Danielle Shumway moved to Italy in 2015 on a five-year plan. Her husband transferred internally with Amazon from Seattle to Milan. They had an 18-month-old and a four-month-old. Italy's Rientro dei Cervelli tax incentive — which reduces taxable income by 50% for qualifying residents — made the timing work financially. Ten years later, she has four children in the Italian school system, Italian citizenship, and a $25,000 IRS compliance bill that almost derailed everything.

Arielle Tucker, CFP®, EA sits down with Danielle to go through the financial and practical realities of raising a family in Italy as a US citizen: the tax incentive structure, what happened when US tax returns went unfiled for years, how Italian healthcare and schools actually work, and what Danielle would do differently.

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WHAT THIS EPISODE COVERS
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00:00 – How a US expat family ended up staying in Italy for a decade
02:07 – Italy's tax incentive for expats: 50% income reduction and near-zero rates with three kids
03:21 – Why Danielle's husband stopped his US citizenship application one month before signing
06:04 – How to relocate to Italy as a US citizen: visas, residency, and what Amazon handled
09:32 – Giving birth in Italy as an American: prenatal care, epidurals, and postpartum differences
14:28 – How Italian schools work: free government preschool, private costs, and Montessori approach
21:09 – What happens when a US expat stops filing tax returns abroad: a $25,000 lesson
23:25 – How to travel Europe with kids: the 70/30 rule and why private guides change everything

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ABOUT THE GUEST
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Danielle Shumway is the creator behind Ciao Family Travel, a platform helping families plan intentional trips across Europe. She has lived in Italy since 2015, raised four children in the Italian school system, and has traveled to more than 50 countries with her kids. She specializes in practical, low-stress family travel planning.

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ABOUT THE HOST
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Arielle Tucker, CFP®, EA, is a cross-border financial planner and host of Passport to Wealth™. She works with globally mobile Americans navigating personal finance, taxes, and investment decisions across multiple countries.

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ABOUT PASSPORT TO WEALTH™
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Passport to Wealth™ is the platform for current and aspiring US expats. We connect globally mobile Americans with vetted, licensed cross-border financial advisors, tax professionals, and relocation experts who understand the complexities of life abroad.

The podcast, directory, courses, and newsletter cover the financial and legal realities of living abroad as a US citizen, wherever they live.

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RESOURCES & LINKS
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Find a vetted expat financial advisor or tax professional:
https://www.passporttowealth.com/directory

Subscribe for weekly US expat finance tips:
https://www.youtube.com/@PassportToWealthOfficial?sub_confirmation=1

Free resources and guides for US expats:
https://www.passporttowealth.com/

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STAY CONNECTED
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/connectedfp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/passporttowealthofficial/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/passport-to-wealth/
Website: https://www.passporttowealth.com/

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