KhunHeineken

Does your friend have dual citizenship? If so, that may be the reason.

+1. They can do everything via email, print, sign, scan, and internet banking.

Set up an Australian Pay As You Go mail forwarding account. Here's one from the first page of Google. I can't recommend them. Just found them on a Google search as an example to show. https://hotsnail.com.au Go online and buy one of the sim cards mentioned. I recommend Aldi Mobile. $15 a year for 365 validity. You use the Aussie address of the mail forwarding business. That business then posts your mail to you in Thailand, or anywhere else in the world. You will have to email copies of ID, but it will get activated. Then, go online and enable roaming. It's free to receive SMS when roaming. You should be right from then on, provided you recharge every year and don't let the sim drop off the network.

Where's the rest of your expenses? Transport. Do you have a car? If so, how much for insurance, maintenance, and petrol. What about food? Do you eat? Do you buy healthy, but expensive food, or cheap, processed, and unhealthy food? What about entertainment? Do you catch a show, or sporting event, or dine out sometimes? Do you go to the local bowling club? Do you drink alcohol? Clothing. Do you buy any? You'll have to one day. Telecommunications. Do you have a mobile phone and internet? How much a month for these? Household products. Cleaning items. Eg. dish washing, laundry, toilet paper etc. Household appliances. TV, Fridge etc. They don't last forever. Where's your budget for them? You mention "rent." Even for those pensioners that own their own home, what about council rates and insurance, then maintenance? Health insurance. You can't rely on Medicare these days. You mention energy supplement, but don't mention the total cost of the energy bill itself. That's heating and cooling, during winter and summer. Water bill. No mention of it. You mentioned only one outgoing, and that was rent. What about the rest you need to survive, and then some little things to have a basic quality of life?

Yes, the rumor is true, and the human being you eventually get to speak to is based in an Indian call center.

AN's biggest online competitor. Probably can't post the name here, so I won't, but the core group of haters on the Australian forum may very well be working for AN's competitor. How much damage to AN have they done already? Serial reporters working for the opposition under the guise they are so offended by a member and / or their posts in order to frustrate them and have them banned, so that member gives up and goes to the website they work for. Guess what, I'm still here.

I have a friend who no longer reads or posts on AN because he got sick of being put on a holiday and now posts on "the other forum." It's possible some members, or the same member but with multiple usernames, is working for the other forum. George would do well to recognize these "serial reporters" as possibly playing for the other team.

Does the same to me. I outed him for posting he was on a vet's pension, and then posting he was on an aged pension, and you can't be on both, so then he started personally attacking me, but then reporting me to the Mods when he copped it back. Weak as p*ss in my opinion.

Well said. There's a group of "haters" on this forum that try to shut out and shut down other members. The hypocrisy of it all. There's genuine information and content flow being offered by members, and because they don't like the message, they set out to shoot the messenger. If they don't like the member, or the message, just put them on the ignore list. I have requested some to do this to me on several occasions, yet, they continue to read my posts, personally attack me, and then when they get it back, run to the Mods crying.

Why don't you contact the forum's support and have them sort out the problem. It would be a big help to the forum.

Misquoting me again. Show me where I have used the word "befuddled."

It really is a case of you guys can dish it out, but can't take it. I got hammered in the pension thread for posting about the proposed changes to tax residency laws. Got sent on a few holidays from AN as well. All's fair in love in war, but to dish it out and then report to the Mods when it's handed back to you is very Un-Australian. I can't speak for other members, but I have no problem with discussion and healthy debate, but troll me, flame me, personally attack me, you'll get it back. Boo Hoo. There's never been any sour grapes about it all on my behalf. I have said I never reported a post, ever, nor will I do so in the future. Some members took that as a free for all, and that's fine, but when it came back to them, off they go to the Mods. It's just an internet forum. No need to take it so personally.

Thanks for the link. I notice this seems to be the one and only link, which is a :guide" on the issue. I take it onboard, but on such an important issue, can anyone post another link to corroborate this link?

Generally speaking, not specific to your personal circumstances, if someone worked all their life and paid their taxes, how is it they would have nothing to show for it and have to go cap in hand to Centerlink for the full aged pension? I understand those who worked after the implementation of Superannuation not qualifying, but you would think an individual would accrue some assets and savings at the end of their working life, thus, not qualifying for the aged pension.

Your sarcasm is not wasted on me. Well done.

You have "confirmed" and "shared" a lot of information about a war widower's pension for someone on an old aged pension.

I find his posts amusing. Especially his "interpretations" of legislation. Very entertaining. Most of them are up there with the famous "that's just for guys like Paul Hogan" post. His latest claim to fame is how contracts and caveats on the house and land be bought, which is not in his name, offers some security to him in the future for his accommodation. I'm sure those pieces of paper will stop a bullet or machete. Just another farang thinking western laws work in Thailand for foreigners. You should unblock him, just for the laughs.

