garyk

15 minutes ago, ginjag said:

Try UK 52 pound,    way over 2200 baht

wow

2 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Absolutely 100 percent NOT!

You will need to get the embassy (or consulate) income letter annually.

There is absolutely NO WAY for you to skip that step by showing income proof directly to immigration.

The embassy income letter can be as old as six months.

Now with that letter, it is always possible that the immigration officer handling your application MAY ask for documentation to support the claim in that letter. So it's good to be prepared for that just in case.

Sorry, bad news for you, the only way for you to avoid getting the embassy income letter is if you go with the 800K in a Thai bank method.

 

Well that sucks, guess I will be heading to the American embassy again this year.

Thanks for the reply's. I have a retirement visa now and have had one for years, but I am getting tired of making an appointment with the American embassy and spending 50 bucks on the income paper. 

I have other monthly income, but if my SS alone would satisfy immigration it would be great.

Do I just bring in my SS statement to immigration when applying for my visa extension? Is that is all that is needed?

Also if I have to show my other monthly income can i show my bank statements to prove a monthly income or do i need the fund management company to give me a letter?

If showing income verification to the Thai immigration office.

Do you show the gross or the net amount.

I have a deduction coming out for part D medicare.

In my case the part D deduction takes me right under the 65,000 baht / mo. rule.

Thanks in advance.

3 hours ago, KhunFred said:

I stayed in Pereira. Quite a distance from Bogota but no lack of great restaurants and beautiful, available women. They had some odd rules on mobile phone ownership but I was told that the residency rules for retirees were a breeze. The guy I stayed with was a Vietnam veteran who had previously lived in Pattaya for about five or six years.

Haha, that is cool. I spent a lot of time in Pereira, I rented a place for two months in Cartago. From there I burnt up the roads traveling around the area. The bus system there is great. Met allot of great people there. 

Yup, the women are plentiful and so different than Asian women, more European decent.

Did you make it to Filandia, Colombia and some of the tourist places?

I brought my own phone there and had no problems with getting service. Just went into the local shop and they added a sim card and loaded it up.. No problems what so ever.

2 minutes ago, KhunFred said:

I mostly agree. I have been to Colombia and Costa Rica and their requirements are lower, plus they have universal health care systems that gringoes can buy into. You have nothing like that in Thailand and are unlikely to ever have it. I wouldn't want to be locked into only having 65000 baht to live on. I make a bit more but many things could deplete ones income. I am not sure the costs in Mexico and Colombia are higher. I stayed with a former Pattaya expat for ten days down there and he swore that I could probably get by just as well or cheaper. The health care alone would have made it worth doing, but I have no intention of learning Spanish or any other language, Thailand won on the ease of getting by with only English.

Actually I lived cheaper in Colombia than in Thailand. But, for arrivals in Bogota, Cali, etc. It can be pricey. Once I got in the Valley and out of the big cities I was ok. Really same in Thailand. 

I had no problem with getting by in Colombia with only english. In Thailand I know a little Thai so very easy for me. 

IMO Thailand is bursting at the seams with tourists, expats. It is insane. 

I plan on doing some serious soul searching before renewing my visa for Thailand. It is to far from my home in Texas. And the rules for retirement are a pain in the neck.

I've been in Thailand for 10 years. Getting extensions for 8 years. Personally I could care less. I would never move 800,000 baht into a Thai bank. My SS is not but 1750/mo. and my dividends make up the rest of the requirement. But, Thailand is a pain in the neck to get retirement extensions. Even with the letter. 90 day reports? It is a joke IMO.

There are many countries that actually want retirees living their!

Personally I think the 65,000 baht rule is a joke. Thailand is a cheap country to live in. I have been to Mexico extensively, just back from Colombia. The cost is higher their than Thailand and the retirement rules are much easier to meet.

The only difference I see is the women. They are easy and plentiful in Thailand. If not for the easy women, Thailand would be a shit hole for retirees period.  

Thailand is overstocked with tourists, bars, and money is flowing. Thailand does not want retirees!

The only ones that want retirees in Thailand are the women.

