jas007

I had a similar situation back in the US,. The last house I owned was a Mid Century ranch style home. 5000 sq ft, all on one level. Steel beam construction and concrete walls. And for whatever reason, the wi-fi reception in the far ends of the house was more or less nonexistent. My solution was to buy some mesh extenders. I’m not sure how they work, exactly, but they did do the job. They were kind of pricey, but since then prices have probably come down.

I have a few credit cards that I use once in a while. Mainly for online purchases or at stores. But I always keep my balances at or near zero. So, I guess I don’t have any debt. Why pay silly interest rates? I think the typical credit card interest rate in the US is over 20%. Lots of people find themselves trapped.

That’s a problem that can be solved if the house is included in the person’s estate. The house would get a stepped up basis. Ditto if the house is quitclaimed to the kids while retaining a life estate. The house is still part of the estate and still gets the stepped up basis.

I’ve been meaning to do this anyway, so I just signed up for Netflix again. I used to subscribe a few years ago, but I quit it. Anyway, I made a new account. I used Nord VPN and a USA credit card. I also used a Google Voice number for verification purposes. The computer setup was easy. Ditto for my IPads. The Apple TV was a bit of a problem, but I finally got it to work,

A couple of different screenshots from Dallas servers.

OK, I changed the server to Dallas, TX. A little slower, but fine for me, 395 download, around 100 up.

Xx

I’m not sure about. “International “ Internet speed, but recently I got tired of my wi-fi router needing rebooting multiple times per day, so I had fiber installed in my condo. TMN Pattaya. There was an installation fee, a cost for the modem, and three month’s service up front. I think all that was about 8,000 baht. Anyway, it’s fast and, so far, it works flawlessly, even with a VPN routed through the U.S.

How about a U.S. based growth and income fund? There are tons of them. Surely there must be a way for a Thai person to invest in these. For example, look up JP Morgan Growth and Income funds. The long term charts look good. Set it and forget it. Let someone else worry about the day to day stuff.

Please ignore this. I can be a real scatterbrained at times. I was putting the card into the ATM backwards.

And that would normally be the case. But considering the circumstances, anything is possible. Or, should I say anything was possible. Sentencing has been delayed.

Are all the KBank ATMs out of order today, or is it just the ones near me?

Since when does Amazon care what kind of credit card you use? As for a return of the dollar to 38 baht? You never know. From what I know of the U.S. economy, the dollar is being devalued, and that doesn’t bode well for a return to 38 any time soon. Anyway, I certainly don’t know any about the Thai economy, really. Could there be another Asian financial crisis? Nothing would surprise me. I can imagine the baht at 25. I can also imagine it at 45. Fortunately, I’d be ok, either way.

Over time, even the value of gold has fluctuated. For example, if there was a big gold strike, that would increase the supply and thus decrease the value a bit. Consider Bitcoin. There’s a fixed supply of that. No more can ever be made. That’s the attraction.

The theory is that while the price of gold will fluctuate, the “value” remains relatively stable. For example, the cost of a quality men’s suit = one oz of gold.

Gold has been “real money” for thousands of years, but the US closed the gold window in 1971. The dollar is now backed by only the full faith and credit of the government.. Countries now use fiat currencies backed by nothing. Gold has been derided as a “useless relic.” Of course, this arrangement allows central banks to create money out of thin air. The problems with that process are obvious. The world is now awash in debt that cannot be repaid. Currency fluctuations are related to debt and interest rates, military power, trade patterns, etc. So you can use gold as a measure if you want, but even the gold price is manipulated, at least in the commodity market.

Multiple factors involved. There’s not much sense worrying too much about it, other than to note typical trading ranges. I get US dollars, so that alone is enough to concern me somewhat. We’re looking at lower interest rates a weaker dollar and continued fiscal irresponsibility. And to top it all off, some, people are looking for a less than peaceful change of power. The country has been flooded with millions of so-called asylum seekers, and National Guard troops are now policing the NYC subway system, or at least that’s the official seas to why they’re there. Supposedly, if there’s to be a decline in the value of the dollar, that decline will be gradual. It’s still the world reserve currency and for now, there’s no replacement in sight.

You can lead a horse to water….

You might want to consult an estate planning attorney to see what your options are on the house. Perhaps you could quitclaim the house to the kids while retaining a life estate. You get the house for the rest of your life and when you die, the kids have it. As for federal taxes? I think the kids get a stepped up basis as of your date of death? Or perhaps a stepped up basis as of the date the house is quitclaimed. Off the top of my head I don’t remember, but in any event, there’s a tax benefit.

For sure, some doctors may be unwilling to accept Medicare patients, but in my experience, that’s not usually the case, especially in most parts of the U.S. What seems to be a bit more common is the situation where the doctor will not accept assignment. Instead, you’re on the hook for the entire amount, and it’s up to you to file the claim for reimbursement. Mostly, though, doctors will see Medicare patients and will accept assignment, because Medicare makes payment for the allowed amount almost immediately. The doctor doesn’t have to worry about billing the patient. Anyway, the one provider that will for sure not see Medicare patients is the Mao Clinic. It seems strange, right? Even if you’re willing to pay the entire bill out of pocket, they won’t see you. At least that was the case the last time I looked.

A good phone will work fine.

That brings up another point. If it’s not what you want and it didn’t cost much, sure. Just donate it. But some things on Amazon are expensive. For example, just today I was looking at a camera. Just the camera body, without the lens, was about $2198.00. A lens could easily be another $600. I’m not sure I’d order that from Amazon.

Sometimes, I think the working girls insist on holding their customers’ hand simply as a way of telling the world that the guy is just a customer and not a boyfriend. Then again, maybe it’s an Asia thing.

For me, it depends on what I’m trying to buy. If it something I can buy locally and it’s easy to do so, then why not? After all, with Amazon there can be a delivery fee and hefty taxes. On the other hand, some things on Amazon are delivered free and aren’t taxed. So if it’s something specific that I can’t find anywhere else, I’ll order it from Amazon. Click a few buttons and it’s on the way. Another thing. Amazon isn’t foolproof. Sometimes, you don’t get what you paid for. Then what? Send the item back?

I think I implied that. The Fed doesn’t want the system to implode, so they’ll cut rates.