cmarshall

4 minutes ago, ivor bigun said:

Yes by having them ,there are just to many people now .

Facile, but unpersuasive.  The millenial generation is, in 2019, almost exactly equal to the boomers at about 72 million each.  So, they were just replacements.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

OK, boomer!

The truth is in the U.S. anyway there are lots of boomer generation people that have not been so fortunate. Male suicide rates among somewhat older men are at historically high rates. 

Our incomes went up, but so did our risk as companies and governments forced risk upon us as detailed in Jacob Hacker's "The Great Risk Shift: The New Economic Insecurity and the Decline of the American Dream."

1 minute ago, Jingthing said:

No. In the tech field but not coding. Will say no more. 

Sympathies.  There were lots of folks who were out for a while, but I haven't heard many stories of 80% drops in income.

6 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I retired at age 66, and would still like to be working if I could. I was fortunate in enjoying the work and career I had. The last 8 years  I was only working 2 days a week, while still being well paid.

I would be a dinosaur in my particular field now, due to progress. I consider I worked in a golden age for meaningful employment, and sympathize with milennials with degrees who can only get menial casual work.

We boomers had the best of everything: higher ed was accessible and cheap, jobs easy to get along with incomes that rose in real terms, and we could all own a home.  We were surfing in our own wake.  We surpassed both our parents and the younger generation.

The millenials are screwed in every way.  Did we do it to them?

38 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

That's kind of specific. If a person has a million in savings, they've got a very good income stream based on the four percent withdrawal method. 

JT, is there some reason you prefer to generalize from the 90th percentile, rather than, say, number closer to the median?  

Anyway, the statistic cited was from the 70's, so not worth arguing about.

Also, I am curious enough about your US occupation to take a stab in the dark.  Mortgage broker?

https://cdn.dqydj.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/net_worth_retirees_2016.png

36 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

I have the income stream to remain even at 62 it should be the 65k govt requires but I've well over 800k banked. Could be higher.

 

We travel to US often. She's been at least half dozen times. Yes to your answer but we are doing better here insofar as salaries. She would never be able to bank 10k a month in US. Same with me, I'd never get a job at 60 I can bank what I do. Then all the trips...

 

BUT as you pointed out the concern over health care and insurance. I can claim Medicare but I'll have to buy her insurance till 65. It's a real concern. Thing is even if I can buy insurance I really don't trust the companies to pay on it and if they did per chance not dump you.

 

I've sized up costs and it's about the same for basics. US wins hands down for quality of life and home structure. We would horribly miss the islands here though. Thailand still is imo about 25% cheaper when everything is considered imo.

 

Wife is very willing to go to US but she's more down on it in past years as I've explained how expensive it all is. She's now been enough times to see that as well.

 

Finally, her parents mid 70s and even if we did go to USA she's 15 years younger and no family there so she's back here when I'm dead and gone anyway.

 

It kills me not to be able to own property, a home and the horrible builds of condos which are also 50% overpriced.

 

I wasn't inquiring about meeting the income requirements for your visa, but funding your cost of living when your salary income stops at retirement.  Will you qualify for US Social Security benefits?

Not to be impolite, but the monthly saving you specify is presumably 10k thai baht, not USD, correct?  Some US financial planners describe an adequate level of assets to fund retirement as being the range of 20 to 30 times expected annual expenses, assuming SS benefits are available.  What is your own thinking about how much you will need in savings/investment whether for the US or Thailand?

Just now, Jingthing said:

That statistic is not correct about the 3 percent. It is much higher a percentage that have significant assets to draw down upon and/or income streams like rental properties to supplement social security (for Americans.) But the theme is correct … a shockingly high percentage of people do only have government pension income. 

I didn't say it was correct, then or now, but the statistic was about an income stream, not assets.  I doubt if the percentage of Americans who own income-producing real estate is more than 3%, but I don't know.

