The BANNED Guide To Leaving The US Without Trace (Legally)

In April 2026 the cost to renounce US citizenship fell from $2,350 to $450, and almost no one was told. This is the full road from where you sit today to the day you board the plane: the quiet residency-visa door most people never hear about, the state tax thread that bleeds retirees first, what you actually owe the IRS once you live abroad, the exit tax, the FBAR trap, and the clean, legal life waiting on the far side. Margaret, Frank, and Carol each walk a different part of it, so you can see exactly where the money leaks and where it stops. CHAPTERS 0:00 The $450 exit almost nobody was told about 2:04 4,800 Americans already walked away 3:31 Door one: the quiet residency visa 4:03 The thread that costs most is your state 6:16 The retirement-visa income test, country by country 8:37 Puerto Rico and the Act 60 catch 10:20 What the move actually costs 11:59 The state tax trap and domicile 16:49 Part two: the federal machine 18:37 Filing is not the same as owing 20:13 The foreign tax credit that zeroes the bill 24:33 Renouncing, and the fee that fell 80% 26:33 The exit tax, and why it spares almost everyone 28:59 The FBAR trap that catches honest people 32:29 Banking, Medicare, and the life abroad 36:43 Next: the treaty countries This channel is general information, not legal or tax advice. Confirm every figure against the consulate and a licensed advisor before you act, because the numbers move.