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Is money important to you now you have retired


georgegeorgia

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20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

The best stuff in life is always free.

A walk in the jungle, a swim in the waterfall, a cycle ride through the countryside .......... all free.

Watching TV with my kids, playing in the garden with my kids also free.

Read a book, listen to music, watch a movie or TV series, all from the internet, amazing free entertainment.

 

Most of the stuff I like doing is free (or nearly free).

Sad that you have to spend money to enjoy life.

Should be said that the fast INTERNET and big TV are quite expensive. 

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I have enjoyed cooking food since my mother found a job and I got the job of cooking the evening meal for my Mum and Dad and my seven siblings 63 ago and enjoyed it ever since ( my Dad could not cook to save himself, nice man though).  I'm a bit uncomfortable eating restaurant food in Thailand and even in 5 star hotels.  After 7 years of living in Thailand and some earlier holidays, I've had more than a few bouts of food poisoning.  Like in one very big 5 star hotel in Phuket when we both got sick after eating a beautifully presented large plate of toasted sandwiches in our room and soon after, yes we got very sick  The doctor who came cost $100 each for 10 mins and that was 25 years ago just kept on saying don't eat the eggs unless very well cooked.  "Eggs in Thailand ofter have salmonella and cause lots of food poisoning," he said.  Now in my townhouse, I have a nice kitchen and cook all my own meals.  With a Mako and Big C just up the road, I usually spend on average less than Bt200 a day on food and am happy, no bother at all.  Don't do any work I'm retired, corn flakes and toast for breakfast, toasted ham or chicken with a few extras for lunch.  Eggs sometimes (they are cheap) yes but only if cooked right through as omelet or sunny side down fried or poached.  Dinner, stir fry chicken or pork plus veggies etc.  Roast chicken pork or beef plus roast veggies a few time a week in my Bt800 round convection oven, make beautiful toasted sandwiches, works wonders. About once a week I splurge on a piece of Aussie grain fed stake, not frozen.   Yes, battling to spend Bt200 a day.  I spend more than that on a few beers. 

                    Life is just a bowl of cherries." 

Edited by David Walden
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27 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

An Indian fortune teller back in 1974 told me I would die in a massage parlor at 86 years old, and If I didn't die then, I would die at 101 years old............how he came to this was he counted every single line in my right palm, did some voodoo figures and came up with that.  When I asked him how much for the palm reading??  He said free, but noticed I had about four pairs of old sandals, and asked if he could have a pair.  Gave me a red rock and said to keep it and I would get some money 'from the courts'  I received an unexpected Vietnam Veterans Bonus from my state two weeks later.  So I know when I'm gonna die and how, can't wait.

I hope to be charged with rape when I'm 95 y/o try and beat that?

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49 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

It is nice to have hookers.  Even if one does not avail himself of them they are nice to have around.  Grocery store trips are so much more fun here than in the West. 

???? ???? ???? ????

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Is money important to you now you have retired

 

No.

Because i keep fit by being a hunter gatherer.

I also forage with a fair bit of skill.

Taught to me by my Isaan wife who is an expert in all things loin cloth and creepy crawly...

Money is of zero consequence to me except for the fortnightly lottery.

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12 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

 

At least one member of a couple needs to be financially savvy , its no use both of you not caring about  money , because if you retire at 60 it has to last unless of course your lucky to retire with a few million .

What in heaven's name are you going on about. Cab drivers named Kevin who are suddenly driving rowdy kids in a bus, then asking about do we do a budget and then lecturing people about being married to someone who is financially savvy (although a significant number of retirees arrive here unfettered by a wife, much less a financially savvy one).

 

what is the point of this aimless screed? Are you asking for advice or pretending to dispense it?

 

Most people who can afford to retire here must have encountered a budget in their lives prior to retirement. Retiring with a few million is no guarantee you're exempt from financial planning.

 

"if you retire at 60 it has to last." Pretty sure that would be equally true if you retired at 40 or at 90.

