Poll: Retired Expats in Thailand -- in light of visa changes would you recommend Thailand to new retired expats?

[superal]

On 4/25/2019 at 10:30 AM, marcusarelus said:

How do you get to another country when you have had a heart attack or stroke?  Do you have enough time?  I believe heart attack and stroke are very common causes of death.   I was just kidding about the poll.  There isn't any for obvious reasons. 

That is a serious point of concern . Just here in the north east yesterday a Thai guy aged 59 years was cremated . Very well known entertainer and popular man in town .His death was a shock to all .He had a massive attendance at the temple for the 4 days prior to the cremation .  Not sure that I am totally correct but I was told that he had a leaky heart valve . So I googled that and it appears to  be a straight forward repair procedure . It was an ongoing problem , not something that suddenly happened . Even if it was heart disease which would have been foreseen you would think that a transplant operation was on the cards , as that seems to be the norm in the western world but here in Thailand especially in the rural Thailand who knows what your going to get . So you are right and to be prepared you need to be in a location such as Bangkok that has the hospitals with the skills and have a good insurance plus healthy bank balance .   Retirement in Thailand seems to be for the younger guys say 50 years old cos when in your late 60 s / 70 s there are too many ifs & buts .

[totally thaied up]

9 minutes ago, superal said:

Retirement in Thailand seems to be for the younger guys say 50 years old cos when in your late 60 s / 70 s there are too many ifs & buts

Today at my local chemist in Australia I had to wait for a few guys in front of me in their mid-sixties that were waiting to get medication. They all needed a truck to back up to load their medicines in there was so much. The costs involved would have been huge for them if they were living in Thailand. This alone would out price most retirees I know as they could not afford it.

[Mike Teavee]

On 4/25/2019 at 11:30 AM, marcusarelus said:

How do you get to another country when you have had a heart attack or stroke?  Do you have enough time?  I believe heart attack and stroke are very common causes of death.   I was just kidding about the poll.  There isn't any for obvious reasons. 

Came across this article this morning whilst I was reading a different news story (Apologies, not sure how to make the graphic smaller)... https://www.bbc.com/news/health-47371078 

 

Causes of death around the world

About 56 million people in the world died in 2017.

This is 10 million more than in 1990, as the global population has increased and people live longer on average.

More than 70% die from non-communicable, chronic diseases. These are not passed from person to person and typically progress slowly.

The biggest single killer is cardiovascular disease, which affects the heart and arteries and is responsible for every third death.

This is twice the rate of cancers - the second leading cause - which account for about one in six of all deaths.

Other non-contagious diseases such as diabetes, certain respiratory diseases and dementia are also near the top of the list.

 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Mike Teavee

[superal]

On 4/26/2019 at 12:02 PM, totally thaied up said:

Today at my local chemist in Australia I had to wait for a few guys in front of me in their mid-sixties that were waiting to get medication. They all needed a truck to back up to load their medicines in there was so much. The costs involved would have been huge for them if they were living in Thailand. This alone would out price most retirees I know as they could not afford it.

I have to say that when I visit the local Thai doctor I always end up with lots of medicines , most of which I do not need imo . Have enough to open a small pharmacy and often confused to which bag has got my current pills as my lady is always tidying up . I think it is the way for the doc to make money and the one thing that concerns me is that my lady will not dispose of unwanted / finished medicines , she hoards them in case someone else has a similar illness . ????

[anderstse]

Ive been reading through the posts, admittedly not every page, but what struck me is

the bank deposit balance to show immigration; that only needs to be there 90 days prior to the renewal application or so I believe.

Therefore it's not locked away permanently, or can anyone confirm otherwise.

 

[Happystance]

I abandoned retirement plans in Thailand, once I fully understood how difficult it was.

My advice: come play, have nice long extended vacations, but if you aren't wealthy, look elsewhere for the long haul.

[Jingthing]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:19 AM, anderstse said:

Ive been reading through the posts, admittedly not every page, but what struck me is

the bank deposit balance to show immigration; that only needs to be there 90 days prior to the renewal application or so I believe.

Therefore it's not locked away permanently, or can anyone confirm otherwise.

 

Incorrect.

After you get the extension, it MUST not go one baht under 800k for three months AFTER.

After that, it must not go one baht under 400K for the rest of the year until the beginning of the next year's pre seasoning 800K period.

That POST seasoning stuff is very new and very onerous. Also quite obviously it means at least a 400K minimum lockup of your funds all year.

