dontoearth

I considered the same option as your friend at age 50 about 10 years ago.  However, my money was my own, made and saved, and invested slowly grown to just about that amount.  Perhaps you heard of our President at the time George Bush.  The investments crapped out by more than 50% in just a few months back in the 07/08 economic crash.  These were high quality mutual funds with no fees as they were offered by my employer as a benefit.  I have read all the investment advice from others and they must be from different countries, or planets, or a place where math works differently.  ROFL!   I can't think of any type of safe reliable return for your friend that would yield him yearly expenses.   In a big downturn everyone gets crushed.  If I had been here in Thailand I would have quite suddenly found myself rather panicked.  I sucked it up and worked until age 60 and got two pensions and recovered the money back from 07/08.   I was able to stay invested as I was working.  However, I am here now at 60 and just doing a small retirement visa.  I didn't sell my Chicago condo!  I didn't cash in my investments.  I am a firm believer in what one of the other posters said.  The first year out just make small steps.  I think your view between 50-60 years of age really does mature!  Hopefully, your friend is hoping for the best, and planning for the worst!

And one last post tonight! I was at Siam Paragon sitting in the front entrance way. Two thai school girls in uniform came up and asked me and a friend to fill out a survey. In big smiles they said they were making Thailand a better place for everyone. Right there in the questions about more public transit, easier visas,better vacation facilities, was SHOULD THAILAND LEGALIZE GAY MARRIAGE! I was sort of shocked. After I finished the survey they took my picture with them for their teacher. The thais are thinking about this and what the world thinks of them. I would think in their polite society they would want the best face forward for their country. That best face forward is joining the modern world!

Glad I caught you! Mr. James had a will. His foreign banks refuse to cooperate with the will claiming they are following the laws of their country. Or so they say! The thai has a lawyer and is fighting it. You are completely wrong! The banks refused to transfer any of he money or property to the thai. U r very naive about this subject. You would have to see it happen to believe it. The thai will not have the money to head off too Ireland to fight this and the greedy family knows it. The foreign attorney claims Mr. James was taken advantage of ... etc. etc. Marriage would have solved this problem. The will did not. Many gay couples learn this the hard way.

I know an older Western man who just died. He had a gay lover of 25 years. Guess who will get all of his money, property, and possessions? Not the man who cared for him! The man who loving nursed him through cancer and alzmehier's. His irish family is coming right over after not seeing him for 25 years to get the condo and bank accounts and everything else the couple worked for together. This is the reason gay marriage is needed. It is not so much the emotional, it is the legal rights that are needed. If they had been married the family that deserted this poor man 25 years ago would not be getting jack shit. And believe me they would not visit Thailand to see his grave or mourn! Greedy bastards!

Please plan for more guests! The thai often bring relatives or even house guests to weddings and parties! If you have 120 planned on think about 150-175 for the food and drinks. Maybe 200 or as everyone will expect a good feed. I am not complaining at all. I like that! I have no idea when US culture became so stingy and formal! I am from a small rural area where the neighborhood turned out for all social occassions and we had them on the lawn in the summer or a big hall in the winter. Of course people brought aged parents and kids. Jeez! What kind of world we live in now? I wish the very best! You know one further observation I have found lots of ex-pats clam up and close off in Thailand. They view the extra attendees at parties and movies and such an unwelcome bother. I am glad you have not adopted that poor attitude. I believe u will truly be happy.

Well I am American living in Chicago and I have never seen disdainful uncaring civil servants running our police department or fire engines. It isn't like we have 100's of deaths a year and weekend killing sprees! We don't have self-centered righteous appointed nuts demanding they have guns all over the country. Oh wait we do! One of the big problems with Ex-Pat's is the old saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder!" Thank God all of our big cities have excellent schools and lots of assessment to make sure our young people get decent educations. Our money isn't being thrown away. And of course all of our citizens are totally financially responsible. We didn't have millions of people taking loans on houses they couldn't afford and wouldn't be able to pay for without winning the lotto. And our businesses engage in the highest moral standards. They wouldn't cheat their workers out of wages and make them collect food stamps to eat. Well except for McDonald's and Walmart. Well that is the way it is in Chicago. I am sure! So before you go solving the problems of the world or the problems of Thailand have quite a look at your own backyard. No only does absence make the heart grow fonder of an idealized country with no problems at all, your memory of the real country fades pretty fast. Doesn't it? Nope. Nothing to see here! Move on! It makes your memory and analysis of your own country very weak. I hope this rant gives u something to chew on. I was in the same boat years ago as I was living in Bangkok for a year. Thank goodness some ex-Pat's pointed out the short comings of my country and told me to shut UP. I am now telling you.....

When the old INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) ran the marriage visa program it was cumbersome and problematic and you could wait a full-lifetime for a spouse visa in the USA. Several years was the average. Anyone saying they heard it was relatively easy to get a marriage visa was talking to someone that had never tried it and had never talked to anyone that tried it! They might have seen a romantic comedy from hollywood that showed it to be fun and easy! Now that INS was absorbed by homeland security it is almost impossible. You would need to wait more than one lifetime. Good to be buddhist I guess. I would assume that anyone that got the visas in 3 1/2 short years had a lawyer on it from day one.

Yes. I went to the dentist when I was in college. He was alarmed. Besides himself really. Told me I needed 13 fillings! He also told me about his private plane and his membership in the 'fly-there-club' of his national university. I told him I had no money. He made me call mum. She said, "No. Money!" He said,"Never MIND!" Let me see that was 1976 I believe. I still haven't had a single filling. Go to the dentist when you have prolonged pain! Then you know you have a cavity. NO REGULAR CHECK-UPS! No cleanings. Brush, floss, and if you feel so inclined you can buy a floride mouthwash. Once a month maybe brush your teeth hard with salt or baking soda. That is my policy and still NOT a single filling...let me see 2014-1976 so 38 years now. U r being scammed and hurt and dental filings are even considered dangerous by some medical professionals. The filling material can have metal impurities which poison the body. Just my two cents! A dentist doing unnecessary dental work to make more money would probably buy the cheapest filling materials possible to bump up profit even a little more. A friend tried this trick. He made the dentist mark up the cavities on a diagram. Went to another dentist. Made that dentist mark up a diagram on his own. Guess what his diagram didn't match the first one. Not even the same number. He didn't go for a third. Spend your money on good times.

If the past is a good guide. I was in Thailand working in 1997. A beach condo ON THE BEACH was probably in the mid 30's in USD. Today price those condos! You could live well on less than 1K a month of US money. Calculate that now! In general I would plan on big inflation and eroding value of western currency. It is hard to get thai baht in thai banks as a falang. If you can manage it safely this will definitely help with the eroding value of western currencies. If you can purchase a condo now you will be far ahead of the game in 15 years. Property is always a good hedge against inflation. As far your life in the west squirrel away money but don't deprive yourself. We never know when we have eaten our last meal. I am 57 now and will pull the plug on my western life style in two years to enjoy some retirement time in Thailand. I wish I had bought the beach condo. I did squirrel away money. Should be fun.

Could be the tip of an iceberg! The southern beach areas had quite a few tourist die for no explainable reason. The police blamed an air-conditioner at a hotel. My bet was bad drugs cut with a poison or just poison to begin with so the dealer could move on without problems from angry tourist.