My online income has made me more critical of Thailand

[nickmondo]

3 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I'll go halves with you one one, money and labour, we can camp while we build.

I'm great at traditional stonework, plumbing, wiring and tiling but total shit at plastering and painting.

 

Been trying to convince a couple of pals to do this with me for the past two years, but one is dying, and the other isn't really interested. Don't fancy taking on the whole project alone.

 

Got my EHIC card somewhere, valid until next summer.

britmantoo, I have sent you a message about this, as I am well up for it.  although, I would want to be in Spanish pyrenees, not FRench.  Hate the bloody french.  ha ha.

[simon43]

 Am really sorry, but I honestly don't think there is anybody out there who would give "two hoots" either way.

\

 

It's called a forum for a reason... ????

[Briggsy]

I have been 22 years in Thailand. I am out in 3 months. Simply more opportunities (in the widest sense of the word) elsewhere now. I am moving to better things rather than considering the negative aspects of Thailand.

 

If anybody is interested in buying a fridge and washing machine along with many small electrical appliances as a bundle, pm me.

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Speaking of Europe, Portugal looks pretty good and yes I've been there. Their financial levels for retirement residence eligibility are significantly LESS than for Thailand! 

 

Hey Jing, you had that long thread about alternate locations/countries for expat living/retirement....

 

But one thing I don't remember ever seeing/reading in that long discussion was -- is there some entity/website that keeps kind of a central roster of what different countries offer retirement visa/stay programs, and what the details of those are???

 

You'd think, someone somewhere is keeping a compilation of such a thing. But I don't think I've ever seen/read a pointer to it here....

 

[Mansell]

2 hours ago, Thaidream said:

It is amazing that so many people, who would have never thought about leaving Thailand, are actually planning to do it.

 

I would be one of them except for marriage and family responsibilities. I first started coming to Thailand in 1971 and  after 3 Thai wives (not at the same time!)  the purchase of houses, condo,s and  so many trips to Immigration I would need a computer program to track-  the delight of Thailand has worn off.

 

It's not just the cost which has gone up with the lessening of value of major currencies- it is the combination of just so many things that have become less tolerable- traffic is bad and never getting better and the constant Kabuki dance at Immigration is so irritating.  Throw in the pollution and the bad weather (horrid heat) and  the fact that there is really not much real 'fun' in the country and one has to wonder why we still put up with it all.

 

If someone would have told  me even 10 years ago that I might consider leaving Thailand, I would have thought them  insane.

 

In my case- I will stick it out to the end as it would be impossible to take everyone I care about with me but I can dream along with the rest.

 

Southern France along the Spanish border sounds great.  I have often thought about Belize; Mongolia and even Cuba  Oh well, the next life maybe!!

 

Cheers to all.

 

 

 

 

 

Not many people think of Mongolia to retire. Have you been there in the winter? Which is pretty much October to the end of May, with temps as low as minus 50. The least inhabited country in the world. But a very tough country to live in....and that is from Mongolians. Amazing countryside, but sadly Ulan Bator is very polluted from coal burning and the traffic gets worse with the increasing uptick in the economy. But if you were tough enough you could live in a ger and be self sufficient out in the boonies.

[madmen]

Somebody mentioned shine.  After a while it wears off, even a new BMW gets old after a few years ..

I meet a lot of people through renting out an airbnb property monthly on lower sukhumvit to mostly middle class middle aged men and the one thing I always notice when I take them for a familiarisation walk is that silly looking ear to ear grin and most will say how amazing Thai people are always smiling !

 

That's how we all were in the beginning and then after many years its easy to become jaded. TV doesn't help with non stop thai bashing and the sky is always falling. Not many nice things happen here apart from brilliant visa info

The Thais haven't changed but the farang has. Wearing a long sour face won't get you any smiles back that's for sure

[simon43]

Thai people always smile at me because I always smile.  But I'm getting an 'itch' to experience more locations before I die ????

[connda]

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

I have 15 months before my Elite via expires.  Methinks I need to take a trip to the Pyrenees to see if it still lives up to my memories.

I agree.  You should.  If not married and supporting a family - I would no longer be here.  

[Jingthing]

 
Hey Jing, you had that long thread about alternate locations/countries for expat living/retirement....
 
But one thing I don't remember ever seeing/reading in that long discussion was -- is there some entity/website that keeps kind of a central roster of what different countries offer retirement visa/stay programs, and what the details of those are???
 
You'd think, someone somewhere is keeping a compilation of such a thing. But I don't think I've ever seen/read a pointer to it here....
 

Not that I'm aware of anywhere near the comprehensive way you describe. But it's a good idea. Of course all those details are a moving target. Thailand isn't the only country with fluid rules. I recall hearing recently from a Mexican immigration lawyer that their system hasn't even incorporated all the law changes made well over a decade ago. He also expects major changes under the new leftist government. And that's only Mexico!

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[LivinLOS]

10 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Hey Jing, you had that long thread about alternate locations/countries for expat living/retirement....

 

But one thing I don't remember ever seeing/reading in that long discussion was -- is there some entity/website that keeps kind of a central roster of what different countries offer retirement visa/stay programs, and what the details of those are???

