CartagenaWarlock

6 hours ago, GypsyT said:

But that protection is not free; Fees are going up every year or so. Cards used to be free.

There are hundreds of no-fee credit cards with mileage points. I have a few dozen.  

9 hours ago, NE1 said:

What I was trying to say , is that the matter is subjective , 

Ok, got it. Lacking writing skills. 

Just now, Ravi98008 said:

Appreciate your reply.    I would rather take the visa extension stamp expiring the same date as my passport march 6 th 2025.  Because I will have plenty of time in 2024 to get a renewed USA passport while I have a valid visa from immigration office through 2025.  What would I do if I don't get a renewed USA passport back from Bangkok Thailand USA embassy before March 2024.  

I don't believe it takes three months to get a new passport. 

15 hours ago, NE1 said:

Just another subjective " best / most beautiful " etc.

No actual proof .

These types of statistics are collected based on surveys of populations in their tribe (or group). Why do you need proof of that? 

On 12/11/2023 at 6:00 AM, Startmeup said:

You can work another 5-10 years after which time you have 200k per month.

It could be as high as another ten years but if you are lucky it might only be 5 years, This isn't predictable. 

Do you take the 100k per month now or put your head down and double your income in the coming years for a much more comfortable life?

Pros/Cons

It is the same thing for US social security. If delayed, you get more. My ss.gov website shows my FRA at current prices is $3,400, and at 70 it will be $4200. Should I delay it to 70 or take it out at FRA? Another tidbit similar to this concept. In the US, you can take out a reverse mortgage for up to 80% (imagine somebody has a house in California worth 800,000 USD. He is sitting on half a million dollars of cash from your house's current value, or you can sell future equity in your house, and the amount depends on the current interest rate and your age. What would you do? 

On 12/13/2023 at 12:05 AM, GypsyT said:

Sending CC by mail is so risky because US banks still don't use PIN code! When I demand they give a number it but the card still works without it.

But they have the world's best fraud protection. By US law, all cards (including Visa and MasterCard-branded debit cards) have a maximum fraud liability of $50. Due to competition, the banks offer zero-liability cards. One phone call, and the charges are removed. Once, I lost my card in a Bangkok hotel, and someone charged me 80,000 baht purchasing gold. I made one call, and the charges were removed. It happened multiple times in the US and UK and all charges were removed. 

On 12/10/2023 at 3:51 PM, 2baht said:

When the top 1% control 66% of the country's wealth, what would you expect! You would be fooled to think Buddha encouraged greed! 

Is it not the same thing throughout the world? No wonder people have to travel 10,000 miles to live like refugees in a foreign land, possibly using a "wify" visa, even though they are lucky enough to earn dollars.

I have a question about these mail-forwarding services. Do you notify all your credit cards and banks, the SS office, the driver's license office, etc. about your new mail forwarding address? I have used them in the past to forward my business correspondences (long time ago, even checks people sent to me) to these virtual mail boxes. 

OP had a simple solution. Get a "wify" visa in Savannakhet and enter or exit as many times as you want. Instead, OP wanted to take short cuts by entering visa exempt multiple times. 

Just now, DonniePeverley said:

At the mall today, i saw 4-5 flag wavers leading huge groups around the mall (mind they weren't buying anything).

At the VAT refund counters at the airport, I only see Chinese. That means they are buying.  I also see Russians packed in the post office, sending winter clothes and shoes to Russia. 

On 9/17/2023 at 11:49 PM, lordgrinz said:

I pay US taxes every year, they do not look the other way, ever! So, you'll have to elaborate on your simplistic response.

You pay Thai taxes first and then deduct your payment from your US tax obligation. If you claim to pay taxes in the US, it should not be a problem. But if you don't pay any taxes in the US, then it's a problem. 

17 hours ago, clearance said:

What do we get in Thailand paying taxes?

You get a decent living that you can't get in your home country, and you possibly can't get a wife to live with you using a "wify" visa.  

23 hours ago, FritsSikkink said:

So you bribed an immigration officer to get a visa and are asking now why this doesn't work anymore?

You don't get a visa, you only get an extension by sharing your fortune with the unfortunates who don't have access to earning dollars. 

I have sold two condos in the US but kept the house I bought a long time ago. During the summer, it needs yard maintenance. After receiving a fine from the city for having tall grass in the yard, I hired a company to mow once per month from April to November. I don't rent it. I used to rent my condos to AirBNB using an AirBNB management company for 25% of the full service. Great investment during the low interest rate in the past. You put down 5% and get the condo, and then rent it on AirBNB. My condos were in Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale. The house is in IL, which I still own. 

7 hours ago, wpcoe said:

Using the US, a person with $40,000,000 is a millionaire.  So is a person with $1,000,000.

 

In Thailand, a person with B40,000,000 is a millionaire.  Is a person with B1,000,00 a millionaire, too?

Are you jealous that you had to travel 10,000 miles to live at the mercy of a foreign IO like a refugee, possibly using a "wify" visa, because you could neither get a woman at your age nor a decent living in your home country and had to travel 10,000 miles to find both? 

17 hours ago, Mike Lister said:

simply because that would present a existential risk to the US who would have no choice but to get involved.

If Russia takes over Europe, there is no existential threat to the US but US would get involved if a NATO country is attacked. 

8 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

The Thai banks know exactly who is a resident and who isn’t and they are already deducting a flat rate (20%) tax from the vast majority of foreigners, the only way to get interest from the bank without paying tax is to go in and give them your Thai tax ID number.

Comparing the interest rate deduction to money brought to Thailand is not the same. Interest rates are accrued when money is kept in the account. If you withdraw it immediately after a deposit in the account, there is no interest or deduction. Moreover, they deduct for every person, whether you stay 180 days or not. 

On 12/3/2023 at 4:40 PM, Rampant Rabbit said:

Does this mean when I see Thais and the garbage they throw everywhere especially out in the  boonies I can justifably  carry an iron bar?

Please do so and see the consequences. You're not a Thai; in fact, you're nobody. You are a refuge in your own society and cannot get a decent living in your own country. You had to travel 10,000 miles to live in a foreign land at their mercy. Most probably also using a "wify" visa. 

On 12/6/2023 at 10:55 PM, nickmondo said:

Having said that..........TIT.   they might just deduct 35% tax from everything we send over and let us fight to get it back.

This will not work. The bank cannot charge 35% tax (tax is progressive, not a flat rate). Banks do not know who is a resident or a non-resident. Banks will vigorously oppose it.

7 hours ago, MicroB said:

That means that GDP will decline, as there are less workers, infrastructure will crumble as there are less workers etc. But that's the future you might want for the UK.

GDP depends on productivity, not the number of workers. When machines take over, less population is not an issue. A smaller population will also require less infrastructure. The issue is maintaining a stable population so that a group does not vanish in the future. 

On 12/4/2023 at 12:46 PM, theblether said:

In effect, it will shut down spousal immigration.

Not going to shut down the immigration of skilled workers from India. It is going to only shut down low-income immigrants from bringing their spouses, and they will double down on bringing them illegally.