Etaoin Shrdlu

Those statistics are for national debt, not US government debt. National debt includes corporate and individual debt, state and local government debt, etc. If we are going to compare Thailand's central government debt of about 60% of GDP, then the appropriate figure to use would be the US Federal government's debt as percent of US GDP, which is about 125%.

US government debt is about 125% of GDP. https://www.ceicdata.com/en/indicator/united-states/government-debt--of-nominal-gdp#:~:text=United States Government Debt: % of GDP,-1969 - 2022 | Quarterly&text=United States Government debt accounted,Mar 1969 to Jun 2022.

No, and foreigners with work permits and well-paying jobs often don't, either.

I looked at UOB Thailand's website and it appears that only corporate accounts can send or receive international remittances. I wonder what's behind that. After my Citibank account is migrated to UOB, if this requirement applies, I won't be keeping the UOB account.

UOB bought Citibank's retail operations in the region including here in Thailand and are in the process of integrating them into UOB's operations. I think this may be the reason UOB won't transfer to Citibank although I have not been advised that transfers into my Citibank account here can't be completed.

I used to get snail mail Nigerian scam letters back in the '90s. I suspected the Nigerian princes got contact details from one of the foreign chamber of commerce directories here or perhaps a business card that was misplaced or passed along. Nowadays I get recorded phone messages that start "Praisanee Thai......." and also SMSs that inform me that my loan application has been approved by a bank with which I have no relationship.

I was able to open an account at Chase several years ago using my Thai address and phone number. I can transfer funds from my Chase account in the US to my Thai bank account online. I believe these transfers use the SWIFT system.

Since the FATCA rules came into force, foreign financial institutions, including life insurance companies, are required to report Americans' accounts to the IRS. This includes whole life policies. There may be thresholds below which some financial institutions don't report Americans' accounts, but I'm not sure about this. You were probably asked to sign the W9 because you are the owner of the policy. Your wife may be the beneficiary for the death benefit, but you likely own the policy and the cash value in the policy belongs to you. My understanding is that a whole life insurance policy's cash value counts towards the $10,000 threshold for reporting under FINCEN 114 forms (FBAR) and the policy itself is considered a financial account just like a bank account. When it comes to taxes, I think the increase in the cash value that is attributable to earnings is reportable as income when filing taxes. There may be some difficulty in determining how much of the increase in the cash value is due to premium contributions (probably not taxable) and how much is due to investment income (taxable). Not all life insurers will split this out, making exact reporting difficult. I am not a tax professional, so you would need to seek expert advice if you have concerns. The above is only my understanding and may not be entirely correct or complete.

AIA Thailand is a life insurance company and they will only provide medical insurance benefits as an extension of a life insurance policy. Most life policies sold by AIA in Thailand are whole life policies that have a cash value. Since it appears that you are interested in tax compliance, you might wish to look into the US tax treatment and reporting requirements surrounding non-US whole life insurance policies.

Most Thai insurers will insure a vehicle for 1st class cover for about ten years or so. There may be some variation between insurers and it may depend upon the make and model to some extent, but yes, most Thai insurers will eventually stop offering 1st class insurance at some point as the vehicle ages.

I've always wanted to better understand what exactly Trump did in this regard. To me, this seems to be one of the weakest elements for prosecuting him. For property taxes, assessed value is typically used. For insurance purposes, replacement value is the norm. For bank loans, it may be appropriate to use estimated market value. In most instances, these would be quite different numbers. But perhaps New York laws state differently. I don't know. When it comes to bank loans, especially given the amounts involved, I would expect a bank to only accept an appraisal or valuation from a credible, disinterested appraisal company, not the borrower's own numbers. I would also expect that Trump would include a disclaimer if he submitted values stating something like "these are the estimated values we present for your review, however we do not warrant their accuracy. Conduct your own due diligence" or something to that effect. Perhaps I've missed explanations that would clarify the above. In any event, don't mistake my remarks above for support of DJT.

