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Everything posted by gamb00ler
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Why experts are blasting Trump for 'already breaking the law'
gamb00ler replied to simple1's topic in Political Soapbox
Please continue screaming your cultish beliefs so the sane amongst us can have a good head shake and laugh. Or you could "do your own research" and find out that once a judge issues an adjudication the defendant's status is exonerated or convicted. Appeals do not change the defendants status until resolved. -
The reason you get different amounts from using a debit vs using a credit card is due to fees. Both MasterCard and Visa give the same exchange rates for debit and credit card transactions. Getting cash from a credit card almost always is the worst option for getting cash since it is considered a loan whereas a withdrawal using a debit card is like withdrawing cash already on deposit with your home bank.
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You should be more clear otherwise we have to guess exactly what you're trying to do. Are you trying to withdraw from a Thai ATM using a foreign debit card? Hopefully your debit card is on either the the MasterCard or Visa networks. It is these payment processing networks that set the exchange rates. The Thai banks do not set the rate. Last time I checked both MC and Visa set their rate at about 7AM Thai time on Tue through Sat. That rate will stay in effect until the next new rate is issued. Saturday's rate stays in effect until Tue AM. When using an ATM decline the option sometimes offered to bill you in your home currency. The rate given will be much worse than the MC or Visa rates. If you want to know the exchange rates, they are given on the MC and Visa web sites. https://www.mastercard.us/en-us/personal/get-support/convert-currency.html https://usa.visa.com/support/consumer/travel-support/exchange-rate-calculator.html To get the exact amount of your home currency that will be deducted from your account, you will need to know what percentage your home bank adds for foreign transaction fees. Some banks charge 0% and some up to 3%.
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Thailand's Expats Urged to Register with TRD for Tax, Says Expert
gamb00ler replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
How about waste less? -
I'm guessing that you don't know why interest rates go up? You'll probably blame George Soros... LOL or ... but, but, but Hillary!
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Depending on your car's and your phone's capabilities, it may be possible to use your phone to connect to an internet source of English audio news and route it through your car's speakers. Apple CarPlay can do that with Apple phones.
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About most topics, he would be correct..... he just doesn't know much about anything.
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The answer to a question you didn't ask... but you may find it useful. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/help/questions/listening-outside-the-uk/international
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*How to find* farang computer doctor for Macintosh?
gamb00ler replied to Old Curmudgeon's topic in Chiang Mai
After several go arounds, he hasn't mentioned a single issue or clearly stated what he expects to be done during a "checkup". He did mention wanting "advice on backup system, VPN, Waterfox extensions, and more and more.' -
I no longer know the details of who provides it.... but there is a Thai government department that will provide a list of entry/exit dates for Thai citizens. We needed this document for my Thai wife when we imported our household goods when moving to Thailand in 2020. Perhaps that same department can provide the dates for you. We did have to send the two most recent passports for my wife to the customs broker and they looked after getting the appropriate document. Sorry I can't provide more details than the above.
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*How to find* farang computer doctor for Macintosh?
gamb00ler replied to Old Curmudgeon's topic in Chiang Mai
Correct.... however some users have developed methods to allow older macs to run newer MacOS versions. Search for OCLP... I use it to run Ventura on the wife's 2012 Mac mini. I'll update it to Sonoma soon. -
*How to find* farang computer doctor for Macintosh?
gamb00ler replied to Old Curmudgeon's topic in Chiang Mai
I'm a retired software engineer and I'm perplexed by your request for a computer "checkup". Since there are basically no moving parts in computers these days there is minimal need for checkups. A computer's electronic components don't normally slowly degrade... typically they just suddenly fail. Old style hard drives are the exception as they will often start to show errors before failing completely. By far the largest percentage of PC problems are software failures or user errors. MacOS's updating process is very smooth. In my experience I have had no significant problems since migrating to MacOS. I only had problems when trying to circumvent Apple's restrictions on upgrading older Apple hardware to newer versions of MacOS (using 3rd party software). I've been a PC user for almost 40 years and a Mac user for 8-9. The only preventative maintenance I recommend is to periodically open the case and blow out as much dust as you can with some compressed air. If your computer isn't on the floor, dust shouldn't be as much of an issue. Since you only claim to want a checkup, start with Apple's diagnostics: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102550 -
*How to find* farang computer doctor for Macintosh?
gamb00ler replied to Old Curmudgeon's topic in Chiang Mai
It sounds like you are really looking for a tutor rather than a technician. There is a YTube Mac/Apple specialist with years of content that I like: https://www.youtube.com/user/macmostvideo/videos -
The cessation of federal income tax on SS benefits has ZERO impact on the SS trust funds. The income taxes currently applied to SS benefits goes into the Federal governments general revenue. The SS trust fund currently does not draw from general government revenue. Show me proof that I'm wrong. Lots of people get this wrong..... you've just read some article written by someone who has it wrong. https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/HowAreSocialSecurity.htm#:~:text=Social Security is financed through,self-employed pay 12.4 percent.&text=The payroll tax rates are,up to a certain amount. LOL.... I'm WRONG. Sorry.... my mistake. The taxes on SS benefits are contributed to the SS trust fund. I thought all federal income taxes went into general revenue. Jingthing is correct... I humbly submit my apology.
