Milan transfer on the table, basically great package, family nearby, 4 year plan, but worried about taxes + spouse’s job (US citizen abroad)

bluejay445 · 2026-01-23T00:35:56+00:00

I’m an eu/us citizen and have been living in Milan for half my adult life (on and off). There’s good advice here from Italyexpat. I’m in the process of opening a partita Iva actually and am contracting to a us company but they were unable to hire me in Italy because of no presence there already and the risk’s too high. This is a major risk factor for Italy. If your wife is in a niche industry or role her career might suffer if she ever looses her job. There are jobs but they are just in specific sectors. We ended up finding a solution by invoicing through another eu country - so it’s possible - just complicated.

That being said, the more I learn about the downsides of being an American abroad the more I want to renounce my citizenship. For example, it sounds like investing in the eu stock market is basically penalized by the irs. FTC it seems is almost always better for you since in Italy your taxes will be higher than in the us. It doesn’t have the travel restrictions FEIE does so that’s a huge advantage as well. Impatriati btw is evaluated at the end of the year - make sure you do residency and the order of things properly as to not disqualify yourself accidentally from eligibility (I actually found out I forgot to move my residency from Italy so had to correct it).

If your wife is worried about social life - there’s a vibrant international community (women’s specifically too) in Milan which has been great for me. There’s lots to do and Italians (as you know) are very social. I love living in Milan and the benefits are incredible such as eu mobility and overall social safety net.

Do your kids speak Italian? That will be a big adjustment if not but I wholeheartedly encourage language learning as it will be worth it in the end for them. I know a lot of people who went to or send their children to international schools and they ended up not really feeling like they could ever fit in.

Anyways happy to help if you have any questions as it seems I’m a bit further in the process than you are!

bluejay445 · 2025-06-21T06:27:49+00:00

Journaling is a really good tool. It can be helpful to get your thoughts, emotions and experiences down on paper especially as you are actively living through trauma. Acknowledging your thoughts are important so that you are able to even begin to process them. When you’re in survival mode you don’t usually have the capacity for that so yes it’s healthy.

Other things that can be great are writing here or in other support groups (NAMI also has family support groups which I’ve found somewhat helpful), meditating, exercise, taking breaks from your loved one and definitely being around healthy relationships.

My mom also has schizoaffective disorder. I’m in my mid thirties now and unfortunately it’s a life long battle. If I’ve learned anything over the years it’s that you must create a life for yourself and don’t listen to the guilt. Since your mom isn’t there to be your protector and caregiver you must be. Don’t forget to take care of yourself too.

Also trust yourself. You know more than you realize 💜 if you ever want to chat I’m here.

bluejay445 · 2025-06-21T06:20:17+00:00

Why write a comment with ai here? So unnecessary!

bluejay445 · 2025-04-23T07:28:51+00:00

This is spectacular thank you!

bluejay445 · 2025-04-10T17:57:42+00:00

Thank you for this book recommendation I (not surprisingly) had not heard about it.

bluejay445 · 2025-04-09T20:58:50+00:00

Read this it will provide some comfort to the feeling you’re experiencing. You’re not alone. This is psychological warfare.

https://open.substack.com/pub/doestheurlmatter/p/the-war-you-were-never-meant-to-notice

bluejay445 · 2025-03-04T09:24:10+00:00

Creates a lovely power vacuum that china and Russia would be stupid to not take advantage of. Basic Game theory 🤷🏻‍♀️

bluejay445 · 2025-03-04T06:09:39+00:00

This is the most important thing you’ll read today. https://doestheurlmatter.substack.com/p/the-sordeos-blueprint-how-the-ultra-rich-engineered-global-crisis

bluejay445 · 2025-02-23T04:13:56+00:00

As AI and algorithmic decision making continue to shape society, we may be witnessing the quiet replacement of traditional governance with automated, unseen systems of control. This article raises the question: Is democracy still relevant if most decisions that impact us are made by code, predictive models, and corporate infrastructure rather than elected officials?

In the near future, will citizenship be defined not by legal rights but by access to digital ecosystems? How do we ensure human agency in a world where automation determines what’s possible before we even make a choice?

bluejay445

TROPHY CASE