SALLY SHARPE is a Franco-American dual citizen living in Paris for over 20 years. She is a C.P.A. who after a career with a major accounting firm began working as a Finance Manager for the French subsidiaries of US corporations such as GE. She served as treasurer of AARO from 2005 to 2015.
STEPHANIE SIMONARD left her native Washington, D.C. for Paris some 30 years ago and ever since has specialized in US and French taxation with KPMG and then her own Paris firm which provides income, gift, and estate tax services to Americans outside the US. She is a member of the Paris bar and enrolled agent before the Internal Revenue Service. President of AARO for six years and a member of the Tax Committee, she has helped AARO bring about major improvements in the ways the US and France tax Americans living abroad.
HELEN TANGE moved to France in 1968. She was deputy director of the American Chamber of Commerce in France, consumer-marketing manager of AT&T France, secretary general of the World Federation of Americans Abroad, and supervisor of communications at The American University of Paris. She has held various positions on the Board and is presently a member of the Outreach/Membership Committee.
BARBARA TUCKER was a former Senate Chief of Staff, manager of the syndicated Capitol News Bureau and executive with a national lobby corporation. She was principal with Evans & Associates in Connecticut, New York and Washington, D.C. Since coming to Paris in 2007, she has served on the Board of Directors with Democrats Abroad France as well as political director for the Political Forum and Capitol Voice. Barbara has managed or served as the press secretary for 30 campaigns on the state and/or federal level.
For decades military and overseas voters have endured discouraging odds against ballots that don't arrive in time to actually vote; notarization and other requirements that seem to deliberately discourage voting; and a knowing sense that the Internet could dramatically improve their voting process.
The good news is that this week the government acted to fix these problems.
From Overseas Vote Foundation
(Please note that this article has been updated and that, as indicated below, there are now 23 states plus the District of Columbia where American children born abroad can vote.)
When I go grocery shopping, I hit the ethnic food aisle for peanut butter. My 10-year-old is reading “King George: What Was His Problem?†on top of memorizing the Bourbon kings. And of course we celebrate Thanksgiving even though it's near impossible to find a nice fat turkey in France in November.
Susie Bondi, Vienna, Austria
September 2009
For us, health care was a big consideration when we were deciding where we would retire. Quality of health care was an issue of course, but so was coverage. We chose Vienna, Austria. Although Austria is listed only as 9th best by the World Health Organization, it was far above the U.S.A. listed only as 37th. Vienna, however, was listed as 1st in quality of living by Mercer Consultants, so we thought we would give it a try. We were not disappointed!
Patricia Harrison, Fetcham, Surrey, England
August 2009
I am an American who moved to England nine years ago. I really enjoy living here and love the history, the marvelous architecture, the culture, the bustle of London and the calm beauty of the countryside. However, most importanty, I have learned how much I appreciate the National Health System.
Anne-Marie Simons, Aix-en-Provence, France
July 2009
Before you decide to settle in a foreign country for your retirement, you tend to think about “old age issues” and how they might compare to the United States. One of those would be health care, another one might be inheritance tax or estate planning. Not being an expert at the latter I will stick to French healthcare which I know from experience and have come to appreciate and admire.
Bob Enteen of World Radio Paris interviews AARO President Kathleen de Carbuccia, and AARO Board members Stephanie Simonard and Andy Coyne. This one hour interview covers AARO, its history and issues, the Caucus and Overseas Americans Week.
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Click the green button to play, adjust your volume accordingly!
