The situation is that I am 57 and married to my Thai-national wife for some years. At the moment we live and work in the UK, but six years ago my wife built a house in Isaan. Thanks to my job we are very regular visitors to Thailand (at least 4 times a year).

 

I have been offered early retirement, so relocation to Thailand is a possibility.

Pension would be about 70k Baht a month after tax (inflation linked).

I have a UK apartment that could readily bring in 15k a month after tax and other costs.

In 9 years time I will receive the UK state pension (about 25k baht a month) - a nice bonus but not life-changing.

I would have £160k (about US$200k) in cash.

We intend alternating between the house in Isaan and renting an apartment in Jomtien - plus other travel around Thailand.

The monthly income seems adequate for our lifestyle (we don't drink or party).

The big question is, where/how to invest the £160k ?

I want to keep the majority outside Thailand. Sensible suggestions please (yes I know I can buy my wife a business etc - but not going to happen).

Read up on Crytpocurrencies, going more and more mainstream and will keep growing. There have been crazy returns (1000 times your money and more in less than a year) for a lot of coins. XRP, though it has already "popped" and is trading at a bit above 2 dollars, will continue to grow for sure imo.

The most sensible suggestion is to deposit the GBP160,000 in an interest bearing offshore bank account in the Channel Islands.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_banks_in_Jersey

30 minutes ago, Sirbergan said:

Read up on Crytpocurrencies, going more and more mainstream and will keep growing. There have been crazy returns (1000 times your money and more in less than a year) for a lot of coins. XRP, though it has already "popped" and is trading at a bit above 2 dollars, will continue to grow for sure imo.

 

What an absolutely terrible advice for someone who wants to retire.

6 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

 

What an absolutely terrible advice for someone who wants to retire.

Depends, he did say he wanted to invest - cryptos gives hands down the best returns of any markets these days. Dropping 1k pounds on 10 different coins that are currently of low value, has a great use case and are backed by a good team and a solid roadmap could easily make you a millionaire if you do your research and bet on the right coins.

 

I would probably not invest it all in crypto currencies, but to me it would definitely make sense to check that market out.

OP: Get a reputable offshore financial adviser (qualified with protection) who might then suggest and assist you in getting the monies handled by a regulated company such as Investec.

I am in a similar position to the OP and am interested in seeing what replies are like.

I will avoid cryptocurrencies. If something seems too good to be true, that is because it is.

Spread the risk: put some in a savings account, some in property and some in shares (a low risk mutual fund in blue chip companies). Make sure most of your investments are easily convertible to cash to cover for "rainy days", mostly health issues beyond age 70.

Buy a 5 year time deposit. You should get 20 per cent on top on 100k plus. That's what my parents got... Hk bank though.

42 minutes ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

 

What an absolutely terrible advice for someone who wants to retire.

 

Why?  He's going to have plenty of time to do research into the best project to back.   No-one is saying he needs to put 160K in either.   He could choose 10 small cap coins and invest 500-1000 pounds into each.   

But each to their own.    

Thank you for the replies so far.

As regards an offshore bank account, what is the advantage. Is it simply that I wouldn't pay UK tax?

With the $200k buy some ETFs linked to indexes. Very low fees and you should clear another 20k Baht per month keeping the investment secure. 

24 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

Why?  He's going to have plenty of time to do research into the best project to back.   No-one is saying he needs to put 160K in either.   He could choose 10 small cap coins and invest 500-1000 pounds into each.   

But each to their own.    

As one gets older one’s risk profile decreases as they depend more on the nest egg. Putting money into crypto is not good advice at all for OP given it’s so risky. 

 

It’s no better than trading penny stocks on margin. Could turn one into a millionaire but odds are one will probably lose the whole thing long term. 

17 minutes ago, Crash999 said:

As one gets older one’s risk profile decreases as they depend more on the nest egg. Putting money into crypto is not good advice at all for OP given it’s so risky. 

 

It’s no better than trading penny stocks on margin. Could turn one into a millionaire but odds are one will probably lose the whole thing long term. 

 

I totally get it.   However, the OP is hardly old, he's only 57.    As I said no need to put a lot of money into it and no need to do it immediately.   Instead he could start doing some research, learning about the differences between rubbish projects and genuinely good projects that will dramatically change industries and business in a few years.   I wouldn't recommend someone with no knowledge just throw money at crypto expecting to get rich. 

