The move back to America that’s always two years away

Imagine moving to London for three years. Seven years later, you’re still here. The children have friends, your career has developed and the family has a life that would now be difficult to pack into a shipping container.

Yet whenever a major financial decision comes up, the conversation still begins with “when we move back to America”.

Perhaps that remains the plan. But a return that is always two years away can become a reason to postpone decisions indefinitely. You don’t need to settle the question of where you’ll live forever. You can start by understanding what each future would require.

Give both futures a proper hearing

Put two possibilities alongside each other: returning to America in two years, or staying in London for another ten.

Give each enough detail to make it real. Where would you live? What would housing and education cost? What work would each partner want to do? Include healthcare, retirement saving and the cost of spending time with family across the Atlantic.

The conversation matters as much as the calculation. One partner may see London as home while the other still regards it as an assignment. A shared assumption about returning can conceal two quite different expectations.

Comparing both futures makes it easier to discuss what each partner would be choosing, and giving up. It may show that either option is affordable, leaving more room to consider where you actually want to live.

Look at what your money is already doing

Your finances may have become as international as your family: an American 401(k), a British pension, investments in dollars and employer shares alongside spending in pounds.

For planning purposes, ask what each asset is intended to fund. Money for a London house deposit has a different job from retirement savings that may eventually support life in America.

An account’s location does not settle that question. Nor does a number on a stock-plan portal tell you what is available for a move. Separate accessible savings from equity that still depends on vesting, selling restrictions and tax.

This helps identify where a decision genuinely needs to wait, and where uncertainty about the eventual destination has become an unnecessary obstacle.

Time changes the comparison

The two futures also need coordinated tax advice. US citizenship generally brings continuing US tax obligations abroad. Leaving Britain does not, by itself, settle UK tax residence, which is assessed under the Statutory Residence Test.

Length of stay matters too. Since April 6 2025, the UK’s long-term residence rules can bring overseas assets within Inheritance Tax. The standard test broadly looks at ten years of UK tax residence within the previous twenty, with detailed exceptions and rules that can continue exposure after departure.

For someone with California connections, state tax residence and income linked to earlier work may also need separate attention.

These are reasons to examine the timing with the right advisers. They are not reasons to choose a country solely for its tax treatment.

Make the decisions that are ready

Once both futures are clearer, return to the decisions in front of you. A school application may need an answer this term. A house purchase may depend heavily on how long you expect to stay. Bringing both partners into the financial picture is useful wherever you live.

Some choices can proceed under either scenario. Others need more information or a date for review. Make that distinction explicit, rather than leaving everything on hold until the return date becomes certain.

You may eventually move back. You may discover that London has become home. Either way, a good plan should help you live well now while understanding what it would take to change direction.

The opening scenario is illustrative. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances; obtain appropriately qualified UK and US advice before acting.