 

Sounds like Kevin found someone who was more financially savvy than he to help him manage his money.  Apparently his principal budgetary tool  was in his pants. Despite the horror stories of Thai girls from the boonies with a primary school education outsmarting Khun Farang, I expect most Australians who retire here don't end up driving school buses when they're post retirement and when they probably shouldn't be driving at all, let alone driving a bus load of children. His insurance rates must be phenomenal.

 

 

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2 hours ago, thaiguzzi said:

Is money important to you now you have retired

 

No.

Because i keep fit by being a hunter gatherer.

I also forage with a fair bit of skill.

Taught to me by my Isaan wife who is an expert in all things loin cloth and creepy crawly...

Money is of zero consequence to me except for the fortnightly lottery.

That was an oddly framed question on the part of the o/p. I find imoney fairly important when I want to remove things from the shops and supermarkets to take home with me. I didn't notice much difference between the time before or after retiring. 

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8 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

An Indian fortune teller back in 1974 told me I would die in a massage parlor at 86 years old, and If I didn't die then, I would die at 101 years old............how he came to this was he counted every single line in my right palm, did some voodoo figures and came up with that.  When I asked him how much for the palm reading??  He said free, but noticed I had about four pairs of old sandals, and asked if he could have a pair.  Gave me a red rock and said to keep it and I would get some money 'from the courts'  I received an unexpected Vietnam Veterans Bonus from my state two weeks later.  So I know when I'm gonna die and how, can't wait.

Oh my B, live to you are 101? I would visit a massage parlor every day at 86, just to be sure I did not miss out

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I wou!d rather eat street food with a good friend than a five star buffet with a boring aquaintance.

I would rather watch a movie at home with a girl that loved me than be in a bar with a hooker that did not.

I would rather jog in the park at sunset with people all around me doing their activities than be in a mall.

 

The good life need not cost much.

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12 hours ago, Ajarnbrian said:

You want to live as an expat who wants all the same things as back home? You spend your money on bar girls and soon settle down with one? Hope you`ve budgeted for more than you may want to spend. Another way is to live in a lower rent location, learn Thai language, eat mainly Thai food, avoid expensive western attractions and bar girls. Then you can live on a much lower budget and have a happy life.

Did I not mention my wife was an x bar girl ?

 

I only invest as much as I am prepared to lose, and after 12 years of a very happy marriage, she would deserve the 10% of my worth that I have invested in the marriage, e.g. house car, bike furniture, if it every went south, it's hers, after all she has and continues to contribute in the marriage in many ways.

 

Not all bar girls are bad, it's in the female species, you just have to know how to control your finances and say no if they are demanding as women can be if you allow them to be, that's a given in the beginning of any relationship and one should know better, i.e. as soon as they start, it's one of those defective models, no thanks, next, as opposed to allowing the black widows to wrap you up in their web of love and fleece you.

 

Avoiding expensive western attractions is a must, as for avoiding bar girls, now your taking the icing off the cake, like would be so boring, as I NEED my icing at least once, twice the most a month ????

 

Eating Thai food for farangs comes with its health problems, eg diabetes etc etc, it was never in our dietary makeup as well, clean food, rice, pasta or bread should be avoided at all costs, although brown every now and again is fine, alcohol like bar girls, in moderation.

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1 hour ago, sidjameson said:

I wou!d rather eat street food with a good friend than a five star buffet with a boring aquaintance.

I would rather watch a movie at home with a girl that loved me than be in a bar with a hooker that did not.

I would rather jog in the park at sunset with people all around me doing their activities than be in a mall.

 

The good life need not cost much.

Street food is usually my 2nd best choice to my own home cooking, better as it's freshly cooked or heated to a point where all bacteria are destroyed and done in front of you (not down the back shed).  Like I said I prefer to cook my own food but my second preference is not 5 star hotel stuff but street food that has just been cooked or re-cook and is hot bad bacteria free 40/50Bt or so.

  I have just a bit more than the Aussie pension to live on in Thailand. I still find with my Aussie pension plus the extras  I have enough to provide nice birthday and Xmas presents to my daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren plus a few beers and entertain ladies (of course).  I can live quite comfortable if required in Thailand on just the single pension (about Bt40,000p/m).  Most bar girls in Cha-am I find are very nice people.

