Why This Expat Mom Would Plan Her Italy Move Completely Differently
Passport To Wealth®
2,448 views
She moved to Italy with a 5-year plan and a corporate relocation package that handled everything — immigration, housing, and dual-country taxes. A decade later she's raising four kids, running a travel business, and paying $25,000 in legal fees to fix years of unfiled US tax returns she was told she didn't need. Danielle Shumway is the creator behind Ciao Family Travel, a mother of four who moved from Seattle to her husband's hometown near Milan in 2015 on an internal transfer with Amazon. What started as a temporary tax-advantaged move — Italy's Cervello Rientrato incentive cut their taxable income by 50% — became a permanent life. She joins host Arielle Tucker, CFP®, EA to walk through the tax incentive that nearly eliminated their Italian tax bill, why her husband deliberately walked away from US citizenship to protect it, the Italian school system's Montessori approach and the big academic shift at age 6, and the $25,000 mistake that started with bad tax advice and ended with separate CPAs for each country.
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WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS
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00:00 – How Danielle moved from Seattle to Milan on a corporate transfer and the Cervello Rientrato tax incentive that shaped their 5-year plan
04:50 – Why her husband walked away from US citizenship and the exit tax trap for green card holders living abroad
10:00 – Giving birth in Italy vs. Seattle: natural birth culture, the 4-week epidural consent form, and post-delivery reality
14:30 – The Italian school system: Montessori play-based learning from age 3, the points-based enrollment system, and first grade at 6
20:00 – The $25,000 tax mistake: years of unfiled US returns and why you need separate CPAs for the US and Italy
24:30 – Danielle's 70/30 travel rule for kids under 12 and closing advice for families building a life in Italy
──────────────────────────────────────────
ABOUT THE GUEST
──────────────────────────────────────────
Danielle Shumway is the creator behind Ciao Family Travel, where she helps families plan meaningful trips and explore the world with kids. She moved from Seattle to her husband's hometown near Milan in 2015 on an internal transfer with Amazon, raised four children in the Italian school system, and has traveled to over 50 countries with her family.
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ABOUT THE HOST
──────────────────────────────────────────
Arielle Tucker, CFP® & IRS Enrolled Agent with Connected Financial Planning, is a cross-border financial planner based in Switzerland helping Americans living abroad navigate U.S. taxes, international investments, and cross-border financial planning.
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ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH®
──────────────────────────────────────────
Passport To Wealth® is the platform for current and aspiring US expats looking for trusted, fiduciary support. We connect globally mobile Americans with expert, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the financial and legal complexities of life abroad.
──────────────────────────────────────────
RESOURCES & LINKS
──────────────────────────────────────────
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.passporttowealth.com/contact
Order "The Expat Money Playbook": https://www.passporttowealth.com/expa...
Schedule a paid Expat Expert call: https://www.passporttowealth.com/about
Find a fiduciary expat financial advisor: https://www.passporttowealth.com/dire...
Follow Danielle on Instagram: Instagram: ciaofamilytravel
Visit Ciao Family Travel: https://ciaofamilytravel.com
──────────────────────────────────────────
STAY CONNECTED
──────────────────────────────────────────
Facebook: Facebook: connectedfp
Instagram: Instagram: passporttowealthofficial
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: passport-to-wealth
Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com
──────────────────────────────────────────
SUGGESTED EPISODES
──────────────────────────────────────────
Moving to Italy as a U.S. Expat? Avoid Tax...
Your Sign to Siesta: Bethany Stevens on Bu...
Raising Kids Abroad: No Village, No Family...
──────────────────────────────────────────
This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified cross-border financial professional before making any financial or tax decisions.
──────────────────────────────────────────
#expatfinance #financialplanning #passporttowealth #movingtoitaly #expatfamily
4 Comments
As a mother of an Italian citizen, whether she's married to an Italian or not, she has also technically the right to live in Italy, she cannot be deported.
