by Sarah Surak, AWC Hamburg

Midterm elections occur two years after each presidential election. On November 3, 2026, US citizens at home and abroad will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 33 Senators.

Citizens will also elect non-voting members to the US House from American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands...

You really should have registered to vote/requested a ballot for the 2026 federal elections by now. At the moment, all overseas voters should be doing two things:

1. voting in the primary elections, which are already underway; and
2. fighting the resurrected “SAVE” Act (now called the “SAVE America” Act).

(If you haven’t registered yet, go to the US Vote Foundation or...

Overseas voters know that they already face more and higher barriers to exercising their constitutional right to vote than their compatriots in the United States. Several new factors are combining to reduce the time that overseas voters have to vote. They are yet another reason to make a plan right now to ensure that you can vote in 2026.

New barriers:

• voting from overseas
• US Voting

• US Issues
• US Tax and Banking

There are many questions running around my mind when I think of banking, taxing, and investing as an American living in Germany. I’ve participated in workshops, attended seminars online and have asked lots of questions to lots of people. Still, I am confused on many issues, especially the German retirement programs I am enrolled in. Are they taxed? How are...

• Tax
• US Tax and Banking

As we get closer to year end, there are still some opportunities to reduce your 2025 taxable income as well as reduce your taxable estate.

1. For 2025, you can reduce your taxable income for this year by:
   1. maximizing your IRA and other retirement savings accounts up to the IRS limit.
   2. Gifting appreciated stocks to US 501(c )(3) charities
   3. If you...