations, and the questions to ask before you leave.

Sign up here to get it

https://www.theexpenseteardown.com/subscribe

The Expense Tear-Down is a free weekly newsletter for people moving or living abroad. Clear, practical money guidance for expat life—wherever you are going.

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18/07/2026

I write The Expense Tear-Down for anyone whose money crosses a border more often than they do.

If you earn in one currency and live, spend, or invest in another, as a freelancer, remote employee, retiree abroad, or digital nomad, you're paying fees you were never shown. Banks call them "zero fee transfers" while quietly marking up the exchange rate. Visas quietly re-price themselves every year. Your credit history quietly resets to zero the day you land somewhere new.

None of that is your fault. It's just how the system is built when it wasn't built with you in mind. Every issue of this newsletter takes one of those hidden costs. I call them Invisible Bleeds, and I show you the systemic fix, not a "cut back on lattes" workaround.

I write this from Australia, so a lot of it is stuff I've had to figure out firsthand.

If you're planning a move abroad or you're already living the cross-border life and suspect you're leaking money somewhere, start with the free guide:

https://www.theexpenseteardown.com/subscribe

It's the full financial checklist, start to finish. Then stick around for the weekly breakdowns.

17/07/2026

What is your number one tip for an expat?

16/07/2026

Quick gut check before you send money abroad: pull up the mid-market rate, compare it to your quote. That gap isn't a fee you agreed to — it's one you never got to see.

15/07/2026

I always have a currency converter website bookmarked. Helps to stay on top of the current exchange rate.

15/07/2026

"Zero fee" transfer just means the fee moved into the exchange rate. Banks aren't giving you a deal — they're giving you a worse number and calling it kindness.