That's not even the real problem, though. The problem is that banks don't want to deal with the FATCA compliance issues and just refuse to deal with Americans, period. I've experienced this firsthand as an American expat and it is a colossal pain in the ass.

[1] https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/fore...

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25494438

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

I socked away and invested everything I could during my career in Silicon Valley. I retired just a few months after my fortieth birthday.

Why most of my colleagues didn't do the same and instead 'leveled up' their lifestyle to match their income is beyond my capacity to understand.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25465001

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25453983

Points: 3

# Comments: 0

Hopefully, Ireland’s Data Protection Commission intends this to be a "shot across the bow" hinting at more severe fines if Twitter continues to do this kind of thing. Otherwise, Twitter is unlikely to change their behavior.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25428912

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

"Try reading Hume," he advised me.

So, I read Hume, and I enjoyed it.

Last summer, I was visiting Edinburgh, Scotland for the first time. I've always had a fascination with cemeteries: how the stones were carved, how old the people were, how long they lived, how long did their widows outlive them, etc. In this particular cemetery in Edinburgh, I came across the tomb of David Hume. It was completely unexpected: I was vaguely aware he was Scottish, but I didn't expect to find his tomb. I took a picture and excitedly sent to all my friends. "Hey, I found the tomb of David Hume!"

I guess my comment is a bit tangential to the article. Like the article author, I found Hume interesting and accessible. I still don't understand Nietzsche.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25397253

Points: 2

# Comments: 0

And AZ isn't NV. The FTB pays special attention to NV in particular because it has no income tax. Someone who moves to AZ isn't so obviously trying to skirt CA state income tax.

My case was a little special because I sold a lot of stock right after leaving CA, which makes it a little suspicious to the FTB.

I left California for Nevada many years ago, and I subsequently sold stock I accumulated while in California without paying state income tax.

It is legal and you can do it, but there are a lot of legal hurdles. They're pretty well documented around page 5 of FTB 1031 [1].

In my case, I quit my W2 job in California, entered into a contract to lease a home in NV, got rid of all leased or owned real estate in CA, sold or re-titled all motor vehicles from CA, registered to vote in NV, surrendered my CA driver license for a new NV license, re-titled all my financial accounts at my new address, got a NV phone number, etc.

This was all easy because I was single without children. If my situation was more complicated, like I had a spouse or ex-spouse with children enrolled in CA schools, or decided to retain owned real estate in CA, the situation can quickly fall into a gray zone.

If you have a W2 job in CA while claiming you're in NV, it's very hard to escape the CA FTB.

CA is very aggressive about chasing down its former residents. It's important to check all the boxes to get them from chasing you.

After I left, I filed non-resident CA returns for three years basically saying, "I had income but I am not a resident and it was not from a CA source, therefore I owe no CA tax." This is important because it starts the statute of limitations running. If you don't file, the statute of limitations doesn't start.

And while I'm writing all this: what in the world is up with a 13.3% state tax bracket? Screw California.

[1] https://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/2019/2019-1031-publication.pdf

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25344979

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25331655

Points: 3

# Comments: 1

https://xkcd.com/323/

I like the idea that it indicates the level of safety you have with another person quite clearly. The highest level is when you physically scan one another's QR codes when you meet in person so you know nobody is inserting themselves into your key exchange.

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25263503

Points: 1

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