Social Security, designed to replace no more than about 40% of pre-retirement income, is an old age anti-poverty insurance program, not a pension.  Although both are annuities, pensions are typically designed to replace 70% or more of pre-retirement income.  

During my 25 years of working in mostly mid-sized, but one large company, I never personally observed anyone retire.  

23 minutes ago, Number 6 said:

43 but I was only five months in Pattaya the rest traveling in and outside Thailand. At 51 I got married which I swore I'd never do. At 52+ I started teaching so we could stay in BKK. I was going crazy from boredom. Wife has a decent job and I did not want to take her from that. Shockingly after ten years it was not difficult to regain my work ethic. First few years very rough, but I enjoy teaching for the most part. Ive really had some great students and changed a few lives for which I'm proud. I make good money. Prolly quit at 62-65. Move to South Thailand or back to USA.

 

Bangkok not a pleasant city. Especially in last ten years, five years.

 

 

Now having to think about the wife present and future I'm behind the curve financially because part of the retirement plan was no wife, no kids. But it will work out as long as US economy doesn't take a dump in next ten years - asking a lot, I know. The savings from teaching is helping. Not burning cash and banking good money. We live cheap and will do so as long as we're in BKK.

 

 

If I may ask, would your Thai wife be willing and able to relocate to the US late in life?  Without having paid into Medicare during her working years, would she be able to enroll in Medicare?  Would you?  What about Social Security?

It has seemed to me that Americans who expatted to low-income Thailand during their working years would have a particularly tough time retiring up the cost-of-living gradient to the US.

thaieasyelec.com appears to sell the genuine article.  I have done business with them in the past with no problems.

Xiaomi now offers an Air Purifier 3, which is comparable to the 2s in size and price, but covers 20% more area with some other minor improvements.  The 3 could compete with the Pro at a lower price point.  

On 12/6/2019 at 2:29 AM, Elkski said:

He is <deleted>!!  It will be a big settlement and should be imho. 

Although I would like to see a large judgment against Musk, I don't think it is likely.  The harm to Unsworth, though indefensible, does not appear to have been large.

The purpose of a punitive judgment exceeding harm done to Unsworth would be as a credible deterrent to Musk and his ilk.  A few thousand dollars would just the the price of cheap entertainment for Musk.

6 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

It seems Mr. Musk is too proud to just say something like: I made a big mistake in that moment. I apologize and I will never do it again. And of course I will compensate Mr. Unsworth for the trouble I caused.

It would be simple. But no, Mr. Musk doesn't do such things. Hopefully the judge orders him to do a couple of months social service. Maybe that would bring him a little nearer to planet earth.

The case is a civil suit for damages, not a criminal case.  A guilty verdict would require damages for the plaintiff.

Tops Chidlom will make a free delivery with a minimum order of THB 1500.  Gourmet Market at Siam Paragon requires a minimum order of THB 10,000.  shoponline.villamarket.com charges THB 90 for a delivery, but has no minimum.

27 minutes ago, dddave said:

My only criticism of my Xiaomi M2 is the necessity of connecting it to a Xiaomi mobile app for maximum effectiveness.

 

Although my Xiaomi 2s air purifier is working fine and communicates with the smartphone app, the same cannot be said for other Xiaomi iot devices in my home, such as the desk lamp and induction cooker.  Both of these devices work fine, but no longer communicate with the app, which reduces their functionality.  I was happy with these products, but don't think I would buy another iot device from Xiaomi.

Or, better still, set your preferred search engine to duckduckgo.com.  English only and your searches are not tracked.

Evernote has the advantage that you can easily make voice notes.  As long as you only use it on two devices it's free.  

Most reliable way to send an envelope from US to Thailand if money is no object is by DHL, which has a greater market penetration in Thailand than Fedex.

I have never seen a head that so naturally belonged on a pike as Rees-Mogg's.

OP might consider getting the passport card if he doesn't already have one.  Very useful in Thailand since Thais are disposed to accept an id card in most situations calling for id.