Settled in America
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Retirement accounts, Social Security you've earned, and making sure your money goes where you intend.
401(k)s and IRAs — retirement saving as an immigrantAmerica has no meaningful state pension for most people — your retirement is the 401(k) and IRA you build yourself. Immigrants often skip these for years out of uncertainty, and it's the most expensive hesitation there is.
Your Social Security credits: what they're worth if you stay or goEvery paycheck has bought you Social Security credits. You generally need 40 credits — about 10 years of work — to claim retirement benefits, and what happens if you leave the US before or after that line matters enormously.
Beneficiary designations — the form that outranks your willFor US bank accounts, 401(k)s, IRAs and life insurance, the beneficiary form on file decides who gets the money — usually regardless of what any will says. Settled immigrants often have years-old forms naming nobody, or the wrong person.
Multigenerational money — supporting parents here and abroadAfter years in the US many immigrants are the family bank: remittances home, parents moving in, adult kids launching. The US tax system has specific rules about all of it, and knowing them saves real money.