atpeace

and if you have a foreign credit card and use it for most your monthly expenses Lazada, big c, etc) and many other options to almost eliminate international bank transfers...

IRA? I will have have IRA disbursements in a few years and plan on taking SS at full retirement age which is over 10 years from now.

I agree with all except there is more than one person that believes. Actually most?

Would not the Thai Government be informing Foreigners bank transfers would be taxed in a few months from now? The answer is yes.-yes-yes. The regulation has nothing to with expat's personal international transfers. Just think it through. For example, would Thailand want people to bring in less money?

Or women we would get in our countries. A frightening prospect for many here. Not me - I'm handsome.

I forget that i do have a little understanding and probably misjudge the complexity. I figured if idiot me could figure it out and I just recently figured out the difference between a flathead and philips screw driver, he could do it. He will definitely get shocked many times but 12v is rarely too painful. Might even fry a component which I did (inverter) so some fun to have in the process. Even attaching positive wires to positives terminals can be daunting if drinking a few beers during the install. I looked at as an adventure and had little hope I would eventually be able to plug things into it but after one day of slow work, I was surprised I could attach a 150 watt fan and my treadmill at the same time and it was the same as grid power.

Take the batteries out of the equation it is dirt cheap. Is it easy to attach the panels to the grid electric box? It would be nice to crank the AC during the hot season during the days and especially when running on the treadmill. Assuming the grid connection is easy, it would pay for itself in 6 months if I did it myself.

If you are just trying to have power during blackouts and you stated you don't need ac, many simple solutions. * A 300 watt solar panel with wires long enough to go from the solar panel to your battery (3000-5000 baht). Doubt 300 watt will ever be needed since you are only trying to top off between blackouts. * A solar charger that is connected to the panel and then to the battery (500-2000 baht) but the cheap ones work fine. * 200 AH LivePO4 battery (15,000 baht on Lazada ). I use 50 AH setup for blackout protection which has never been an issue and this would ony set you back 4k-5k baht. * A 1000 watt inverter ( 1000-3000 baht ). I would go to a solar shop to get the panels and wires to get the ball rolling and order the other components on Lazada or Shopee. Just copy and past the above into their website and only buy from sellers with tons of reviews. Funny, mounting the panel is best done with foam bars or even sheets that cost 100 baht in my case. Use contact cement to attach to roof and panels. Last forever and easy to move if you change your mind. Drove for 2 years with them attached to my camper top driving 120 kph. Could drive another 5! Done!

That would work in a socialist society but would end badly. It would also work in a capitalist society if there were no alternatives to Jasmine rice. Many alternatives so all you can do is feel bad that life isn't always fair. Tough life being a Thqi farmer and that is why the young are moving into cities and send money home to their aging parents on farms. Sad...

The debt moratorium was insane and will cause so much pain in the future. Farmers in large part are addicted to debt. Servicing the debt is difficult and detracts greatly from living a satisfying life. Putting a moratorium on existing debt was heaven for them and they now had the capacity to borrow more which so many did especially the first 2 years. It was amazing to watch the endless stream of trucks hauling dirt for new home foundations. In the worst of times everybody was spending big time! Now they have much more debt and many won't be able to service it. They do have nicer homes in many cases but I would guess 25% are now living in shacks while waiting for a miraculous second wave of money to finish their home. I was racking my brain during the process to figure out what was going on. It was insane!

OK

I only come to the forum occasionally and sometimes disappear for 2-6 months. For some reason the Covid threads enthrall me. I wonder how individuals in the name of good can become so evil. My guess is that their personal life is devoid of substance or any real success. the internet and covid allowed them to ban together with other similar people and do bad things. They became important in their mind and forgot how to be kind to people that disagreed with them. Interesting...

That isn't hyperbolic but it is a cliché. You get the difference?

Still amazed you never caught Covid. 100% of my friends caught it and a good amount twice. I had it it and it wasn't any fun but only dreadful for a few days and my lungs were almost 100% in a month. No biggie and life marches on. Apparently some can't let go of the glorious Covid days where they could pummel anyone that disagreed with their narrative. I think secretly they have wet dreams thinking about the next pandemic where they can thirst off the fear and deceive themselves into thinking they are relevant.

