<<Am I out of luck with Roth IRAs too, as long as my earned income is entirely exempt? I'd like to move some investment income into an IRA if possible, and since I've already paid tax on the income one might logically conclude that it would be eligible as a non-deductible IRA contribution (up to $2000 - at least that part is crystal clear).>>

As you note, foreign earned income, eligible for the foreign earned income exclusion is not defined as "compensation" for IRA purposes. And the Roth IRA uses the same definition for compensation as the "normal" IRA. That being the case, it would appear to me that you would NOT qualify for the Roth IRA with your exempt foreign earned income.

Sorry about that...but think of all of the tax dollars that you are saving right now. That may take some of the sting out of this issue for you.

TMF Taxes
Roy Lewis