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Financial Planner  ·  Chartered MCSI  ·  Dubai, DIFC

Helping expats
turn their dreams
into lasting memories.

Over a decade of dedicated financial planning for expatriates across the Middle East, UK, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Simplifying complex cross-border finances so you can focus on living the life you have built.

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Mauro De Santis Bo
13+
Years in practice
5
Jurisdictions served
~50
Families supported
$100m+
Assets under management
Expertise

What I do

Proper financial planning always starts with a clear picture of where you are today and where you want to be. My practice is built around five core areas, beginning with the foundation that everything else depends on.

00
Cashflow Modelling and Lifetime Financial Planning

This is where every conversation starts. Before any investment or product is discussed, I build a clear picture of your current financial position, your goals in the short, medium and long term, and the road map to get there. Cashflow modelling is the foundation of proper financial planning. It tells you whether you are on track, what decisions matter most, and how to make trade-offs with confidence. Everything else we do together flows from this.

Starting point
01
Expat Financial Planning and Cross-Border Structuring

Life as an expatriate introduces a layer of complexity that standard financial advice rarely addresses. I help clients build a clear, structured financial plan that works across borders, accounts for multiple tax residencies, and adapts as life changes.

UAE · UK · Europe · Asia · Latam
02
Evidence-Based Investment Management

I build globally diversified, low-cost, passive portfolios grounded in decades of financial research. No stock picking, no market timing, no complexity for its own sake. Just disciplined, structured investing designed to work over the long term.

Passive · Diversified · Low-cost
03
Pension Review, Consolidation, and International Transfers

Pensions are often left behind when people move abroad. I help clients review what they have, understand their options, and make informed decisions about consolidation, QROPS or SIPP transfers, and long-term pension strategy across jurisdictions.

SIPP · QROPS · Cross-border
04
Tax-Efficient Wealth Structuring

For residents of the UAE, UK, and Europe, structuring wealth efficiently across tax regimes requires careful planning. I work with clients to build strategies that are sensible, transparent, and compliant.

UAE · UK · Europe
Clients

Who I work with

01
High-net-worth expatriates

Professionals and families living outside their home country who have accumulated meaningful wealth and want it structured properly.

02
Professionals relocating internationally

Executives and senior professionals moving between the UAE, UK, Europe, Latin America or Asia who need to understand the financial and tax implications of their move before they make it.

03
UK nationals living abroad

British citizens in Dubai or elsewhere who want clarity on pension access, ISA treatment, UK tax residency, and how to manage UK-based assets from overseas.

04
European nationals in the Middle East

Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French and other European nationals based across the Gulf who want to structure their finances efficiently, or who are planning a future move back to Europe.

05
Expats planning to move to Europe

Professionals from anywhere in the world considering a relocation to Spain, Portugal, France, Italy or beyond who want to plan the financial and tax side of that move properly before it happens.

Most financial advice is designed for people who stay in one country. My clients do not stay in one country.

If your financial life spans more than one country, the standard playbook rarely applies. The clients I work best with are people who want clear, honest advice grounded in their actual situation.

They tend to be thoughtful, busy, and tired of feeling like financial planning is more complicated than it needs to be. My job is to simplify it and help them make good decisions over time.

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About Mauro

A private wealth manager who explains things simply and clearly.

Chartered MCSI  ·  Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment

I have been a financial planner since 2013. Over that time I have worked with hundreds of expatriate clients navigating some of the most complex financial decisions of their lives.

I am Argentinian, bilingual in English and Spanish, and based in Dubai. I am a Financial Planner and Senior Partner at GSB Capital Ltd, trading as GSB Wealth, a firm regulated by the DFSA and authorised by the FCA, headquartered in the DIFC.

What I enjoy most about this work is helping clients feel genuinely clear about their finances, often for the first time. My approach is evidence-based and always puts the client first. I do not believe in complexity for its own sake, high-cost products, or advice driven by commission.

13+
Years in practice
5
Jurisdictions served
~50
Families supported
$100m+
Under management
Chartered MCSI ↗EnglishSpanish DFSA RegulatedFCA Authorised DIFC, Dubai
Mauro De Santis Bo
Investment Philosophy

Why evidence-based investing

Most investment products sold to expatriates are expensive, opaque, and designed to generate income for the intermediary rather than wealth for the client. I take a different approach, grounded in decades of academic research and built around your long-term interests.

01
Grounded in evidence

Decades of academic research consistently shows that passive, diversified portfolios outperform active stock picking over the long term, particularly after costs. This is not a theory. It is the data.

02
Low cost by design

Every pound or dirham paid in fees is a pound or dirham that is not compounding in your portfolio. I use low-cost index funds and keep the total cost of ownership transparent and honest.

