Topic: How To Invest

Dear Pat: I am a U.S. citizen who has lived and worked in Canada for over 20 years. I hold Canadian citizenship as well as my U.S. citizenship. I’ve recently heard that the IRS is becoming stricter about investments that U.S. citizens hold in Canada, and I wonder about the best approach to take with my investments. Thanks.

Article Excerpt

The U.S. is the sole country worldwide that requires its citizens to file an income tax return and report any income regardless of where they live or whether they hold dual citizenship in another country. That’s unlike Canada, which mainly bases its tax system on country of residence, like most other nations. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) estimates that five to seven million American citizens reside abroad. Of that total, about one million live in Canada. Most U.S. citizens paying income taxes in Canada pay no additional U.S. income tax. However, they still have U.S. tax filing and compliance requirements. For example, U.S. citizens who reside in Canada must file IRS Form 1040 annually on their worldwide income. American citizens who owe U.S. tax must file this form by April 15. If no U.S. tax is due, this date is automatically extended to June 15. Note that even if you are also a Canadian citizen, and you earn only Canadian source…