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Federal Income tax and employment taxes (FICA) are completely separate. FICA taxes are currently the ONLY source of funding for SS. FICA taxes are help separately from all other taxes but are invested in special Treasury bonds. https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/WhatAreTheTrust.htm https://www.ssa.gov/people/materials/pdfs/EN-05-10297.pdf FICA in reality, should not be called "taxes". Rather they should be called insurance premiums in the case of the medicare "tax" and the portion funding SS should be called annuity premiums.
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You need to start that SS thread now!. It's apparent you're not clear on the topic of taxes and SS. Income tax on SS benefits has NO impact on the SS trust fund. Only employment taxes have such impact.
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He wanted to achieve many changes but his incompetence won out. 1. Repeal and replace Obamacare LOL... despite not having an inkling of a replacement he forged blindly ahead before getting the ducks lined up.... so typical 2. the eternal Infrastructure bill.... about as real as the Tooth fairy 3. he had hoped to slash domestic spending on programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, but these efforts were blocked by both Congress and public opposition. 4. His attempt to negotiate a deal with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program was also seen as unsuccessful, as talks failed to yield a lasting agreement 5. Trump aimed to enact a range of strict immigration policies, such as instituting a "Muslim ban" and ending protections for undocumented immigrants, including the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. While some of his early travel bans were implemented, others faced significant legal challenges, with courts ruling against key provisions. His attempt to end DACA was also blocked by the Supreme Court in 2020, citing procedural flaws in how the administration tried to rescind the program.....incompetence again! 6. Many of Trump's proposals on tax policy, such as further tax cuts for the wealthy or a broader overhaul of the tax code, were blocked or scaled back due to political pushback and concerns about increasing the deficit..... more imcompetence!
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*How to find* farang computer doctor for Macintosh?
gamb00ler replied to Old Curmudgeon's topic in Chiang Mai
If you have no specific complaints I don't think there is much regular "servicing" or tuneups needed for MacOS. In my experience MacOS doesn't exhibit the slow deterioration in performance that Windows did when I depended on it about 8 years ago. What Mac do you have an how old is it? Have you been installing the available OS updates? Like any hardware there can be unexpected failures, so make sure you backup all your personal files or synchronize them to some cloud service(s). I wouldn't bother backing up the OS unless you're quite computer literate. My iMac is a late 2015 model and still hums along just as well when I got it new 8 years ago. The only software I added was the MSoft Office package. I don't even really need that as the free Apple apps are just as good but less familiar to me. -
Transferring money into Thailand
gamb00ler replied to jayboy's topic in Jobs, Economy, Banking, Business, Investments
I don't think Thai banks limit your outbound transfers to the same amount that you previously transferred in. I assisted my good friend in sending funds out of Thailand using Bangkok and Kasikorn banks. Those banks simply wanted a reason for the outbound transfer. Those two banks allowed up to 2M baht per outbound transfer and it could be done using their phone app. The banks never asked for any proof of an inbound transfer. I only transfer from US funds from US bank so I can't give specifics for UK sourced transfers. Wise transfers from the US are cheaper than a SWIFT transfer below about 22K US$. Above that amount the fixed SWIFT transfer fee (25$) beats the exchange rate+fees from Wise. The OP can easily determine the best transfer result with some simple math. Ask your UK bank for the SWIFT charges and get the current exchange rate from your Thai bank. There is also a receiving fee charged by the Thai bank (200-500 B). -
Thailand's Expats Urged to Register with TRD for Tax, Says Expert
gamb00ler replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
It seems the many AN members have started to think their opinions are as good as facts despite their limited experience. -
Thailand's Expats Urged to Register with TRD for Tax, Says Expert
gamb00ler replied to webfact's topic in Thailand News
I and a couple of expat friends are proof that your statement is incorrect. We all have a Thai tax ID by going to TRD and requesting one. My TRD visit was 3-4 years ago and took 15 minutes and only reasonable documentation. I was and am on a retirement extension. I have never filed Thai taxes as I successfully had the banks stop the tax withholding on interest payments. -
Transferring money out of Thailand
gamb00ler replied to James9999's topic in Jobs, Economy, Banking, Business, Investments
In researching to help a friend send funds back home, I found that Bangkok and Kasikorn banks allow you to easily send up to 2 million ฿ per transfer. My friend didn't have to prove the funds were previously brought into Thailand but he did have to give a reason for the transfer. One banker did insist that my friend show a bill when he said funds were to pay for his family to come visit him.