Steven McManus

One of the most common issues faced by expatriate couples is the impact on the career of the spouse. In many expatriate locations, specialized jobs similar to what the spouse had previously held simply do not exist. This can be a critical issue in moving to another country. The potential loss of earnings, the prospect of having outdated skills on returning home, as well as the adjustment to becoming a stay at home spouse can become issues that bring an expatriate assignment to an early end.

Have you considered how when you were born determines how you will behave? How you and your peers typically react? There are 6 generations defined in generational research. They are Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation Y, Generation Z and the Alpha Generation.

Picture this. It's 2024, and you have been retired for several years now. You are up early for a light breakfast and head out on your way to the golf course while your significant other heads for the mall. But the reality is that you work at the local pro shop, and your partner works in a bookshop in an effort to supplement your retirement funds and make the money last another 30 years.

North Africa and the Middle East have been shaken by what could be described as a youthquake this year. What is driving it? Will it end soon? Should you accept an expatriate job in this region? As an expatriate how has this affected you?

Tax rates differ throughout the world. When an individual goes on an expatriate assignment they may move to a higher or lower tax regime. If differences in tax are not taken into account by multi-national organizations, it becomes difficult to move individual expatriates. What tax formulas should you be looking at when moving countries and what is Hypothetical Tax?

What does the Cost of living have in store for us for 2011. Which locations and which basket groups are more expensive than others? Have a look at our latest Cost of Living Rankings for January 2011.

Spending patterns amongst expatriates on international assignments can vary a great deal. How do spending patterns impact expatriate salary calculations? What expatriates spend their salaries on in their host country, is a result of a number of factors including generational preferences, statutory requirements, employer practices and personal financial obligations.

Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world in which to live, out of 300 global locations, surveyed in September 2010 by Xpatulator.com. Asia-Pacific has 4 of the 10 most expensive cities in the world. South Asia is the least expensive region in the world for expatriates to live in. Europe's most expensive cities are those that are not on the Euro. The Americas most expensive city is now Caracas.

The rank of the overall international cost of living indexes is reported as at April 2010 using New York as the base city. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad...

This report provides you with the rank of cost of living indexes as at April 2010 for 282 global locations. The indexes are calculated using the prices for specific quantities of the same goods and services in each location, based on expatriate spending patterns across 13 broad categories (Basket Groups).