56 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Don't know if you are serious and maybe sounds odd, but I agree.

I just did mine and met a guy who I plan on playing golf with in the future.

Each time I go I seem to have a nice conversation with someone.

Never a bad experience at all.

No I am serious, same as you, never a bad experience.

And always meet people I like!

I don't drink or go to bars here, never have. The only people I have seen at immigration that were having a really bad time are folks nursing a bad hangover, or their paperwork not in order. Luckily I have never had that problem.

44 minutes ago, humbug said:

its a great deal under 50 or over 50 i love having it. I would hate to have to go through all the bs on a yearly basis. Extensions are a breeze;having to get a full blown visa yearly would be torcherous 

I always enjoy my yearly Extensions. I enjoy talking to the other folks and just people watching. 

I always meet the coolest people at immigration. 

Ok, got it. Did not think about people under the retirement age. Guess that is a good deal for them.

What is the difference in the TEV and a regular retirement visa? Sounds like the regular visa is cheaper and much easier..

I have a quick question for you guys.

I have a retirement stamp in my passport, I went to get a re-entry visa the other day and before they gave me back my passport the supervisor was called over and they went threw my passport page by page. I have had a retirement stamp in my passport for years but have been traveling to other countries and have about 20-30 stamps in my passport for entering and leaving. 

When she handed it back she kinda gave me a bad look. 

Can they do anything as far as harassing me for not staying in Thailand much, I was only here about two months last year.

Reading this thread got me kinda curious?

9 hours ago, Jip99 said:

11 years...

 

 

Still waiting to be sure....

10 years for me.

Hopefully in another 10 will make a decision.

6 hours ago, Thailand J said:

I couldn’t buy a used car for my retirement. I just could not.

 

You see..

 

The controller in the head office singed a new lease every two years.

 

I was provided with a new car every 24 months when I was working in US.

With that portfolio I would not think about a used car either. :)

But you are in the minority here.

For people like me, I keep a vehicle here and one in the states. 

Buying a new car every two years would seriously cut back on my fun.. haha

I bought both of mine new, but will not buy another new one. Especially when used is almost as good as new IMO now days. If you really watch it and take care of your vehicles they will last a LONG time.

A matter of what your priorities are and what you want to spend your money on, and how much you have to spend. :)

Unfortunately I ain't got the money for new vehicles every few years and to travel and live the life style I enjoy. So I am in the used care camp now also. Trying to stretch my dollar as far as I can.

Enjoy.

4 hours ago, jenny2017 said:

OMG, I had the luck to holiday in Venezuela and before I came to Thailand I thought that the most beautiful women were in Venezuela and then come the Spanish senoritas. Uno grande cerveza' per favore' sexy senorita Paloma. Un poco de determinacio'n es sexy un hombre. God, I miss my Paloma,

I just left Colombia, on the Caribbean side. All I found at my age, I am 66. Was most women after the age of 40 were fat and had a slew of kids. Some pretty slim pickings. 

Mexican riveara. In the Yucatan was bad enough, but Colombia was the pits for women. At least for me.

Venezuela? you have got to be kidding me. That is the most dangerous country in the world right now. They were crossing the border into Colombia by the thousands trying to escape Venezuela.

Depends on what turns you on I guess. But, i prefer slim women. Not women with huge butts and tits. The only thing I can say I liked was there passion. But, finding one that was pleasing to look at was a chore to say the least, after the age of 40 anyway.

I do miss the beautiful country side there. Absolutely beautiful IMO beats S.E. Asia hands down. 

7 hours ago, Thailand J said:

Making money in stock market does not take much brain.

 

It takes time.

 

Put you money in a low cost index fund such as Vanguard Total Stock Market for 10+ years, for example.

 

If you buy in at the height in 2007 you may have lost a great deal in 2008-9 . DJIA was as low as 6626 in 2009,  but you should have recovered by 2012… and probably doubled your money from 2013-2017.