03
Globally diversified

Diversification across geographies, asset classes, and currencies is one of the few genuine free lunches in investing. I build portfolios designed to capture global growth without unnecessary concentration.

04
Behaviour matters most

The biggest risk for most investors is not the market. It is their own reaction to the market. My role includes helping clients stay the course when things feel uncertain, which is when it matters most.

Built with
BBlackRock
VVanguard
SState Street SPDR
DDimensional
In Plain Sight

Big ideas, simply drawn.

Some of the most important concepts in financial planning are also the simplest. These five ideas have shaped how I think about money, investing, and behaviour. They are not mine originally, but they guide every conversation I have with clients.

the gap Market Investor Return Time buy high sell low EMOTIONS vs EVIDENCE
The Behaviour Gap

The market return is available to everyone. The investor return is what people actually receive after selling in panic and buying in euphoria. The gap between the two is almost entirely behavioural. My job is to help you close it.

5yr cost Start now Wait 5 yrs Years Wealth 0 10 20 30 identical start
The Cost of Waiting

Starting five years later with the same amount produces dramatically less wealth at retirement. Time in the market, not timing the market. The cost of delay is compounded, and it is largely invisible until it is too late to reverse.

WITHIN YOUR CONTROL Savings rate Asset allocation Fees paid Behaviour OUTSIDE YOUR CONTROL Markets Interest rates Geopolitics Headlines Focus here SPEND ENERGY WHERE IT MATTERS
Focus Where It Counts

You cannot control what markets do. You can control your savings rate, your asset allocation, the fees you pay, and how you behave during downturns. Those four things explain the vast majority of long-term outcomes.

CRISIS! Markets in turmoil Recession fears grow Sell everything? YOUR PLAN Goals defined Allocation set Costs controlled Stay the course NOISE SIGNAL
Noise vs Your Plan

Every crisis produces the same headlines. Sell everything. The world is ending. The investors who stay the course, because they have a plan built for exactly this moment, are the ones who come out ahead. A good plan is designed to survive the news.

WHERE YOU ARE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE cashflow plan invest wisely stay course market noise volatility life events THE ROAD MAP IS THE PLAN
The Road Map

Financial planning is not a product. It is a road map. Before we talk about any investment, we establish where you are today and where you want to be. The plan connects the two. Everything else, the investments, the pensions, the tax structuring, is just the vehicle.

Original illustrations created for Private Wealth by Mauro De Santis Bo. Inspired by the work of Carl Richards and the Behavior Gap principle. All sketches are original works.

The Team

People you will work with.

A team built around one goal: doing right by our clients. Together we bring complementary expertise across investment planning, tax structuring, retirement strategy, and cross-border wealth management, advising ultra-high-net-worth individuals, international families, and multi-family offices across all major jurisdictions.

60+
Combined years of experience
$250m+
Assets under management
UHNWI
Ultra-high-net-worth advisory
Global
All major jurisdictions covered
How I work

Your interests, always first.

Your Best Interests. Always.

As a DFSA-regulated and FCA-authorised financial planner, I have a fiduciary obligation to act in your best interests at all times. Every recommendation is based on what is right for your situation.

  • Independent, not tied to any fund family or product range
  • No hidden commissions, no kick-backs, no conflicts of interest
  • Always making recommendations in your best interests, not mine
  • Regulated by the DFSA and FCA, held to the highest standards

Simple, Transparent Fee Structure

In 13 years in this industry I have always worked on a fee-based model. My compensation is tied directly to the value of the assets I manage on your behalf, aligning my interests completely with yours.

  • A straightforward advisory fee based on assets under management
  • No upfront commissions, no product-linked payments
  • Full transparency on all costs before you commit to anything
  • No surprises. No small print. Just a clear, honest arrangement.
Get in touch

Let's talk about your financial future.

No pressure. No jargon. Just a straightforward conversation about where you are now and what a good financial plan could look like for you.

Based in
Dubai International Financial Centre
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Firm
GSB Capital Ltd (GSB Wealth)
DFSA Regulated  ·  FCA Authorised
Languages
English and Spanish
Thank you. Mauro will be in touch shortly.

Your details are kept strictly confidential.

Trusted Introductions

Know someone who could benefit?

One of the most common ways my clients find me is through a trusted introduction. If you know someone navigating life as an expat who would benefit from a clear financial plan, I would be genuinely delighted if you passed on my details.

There is no sales process, no obligation, and nothing to lose. A brief conversation is often all it takes to understand whether I can help. If I can, I will say so plainly. If I cannot, I will say that too.

The people who benefit most from a proper financial plan are often the ones who have been meaning to sort it out for years. Sometimes a warm introduction from someone they trust is all it takes.

Thank you for the introduction. Mauro will reach out personally and discreetly.

Pass on a trusted introduction

Mauro will make contact personally and discreetly.

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