ExpatJ

 
Hey Alzack
 
Really warming post and of course I wish you and the family all the very best and hope things work out after a 25 year absence for the UK. 
 
Not wanting to come across as being negative in the slightest, I will however provide you with my point of view on were I think you may have bitten off more than you could chew, suffice to say this is a forum for open discussion and hope you don't take this the wrong way.
 
I moved here almost a year ago, after planning it for 10 years, so I am a newbie to Thailand, but I believe I have done enough research and have enough knowledge on how to survive here for the rest of my retired life.
 
I purchased land here 9 years ago, (yes wife's name), filled it, soil has firmed in that time, recently finished building our house, and purchased the car.
 
I am however too young to obtain a pension and decided that I was in a comfortable enough position to sell up and get out of the rat race back in Oz, 10 years early as opposed to waiting for the old age pension, and working myself to the ground in the process.
 
This is were I think you went wrong, In my opinion, too many people place too much emphasis on education for their kid/s and spending $'s they don't have, or borrow to give their kids the best education, suffice to say they forget that they too have to survive as well, the 200,000 baht per year could have kept you here, and your son could have attended another school for much less.
 
What I am saying is, as I never had a formal education when I went to school, if you can call the old school certificate (level 10) an education, I survived, and I worked as an apprentice mechanic and various jobs with that piece of paper, although I did go to TAFE, or college much later in life to study for a further 6 years to get 2 pieces of paper that opened doors further for me in the field that I was working in, this didn't cost my parents anything, and I personally would not of wanted my parents to pay big $'s for my education, as life was tough

Our kids go to semi-private schools that also teaches English, they are all doing well, we also put in our 2 bobs worth when needed, the cost is about 40,000 baht in total for the 4 kids per year, I can afford to pay 200,000 per head per year for an international school, but that would be putting our lifestyle backwards, and we didn't have 4 kids to go backwards, they will get their education, they will survive, but at the end of the day, it will also be up to them to put in their best performances in along the way, because money can't buy life's experiences, and what is left for them in monetary terms, with our knowledge and teachings, will hopefully be beneficial for their lives.

On 9/13/2016 at 6:18 AM, bwpage3 said:

My son went to one of those 500,000 baht a year schools and when he got the USA, he was a grade behind in every subject. No matter the price, there is NO school in Thailand that will prepare your kid for a western education. I for one am extremely happy we moved back to the USA and my son is getting a world class education. My friends wife (age 38) has a law degree from Thammasart Uni and cannot even pass the USA written drivers test. That should tell you something right there. 

 From what i have seen the opposite is true- -graduates from the top 3 -4 international school in Bangkok actually find US/UK universities too easy in the first year since the IB courses in Bangkok international schools for 16-18 year olds is far more rigorous than standard, that is to say non-IB,  US/UK high schools. 

Updated: I was just reading the back threads- ok you are talking about Prem International school in CM- comparing that to the top international schools in Bangkok is apples v oranges so to speak. So yes, i get your point. 

Has anyone here with a Thai Netflix account checked to determine WHERE the content is being streamed from? Have they hosted/mirrored it in country via a CDN, or, it's being pulled from abroad?

One other thing Netflix Thailand. If you have kids it's great because big selection for them.

Is anyone using HBO via a VPN? I'm thinking of sinning up for a few months for game of thrones and their back catalogue.

Changing to local Netflix has produced a huge difference in picture quality. I just run a 5m HDMI cable to the TV,

I setup chromecast from my computer to TV last night (in my living room so they are about 8 meters apart) - streams Netflix perfectly in HD and no buffering at all.

If you have apple tv- the remote for that works for netflix- its great, v easy to use.

I dont want to read the entire thread so Forgive me if this was already mentioned. "Iflix" is cheaper (100 baht/month) with more content.

I'm getting a chrome cast today (friend bought if from usa) - how does quality of picture casting to TV compare - apple airplay v Google Chrome cast?

One piece of good news. The Netflix shows here in Thailand don't seemed to be censored yet..

Seems like money well spent especially if you have kids and the guards are at the gates and the kids are playing inside. In general u want ur security guards to be happy not resentful.

I asked this on another thread, but it seems this one has more readers

Q: What's the best, low cost box/dongle for Netflix streaming, that is confirmed working with the new TH service?

As I understand it, Netflix us different crypto keys for each region - so something actually tried and tested with the new TH service would be awesome

I also note that none of my SmartTV's or older network streamers have been updated with Netflix yet - so I guess Netflix didn't give the manufacturers much lead time.

Does your smart TV not have a web browser ?

Of course, as to the laptops we've used to watch Netflix for the past 2 or 3 years. I'd prefer an "it just works" box, ala MaigeTV, if such a thing exists though.

Maige was great- pity it stopped recently. But Netflix to the rescue- perfect timing:) I use an apple tv box- works perfectly (also get free live UK sky news channel on apple tv, no VPN needed) and you also get all the itunes TV/movies shows in thailand without VPN- pay by the episode/movie - good complement if netflix is missing something you want to watch.

The days of messing around with VPNs and dodgy, slow downloading are well and truly over - finally!