 

 

It’s also the fastest way to lose your money, if you :

 

1. Jump in and out trying to out smart Warren Buffet.

 

2. Chase after the hot stocks trying to outperform the index funds: Enron, AOL, Blockbusters.

 

3. Trust your money to a hedge fund or money manager who is only interested in the fees. On your behalf he was doing the 1 and 2 above. Haha.

 

 

What about the 1000+ drop in a day? Dow Jones was only 20,000 in January 2017, today it is 24,000+…and was only 15,000 5 years ago. You need to look at it long term.

 

 

If you didn’t make money from stock market in the last few years you should not be investing. Or do anything with money at all in my opinion.

 

It was the best time ever in stock market.

To be fair those were some very tough times in the market. Most people panicked. Seeing their savings dissapear. 

Maybe you and I didn't panic,  but the majority of folks did.

example:  I went into my broker to talk about things at the time and he was so busy selling peoples holdings it was insane. They were loosing literally hundreds of thousands of dollars.

After a loss like that most were hesitant about getting back into the market.

To make things worse a lot of brokers were only looking out for themselves not the customers. They didn't have a clue what was going on and didn't care.

I am a poor man that gambled. I am still poor,  but in much better shape than I was in when the downturn hit. 

Those were some messy times.

3 hours ago, norrska said:

Would not recommend Latin America.  As the OP likes to advertise his millionaire status with others, lots of countries like Mexico, Brazil etc could be downright dangerous (kidnap, express kidnap, robbery, etc)

There is the understatement of the year!

As someone that travels in that part of the world some, you need to keep a VERY low profile.

If not you are asking for serious trouble.

3 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

In fact, if I was a USD Millionaire, I can think of plenty of places I'd rather park my butt than Thailand, despite being in and out of the Kingdom for over 40 years.  I keep coming here because I am not a USD Millionaire  I would be considering Spain, Portugal, Fiji, Samoa or even Latin America.

I travel to Mexico and South America some, if anything like me you would still be coming back to Thailand.  

Some of the perks here are extremely hard to replicate elsewhere... Haha  

But, I am far from being a Millionaire.  :)

Holy mole TGIR, I cannot fathom chewing threw 900,000 dollars in that short of a time in Thailand? 

You must of been living the life of a rock star... :)

Enjoy

I was in immigration getting a re-entry stamp two days ago and the guy in front of me had overstayed.

The immigration gal said he would have to pay a fine and leave, he said he didn't have any money and could not pay.

They went back and forth for a while and then she told him to go to the Laos border crossing and he might be able to solve the problem.

She called her supervisor over, they talked and he got up and walked out. No one said a word. 

I was in Su-ngai Kolok, went to the crossing there on the river and saw people crossing with no visa by the boat loads.  I love that area and used to go yearly. Honestly if anyone was ever black listed,  it would be very easy to enter, and live their entire  life under the radar IMO.

Not that I would try it,  but I think no problem what so ever.

On 2/10/2018 at 10:43 AM, jack2964 said:

Nonetheless a very crisp shot!

 

I have a version 1 500/f4 IS sitting in my dry cabinet longing to be taken out but at my age I find it increasingly strenuous to lug this bazooka around. Instead I now prefer the light weight 400/5.6 for doing trails and a 300/2.8 for hide work.

 

If anyone is interested please PM me for the 500/4.

Same with me!  I have the 500 and it sits most of the time now. I am using a 400mm lens also.  

Damn gravity.... haha

I just left a police border station and when I was their, there was a foreigner guiding about 10 tourists threw the area.  They stopped and ate lunch at the police station.. LOL . Police don't care what so ever unless pressed to do something about it. 

Internet business should be no problem what so ever here.

3 hours ago, KMartinHandyman said:

It’s easy to be confused when a visa used for entering Thailand is then used (and cancelled) as the basis to gain an “extension to stay permitted up to_____” stamp which can often be entered on a “Visa” page in your passport.

Thanks for the explination.

Been getting this stamp in my Visa for years now when I visit Thailand and never gave it a second thought.. haha

Being from South Texas and traveling into Mexico and South America I must say the paper work and hassle for me to stay here a few months each year seems over kill?  

Have a great day, peace.