Independent Expat Planning, Relocation and Life Strategy for the United Arab Emirates
Who We Are
PlanUAE is an independent expat planning and relocation platform helping internationally mobile professionals and families move to, live in, and build long-term lives in the United Arab Emirates.
We exist to replace fragmented, commission-driven advice with clarity, structure and long-term thinking.
Relocating to the UAE is not just a visa decision.
It is a life decision.
Where you live.
How you structure your finances.
Where your children go to school.
How you invest and save.
Where you retire.
How your assets are protected.
All of these choices are interconnected.
And yet most expats are forced to navigate them separately, through disconnected agents, brokers, banks and salespeople.
PlanUAE was built to solve that problem.
What Makes PlanUAE Different
Most relocation platforms operate as lead farms.
Most advisory sites exist to sell products.
Most service providers are paid by commission.
PlanUAE operates on a planning-first model.
We do not start with products.
We do not start with providers.
We do not start with commissions.
We start with your life.
Your goals.
Your family.
Your plans.
Your future.
Only once those are clearly defined do we look at visas, housing, banking, financial services and professional support.
This approach ensures that every major decision is aligned with your long-term strategy rather than short-term convenience or sales incentives.
Who We Serve
PlanUAE is built for:
- Professionals relocating to the UAE for work
- Entrepreneurs and investors establishing UAE operations
- Remote workers and digital nomads relocating long term
- Families planning permanent or semi-permanent residence
- High-income expats building cross-border wealth
- International retirees planning future relocation
Our clients typically value:
- Structure and clarity
- Long-term planning
- Independence from commission-driven sales
- Professional standards
- Integrated decision-making
The Planning-First Philosophy
The UAE has one of the most aggressive financial sales environments in the world.
Many so-called advisers are not qualified planners.
Many operate under weak regulatory frameworks.
Many focus exclusively on selling investment platforms and insurance products.
Most clients never receive:
- Proper financial planning
- Lifetime cashflow modelling
- Goal-based strategy
- Cross-border tax planning
- Retirement modelling
- Estate and succession planning
Instead, they are sold products without context.
At PlanUAE, we believe:
If you are not modelling your future, you are not planning.
If you are not planning, you are not advising.
Real financial planning starts with understanding:
- Where you want to live
- How you want to live
- What you want your future to look like
- What security means to your family
- What legacy you want to leave
Only then can meaningful financial strategy exist.
Our Founder
PlanUAE was founded by Jonathan Howe, a Qualified Financial Adviser (QFA) and European Financial Adviser (EFA) specialising in life-centred, cashflow-led financial planning for expatriates and internationally mobile professionals.
Jonathan holds the Professional Diploma in Financial Advice from the Institute of Bankers in Ireland, awarded with University College Dublin, and the European Financial Adviser designation through the European Financial Planning Association.
These qualifications are globally recognised across highly regulated jurisdictions including the UK and EU.
Jonathan has lived and worked across Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and South America and has advised thousands of expats on relocation, residency, property, company formation and cross-border financial planning.
He is also the founder of Montenegro Guides and Montenegro Digital Nomad Agency, relocation platforms serving international remote workers and investors.
PlanUAE represents the evolution of that work into a fully integrated planning ecosystem.
How The Platform Works
PlanUAE operates as a structured expat planning platform.
Clients begin by building their personal and financial profile inside the Expat Planning Portal.
This captures:
- Visa and residency objectives
- Family structure
- Lifestyle goals
- Housing plans
- Education planning
- Income and expenditure
- Assets and liabilities
- Long-term ambitions
From there, we help clients:
- Choose the correct residency pathway
- Structure housing decisions around life and affordability
- Navigate banking and financial services safely
- Access vetted legal and professional partners
- Integrate everything into a coherent long-term plan
This ensures that no decision is made in isolation.
Independence And Transparency
PlanUAE is not:
- A telecom comparison site
- A coupon or deal website
- A content farm
- A lead brokerage
- A product sales platform
We do not rank providers based on commission.
We do not promote whoever pays the most.
We do not sell client data.
Where appropriate, we may introduce vetted partners and service providers and referral fees may be payable.
However, all recommendations are driven by suitability and planning outcomes, not revenue.
Transparency is central to our model.
Regulation And Professional Standards
PlanUAE operates as a planning and guidance platform.
Where regulated advice is required outside of our experrtise, we work with licensed and regulated partners in their respective jurisdictions.
Our financial planning services are delivered by fully qualified advisers holding internationally recognised credentials.
Our legal and corporate partners operate under their local licensing frameworks.
We maintain strict vetting standards for all partner firms.
Our Vision
To build the world’s leading expat life-planning platform.
A digital ecosystem where internationally mobile professionals can manage:
- Residency
- Housing
- Banking
- Financial planning
- Business structuring
- Family security
- Long-term wealth
Across multiple global destinations.
PlanUAE is the UAE foundation of that vision.
Our Mission
- To help expats build better lives through planning, clarity and long-term thinking.
- To replace fragmented advice with integrated strategy.
- To protect clients from poor advice, bad products and short-term sales incentives.
- To empower families to make confident decisions about their future.
Our Values
- Client First
- Life Centred
- Planning Before Products
- Transparency Always
- Professional Standards
- Long-Term Thinking
The Future Of PlanUAE
PlanUAE is building a digital expat operating system.
A platform that combines:
- Personal planning dashboards
- Financial modelling
- Residency management
- Service coordination
- Partner integrations
- Life-event tracking
All in one place.
The UAE is only the beginning.
Final Word
Relocation is not a transaction.
It is a life decision.
Financial planning is not a product.
It is a process.
Your future deserves more than sales brochures and commission structures.
PlanUAE exists to give you clarity, confidence and control over your life in the UAE.