JimGant

On 1/12/2023 at 7:41 PM, riclag said:

Just so you know during the filing season my accountant tried to use efile which was always successful in prior years but not this particular season!

Do you know why efile failed?

8 hours ago, jaywalker2 said:

Is that only for trading in an IRA or is for all online trading?

Makes sense that if trading mutual funds held in an IRA are restricted, then trading mutual funds outside an IRA would also be subject to the same restrictions, if your address is foreign. ETFs and individual stocks, I believe, have less restrictions.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:15 PM, Alphim said:

The D.I.Y would be O.K and acceptable to all parties?

Sure, if it's uncomplicated, like your Thai wife is sole heir and your executor -- and you only have one asset, like a bank account, that would be subject to probate. And there's no one out there that would contest your wife being sole heir. Plenty of discussion on this forum on how to avoid probate with a bank account (like, doing an online transfer by your heir to her online account before you head to the barbecue).

The DIY template offered earlier in this thread seems to me one of the better such templates I've seen, primarily due to its simplicity -- no need for a flowery, overly inclusive, with too many legal buzzwords -- to be an acceptable Thai Will.

On 1/14/2023 at 1:41 PM, Pib said:

All any visa agency will be able to do is hand-walk a person thru submitting the required docs online.

I hope not, because what's stopping me from applying is having to go to Bangkok, for at least the initial visa, then maybe for the five year follow-up requirement. Certainly a satellite BOI office, in the guise of agent, could accomplish all's that needed. Certainly if I can get a LTR visa from one of a hundred Thai embassies and consulates -- I should be able to get one from an agent established in the larger Thai cities, like Chiang Mai....

Certainly seems easy enough for BoI, especially if part of their target market includes Bangkok-adverse country bumpkins.

1 hour ago, Pib said:

I do hope that BOI has indeed had a change of heart about Tricare "and similar type of US govt sponsored insurance policies that provide worldwide coverage and do not have an end date/are basically open ended.

Yeah -- and any possibility that there could be an intragovernmental sameness and sanity policy on insurance, so that Tricare would now qualify for OA visa extensions? Probably not, as the insurance mafia would lose a chunk of premiums.

4 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

but just in case I might actually need the coverage I stayed with Pacific Cross

Understood. In my case, I have solid coverage with my Tricare policy, which is not acceptable for OA purposes. Thus, I'm stuck with the throwaway LMG policy. When the LTR visa folks get a branch office up here in Chiang Mai, I'll go that route and say goodbye to the OA insurance scam.

19 hours ago, FolkGuitar said:

every Friday when I walk into that restaurant my hearing aids automatically switch into that specific custom setting!

Egad! With hearing aid technology jumping by leaps and bounds, soon we'll be able to have hearing aids translate Thai into English (or whatever). But until that time, I'll be content to not be able to hear a language I don't understand, as deafness in the midst of Thai cacophony is bliss. (A little tongue-in-ear canal humor, before you hit the respond button.) ????

Well, not really, as you have until Oct 16, 2023 to file, using the automatic extension. But why wait? Just one less thing on the wife's demise checklist, should I get run over by a truck next week (same logic for RMDs and taxes).

Anyway, last year's form hasn't changed, so if you did this PDF offline, just dust it off, "unsign" it, plug in the new info, sign, save, then click the "ready to file" button. After providing name and email, attach the revised PDF and send.  I did mine Jan 1 and was "accepted" quickly, and two days later was "acknowledged" (which, I guess, is bureaucrat speak for "really accepted.") Bottom line: Piece of cake.

Treasury FX rate: 34.52

So, done watching all the weekend's football and Maui golf? Here's something to do.

29 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

When you take into account the number of aircraft being purchased, Thailand can afford it.

Ah, yes: two. I think you can rest your case now.

What realistic threat is RTAF modernizing against? Obviously you could name several threats, e.g., the US or China -- but the operative word is "realistic." And neither of these threats meets that characterization -- unless Thailand stupidly got into a security pact with either of these countries. And it's doubtful that they would.

A key point from the article ozimoron introduced is this:

Quote

The F-35’s operating and maintenance costs are simply too expensive, to the point where the U.S. Air Force cannot realistically afford to replace all of its old F-16s with F-35s.

Ah, when you analyze cost effectiveness, the US realizes the F-16s are still an effective fighting force -- air-to-air or air-to-ground -- against most imaginable enemies. Thus, they'll remain the bulk of the US air assets for the foreseeable future. But, they are being slowly replaced by F-35s.....

