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I need new USA online Brokerage; Scottrad cancels an expat

IAMHERE
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IAMHERE Platinum Member

IAMHERE

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Yep, Scottrade noticed my phone in America has been disconnected and unknowingly I let them know it was because I was in Thailand for 6-7 months. Lo and Behold;  FATCA and the Patriot act cause me to be  Account Non Grata, even though I'm a 20 year account holder, maintain a residence in America, pay Federal and State income taxes, pay for car license yearly, hold a drivers license, pay property taxes. Seems you have to be 'IN' the USA at least 183 days and have a domestic phone that they can call you on. Too late for the phone, etc with Scottrade now. 

So, anybody know a decent online Brokerage (ROTH & stock brokerage) company for US expats in Thailand?  So far only Interactive Traders seems available. I'm down to 54 days to get off the pot and move my pot of money somewhere, and do it online/mail from Thailand.

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KittenKong Ruby Member

KittenKong

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6 minutes ago, IAMHERE said:

Seems you have to be 'IN' the USA at least 183 days and have a domestic phone that they can call you on. Too late for the phone, etc with Scottrade now. 

 

Could you not just sign up for a US VOIP number and tell them you came home and got reconnected?

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IAMHERE Platinum Member

IAMHERE

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25 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

Could you not just sign up for a US VOIP number and tell them you came home and got reconnected?

I don't know  US VOIP.  I've heard of Google Voice but you have to be in America when you sign up.  I don't know Skype either.

 

Probably best to get another brokerage. I read on the internet that also Wells Fargo, Vanguard, UBS, Merill Lynch, Fidelity, USAA, Morgan Stanley, and TD Ameritrade are all refusing expat accounts. 

 

I can not be the only one who has gotten caught in this trap to make America safe from terrorist and tax cheats and drug dealers.

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Pib Star Member

Pib

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Buy your self a MagicJack VOIP device or similar services from other VOIP services.  And no, don't think the olden days of a MagicJack that only works if plugged into a USB port on your computer.  For years now they also just connect to a LAN port on your router and then to a regular phone you set on your desk like a cordless phone.  And there is a free smartphone app that allows you to use/link you MajicJack issued number to make and receive calls & SMSs with the app from anywhere in the world...just pull out your smartphone...start the MajicJack app and make, receive calls and SMS.   Basically you are linking your smartphone via app to your MajicJack account....you regular smartphone SIM number continues to work...it just the MagicJack app is like adding a second number to your smartphone.  MagicJack has hundreds of U.S. areas codes/local prefix numbers to choose from when activating your MajicJack account....expect they have a number for or very near to your home town area...or most any area in the U.S.  See this MagicJack webpage for available numbers.

 

And once you get your MajicJack going you can then get a GoogleVoice number....have two U.S. phone numbers...have U.S. phone numbers coming out your  ears.  Heck, I have MagicJack, NetTalk and GoogleVoice (VOIP services) U.S. phone numbers....I live in Bangkok.   

 

And with more and more online systems, such as online banking, moving to requiring 2-factor verification for certain transactions (or even logon) where they send you a security code via SMS first so you can complete the transaction/login, the SMS capability of MagicJack and GoogleVoice can be a life saver.

 

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KittenKong Ruby Member

KittenKong

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9 hours ago, Pib said:

Buy your self a MagicJack VOIP device or similar services from other VOIP services.  And no, don't think the olden days of a MagicJack that only works if plugged into a USB port on your computer.  For years now they also just connect to a LAN port on your router and then to a regular phone you set on your desk like a cordless phone.  And there is a free smartphone app that allows you to use/link you MajicJack issued number to make and receive calls & SMSs with the app from anywhere in the world...just pull out your smartphone...start the MajicJack app and make, receive calls and SMS.   Basically you are linking your smartphone via app to your MajicJack account....you regular smartphone SIM number continues to work...it just the MagicJack app is like adding a second number to your smartphone. 

 

Seems rather complex. All recent Android smartphones have built-in support for SIP/VOIP accounts and there are various free SIP software packages you can install also. After that all you need is the SIP account login and password, and bingo you have your foreign number ringing on your smartphone anywhere where you have wifi or mobile data (some providers may block VOIP on mobile data packages). I dont know for sure but I imagine that Apple devices do something similar.

 

That's one less box and one less phone to buy and worry about.

 

And of course if you happen to have a headset then you can install the SIP software directly on your laptop or PC and get the full functionality of the overseas number that way also.

 

I do both with my UK number.

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Pib Star Member

Pib

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"SIP" account setup always went over my head.  Plus I wanted a MajicJack VOIP adapter type setup for a regular home cordless phone (easy setup); not something where I rely on having my smartphone turned on all the time.   Plus, my less than technology efficient wife can easily receive and call friends in the U.S. and vice versa....knowing how to use a cordless phone is well within her technology grasp and I like using it that way also.

 

 

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KittenKong Ruby Member

KittenKong

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11 hours ago, Pib said:

"SIP" account setup always went over my head. 

 

That used to be true but these days all you need to know is the login, password and possibly the server name. My Sipgate account works brilliantly on my Android phone: better quality than regular phone calls in fact.

 

 

11 hours ago, Pib said:

Plus I wanted a MajicJack VOIP adapter type setup for a regular home cordless phone (easy setup); not something where I rely on having my smartphone turned on all the time. 

 

Fair enough. I'm the opposite. I dont have a land-line and I like to think that when my phone is off and I'm not looking at the PC then I cant be reached at all by anyone.

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CaptHaddock Gold Member

CaptHaddock

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The OP should have done his research ahead of time, before leaving the US.  He should have opened multiple US bank accounts, transferred his landline number to a VOIP service, set up a mail forwarder to provide him with a mailbox with (what looks like) a US street address, changed his address at all of his banks and brokers to the mail forwarder's, setup his Google Voice account, made sure he had US credit cards with no foreign exchange fee, etc.

 

Having moved out of the US all of that becomes much harder to accomplish, and sometimes impossible. 

 

This US credit union is willing to open an account for a US expat, if you can meet their documentation standards:

 

https://www.sdfcu.org

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