100 Days of Trump. Is it time to Move to France? Of course it is

Wednesday afternoon, on the 100th day of Donald Trump’s presidency, Fabien Pelissier, of Fab Insurance, and I hosted a webinar titled “100 Days of Trump. Is it time to Move to France?.” One hundred days is just 6.84% of his presidency, and with all the damage he has already done to the U.S. and the world, another 93.16% could be devastating, especially when marking his first 100 days in office with a rally in Michigan, he told enthusiastic supporters “we’ve just gotten started.” Scary.

We had well over 1,000 registrants and almost 500 who showed up. Even with Zoom webinars waning, interest in the current political climate and making a move to France has not. In fact, the idea to move to a place that offers a better life is more popular than ever.

The webinar was a simple discussion between Fabien and myself with a Q&A at the end, but we attempted to hit a lot of important points and high spots about what it all means for Americans wanting a better life.

You don’t have to miss it if you weren’t there to view it live. Watch it for yourself on our YouTube channel.

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MAY DAY WAS A HAY DAY

A couple of people arrived earlier than me to set up our picnic on the Coulée Verte on May Day, May 1st. We found a perfectly shady spot under a huge tree on flat ground covered in grass. It was perfect.

Little by little, our community of Americans came upon our little enclave, laid out their spreads and the goodies they brought to eat and drink. A lot of bubbly or corked bottles came out of their bags and rolling carts. Some people actually brought ceramic plates, wine glasses and metal cutlery—fancy schmancy.

By about 1 p.m., the gathering had reached a fair number and everyone was mingling while passing the food around. Everyone was either a client (past or present), or a newsletter reader, or a friend of a friend and of course, several of our staff were present—Ella Dyer, Katie Friedland and Katie Archer (our newest team member). Friends were made. Friendships were solidified. For me it was a treat to meet so many of our clients in person with whom either Patty Sadauskas or I might have consulted with earlier on Zoom or in person.

I admit that I’m not really a good mingler. Small talk is tough for me, but hearing such praise from everyone was music to my ears. These lovely North Americans who have moved to Nice in the last couple of years were incredibly effusive about the good experience they’ve had making the move, finding property (for rent or purchase), settling in, making friends and loving Niçois life. Three women, two of whom had attended our conferences in Nice, and who had used our services to find an apartment (one to rent and one to buy), all agreed that they never imagined life could be so wonderful, and Nice was the reason for it.

This came up in conversation among almost everyone throughout the day. Some remarked that they were in full agreement with “The Peter Mayle Syndrome” article from our Nouvellettre® of last week. One couple was staying in St. Paul de Vence because they couldn’t find suitable short-term accommodations in Nice (why that was, I’m not sure), but had already learned their lesson as they had rented a car and found themselves coming in to Nice quite often. Everyone who has given up their cars for life in the Riviera town agreed that it was thrilling to never have that burden again. That was an overwhelming sentiment among the group.

“This is why I’m so hot on Nice,” I explained. “I know some of our clients think I’m just pushing it down their throats, but all of you are a testament to my advice to them to let go of their cars, live in the center of town and enjoy all it has to offer, including the ability to make so many friends.”

A couple of women with whom I was chatting reminded me that I told them they would make more friends in Nice in 90 days than they had their entire lives, and they said it was absolutely true. My cousin, Kim, attests to it every time I see her. She and her husband, Art, moved here on my advice about nine months ago. They have so many friends that it seems as if they have lived here many years, not just a few months. She’s one of Nice’s biggest fans…and to think she and Art almost moved to Italy if I hadn’t talked her into trying out Nice first!

The picnic lasted about three hours. Little by little everyone dispersed to go off and enjoy the rest of their day. The temperature was perfect, the sun was out, but not hot and it was glorious in every respect. I wandered over to the Promenade des Anglais, plopped down on a “chaise bleue” and watched the sunbathers while listening to music on Spotify. The Prom was getting its fair share of action, for all the obvious reasons.

In years past, when I’ve tried to have a similar picnic in the Place des Vosges in Paris, it almost inevitably was cool and rainy. We’d be on the grass under umbrellas, but not this year! Here came the sun…and fun!

ROAMING RETIREMENT

Brandie and Todd Jewell, two of our clients who have moved to Nice and live in an apartment we found for them on the Old Port, started their “own little House Hunters videos” that they “had no idea would be so popular.” They call is “Roaming Retirement.”

“It looks like we have a new hobby!,” they wrote. In addition, I got a very kind note from them praising Katie, their search consultant. “She went above and beyond—personally showing us the beach on the east side of the port, the shortcut into Old Town, and how the local tram and mini-bus system works. Thanks to her willingness to invest time in helping us get comfortable, we ended up with not only a great apartment but also feeling truly excited about our new neighborhood.”