Yeah, I just wanted to avoid paying 8000+ Baht each for a box - I have 6 of them to buy if I get one for each TV...

I asked this on another thread, but it seems this one has more readers

Q: What's the best, low cost box/dongle for Netflix streaming, that is confirmed working with the new TH service?

As I understand it, Netflix us different crypto keys for each region - so something actually tried and tested with the new TH service would be awesome

I also note that none of my SmartTV's or older network streamers have been updated with Netflix yet - so I guess Netflix didn't give the manufacturers much lead time.

Does your smart TV not have a web browser ?

Of course, as to the laptops we've used to watch Netflix for the past 2 or 3 years. I'd prefer an "it just works" box, ala MaigeTV, if such a thing exists though.

Maige was great- pity it stopped recently. But Netflix to the rescue- perfect timing:) I use an apple tv box- works perfectly (also get free live UK sky news channel on apple tv, no VPN needed) and you also get all the itunes TV/movies shows in thailand without VPN- pay by the episode/movie - good complement if netflix is missing something you want to watch.

The days of messing around with VPNs and dodgy, slow downloading are well and truly over - finally!

Is there anything on netflix that you cant already download for free? For example, when a new netflix series is released in its entirity ( 10 episodes or whatever) it always appears, all 10 episodes, in the usual download places within 24 hours.

Suppose if Thailand started to block kickass, pirate bay, etc, then netflix would become an alternative but as of now, in Thailand, there seems no point in paying for netflix when you can download everything for free !!

It's a pain and a time sink to down load shows and then have to wait to down load them, then hook up your computer to TV etc etc.

Netflix - come home, sit down and immediately watch what u want without having to plan hours /days before!

I am gettign google fiber when it comes out in my house in the states when it get here. then im using a satilite to access it.

I think this sentence explains why so many people are happy to use Netflix- it just works, easily

My only concern is censorship there was talk of having to adopt local country censorship laws- i couldnt watch a censored version of sporanos for example

Gourmet market in both the new and old emporium seems to have become more of a local Thai product shop than imported product grocery store. Really small selection of imported cereals, frozen goods, and others compared to 2-3 years ago. Villa market now has far more variety of imported foods.

I see that Lenovo Thailand has an Erazor/x510 PC desk top- would i be able to put a GTX 970 video card in there ?

• 4th Generation Intel® Core™i7-4770K Processor (3.5GHz, up to 3.9GHz, 8MB Cache)
• 16GB DDR3L/1600MHz (2x8GB)
• SSHD 2TB (7200rpm)
• nVidia® Geforce GTX760 2GB DDR5

610W PSU

That PC can already play Skyrim at Ultra settings, the GTX760 graphics card is 2 years old but Skyrim is about 4 years old.

See here http://www.game-debate.com/games/index.php?g_id=625&game=The+Elder+Scrolls+V&p_make=Intel&p_deriv=Core+i7-4770K+4-Core+3.5GHz&gc_make=Nvidia&gc_deriv=GeForce+GTX+760+EVGA+SC+2GB+Edition&ram=16&checkSubmit=#systemRequirements

As I said before, you don't need an i7 for gaming, an i5 is the gamer's choice. Also, why buy a pre-build if you are not going to use the graphics card it comes with? It's a waste of 7,000 baht.

If I was you I would spec your own PC and get the shop to assemble for you if you cannot do it yourself. You will get better specs for less money. Pre-builds use cheap generic components for things like the PSU and RAM so you can choose your own brands when you do it yourself, I prefer ASUS and Corsair for just about everything.

All you need to spec is;

CPU: i5 4690 3.5GHz = 7.5k Baht

MB: H97 = 3k Baht

RAM: 2x G.Skillz 4GB 1600Mhz = 2.5k Baht

SSD: 120GB (for OS) = 2k Baht

HDD: 2TB (for Data) = 3k Baht

GFX: GTX970 = 13k Baht

PSU: 700W with a PCIe connector = 3k Baht

Case: 2k Baht

So for a total of about 36,000 baht you could build a pretty high end gaming PC that would smash that Lenovo you're talking about.

How much is that Lenovo on sale for?

Not sure the price here. In the US it's 1300$ . That's very useful the specs you give. But is the computer as reliable if it's custom built by the shop like this?

Been going there daily since they opened because it's only a ten minute walk from my place. The food court and number of restaurants pleases me, as do the prices of certain goods in the supermarket, especially after 9pm when they cut prices of fresh food by up to 50%.

Which supermarket do they have there? Villa?

If you look at sites selling those two video cards, the 970 appears to be slightly shorter but a tad higher.

Looking at value for money, then buying the Lenovo only to immediately replace the video card doesn't make much sense even if you can sell the card it comes with for a good price.

For gaming, the i7-4770k the Lenovo has could be replaced with an i5 4590/4690/4690k and save you a few thousand baht. The Lenovo does get reasonable reviews but if you pay 49k for it in Thailand and then have to upgrade the video card then it's not a great deal imo. Either buy it as is or simply have something built to order.

