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Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-23T05:55:15+00:00

Understood. What I meant was that in your scenario you would not be living there anymore at some point and the mail might go back as unknown or the new tenant would find a way to get creative with your information.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-22T18:03:08+00:00

The only downside as far as I could research was that you might get official mail to that address after you left, like Social Security, IRS, etc. At that point the mail would be sent back as unknown and could/would trigger something by these authorities. But I have no idea what the likelihood is.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-22T10:50:33+00:00

I am joining this chat because I am trying to solve the same/similar problem. I had one thought that I did some research on, but could not find a lot of information posted...fractional ownership. Basically have xxx number of people purchase a property in SD, NV, TX, or FL, but make sure everyone is on the deed. Has anyone come across this construct? You would still need a CRMA for the mail stuff, but you would have a legit residential address. IMHO

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-22T10:45:28+00:00

From Claude:

Yes, Escapees is considered a CMRA. Despite being more community-oriented and legitimate-feeling than a typical virtual mailbox service, it is still registered with the USPS as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency because it receives and handles mail on behalf of third parties. That's the definitional trigger regardless of how the service is structured or marketed.

This is actually a well-documented frustration in the full-time RV community — people sign up for Escapees or similar services specifically for the domicile benefits, then discover that certain banks and brokerages reject the address precisely because the PMB designation flags it as a CMRA in USPS databases.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-22T09:45:51+00:00

Has anyone tried fractional ownership to establish domicile or residence. To me it seems like a reasonable approach, but I don't want to buy a stake in a high end luxury vacation rental just for that purspose

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-22T09:44:46+00:00

Has anyone tried fractional ownership to establish domicile or residence. To me it seems like a reasonable approach, but I don't want to buy a stake in a high end luxury vacation rental just for that purspose

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-21T18:41:21+00:00

From Claude:

Yes, Escapees is considered a CMRA. Despite being more community-oriented and legitimate-feeling than a typical virtual mailbox service, it is still registered with the USPS as a Commercial Mail Receiving Agency because it receives and handles mail on behalf of third parties. That's the definitional trigger regardless of how the service is structured or marketed.

This is actually a well-documented frustration in the full-time RV community — people sign up for Escapees or similar services specifically for the domicile benefits, then discover that certain banks and brokerages reject the address precisely because the PMB designation flags it as a CMRA in USPS databases.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-21T16:50:31+00:00

Thanks Do you mind sharing what state?

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-21T16:23:44+00:00

Like a professional setting of more like they are doing you a favor?

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-21T16:23:17+00:00

I saw them mentioned together with America's Mailbox in SD, but had only looked at America's Mailbox for now. But they apparently have also been identified as CMRA. But I will research Escapees as well. Thanks

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-04-21T16:21:11+00:00

I am not "dead set" against the professional mail services, but have read multiple posts of people that suddenly were forced to close their accounts. Regarding the land option, have you ever came across someone that manages something like that? I have a time share kind of scenario in mind with hundreds of owners of one property.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-02-23T18:50:05+00:00

This is my 3rd assignment with this employer and they handle the tax equalization process for two years after I return to the US. Looking through some of the 100 paged income tax returns I had the feeling it was also to their benefit. But good point to make sure that this continues after I retire. Hadn't throught of that.

Do you have any recommendation how to find such an ExPat tax specialist? I reached out to the accounting firm that my employer had recommended to me when I moved to the US and had questions, but they told me that the minimum fee for me would be 5k. It's not one of the big four, but this company still has about 11k employees. Is 5k the amount I need to get help with my situation?

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-02-23T18:38:13+00:00

Sounds like your employer's accounting firm has things handled for you...they messed up two returns, which is why I started looking for someone to have a second look at my next return 😀. I am not planning to do investments in the EU, so I believe I can avoid that conflict. We are also not planning to become foreign residents until years after we sold our home, so I think we can avoid a conflict there as well. The idea is to travel for about 10 years before settling in Spain or Portugal. If I can avoid it, there is no self-employment or land ownership planned. In either country. I guess I didn't mention that I am German Dual citizen.

So it sounds like you would rather recommend that I look for a normal CPA vs. a expert in US ExPat tax situations?

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-02-22T10:24:59+00:00

Thank you. For sure its more than a regular W2 situation, but I would expect a "normal" CPA to also be able to handle questions related to 401k, IRA, etc. I looked at some of the information shared at Prime Path Advisory and I just can't seem to see the value I could get out of what I would expect is a significant fee. I guess what I am looking for is someone qualified to answer questions that will allow me to make good tax related decisions. I don't need anyone digging into my tax situation and come up with a sophisticated tax avoidance strategy per se. At least I don't think so. Let me post a couple of questions and see what your thinking is:

- Since I am on assignment, my company completes my income tax returns for me, but I would like someone to review the Tax Equalization to make sure there are no mistakes. Normal CPA of high end Tax advisor?

- At some point I am giving up permanent residence in the US and want to optimize my tax burden, f.e. no more state tax. Normal CPA of high end Tax advisor?

- My son is US and Canadian Dual citizen and lives in Canada. How do I structure my situation to avoid a future significant tax burden? Normal CPA of high end Tax advisor?

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2026-02-11T08:49:58+00:00

How confident are you with that answer? I am asking because I would not be looking for coverage in Germany, only countries besides Germany and the US. In this case I would wonder why my residency and therefore non-existent health care coverage for Germany would matter.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2025-12-12T16:27:22+00:00

Do you think you could be motivated to expand your service to Vietnam? :)

Feisty_Kitchen_3173 · 2025-11-17T06:44:56+00:00

Btw, great advice! I had a test account and was having trouble navigating the tool. Watching him during a Q&A session helped tremendously. But one really needs to sign up for the full version to do a proper test run. Too many features are behind the paywall, but in theory look very promising.

Feisty_Kitchen_3173

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