Lots of people are starting their own “vlogs” about their experiences moving to other countries like Brandie and Todd, and France is the most popular for all the right reasons. If you follow some of them, you’ll discover that those who attempted to make the move on their own struggled with the transition, while those who worked with relocation experts slid right into life in France without much hassle.

CNN Travel published an article May 1st, with a very misleading headline: “This couple dreamed of leaving the United States for a new life in France, but things didn’t turn out how they expected.”

I was expecting to read about the same sob story:

“I had the dream of France…But the dream was not as easy as I thought at all,” she says.

One reason stands out: “Because I didn’t speak French. And I think that’s very, very difficult to be in a foreign country and not speak the language. You don’t understand anything that’s going on.”

Jennie, who went on to take a year-long intensive French course, describes their first few months in France as “very lonely” and “scary.”

“I didn’t really understand the country at all,” she says. “I didn’t really understand the customs. It’s a really different culture than the United States.”

Then, as the article develops, their tune changes:

As for the cost of living, Jennie and Ward say that France is “way more affordable” for them.

“The cost of housing is much less,” says Jennie. “The cost of food is much less. We can get really good food, and then health care is included.”

She adds, “You can walk everywhere too, so you don’t have pay for a car and gas to go everywhere. So just the overall lifestyle, I think it’s at least half the price for us from the US, and we live just as well. It’s a really nice lifestyle.”

Although their time in France got off to a shaky start, Jennie and Ward say they are very happy about how things turned out, and can’t see themselves returning to the US.

“We don’t regret making the decision,” says Jennie. “We’re really happy that we did.”

The mistake they made was the location they chose to settle for all the reasons I talked about in “The Peter Mayle Syndrome” Nouvellettre®…they didn’t have us (or other advisors) to help them manage their expectations.

And it disturbs me that CNN misleads the reader into thinking that a move to France would be a disappointment. How untrue is that?

The lessons to be learned are: 1) Stop reading and watching sensationalist American media! 2) Exchange the word “expectations” for “hopes” and you will never be disappointed! 2) Don’t do it alone without professional advice!

C DANS L’AIR SEGMENT

C Dans l’Air on France TV 5 last week aired an hour-long segment titled “Reculades en série…mais ou va Trump?” (Serial backtracking…but where is Trump going?). In their report, they featured a story about Americans moving to France, and in particular to Nice. It airs about 53 minutes into the show, but we were able to get just our segment so you don’t have to wade all the way through the first part of the show—the segment reports on our activity helping Americans move over, featuring our clients, Lillian Palmer in Nice, and the explosion we’ve seen in the Riviera town. Our consultation clients, Bill Lucas and Jeff Howard, were featured in the midst of our consultation!

Don’t miss it!

Note: We’ll post it on our own YouTube channel very soon.

CASHING IN ON CREDIT

I’ve been using my U.S. Capital One credit cards for many years, because they have no foreign transaction fees and provide points that can be used for travel or traded in for cash. All the equipment I bought on Amazon for my grandson’s arrival next week was free of charge thanks to the points accumulated on my Capital One Venture Card! Amazing!

And of course, it’s a great way of getting your money out of the U.S. when you use it in France or anywhere…at the best rate of exchange…rather than transferring money to your French bank account, using your French Carte Bleue and losing money in the transfer, without accruing the points.

One caveat: when you make online purchases using Capital One, there is a two-step verification system. They send a text message only to a U.S. cell phone to verify the purchase, so I keep a U.S. number on a pay-as-you-go basis ($3 a month on T-Mobile) for this one purpose.

If you want to take advantage of all Capital One has to offer, click here and get your new credit card.

YOU ARE INVITED…

We’re excited to invite you to an evening with our financial partner, Dunhill Financial, on Friday, May 16th, 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Splendid Hôtel & Spa in Nice!

Following the acquisition of the U.S. business of Harrison Brook and with Cedric Bernier, and Eric Frison recently joining the team—along with Dylan St. Cyr, who will be coming on board in June—we’re excited to welcome you to an informal gathering with the newest members of their team and friends of the firm.

Whether you’re living in France full-time or just enjoying a taste of “la belle vie,” we’d love to connect in person. Join us for drinks and good conversation as we share insights on global financial planning and life abroad.

Brian Dunhill will welcome you!

May 16, 2025
The Splendid Hôtel & Spa
50 Bd Victor Hugo, 06000 Nice
18:00–20:30

Please RSVP by May 15th.

For more information, visit Dunhill Financial’s website.

A la prochaine…