All you need to know about studying, working, and living in Germany
“Are you really going?” I asked myself out loud.
The party started in 15 minutes.
I was still in my tiny Berlin student apartment, staring at the mirror like it might offer an escape route.
A few months ago, my daughter came home from her public school in California with a worksheet. At first glance, it looked like any other second-grade schoolwork—some drawings, some writing, maybe a little math. But then I looked closer.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of real estate investing—especially in Germany. Back when we lived there, we didn’t just buy our dream home… we also went on to buy two more investment properties.
If you want to know more about how I became a landlord in Germany, I’ve shared the full story before. Honestly, I loved everything about it.
Two years ago, after our big move from Germany to the U.S., I sat down with my new American tax adviser and asked a seemingly simple question:
“Can I deduct the money I send to support my parents back in Hong Kong on my U.S. tax return?”
He looked at me, paused for a moment, and then said:
“No. Actually… depending on how much you send, you might even trigger a gift tax.”
Wait. What?! Gift tax?
Last week, we had something really special: one of our German friends visited us here in California!
He was actually on a business trip to Texas, but he made an extra effort just to visit us for one night. That really touched us.