<prompt> Human: This is a pretty tumultuous shift for me occurring within the next month. Any potential advice would be very appreciated!Heres a bullet point rundown to keep things concise:- Fresh out of college, with only experience in freelance work and non-pay internships.- New job is the Chinese branch of an American firm; pay isnt great but it has decent benefits and some potential for upwards mobility.- Will hold this position for at least 3 years.- Some expenses can be covered by savings and family for a short time, but self-reliance and financial sustainability is the key goal.- China allows a Non-Taxable Allowance for Expatriates off my monthly salary.Financially, Im unsure about how paying taxes to the IRS will work as Im a US citizen. The company prefers using a Chinese bank for ease of payment - how do I communicate this to Uncle Sam? Online resources appear scarce on this.Furthermore, how would I go about saving up money with a Chinese account if Im not planning on staying in China long-term?Some sources say I need US income to contribute to an IRA, so Im uncertain about how that would go down. Should I be patient and wait until I have taxable income in the US and transfer my earnings from China?And finally, just how would I be able to transfer said earnings to a US account? Are there any bureaucratic processes involved with that?Thanks in advance!  <response>: Youre going to need to consult an accountant to make sure youre complying with tax laws in both countries. You probably wont be making enough to have to actually owe U.S. taxes, but you still have to file every year. You should try to keep the bulk of your savings in the currency youll think you will eventually spend presumably USD. Whichever transfer service you use, wait until you have a favorable exchange rate, then send a lot back to your US bank at once. You can waste a ton on fees, as well as lose a lot on the exchange on a bad day. Be aware that if you hold more than 10,000 in a foreign bank account at any point, or if you transfer more than 10,000 to a US bank account, you need to fill out an FBAR.I think youre right that you cant contribute to an IRA if all your income is foreign-earned. 