Edited by David Walden
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Now that you have retired and some of you are on lower incomes than when you were working , are you now more frugal and watching your money more ?
 
OR are you living it up ? Spending the kids inheritance.
 
I know some of you especially in the last few years have retired with bigger retirement incomes than the retirees gone by so are you still watching your money or you dont care anymore.
 
one thing im scared off is my lifestyle going down when one day I retire .
 
Has the strong thai baht affected your lifestyle and you have had to budget more?
Ironically i find the richer people much more penny pinching .
 
A few years ago  ( 2010) i had a workmate retire to Thailand ( Phuket)
25 years in the same job he finally pulled the plug and at 60 retired to Thailand.
 
Kevin never ever had such a big amount of cash in his life until he retired and accessed his Retirement Super of close to $300,000.
 
By 2014 he was back in Australia driving a Cab at night to survive , he had blown it all , girlfriends family parties, a wedding , mother in laws house renovations etc 
Now 68yo he is now a bus driver doing school runs in the afternoon putting up with rowdy kids .
 
Do you do a monthly budget ? Is money going to last you to live your lifestyle?
I often wonder the farangs i see throwing money away in tips beer etc how they will survive once they retire in Thailand.
 
At least one member of a couple needs to be financially savvy , its no use both of you not caring about  money , because if you retire at 60 it has to last unless of course your lucky to retire with a few million .
 
I know theres a difference between the 2 week tourists and the retired expat so budgeting has to be one thing to learn as a retired expat.
 
I write everything down i spend in Thailand, however the Thai baht has made many things now more expensive so budgeting to survive is a must regardless if you have a big retirement income.
 
 
 
 
 
 
It is getting harder to live here with the ex rate constantly falling but really in Thailand you can live as cheaply or expensive as you want. And thats not to say u need to live like a pauper. If you want to eat farang restaurants and booze it up everyday yes it will cost you. If you can cook can find ingredients here to make any farang food cheaply. You also need to keep the Mrs on a tight reign if she is that way inclined (not all are). U can discuss budgets etc with them but after about 20 secs she'll be hearing white noise. Do not get involved supporting anyones family and do not attempt a relationship with a girl who has been anywhere near a bar. Theyre used to easy money and its easy come easy go. Thais in general are hopeless with money, and its not necesarilly a Thai farang thing either. If she got 5 million baht tomorrow she would go through it as fast as she would yours. Explain your situation. You have X ammount of dollars. You can offer her a good life and a future but its not going to be Disneyland. If she cant accept that foxtrot oscar

Sent from my SM-J730GM using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

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27 minutes ago, Cryingdick said:

 

Couldn't you just get a divorce?

Im as strong believer in "The mirror effect", where you get what you deserve. Not always true, but mainly your return if often what you invest in. Basic knownledge. Some is lucky, and some is constant unlucky, and blaim everyone else than themsleves. Have been there myself, until I realized it was up to me, and nobody else. 

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On 1/31/2019 at 4:03 PM, murraynz said:

somebody said-'spending the kids inheritence'.... i seriously object to that attitude--this is 2019..i hope not too many of you retirees are saving your money for the next generation ..

i taught my kids to create their own investments-early in life--they have done so---live great lives....

my pension is small, but i have good income from commercial property,  selling more houses over next few yrs...most will go to a charitable trust in nz -when im gone..

[looking after sick kids}...

i still live to a budget, but each year increasing my spending.... i dont think the money is much good to me in my eighties---i like being a butterfly in thailand... im generous with the girls but  not stupid....

im soo glad that i dont have to scrimp in my retirement yrs----but of course i have made many sacrifices in 40 previous yrs , to achieve that ...

once again---we reap what we sow......of course there is the odd exceptions, due to illness etc---

many men use their divorces, as an excuse for having very little in retirement yrs.. thats a feeble excuse...

