CartagenaWarlock

Just now, JimGant said:

Are you a US citizen? If so, why do you think your total tax bill, between both countries, will be higher than if the pre 2024 Thai tax rules were still in effect?

Yes. I don't want to mess with Thai bureaucracy. In two more years, I will start getting my SS, which at the current rate will be around $3,300. If I bring 2K, I can declare everything from my SS, which will be tax free. Now I bring the same amount from my 401(K), and I also have other income from my part-time consulting job.  It will be simpler when I get my SS. 

I have a few options. I have already spent 2.5 months in Thailand this year. Now I'm in the US. I will spend another two months in Thailand; I am not sure when. My plan was to spend more time in Thailand than my usual six months, but that is not going to happen unless I start drawing my SS in 2026. I am thinking about spending two/three months in India. Now it is boiling everywhere in South and Southeast Asia. After that, the monsoon will come. So, looks like I'm stuck in the US for now.

9 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

Basically, you would transfer the funds from your home bank account to WISE (how to find the routing number or whatever is required), then it gets deposited into a WISE account you set up to "hold" home currency, then you send the home currency in Thai baht to your Thai bank through WISE?  Is that sort of what we're talking about here?

Assuming you are from the US, create a US dollar account in the Wise. You can see their routing and your account number. It is a checking account. Go to your US bank and set up a transfer using the routing and account number. Your US bank will make two micro-deposits in your Wise US dollar account. Verify the two microdeposits in your bank account, and then transfer the money to your wise US dollar account. The money will be in your Wise account the following day. After that, you can transfer money to any account (Thai bank) from your Wise US dollar account. 

7 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

So, you have been paying 100k USD for a passport. You know that you almost get one for free based on your own nationality, right? Must be wanted. Have a red notice? 

Yes, I have four passports. 100K is less than 3% when I wanted to hide 3 million from patent trolls. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolt_(company)

9 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

This is concerning an agent telling a customer they must pay 1000 THB for submission of a TM30 every time they return from a trip outside of Thailand. I haven't asked her yet if the agent is giving her a new receipt or not. This appears to be an agent charging for an unnecessary service to fleece my friend who is relying on this agent for her immigration business.

TM 30 is stapled to your passport and tells you the date when it was registered. 

Just now, arick said:

I have one question for you how would an agent know that your TM30 is up to date or not they don't have access to the landlord's online site? So again somebody's making a big trick over you.

I wanted  a residence certificate, and the IO office informed me that my TM30 is not up-to-date. I need a new TM30. I came back and contacted an agent to register a new TM30. Moreover, TM30 is attached to your passport and anybody can check when it was registered. Mine was 5 or 6 years old. 

I registered my TM30 five years ago and never bothered to register again because I always come to the same address, at least officially. Last March, I wanted to get a MC license and was informed my TM30 was not up-to-date. I paid 500 baht to an agent and got it up-to-date. 

7 hours ago, TheAppletons said:

Getting pretty sick of WISE and their delay tactics.  

 

This month, another "micro-deposit, blah blah" will take a week to get your money transferred.  I need a better option than this.

@NoDisplayName suggested pushing money from your US account to their deposit account instead of pulling it. I tried it with the Wealthfront account, and it landed in their deposit account the next day. 

On 4/26/2024 at 7:50 AM, FruitPudding said:

Go woke, go broke.

Hmm. It blew first Q results in 2024 with $23.7 billion in profit on $80.5 billion in revenue. Now it's a two trillion dollar company. 

13 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

don't want to go all the way to North Pattaya again to buy one 

Nobody goes to North Pattaya from Jomtien to buy a fan. In fact, you can buy everything in Jomtien. There is no need to go to Pattaya for anything.

4 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

If you eat very cheap food and drink very cheap drinks, yes. If you like the finer things in life, it will be a lot more expensive

The finer things in life are expensive in any country. I spend 15K for food and 10K for weed. Except the breakfast, I order most of my food. Also, when you get older, I assume people tend to eat less. Sometimes I drink cocktails, and there may be another 2K/month. I don't sit in the bar from morning until midnight, drinking beer. That's how most people spend their money, I assume. 

I went to the full-money party in February. Nobody ever approached me to buy drugs. It was surreal. Overall, I enjoyed it. They don't have adequate public toilets compared to the crowd they get. I had to go to the weed shop every time I had to pee and buy a diet coke. 

Just now, Nemises said:

No one is saying cash is obsolete. It’s just no longer “king”. 

Cash is still king in the sense that it was used first, I believe. During a stock market crash, if you have cash, you can buy up beaten-down stocks. So it's still a king. However, for day-to-day purchases, a credit card provides more advantages than cash. 

20 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Anybody actually used Google Wallet? if so which shops accept it?

I use it extensively in the US but have never tried it in Thailand. Maybe I will give it a try. I'm not sure of the advantage, though. In Thailand I just pull out my CC and wave it. In the US, I can use it for online ordering, in restaurant, etc. I have not tried in supermarket in the US. I remember using it in Taipei once while ordering some foods from a table inside the restaurant. 

I rented a MC in Samui, and she asked for my passport and DL. I told her I didn't have a passport. She was surprised but insisted on seeing my passport. I told her I had lost it. She wanted to see the police report. I said I was going to the police station now. She wanted to see my Thai DL which I had and showed it. But she wanted to keep it. I asked what would happen if the police stopped me and asked for my license. She gave me her card and told me to call her, but I must be wearing a helmet. I agreed and gave her my license. 

8 hours ago, freeworld said:

I think even CH makes a lot of noise, at the end of the day they also toe the US and EU line when it comes to international finances and trading.

Cooperating with the US and EU does not mean kowtowing to their demands to punish other countries. As China and India have shown, they don't care this foolish financial punishment of Russia. They will buy their oil from Russia and Iran using their own currencies. And what they want is to strengthen that and other trades without dollars in the future. 

16 hours ago, Padthaigoong said:

Line man and Grab deliver to Jomtien very cheaply.

I think the last time I used them it was 30 baht to deliver to Jomtien from central Pattaya.

I don't like McDonald's delivery because the fries become soggy, and I don't like it.