Here’s something  people ask me when they hear about my location-flexible life outside the U.S. How do I handle money? How do I get paid, use my checking account, etc.?

Well, it turns out, it’s fairly easy. The most helpful thing was finding a checking account and a credit card with no international transaction fees. Those can add up fast! Using those, combined with direct deposit or Paypal for getting paid makes it work.

Checking & savings accounts

I use Charles Schwab Investor Checking as my primary checking account. It’s a free account, with no minimum balance and no fees of any kind. It’s associated with their investment accounts, but you don’t need to keep your investments with them to use their checking. The best thing about it (besides the fact that it’s free and earns interest) is that they reimburse you for all ATM fees, anywhere in the world. So at the end of each month you get a credit for all the fees. It also has free bill-pay! Continue reading “Managing your money while living abroad” →