Feeeble excuse?!? For some it is simply a harsh reality. Indeed, we reap what we sow, and a bad marriage can be a financially fatal mistake if it comes late in life. 

 

I saved/invested for retirement early in life having been taught foresight and financial responsibility by my parents. Then I married in my early 40's, divorced in my early 50's. Halfway through my marriage my advisor declared my retirement funds more than adequate but I continued to invest as I didn't desire cars/boats/clothes etc. My wife spent all her income on these things. She was entering bankruptcy when we got married.

 

So yes, I made a huge mistake and demonstrated poor judgment. 

The divorce law in Colorado awarded her half of the gains on ALL of my investments over the period of our marriage, including real estate I had purchased and paid off years before I even met her. She had none so I got nothing from her. Her? She got plenty as I had done well. So I ended up transferring entire mutual fund accounts to her in the settlement. Now I was woefully underfunded for retirement at 50+.

 

I dug into work, also doing consulting work at night and on weekends and over 15 years was back where I started financially halfway through the marriage. It cost me dearly to have that bad marriage.

 

Luckily I was employable and knew how to save. Still, the story would not have a good ending if the marriage had been between the ages of 50 and 60.

As it is, I can afford a good life here for the next 15-20 years. However, if not for that bad decision I could be living high indeed. 

 

I did have some small and evil satisfaction a few weeks ago when my ex contacted me asking for money as she had quickly exhausted the small fortune  she stole from me years ago and for the last 15 years of employment she had saved nothing. Needless to say, I was tempted to respond and gloat but was wise enough to stay silent. She finally gave up trying to contact me. 

 

Now I still make a tidy sum annually doing consulting work but only because I enjoy it and am very good in my niche field. That money I spend freely, after withholding some for taxes, on travel with my Thai GF. 

 

Yes it is an excuse. But feeble?

NO. 

 

I'm pleased that you are comfortable but you sound a bit too sanctimonious for my taste. Apparently you made very few mistakes in life. Good for you. 

 

 

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1 hour ago, RocketDog said:

So yes, I made a huge mistake and demonstrated poor judgment. 

The divorce law in Colorado awarded her half of the gains on ALL of my investments over the period of our marriage, including real estate I had purchased and paid off years before I even met her. She had none so I got nothing from her. Her? She got plenty as I had done well. So I ended up transferring entire mutual fund accounts to her in the settlement. Now I was woefully underfunded for retirement at 50+.

This is not really a mistake, this is what women do and why divorce laws are the way they are.

Almost no women save any money, they spend all they earn plus a little bit more, and the divorce funds their retirement, saving the state from having to support them and theirs cats at retirement.

 

The whole western world is set up so that men (who save), support women (that spend).

Edited by BritManToo
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7 hours ago, Hummin said:

Im as strong believer in "The mirror effect", where you get what you deserve.

So people with cancer deserved it?

Faithful men with cheating wives deserve it?

If a child gets killed/crippled in a car accident, they deserved it?

Edited by BritManToo
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1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

So people with cancer deserved it?

Faithful men with cheating wives deserve it?

If a child gets killed/crippled in a car accident, they deserved it?

Absolutely not! That far away from my statement, and taken apart!

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I'm 44. I'll be retiring "for good" in about 5 years. I'm already receiving a mil pension of $6k usd/mo which I'll get for life. I'm making about 3 times that at work and will receive around $2k/mo pension from my current work once I reach 62. Right now I'm not worried about money, but I'm still maximizing my investments and prioritizing to have my rental property paid off and an additional property before I retire "for good" by then (2024, I guess) it'll be just my wife and I traveling throughout Asia and stopping just to spend time with our kids wherever they will be. I'm trying to plan ahead, so I don't have to worry about money at that time. We'll see.

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I have a pension, so every month I get more money.
If the worst happens, I'll be hungry for a week or two, then more money arrives.
 
Living with capital only causes many people problems, but monthly pensions are great.
I still manage 4 really wild SEA holidays a year.
Wild? You must be do proud. Stories to tell the grandchildren I expect... No.

Be happy

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