Do you think the Base lenovo specs I mentioned would play Skyrim maxed out?

I see that Lenovo Thailand has an Erazor/x510 PC desk top- would i be able to put a GTX 970 video card in there ?

• 4th Generation Intel® Core™i7-4770K Processor (3.5GHz, up to 3.9GHz, 8MB Cache)
• 16GB DDR3L/1600MHz (2x8GB)
• SSHD 2TB (7200rpm)
• nVidia® Geforce GTX760 2GB DDR5

610W PSU

Thanks for feedback.

The pc I'm thinking to buy is a lenovo i7 3.4ghz, 8gb ddr sdrm, 2tb sata hdd. Would that be able to deal with a top of the range card for maxing out games?

Yes.

Like I said before, you don't need a top of the range gfx card to play games in max settings, I can run most games over 120fps on Ultra settings which is more than any monitor can properly display, you will probably be aiming for 1080p60 on Ultra settings.

The latest top of the range is an Nvidia Titan X and it's $1000 but you would only need it if you want to play games in 4k resolution. If not then a Nvidia GTX970 for about 15,000 baht would be much more than enough for the next few years.

Thanks thats v useful.

Thanks for feedback.

The pc I'm thinking to buy is a lenovo i7 3.4ghz, 8gb ddr sdrm, 2tb sata hdd. Would that be able to deal with a top of the range card for maxing out games?

If I have a standard new desk top average build. Can i just buy a top of the range video card and slot it in? Will I then be able to play all the new games a maxed out settings?

(i realise that top of the range video cards can cost 100s£/$)

Fletch. Ayg. Been busy last few days. Looking at your posts your analysis uses the 16% per year Thai gov. Fund and compares it to a Thai index linked etf. Selecting the highest performing active fund that you could find is hardly the sort of objective analysis the OP is looking for (I'd venture to guess

Obviously comparative analysis only works if you assume the active v low fee funds have the same returns. Only then can you compare fee/tax costs and compare. Otherwise it's useless as a comparison.

...

Low cost ETFs are the way to go over a 35 year period in your case the difference between a 0.2% annual fee and a 2% annual fee will be 100,000sUS$. Also i would go overweight for riskier ETFs at this stage in your life to aim for higher returns- emerging markets, frontier markets, junk bond ETFs, REITs.

Could you expand on the best way for OP to achieve that from Thailand?

He is saving THB 40K to THB 50K a month.

Are you aware of any low cost ETFs at 0.2% p.a., emerging market funds, frontier markets, junk bond ETFs in Thailand?

Presumably you're suggesting he transfers money out of Thailand to save?

What do you think about the FX conversion costs? and bank transfer costs for doing that on smaller monthly amounts like that? Would they eat into annual savings on costs of offshore funds?

How about tax and admin?

Setting up and maintaining the accounts outside Thailand?

How could he boost his savings with tax relief if saving outside Thailand?

AyG mentions LTFs and RMFs from Thailand. These are very useful tax efficient vehicles to buy funds. OP says he's living and working in Thailand. Assuming he's doing that legally he'll be paying tax. If OP can save THB 50K a month I'm guessing he has taxable earnings of at least 1mio a year more likely more. That would mean his marginal tax rate is at least 20%. Possibly up to 30% or even 35%.

So if buying say THB 500K a year (GBP 10K) he could save 20% to 35% in tax by buying onshore LTF or RMF funds in Thailand. Thats THB 100k to THB 175k GBP 2 to 3.5k a year to add to his pot. A massive amount over 35+ years he would be missing out on. How would he get similar uplifts offshore?

While what you recommend may be useful to some people and a good solution. Could you expand how it fits OPs circumstances and addresses the above concerns?

Cheets

Fletch

Yes, OP would have to open an online trading account in his home country (etrade, fidelity etc)- thats where the low fee funds are - over his lifetime given he is young, the money saved in fees will far outweigh the tax savings you are talking about.

Fletch- i would recommend that you do some research into fund fees and compounding over time ( i dont mean that in a condescending way, many people dont grasp the concept initially!) . To try and tell a young investor that low fee funds should not be his starting point is rather naughty (though i understand its fun to play the devila advocate!).

Regarding state pension i doubt there will be a state pension in 35 years time when you retire so maybe a moot point. however...

For NI you need to contact them asap- i stopped paying for several years while an expat and now i no longer qualify- even if i pay lump sum to 'buy' back all the years i missed. So no state pension for me! (Except there is a UK pension anyone can claim at age 82 regardless of whether you paid NI or not, but you have to be based in the UK at 82- its about the same as the state pension i think).

My pension tips- get a job with a decent pension! Ideally, look around for the remaining companies/institutions/government that still give defined benefit pensions- not many around these days- retiring on a defined benefit i.e. guaranteed monthly pension for life- is central to a happy retirement.

Low cost ETFs are the way to go over a 35 year period in your case the difference between a 0.2% annual fee and a 2% annual fee will be 100,000sUS$. Also i would go overweight for riskier ETFs at this stage in your life to aim for higher returns- emerging markets, frontier markets, junk bond ETFs, REITs.