Leveraged

Evergrandes problems are already effecting most US indexes in a negative way. I personally hope it all falls down. The US stock market has been ridiculously overpriced for a while now, fueled by Biden’s unnecessary trillions pumped into the US economy, which is both sending inflation through the roof and creating a precarious position for any investors, especially those on the verge of retirement. 
 

There’s a serious market correction on the horizon and all it’s going to take to trigger it is an issue like  Chinese corruption and market manipulation into the fray to send it all down for a while. 
 

For long term investors like me it’s a boon as I still have a while in the market before it matters, so I can keep buying in and the low potential prices are great - if/when they crash. 
 

For retirees relying on their portfolio right now? I’d be worried and cautious. For people with a long time horizon? Keep buying. 
 

Some cooling system basics because it looks like it’s needed:

Water cools the engine, not “coolant”. “Coolant” is added to the mix to resist corrosion and provide some lubrication, but it isn’t cooling the engine. Water is doing that. You can actually run 100% straight water in your system straight from the garden hose and the engine will stay cool just fine, but won’t last long as corrosion will set in etc. 

Coolant AKA ethylene glycol does raise the boiling point of water slightly, but the real workhorse of the operation is the radiator system pressure that raises the boiling point. Leaky cooling systems run hot because they don’t seal and can’t maintain pressure which lowers the boiling point and inhibits heat transfer. 
 

Either buy branded pre-mix or just make your own own at around 50/50 or 60/40 or read your owners manual for the appropriate ratio and rating. 

It’s hard to get the USA companies to issue a letter because the Thai gov wants it to be stupidly specific and use pointed wording. It’s also worth noting that USA insurance will probably not cover you for asymptomatic hospitalization so it’s almost better to get “covid insurance” 

I got mine through AXA and they’ve got a proven track record of actually covering people with covid both asymptomatic and symptomatic. 
 

You could always get a higher fare return ticket for say 60 days after arrival, then cancel and get a refund for the return leg, thereby only needing 2-3 months worth of insurance. I think mine when I did it like this was around 7k baht for 3 months with AXA. 
 

It’s actually not a bad idea to get this insurance considering all the tests you’ve got to take and the fact that they WILL put you in a private hospital for at least 2 full weeks if you fail one. 

Books absolutely murder any tv show or movie but it takes a certain kind of environment for me to be able to sit down and read. I usually read in bed at night to relax, but only a half hour or so before I fall asleep. 
 

The book reading environment is extremely hard for me to achieve so for that reason I don’t read as much as I’d like. Still get 4-5 novels in a year. 
 

Im 100% kindle

Anything Honda or Toyota will be a winner, but personally I couldn't live in Thailand without a pickup truck. 

We've always driven a double cab hilux and the baby carseat works flawlessly in the back. Toyota has "Isofix" mounting brackets for baby seats. Honda probably does too. 

2 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

Actually they are what is needed to apply for a certificate of entry (COE).

It reads like a list of whats needed in hand to actually travel to Thailand. 

Just says to bring all your documents for the airline to review upon check in. 

Aside from that you'd have to provide a link to the site where you are pulling the information to get the full context.

The only good option is 3BB. 1000mbps speed with their 3BB android tv box. 

https://fiber.3bb.co.th/en/3bb-giga-tv/#

You get all the HBO channels with this package as well. All the good channels that True dropped a while back. Live HBO channels plus the HBO app for on demand, plus regular tv all in one tv box. 

Or you can get an AIS SIM card and get their AIS PLAY app for an extra 200 baht a month. Download the AIS PLAY app on your smart TV or Android Box. But no HBO or super premium channels. 

Personally I have 3BB Giga TV with the Android Box and HBO and a AIS SIM with AIS PLAY on the same TV Box. 

To answer your question: I dont think you are going to have an easy time trying to find a local vet that will kill a perfectly healthy animal. Its a cultural thing. Its hard enough just finding a vet that will put a dog down with a terminal illness until the dog is damn near knocking on deaths door and suffering. 

Just post across facebook expat groups and local forums. Im positive the dog can find a good home as long as youre giving it away free and not looking for a profit. 

Certainly better than killing it. 

40 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

As long as I don't have a reentry permit I can come back to Thailand either visa exempt or with a single entry Non O before my original OA expires without showing health ins.

 

Sorry for beating a dead horse. As I stated at the beginning I'll have a month left on my OA when I return.

You should be able to easily contact the insurance company to get a replacement card, or at least an emailed official policy document that will suffice. 

You can also come in on a visa exempt, then swap over to a single entry non-O from within thailand, then extend the same non-O just like normal. Dont need to get the non-o before you arrive. It can easily be swapped within thailand. 