I am not quite sure what to think. I've had similar delays when sending my tax returns to the IRS by registered mail. It could be a number of things: 1) Louis DeJoy demolishing the USPS in general (possible). 2) Deliberate side-tracking of SSA-bound mail (less likely, but I suppose is possible). 3) Issues with how registered mail is handled and the paperwork/custody involved (more likely) 4. Issues with CBP and how they clear inbound mail. (possible) 5. All of the above to greater or lesser extent (most likely).

On July 9th, I advised the FBU as follows: "Please see attached completed Form 7162. I will be mailing the original to SSA in Wilkes-Barre. Kindly note the applicable SSA records accordingly." FBU's reply: "Good morning,Thank you for sending the completed SSA 7162. There is no need to mail the original form in Wilkes-Barre office. Best regards. Social Security Administration – Federal Benefits Unit" In spite of the FBU's advice, I sent the first 7162 by registered mail on 19 July to Wilkes-Barre. The letter reached the USPS international receiving facility on July 30th but was not delivered to Wilkes-Barre until October 3rd. It apparently sat for two months upon arrival. Since I did receive the second notice, I can only conclude that Wilkes Barre was unable to process my 7162 between receipt on October 3 and the printing of the second request on October 27th. I mailed the second 7162 by regular airmail late last week. Still no sign of a 7161 for my daughter's benefits.

$170.10 is the Part B premium for 2022. It will actually go down by $5.20 for next year to $164.90. Looks like you were enrolled for both Part A and Part B when you turned 65. Perhaps you were signed up automatically for both Part A and Part B when you did nothing. When I requested that my Social Security benefits started at age 65, I was asked if I wanted to sign up for Medicare at the same time. I stated that I only wanted Part A and that's what I was enrolled in. I went through this with the Manila FBU. I don't know if one can un-enroll from Part B. Let us know how you get on with the SSA.

I pay nothing for Part A. I did not sign up for Part B as I do not expect to repatriate to the US.

Yes.

I have LINE on my desktop computer, my iPad and my Android phone, all using the same LINE account, but the iPad and Android have different SIM cards/phone numbers. My Android phone has the phone number I'm registered with. LINE does not log me out of my Android phone, but if I log into my iPad, I'm automatically logged out of my desktop and vice-versa.

Medicare Part A does not require payment of a premium and you should enroll at 65 during your enrollment period. I am not aware of any reason not to do so during your enrollment period at age 65. If you don't sign up for Part B when you enroll in Part A when you turn 65, you will be assessed a penalty of 10% of the premium amount for each 12 month period that you did not take Part B and pay the premium if/when you subsequently sign up for Part B. There are also restrictions on when you can enroll in Part B, so a return to the US will take planning if you want to be covered for Part B from the moment of your return.

I received the second request on Thursday. I sent the first 7162 to Wilkes Barre on July 19th by registered mail. Thai Post shows that it was received at Wilkes Barre on October 3rd. I guess it did not get entered into the system in time to prevent the second notice going out on the 27th. I mailed the second 7162 by regular airmail yesterday. Still no 7161 for my daughter. Perhaps she was not selected for one.

I don't know if mainstream consumer shops like Homepro or online merchants would carry something like this. I think you might need a specialty plumbing company. I see that some swimming pool suppliers and marine supply shops have some types of non-return valves, but these might not be the answer if you're just looking to prevent rats and snakes getting into a PVC drain pipe. https://swimmingpoolsthailand.com/en/232-check-valves-non-return-valves https://asap-marine.com/en/non-return-check-valves

Check valve or perhaps non-return valve.

I opened an account with Chase just over four years ago when I was visiting the US. I do not have an address or phone number in the US and Chase was fine using my Thai address and phone number. I had to show them my passport and a bank statement with my Thai address. I think an SSA letter with my Thai address would have been ok in lieu of a bank statement. Chase sent a box of checks and a debit card by courier to me here in Bangkok. I had an unauthorized transaction on my account once and requested a new debit card. Chase sent the replacement by courier to me here. I use the Chase app on my phone with my Thai SIM card and log on to their website using my computer without VPN.

You won't receive a 7162 if the address you have on file with the SSA is a US address and your payments are sent to a US bank. If you use a Thai address, you'll get one every year under normal circumstances.