However there are some great projects and people will make very nice profits by investing in them.    Lots of resources online to learn about it.


 

1 hour ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

 

What an absolutely terrible advice for someone who wants to retire.

 

Yep, it is typical advice offered by subscribers to the pyramid/ponzi crapto scams now in vogue.

 

Just as long as they can pursuade yet another idiot to join in the party and keep the music playing it will continue. Once the herd starts for the exits all the exchange doors will be slammed shut and nobody will be able to exchange a crapto for a real currency.

 

There is no central bank backstop nor any provider of guaranteed liquidity nor does any government stand behind them. You are on your own when the music stops playing.

 

 

4 minutes ago, 12DrinkMore said:

 

Yep, it is typical advice offered by subscribers to the pyramid/ponzi crapto scams now in vogue.

 

Just as long as they can pursuade yet another idiot to join in the party and keep the music playing it will continue. Once the herd starts for the exits all the exchange doors will be slammed shut and nobody will be able to exchange a crapto for a real currency.

 

 

 

Congratulations on having an opinion based entirely on ignorance.

Considering the Bank of England is studying launching it own crypto currency and thousands of banks and major international companies are actively engaged in using them I'd say you are way behind with your blinkered opinions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/30/bank-england-plots-bitcoin-style-digital-currency/

I won't bother finding you anymore links to make my point, because I suspect you'd be trying to destory weaving machines if you lived in 1788 when the original luddites were about.

 

Cryptos are a good bet, but done properly. Use someone's skill. Put some of it in a managed fund. Look at moneyfuture.net

Cryptos are a good bet, but done properly. Use someone's skill. Put some of it in a managed fund. Look at moneyfuture.net

3 minutes ago, seancbk said:

 

Congratulations on having an opinion based entirely on ignorance.

Considering the Bank of England is studying launching it own crypto currency and thousands of banks and major international companies are actively engaged in using them I'd say you are way behind with your blinkered opinions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/30/bank-england-plots-bitcoin-style-digital-currency/

I won't bother finding you anymore links to make my point, because I suspect you'd be trying to destory weaving machines if you lived in 1788 when the original luddites were about.

 

 

Nope, it is based on facts. You may also have noticed that at least 6 Central Banks have warned against craptos in the last few months.

 

I am not against the technology, and I know that a lot of companies/central banks are looking at how to utilise the underlying technology.

 

However, you simply cannot compare the BoE discussion and the roughly 1,600  wannabee craptos that are in existence.

 

The BoE is NOT planning on issuing a crapto, but it is using considering using the technology to provide secure and fast banking services between account holders. It will be able to eliminate the time delay in ensuring that the funds are actutally available, one of the reasons for the delays we have now. The Bank of England has also said that it will be linked to the GBP, so there will not be any rampant speculation.

 

It could also revolutionise banking if individuals are allowed to hold accounts at the Central Bank. I am not certain that they will go that far.

 

Set yourself up with an HSBC Premier Account in Jersey CI. This will give you access to HSBC Invest Direct, a trading platform you can use globally, giving you access to the London and New York stock exchanges, including the NASDAQ. Once set-up, have a very close look at “NEPT” trading on the NASDAQ. Do your own due diligence. Neptune Resources and Biotech (Neptune Wellness) are a Canadian Company that are entering the legal medical and recreational cannabis trade in Canada. The Canadian Parliament approved the legalization of cannabis across Canada starting mid-2018.

Closed last night at $2.39. Forcast to go to $10+ mid-2018.

 

1 minute ago, verticalift said:

Set yourself up with an HSBC Premier Account in Jersey CI. This will give you access to HSBC Invest Direct, a trading platform you can use globally, giving you access to the London and New York stock exchanges, including the NASDAQ. Once set-up, have a very close look at “NEPT” trading on the NASDAQ. Do your own due diligence. Neptune Resources and Biotech (Neptune Wellness) are a Canadian Company that are entering the legal medical and recreational cannabis trade in Canada. The Canadian Parliament approved the legalization of cannabis across Canada starting mid-2018.

Closed last night at $2.39. Forcast to go to $10+ mid-2018.

 

 

How's that gonna work for a non resident?