You also need the 3,000,000 Baht/$100,000 USD covid insurance for the COE process. 

This covid insurance MIGHT also satisfy your OA insurance requirement. One policy for both applications, but this is just a thought - someone would have to confirm this. 

If you set the oven at 190C and it only reaches 150C then maybe turn the dial up to 200C and see where the actual interior temp sits at and adjust accordingly. 

These glorified toaster ovens have always been hit or miss in regards to temp for me, and thats what Ive always done. Just adjust the temp knob until I get the desired interior temp and ignore what it actually says on the temp dial. 

1 minute ago, zenplay said:

Regarding the health insurance, what starting date should I ask ?

Immediate effect from the date of signing the contract. You dont have much time and you need the policy documents for proof. 

I would probably start by removing one lightbulb and then flipping the switch. If it trips out again, reinstall lightbulb and move down the line trying again.

Just now, Isaan sailor said:

If you’re an American, you can set up a TOD (terms of death) for your stocks or other instruments.  Then decide what % goes where.  And your heirs can take advantage of the Step Up Basis, to save big on cap gain taxes.  Even the current administration promised to save the Step Up Basis for the first million.

At the moment Im considering using a financial trustee to basically manage everything so that I can get every benefit possible in death while making the money last as long as possible for my wife, and once she dies, setup an accounts in my kids names to get them started off. 

One thing i dont want to do is have my death trigger a sell of all assets and then a large payout to beneficiaries. It'll just get burned through and wasted. It happens like this in like 90% of cases similar to this. 

Dedicated people who live within their means can turn 2-3 million into generational wealth if they stay the course. Problem is getting others to understand how it works and the safety net it provides over just blindly thinking "Im a millionaire!" and buying a condo in Miami with a G-wagon to drive around. 

3 minutes ago, Isaan sailor said:

Unfortunately, some truth to that.  Always been a stock investor.  Since retiring, I have rebalanced for more income, less growth.  Can’t quite get my Thai wife to understand investments in a foreign country.

You cant get most western people to understand the stock market. Its why the rich always get rich and the people in the rat-race rage-out all the time. 

Its also another aspect of retiring that I need to figure out because most of my retirement fund will be stock market investments and most people dont understand how it works, let alone my wife. Ill probably have to form some kind of managed trust handle paying her and my kids over X amount of time rather than a giant payout. 

3 hours ago, khunPer said:

You can find coverage of 600,000 baht inpatient, and 60,000 baht outpatient, with 200,000 baht self-risk for 29,700 baht a year renewable fixed price from age 76 till age 100, but you need to signup when not older than 75 years; it’s one of the O-A insurances, link HERE.

Should be noted that this is rather unreliable insurance with undefined payout requirements. They just say "Customary and reasonable medical charges will be eligibility after full deductible limit on your selected plan" which means they will review your claim on a case by case basis and its gonna be up to them. It'll get you into thailand but should not be relied upon for solid healthcare. It is better than nothing, for sure, but its also not much coverage in any case. 

4 minutes ago, 2009 said:

How people get to retirement age without even a one bedroom apartment (bought) in their home country is beyond me.

Theres a significant portion of the expat retiree community who completely sell up in their home country and take their liquidity to Thailand thinking they are saving and living cheaper with plans to live off modest pensions/annuity/returns. Which is true until you reach a certain point I guess, but it leaves you exposed and trapped if your money doesn't last. 

19 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

Planned for my retirement in my 20"s  and carry a health insurance policy that covers me anywhere in the world and presently pay lesss than $150 a month at 73. Cannot be cancelled because of age, health conditions.

Can you give any details of this policy and where you are getting it? 

My thoughts based on the top responses: 

1 ~ "My family will take care of me" - Ok, maybe, as long as you don't outlive your wife and don't mind being a burden on any children you may have by chaining them to your infirm living corpse until you die. Personally I would hate for my old self to be a burden holding my kids back from taking opportunities and living their lives and making a family of their own. 

2 ~ "Healthcare is cheaper and better quality than in the west" It statement is true until a point. This metric skews once you start needing serious healthcare on a constant basis. Most western government provided elderly healthcare starts really making itself worth it right at this point because it'll cover all of your expensive care in your later years. Stints? Covered. Replacement hip? Covered. Heartattack? Covered. Home nursing? Covered. Whereas Thailand's basic healthcare is cheap but REALLY adds up once you start needing constant care and have to pay for it all out of your retirement fund and pocket. IMO this camp hasn't really thought this one through. 

3 ~ "YOLO" - If you've spent your whole working life accumulating money for retirement and planning for the same, why on earth would you drop all foresight at the finish line and leave yourself open to possible disaster when you should be trying to protect yourself and your family the most?