In my world context matters. The poster I was referring to also usually attaches other derogatory insults to the label. I personally try no to make habit of not doing this but we all make mistakes. Just pointing out his mistake IMO. By all means feel free to disagree. Cheers

How many mass shooting deaths in Thailand malls? It happened and time to move on to real worries. I'm sure more people die each month tripping or falling into cracks on Thai sidewalks than have died in mall shooting the last few decades.

This thread is insane. People think the new rule applies to incoming transfers or income in their own country already taxed because the new reg doesn't explicitly state they are excluded. The tax residency regs in other countries I've read also don't explicitly state incoming transfers are excluded. Why? I think they feel it is common sense they won't be taxed and it would take a very paranoid individual to come to such an outlandish conclusion. The OP on this thread was terrible and should never been made. What type of person would come to the conclusion that the post would do anything but cause more fear. If he just had one friend read it and tell him what he thought, it would have caused him not to post it I would hope. In the end, the thread is entertaining so please ignore the above.

@thecyclist -Assuming you are a cyclist, this is an issue I forgot about and frustrating if you want to climb some of the great climbs in the parks on a regular basis. Not that I would do it but a friend ???? easily was able to get into all the parks for free carrying his bike a few hundred meters. around the entrances Did it in Khao Yai 10 straight days and saved 6,000 baht.

Yet with all the nonsense that some see the hordes are returning. They will be above 2015 numbers by end of the year and then off to the races. Miss the early 2000's when tourism was not out of control here. How many tourists can fit in this country is my question because I think we are soon to find an answer in the next 5 years. IMO, tourism is just going to become the unavoidable nuisance that it has been since shortly after the 2008 financial crisis.

At 56 I get 5m coverage with 200k deductible. I've used the company twice the last 10 years and one was for 2 week stay in ER. and another 2 weeks in a private room. Pretty much handsoff and nearly 100% of the bills paid. The high deductible is a recent adjustment because anything under 200k is not a major worry. I'm extremely heathy and since giving up cycling ( too many broken bones) my health is much more predictable. There are bad outcomes that can be had at any insurance company. Many nightmare stories on this forum but we are only hearing one side of the story. I've been fortunate I guess and never experienced an issue. If I was an alcoholic (borderline in my case ), had high blood pressure or any of the issues that being overweight brings, insurance would be a much more tiresome process. I do many stupid thing and venture to say I'm stupider than the next guy but I seem to have stumbled into good health and reap the benefits which one is insurance.

Travel all over Thailand racing and for fun the last 3 years and no issue. It would be hard to find an area in Thailand other than the deep south threat I haven't spent time in. Like I said my situation is probably unique. For me the visa, 90 day, and TM reporting is a breeze. I feel your pain but just isn't mine.

Ironically all you say is true and has been true for decades but Thai tourism numbers have grown exponentially. They seem to have zero impact and many I surmise it may be why they come. Been here 25 years and never been too inconvenienced by the corruption ( I beg cops not to give me a ticket and take a bribe ). Opened bank accounts easy years ago and last year. The TM and 90 day notices take me 30 minutes each year. Arguably the easiest country to retire for "me" but I'm sure my situation is deferent than most. Guess I'm lucky. Sorry it so difficult for you - that kinda suckss

There are a lot of what ifs but if you prepare for all the possible bad outcomes you might find yourself ready to enjoy the glory years on your death bed. I spend more than 60k but could easily stay here on 45k and have a good life. Where you live is important as well as tastes. Preparing for the worst health outcomes is wise for you but might be out of his reach. He can get decent insurance (high deductable - 5M coverage for 1-3k baht a month ) not a huge expense.

Read the quote and stop being foolish. He never told people to inject and you know this. He was asking questions and commenting on what he was told. He never told people to inject bleach or anything for that matter. Hey, I'm not a fan of Trump but get over it. He "never" told people to inject bleach or anything(vaccines excluded) in this news conference. He stated it was interesting and doctors should look into it. He was told disinfectants kill the virus and his mind made the leap that doctors should look into injecting it. I never claimed he was rational and have no idea how he comes up with some of the things he states as entertaining as some of his off hand comments are and I wouldn't have been surprised I he told people to inject bleach in the news conference but he simply did not. If Biden or Fauci told you injecting clorax was interesting (not told you to inject it) and doctors need to look into it, would you replace sugar with clorax in your coffee. I'm a little wiser than you I guess. How you get from the quote supplied that he is telling people to inject bleach is mind boggling and entertaining.

Wow - thanks for a whole lot of nothing.