The legal consequences of being in violation of post seasoning rules are not yet clear.

For offices ordering a three month checkin to show 800K after the extension, we do know that means at the very least immediate CANCELLATION of the annual extension of stay.

[Jingthing]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:59 AM, Happystance said:

I abandoned retirement plans in Thailand, once I fully understood how difficult it was.

My advice: come play, have nice long extended vacations, but if you aren't wealthy, look elsewhere for the long haul.

Well, it's not that difficult if you're willing and able to commit 800K to be dead money for your entire stay in Thailand. Some people are willing and able to do that, and others are finding that to be an unreasonable demand. 

[totally thaied up]

On 5/4/2019 at 8:59 AM, Happystance said:

I abandoned retirement plans in Thailand, once I fully understood how difficult it was.

My advice: come play, have nice long extended vacations, but if you aren't wealthy, look elsewhere for the long haul.

 

17 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Well, it's not that difficult if you're willing and able to commit 800K to be dead money for your entire stay in Thailand. Some people are willing and able to do that, and others are finding that to be an unreasonable demand. 

No it is not that difficult but Thailand is getting expensive. This is my main concern now, apart from the pollution in Chiang Mai. Each year and with the strength of the baht, it is not getting cheaper. I can tell you, it is now the same price to buy your basics (basic foods) in Australia versus Thailand. I have free health care so I am miles ahead and at times I think I just need my head read for wanting to stay. My wife does not want me to lock any more money in Thailand. It sure is not cheap anymore and I now only advise my friends to come for a holiday.

Edited May 5, 2019 by totally thaied up

[marcusarelus]

17 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

 

No it is not that difficult but Thailand is getting expensive. This is my main concern now, apart from the pollution in Chiang Mai. Each year and with the strength of the baht, it is not getting cheaper. I can tell you, it is now the same price to buy your basics (basic foods) in Australia versus Thailand. I have free health care so I am miles ahead and at times I think I just need my head read for wanting to stay. My wife does not want me to lock any more money in Thailand. It sure is not cheap anymore and I now only advise my friends to come for a holiday.

How much has the Aussie dollar lost to the Baht in the past 5 years?

[totally thaied up]

16 minutes ago, marcusarelus said:

How much has the Aussie dollar lost to the Baht in the past 5 years?

Around 20-25% on a guess. I did my last big transfer at 27.80 and have only done very small transfers since.

 

My food bill in Australia is the same as Thailand but here as you can guess I am buying lots of cheeses, wines for the family (I don't drink) and farang style foods. In Thailand, I hardly eat farang food. It is just that on price per ratio on amount of food bought, it is the same.

[marcusarelus]

2 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

Around 20-25% on a guess. I did my last big transfer at 27.80 and have only done very small transfers since.

 

My food bill in Australia is the same as Thailand but here as you can guess I am buying lots of cheeses, wines for the family (I don't drink) and farang style foods. In Thailand, I hardly eat farang food. It is just that on price per ratio on amount of food bought, it is the same.

What is 27.80?

[totally thaied up]

1 minute ago, marcusarelus said:

What is 27.80?

Sorry, I transferred over a million at 27.80 and have been living off that. Now we are trading around 22.30. 

[anderstse]

Quote

     On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 5:19 AM, anderstse said:

Ive been reading through the posts, admittedly not every page, but what struck me is

the bank deposit balance to show immigration; that only needs to be there 90 days prior to the renewal application or so I believe.

Therefore it's not locked away permanently, or can anyone confirm otherwise.

 

Incorrect.

After you get the extension, it MUST not go one baht under 800k for three months AFTER.

After that, it must not go one baht under 400K for the rest of the year until the beginning of the next year's pre seasoning 800K period.

That POST seasoning stuff is very new and very onerous. Also quite obviously it means at least a 400K minimum lockup of your funds all year.

The legal consequences of being in violation of post seasoning rules are not yet clear.

For offices ordering a three month checkin to show 800K after the extension, we do know that means at the very least immediate CANCELLATION of the annual extension of stay.

Is this specifically for retirement visa,

anyone have experiences of the bank balance for thai wife visa? and of Bangkok?

[Jingthing]

8 minutes ago, anderstse said:

Is this specifically for retirement visa,

anyone have experiences of the bank balance for thai wife visa? and of Bangkok?

I thought you were asking about retirement visa rules and that's what I posted about.