I would buy Berkshire b shares from a low  cost brokerage firm like Charles Schwab or Vanguard.  You will sleep well at night and make a descent return and not lose it all on bitcoin or some other hot investment of the day. 

1 hour ago, seancbk said:

 

Congratulations on having an opinion based entirely on ignorance.

Considering the Bank of England is studying launching it own crypto currency and thousands of banks and major international companies are actively engaged in using them I'd say you are way behind with your blinkered opinions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/12/30/bank-england-plots-bitcoin-style-digital-currency/

I won't bother finding you anymore links to make my point, because I suspect you'd be trying to destory weaving machines if you lived in 1788 when the original luddites were about.

 

 

Uh, you're the one who's expressing an "opinion based entirely on ignorance".

 

The BoE study (from your link) "is investigating the possible introduction of a crypto-currency linked to sterling."

 

Normally (if that's the right word) cryptocurrencies aren't backed by anything, or linked to any currency.  What the BoE is considering (and, let's be honest, will probably reject) has nothing in comment with Bitcoin and other Ponzi schemes of that ilk.

3 hours ago, theguyfromanotherforum said:

 

What an absolutely terrible advice for someone who wants to retire.

IF he would have invested it from just 100 dollar for a bc, he would be now multimiljonair and had 30 million dollars.

And that is only with 13000 dollar raise for bc 

It's a gamble , but you can also take less to invest in virtual coins. Many of them just rise up. You can take a some to try and in days  it can be worthwhile. 

I wonder who really understands cryptocurrencies and the raise. But it is now a real hype and you can make a lot of money. Too bad you cant sell your bc in Korea anymore, as there the bc is still 17000. But guess there is a way still to do so. 

I would not take early retirement ! Try to work till 63-65 years age. Or if you enjoy your work then work as long as you are able to, inflation takes its toll. 

I would not invest in Cryptocurrencies yet. Maybe 5%. The world does not fully understand them. 

The world markets are difficult to navigate so seek the help of a trustworthy advisor. 

I nvest for long term growth not short term high profit.

Good luck.

Im a Nigerian prince with a cunning 160k investment plan pm me to turn it into 10 million in 24 hours pm me urgent!!

IF he would have invested it from just 100 dollar for a bc, he would be now multimiljonair and had 30 million dollars.
And that is only with 13000 dollar raise for bc 

Yes, if he bought at $100 and had the balls to hold onto it until now rather than taking the money off the table when it hit $200.

2 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Im a Nigerian prince with a cunning 160k investment plan pm me to turn it into 10 million in 24 hours pm me urgent!!

hahahahaha i know that nigerian prince, scammer !

Invest some of it in a property management company/juristic person services provider...No, not a real estate aircastle sales fraud Op, a Ponzi  or an MLM scheme. This way you can spend some time working too and not feel completely shunted onto a track to nowhere.

1 minute ago, suzannegoh said:

 

Yes, if he bought at $100 and had the balls to hold onto it until now rather than taking the money off the table when it hit $200.

 

yup just 1 year or even less.

Only 15 baht k a month to rent your UK apartment out ? That's mad. You must live in an extremely poor place in the UK or up north somewhere - OR still be heavily mortgaged. My advice for your 160 K if you have it available - is sell your apartment in the UK and use the capital with the 160 K pound to buy a house in the UK in a better and more prestigious area - OR a bigger property where you currently own. Currently I own a house outside of London (Marlow - about 300 k pounds min to buy - naff old council house in expensive area). I rent it out to live here - 1000 pounds a month - or about 44 k baht a month with my wife. (wish that baht would devalue !)

 

Whilst this may not bring you in the money that others here are talking about % wise , I feel it is a better investment. The 160 k pounds you invest in an account will devalue as you withdraw the interest if you want to spend it. Each year devaluing with cost of living increase.

 

Investing in a better house in the UK in a better area, would mean you get good rent money each month that you can use and the value of your investment going up each year with a good tenant. And a better house if all goes bits up with the Mrs in Thailand. (hopefully not)

 

My own current position finance wise is that I get the 44,000-45,000 a month rent (sterling dependent) and will get an early company pension at 55 (18 month from now) of about 33,000 a month. So about 77,000 a month in 18 months time. With a further say 25,000 a month at 67, that should give me about 102,000 a month at 67.

 

That should be enough.