Can you show me where in my post I used the word "anyway?" You are misquoting me. So, you can re-enrol for Medicare online. Wow, and here I was thinking one had to go to a Centerlink office. Scorecard didn't mention that. He also didn't mention the documents needed. It's obviously the government doesn't want expats flying home just for free medical treatment, only to fly out straight after. Scorecard mentions none of this. Who said I'm not on MyGov? I am self funded. never taken a cent from Centerlink. Sadly for me, and many others, we pay for everyone else in Australian society. No, I am not in Australia, and not on the aged pension, but that's not to say I can't restructure my finances to qualify for the pension, which I may do in the future. i outed Scorecard when I picked him up on posting that he is on an aged pension, and then he would later post he's on a vet's pension. You can't be on both. If a vet, he would probably have a gold card, way better than a Medicare Card, but here he is posting about a Medicare Card and Centerlink, rather than the VA and a gold card. He blocked me soon after I outed him on this, but now he says he can read my posts. What BS. You never questioned in what year he had his "experience." Why is that? Scorecard is most dangerous with his advice to members on portability. He has stated, and I quote, that people can leave Australia during their 2 years for a "prolonged period" of time. When asked for links, no reply. Yet, someone on a vet's pension doesn't have portability issues. Once again, more smoke and mirrors, and more BS. You are vary naive to not smell his BS.

Added on, or starts again?

The reasons you mention, and some more, is why I sleep better at night than guys who have exposed themselves to a Thai missus, and Thai laws here.

The earnings from the capital I would have to spend to buy the condo I am living in earns more money than the rent I pay on my condo, and I have no other ongoing expenses, and the freedom to move, not to mention, that capital is pretty much on call. Your comment is another one of your throw away lines. It doesn't take into account anything else other than the old, very old saying that "rent is dead money." You don't address the changing of an area, the health of the owner, the life expectancy of the owner, over development and poor construction practices affecting resale value, interest rates, death of Thai missus, relationship breakdown, being scammed etc etc. Just a broad comment, "rent is dead money." A very narrow view, in my opinion. What is your advice to those with no kids? Is it still, "rent is dead money?" Bullets are cheap in Thailand, a lot cheaper than lawyers. Balconies are free.

Sounds like a loving family, with contracts and caveats. It's been done to death on this website, over years, but the fact remains a foreigner can not own land in Thailand, in their own name. It's as simple as that. So, if Thailand will not allow me to own, I will rent. The old "rent is dead money" is is not true in Thailand. Renting is a wise decision, and as BMT said, if the OP rented, he wouldn't be in the position he is in. He would have held all of his cards, so to speak. I had a laugh when you said you are not so shallow as to burn the house down, can you say your wife's family is the same? Remember, no house to live in, that only leaves a block of land, which you don't own. "That said, I would consider it free rent for the period of time that I lived in it" - this was also funny. Obviously, accounting is not your strong suit. It's only "free rent" as you put it, after the land purchase and construction costs, and taking into account the amount of time you have lived in the house. Only after that time, can you claim you are "in the black." I don't know what's funnier from you, your posts about how you think you have snookered your wife's family so you don't get done over, or your "interpretations" of legislation. I do find them amusing. Keep the entertainment coming, but remember, a lot of guys before you, like the OP, thought buying was the best think to do, and many went back to their home countries broke.

I agree, but some will now have to wait until they are 67.

Many relations go south not long after a new house and land package is purchased. However, there are other things that can happen, for example, what if she was to die before you???? Of course you are going to tell us how well you get on with her family blah blah blah. We've all heard the same story before, then, the farang gets kicked out of the house and land he paid for. I'm with BMT. Renting is the best thing to do in Thailand. The funds to buy the condo I am living in, should it go on the market, is safe back in Australia earning more a month than the cost of the monthly rent, and I have no other fees, taxes, and maintenance to pay, and the freedom to move at anytime, or for any reason.

Thailand wants to tax the funds, not the person. On that basis, Thailand doesn't care how young or old you are, whether you are rich or poor, and whether the funds are a pension or some other form of passive income, and where the money originates from. They are simply seeking to tax the cash, and they don't care who's cash it is. It will be interesting to see how they are going to implement it and tweak it over the next couple of years. As I said in another post, the only way I can see it working is the Thai banking system will have to be onboard, otherwise, expat retirees could simply leave their pension in their home country and withdraw it from an ATM with a Visa card from their home country, just like tourists do. If the fees and exchange rate is cheaper than Thai tax, there's one solution. One would still be living in Thailand, and would be deemed a resident for tax purposes, but not remitting funds in the traditional sense. Of course, it would come down to the Thai legal definition of "funds" and "remitting" but I can't see Thailand taxing ATM withdrawals in the future. Interesting times ahead, particularly for Aussie expats.