Why This Expat Mom Would Plan Her Italy Move Completely Differently
Passport To Wealth®
2,448 views
She moved to Italy with a 5-year plan and a corporate relocation package that handled everything — immigration, housing, and dual-country taxes. A decade later she's raising four kids, running a travel business, and paying $25,000 in legal fees to fix years of unfiled US tax returns she was told she didn't need. Danielle Shumway is the creator behind Ciao Family Travel, a mother of four who moved from Seattle to her husband's hometown near Milan in 2015 on an internal transfer with Amazon. What started as a temporary tax-advantaged move — Italy's Cervello Rientrato incentive cut their taxable income by 50% — became a permanent life. She joins host Arielle Tucker, CFP®, EA to walk through the tax incentive that nearly eliminated their Italian tax bill, why her husband deliberately walked away from US citizenship to protect it, the Italian school system's Montessori approach and the big academic shift at age 6, and the $25,000 mistake that started with bad tax advice and ended with separate CPAs for each country.
──────────────────────────────────────────
WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS
──────────────────────────────────────────
00:00 – How Danielle moved from Seattle to Milan on a corporate transfer and the Cervello Rientrato tax incentive that shaped their 5-year plan
04:50 – Why her husband walked away from US citizenship and the exit tax trap for green card holders living abroad
10:00 – Giving birth in Italy vs. Seattle: natural birth culture, the 4-week epidural consent form, and post-delivery reality
14:30 – The Italian school system: Montessori play-based learning from age 3, the points-based enrollment system, and first grade at 6
20:00 – The $25,000 tax mistake: years of unfiled US returns and why you need separate CPAs for the US and Italy
24:30 – Danielle's 70/30 travel rule for kids under 12 and closing advice for families building a life in Italy
──────────────────────────────────────────
ABOUT THE GUEST
──────────────────────────────────────────
Danielle Shumway is the creator behind Ciao Family Travel, where she helps families plan meaningful trips and explore the world with kids. She moved from Seattle to her husband's hometown near Milan in 2015 on an internal transfer with Amazon, raised four children in the Italian school system, and has traveled to over 50 countries with her family.
──────────────────────────────────────────
ABOUT THE HOST
──────────────────────────────────────────
Arielle Tucker, CFP® & IRS Enrolled Agent with Connected Financial Planning, is a cross-border financial planner based in Switzerland helping Americans living abroad navigate U.S. taxes, international investments, and cross-border financial planning.
──────────────────────────────────────────
ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH®
──────────────────────────────────────────
Passport To Wealth® is the platform for current and aspiring US expats looking for trusted, fiduciary support. We connect globally mobile Americans with expert, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the financial and legal complexities of life abroad.
──────────────────────────────────────────
RESOURCES & LINKS
──────────────────────────────────────────
Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.passporttowealth.com/contact
Order "The Expat Money Playbook": https://www.passporttowealth.com/expa...
Schedule a paid Expat Expert call: https://www.passporttowealth.com/about
Find a fiduciary expat financial advisor: https://www.passporttowealth.com/dire...
Follow Danielle on Instagram: Instagram: ciaofamilytravel
Visit Ciao Family Travel: https://ciaofamilytravel.com
──────────────────────────────────────────
STAY CONNECTED
──────────────────────────────────────────
Facebook: Facebook: connectedfp
Instagram: Instagram: passporttowealthofficial
LinkedIn: LinkedIn: passport-to-wealth
Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com
──────────────────────────────────────────
SUGGESTED EPISODES
──────────────────────────────────────────
Moving to Italy as a U.S. Expat? Avoid Tax...
Your Sign to Siesta: Bethany Stevens on Bu...
Raising Kids Abroad: No Village, No Family...
──────────────────────────────────────────
This video is for educational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice. Individual circumstances vary. Consult a qualified cross-border financial professional before making any financial or tax decisions.
──────────────────────────────────────────
#expatfinance #financialplanning #passporttowealth #movingtoitaly #expatfamily