.... and those replaced F-16s are heading for the boneyard in Arizona. And these are late model F-16s. Thailand's F-16 fleet are worn-out A/B variants. Wouldn't it make sense for Thailand to buy some of these boneyard aircraft to replace its A/B fleet? And maybe buy more to replace its worn-out F-5Es? Hey, the RTAF would already be fully trained on these newer F-16s, except for the more modern avionics. But that's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of full up training, ground and air, for F-35s.

Anyway, the "toys for the boys" argument seems to resonate. And when the PM is part of that 'old boys network,' wasteful military spending is par for the course. No, given the threat, current or projected, there's no logical 'cost effective argument' for buying F-35s -- especially if it's only two you can afford up-front.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

related issues such as inspection, by the US, of the airbase where the planes are to be stationed

Ah, to make sure there are enough crash trucks to handle collapsing nose gear.

12 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Sounds like they are heading towards the way Thai Elite runs there Elite Visa program....

....which means I could accomplish everything here in Chiang Mai, which means never having to go to Bangkok, which means they'll get at least one more customer.

3 hours ago, wasabi said:

This type of account sounds like a good idea do you know if you have to be in the United States to open it?

Nope. You can do it online from wherever you are. Need a certificate of residency or a utility bill to show proof of your foreign address. Plus, you'll need to be able to wire or ach $25k to the newly established account. See here:

https://international.schwab.com/open-account-intro

57 minutes ago, wasabi said:

I'm thinking about using Wise to get money to Thailand instead of the ATM withdrawals hopefully that doesn't make it get flagged again.

If you have $25k why not open a Schwab International Account? You don't need to actively trade, or to even hold securities. Just use it as a bank, with your deposits and wires. Also, you can get a checkbook and the famous Schwab Debit/ATM card.

On 12/29/2022 at 9:21 AM, IAMHERE said:

Please confirm your primary residence within 60 days in one of the following ways:   - ......

IAM, could you provide the "following ways." If they require a utility bill, drivers license, or the like -- having a mail forwarding address or using a relative's address ain't gonna hack it.

9 hours ago, Thailand J said:

I have Thai address on my accounts too, everything can be done online.

You must have individual stocks. I have mutual funds in my IRA.

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This account is restricted from Mutual Fund trading online. Please call +1-415-667-8400 (outside US) or 877-686-1937 (within US) to speak with a registered representative who will assist you with offshore Mutual Fund Trading.

34 minutes ago, Pib said:

I asked BoI via email a medical insurance question and their reply weeks later ended up being completely wrong.  Kinda like they initially answered with a firm "Yes" but when applying it turned out to be a "No." 

Pib, maybe I missed it in this long thread, but did they completely shut down the option to use Tricare? If so, what was their reason(s)?

On 12/28/2022 at 10:26 AM, ThailandRyan said:

my passport was stamped again with my original end date (Admitted until) of 7 Oct 2027, so it appears that immigration is doing things differently than they should.

If I recall correctly, you got a reentry permit stamp when you went to BoI to get your LTR visa. And Imm is programmed to look for a reentry stamp, then use its "until" date as the same "until" date on your new permission of stay stamp. Misty has no reentry stamp (or any stamps), having gone the out-of-country route. Thus, Imm reaches for the stamp commensurate with type of visa: Non Imm O, 90 days; Tourist, 60 days; Non Imm OA, one year. Thus, as long as visa hasn't expired, Imm has a rote procedure. Now added to this procedure is a five-year stamp for a non expired LTR visa.

Now, there might be some head scratching when the IO sees both a non expired visa AND a related reentry stamp. I guess in Ryan's case, the reentry stamp took precedence. But I could see where the other way might prevail....

Anyway, more a curiosity than a problem, as I'm sure whatever permission of stay stamp is in your passport at the 5 year point, you'll still need to show up somewhere to validate your bonafides. Hopefully by then they'll have satellite offices scattered around Thailand, particularly in Chiang Mai, in my case.

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Certified true copies of U.S. Passport for use in other purposes, it is usually required by Thai authorities for different purposes for example marriage registration, household registration, etc.

From the US Embassy site. Can be accomplished by mail. See here:

https://th.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/notaries-public/certified-true-copies-of-u-s-passport/

3 hours ago, nigelforbes said:

Disproportionate to what, the number of Chinese people in Thailand,

No, disproportionate to the overall amount of economic crime being committed. Obviously, if such crime is being committed by Chinese, their ethnicity is newsworthy.

Where are you from? If from the US, you're a card-carrying ACLU member. And thus divorced from reality.

5 minutes ago, nigelforbes said:

Crimes that are reported in the media tend to be more economic in nature. My question stands. 

So, if a disproportionate amount of economic crime is committed by the Chinese -- you're saying this is not newsworthy?