Keeps

If the potential renter is that determined to reside in Thailand there are probably other ways he could do so, regardless of being refused a Visa from his local Thai Embassy. Depending on which country he comes from, he could arrive visa exempt or VOA and explore obtaining the pertinent Visa whilst in Thailand. Sounds like a time waster to me making excuses. Possibly found a cheaper or preferred alternative elsewhere.

Well, I read it and at least it's useful information. Unlike the pi$$ing competition between two of the posters earlier in the thread.

Exactly. They can make one large Chang last all day while it is constantly being topped up by dirty water being chucked at them.

I admire the persistence! I just hope that whatever you were having a punt on was a winner

I use Express VPN and can never access my Will Hill account, even when I change UK location. Sky Bet can be hit and miss and sometimes need to change the location a few times before it lets me log on. Have no problem whatsoever accessing my Paddy's account.

That chicken looks very tasty. Good job Mrs. a3tsw

Excellent summarisation. There is a provision for savings to be taken into account and a "combination" method is acceptable.

I believe that the level of £18,600 was originally set in 2012 and has never been increased. Over the last 10 years inflation has equated to 48%. Just taking this into account would raise the level to around £27,500 so the NEW proposed amount of £29,000 would not appear to be too unreasonable.

Twiglets when I can get them. Relatively healthy as a snack as they are baked rather than fried. Not too heavy on the calories but probably not a healthy amount of salt. Delicious though with a cold beer.

What I meant and was probably quite clear to most non pedants is that I have applied for the most appropriate Visa for my planned trip and length of stay.

Your recent experience is how it should be and differs from the experience of the original OP. Neither here nor there regarding the "good value", it's about the price differential. Probably why he started the thread in the first place. By the way, I'm glad your experience was positive and hope you are well on the way to recovery from your surgery.

Before I waste precious time ploughing through endless photos, are there any of lovelies dressed up in sexy santa outfits?

Yes. Do the same rules apply to private medical centres as opposed to public hospitals? I think this is about the principles/fairness rather than the suggested tier pricing differential.

This topic has nothing to do with the comparable price for the same treatment between Thailand and USA. It has everything to do with the 20% load being applied for the same treatment between a Thai national and a foreigner.

I currently visit Thailand 3 times per year, equally spaced, for 60/90 days per trip with a SETV. Never a problem with the Visa being issued by the London Thai Embassy as long as all the paperwork in order. I usually apply within a few days of returning from Thailand. Rarely questioned by an IO when entering Thailand in Bangkok. I think the IO's acknowledge that you have gone the correct route and obtained a visa appropriate for your proposed length of stay rather than the visa exempt/extension route. You should not have any problem with your plan.

Same here. In my younger years I was a growth investor. Over the last couple of years I have realised some large profits from holding growth funds for many years and have reinvested in UK based financials paying dividends of 8-10% which now provide me with an income. I still maintain holdings in growth areas but am rebalancing the portfolio to provide a growing income.

Totally disagree. Long term investing is exactly that, investing. Yes, there can be up's and downs but over any, say, 10 year period it is almost certain you will show a profit based on a balanced, diversified portfolio. Certainly more than holding cash would return, even with the current attractive interest rates. We are not talking day trading here - that certainly is gambling. What would your interpretation of an investment be? Don't say bricks and mortar as the value of that can also fluctuate over a given period. Not that I'm saying Property is not a sound investment long term. Will be interested to know your definition of an investment.

I was certainly not aware of the 90 days cumulative stay within a 6 month period rule. There had previously been untrue rumours of being limited to 180 days within a one year period. Perhaps this is just a rule applied by the Thai embassy in Canada? They then do go on to say:- However, the visa exemption scheme is at the sole discretion of the immigration bureau. The Royal Thai Embassy cannot confirm the extension and the entry Hopefully, one of the resident Visa specialists will be along soon to shed some light on this.

I personally find the disposal of my "losers" the most difficult part of investing. It's like you need to admit you made a mistake in that particular investment. The need to hang on until it bounces back or breaks even or kidding yourself that the dividends are masking the losses. Luckily, I don't have too many of these but happy to admit I have some. Most of us see no problem in taking some profit from our "winners" rather than letting the full amount ride. Why the shame then in crystallising a loss now and again? That investment that is showing a 25% loss could be working profitably for you elsewhere and make up the shortfall in a reasonable amount of time. I never berate myself for investing too little or too much in any one investment. I ensure that I never have more than 5% of capital in any one fund/share. If a "winner" starts to exceed that amount then I mostly trim back and reinvest in a "lagger" (as long as it is still a sound investment choice) often at an attractive price.

Agree - very rarely adds to one of his own threads after the initial post or acknowledges replies.

I reckon it's TransAm... Where has he been lately? Self imposed exile or a "holiday" due to the constant bickering with bigknobhead?

I wasn't very good at golf. I used to quite enjoy hacking around but found the game very frustrating. I thought I was doing exactly the same thing for two identical shots but with wildly different outcomes. My friend who was quite able and played off 5 said I had one of the best swings he had ever seen. Don't count for much though when you can't get the ball to go where you want it to. I stick with watching it on TV now with a financial interest to make it more enjoyable.

You do know that you may have to pay double time if you want someone to come around and service the Mrs. on Christmas Day?

I've got the Mrs. one of these but am telling her it's a robot vacuum cleaner....