Is the FBAR something I can file myself, or do I need a professional?

You can absolutely file the FBAR yourself — it's free through FinCEN's BSA E-Filing website, and for a straightforward situation (a few bank accounts you fully own) it takes maybe half an hour once you've gathered each account's maximum balance and the year-end exchange rate. The form asks for institution names, account numbers, account types, and peak values, nothing complicated. Where professional help earns its fee is when complexity creeps in: PFIC mutual funds and Form 8621, foreign pensions or trusts, Form 3520 gifts and inheritances, signature-authority accounts, or fixing several missed past years through a compliance program. Those carry tax consequences and judgment calls that go well beyond the FBAR's data entry. A reasonable approach is to file simple FBARs yourself but bring in a cross-border CPA the moment foreign funds, trusts, or back-year corrections enter the picture. Don't let the form's simplicity hide a tax problem behind it.