 

You'd think, someone somewhere is keeping a compilation of such a thing. But I don't think I've ever seen/read a pointer to it here....

 

Having looked into doing something similar concerning taxation (nomad / guest short stay and work legality) the issue is its highly dependent on the country the viewer of the information is from.. 

What the rule for an EU passport holder is, or for an 'ex colonies' to migrate to another country is so different than for each other nationality. 

[LivinLOS]

14 minutes ago, madmen said:

The Thais haven't changed but the farang has. 

Strongly disagree.. 

 

In fact this has even been said by one of my very few long term Thai friends, how he feels his own countrymen have changed for the worse and his worries about how thing will be for his own son. 

[bkk6060]

5 minutes ago, connda said:

I agree.  You should.  If not married and supporting a family - I would no longer be here.  

So your personal decisions/choices have altered what you really want to be doing with your life?

Very sorry to hear that..

8 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Thai people always smile at me because I always smile.  But I'm getting an 'itch' to experience more locations before I die ????

Being in a village in a stonehouse teaching English seems like a true dream come true.

Please go and report back ( which no one seems to do for some reason).  Otherwise, it is just another I am disenchanted and thinking of leaving let's pile on Thailand thread.

 

I choose to be here and choose to not leave.

No commitments or marital mistakes thank you. Just my choice to stay I actually like the place.

 

[Destiny1990]

Yes you have many options.

I always wonder why people would live longer than 2 years on the exact same location sounds dead boring to me.. 

[mike787]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

please tell us more about "losing a potential loss" and then bore us to death with fairy tales about "11-20% yield" 

Sure!  If you are an investor you would not be asking. So let me pull out my crayons and explain.  Here are the financial FACTS (not my fairy tales).   

Step 1. Grab "any" amortization investemnt calculator.

Step 2. plug in your values you are to invest, ie 800K baht or 400K.

Step 3. Fact the S&P 500 since inception has returned 10-11% compound interest per year.  That is a minimum ROI (return on initial investment).  Berkshire Hathaway, BRKA or BRKB stock trading symbol (warren buffet, 3rd richest man) has generated 20% average since inception beating the S&P 500.  (you with me so far?).  Even investing 800 or 400K into a bond fund that matched inflation at about 2-3% is better than Zero which is what you get for leaving your money in a Thai bank.  Your are not even beating inflation.  That perhaps doesn't not matter to you. Excellent!  Stop reading at this point.  

 

Ok. step 4. you plug in all those parameters.  

Step 5. Determine the amortized period of time.  That is subjective, however it can be as short as 1 year or as long as you like.  The value generated will show the amount of money your initial investment of the (laundered) funds to the Thai bank 800/400K could have generated BUT did NOT because your ROI was ZERO.  The Thai banks made money on your funds (or did what they want) that you provided. 

 

To help you see the light, or NOT is your choice.  I personally (no offense) do not care what you do with your money because it is yours.  My position is only about "informed consent"  

https://www.calculator.net/investment-calculator.html

RE:  BRKA performance relative to S&P 500...just google for more fairy tales...LOL! 

I can continue, but will choose not too.  Likely your are very happy with your choices...to continue would be to bore you, which I have exceeded at doing.

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by mike787

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

28 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not that I'm aware of anywhere near the comprehensive way you describe. But it's a good idea. Of course all those details are a moving target. Thailand isn't the only country with fluid rules. I recall hearing recently from a Mexican immigration lawyer that their system hasn't even incorporated all the law changes made well over a decade ago. He also expects major changes under the new leftist government. And that's only Mexico!
 

 

I think one of the reasons the Plan B discussions here always seem to center around the Phils, Cambodia, Vietnam etc., apart from them being nearby, is those are local places people here are more familiar with.

 

But ask me, and I have NO CLUE what kind of retirement options exist in Central or South America, or even in Europe/Eastern Europe, or the French Pyrenees for that matter!

 

It seems kind of hard to find that kind of info on a country by country basis -- especially when the details that you might read on some country's foreign ministry website may or may not jive with the actual practice and requirements on the ground there.

 

[madmen]

27 minutes ago, LivinLOS said:

Strongly disagree.. 

 

In fact this has even been said by one of my very few long term Thai friends, how he feels his own countrymen have changed for the worse and his worries about how thing will be for his own son. 

We all see what we want to see. I don't need a Thai to persuade me about anything thats for sure

 

[AlexRich]

I’m in Cyprus currently, which is beneficial from a tax standpoint, as is Thailand. I’m not spending anymore, in fact with the Baht rate where it is I’m spending less. And I don’t have the hassle of having to jump through immigration hoops, or move around on visa runs, or deposit money in Bank accounts. I doubt France would be much more expensive, but the tax liability would put me off. Even in SE Asia there are plenty alternatives to Thailand. The problem for many expats is that they have commitments, with wives and children ... so don’t have the same flexibility.

 

if I return to SE Asia I’ll only pass through Thailand, there is no reason to stay long term.

 

 

[gk10002000]

2 hours ago, tlandtday said:

Yes if one studies the weather including cloud cover and dew point one can see that Phuket is cooler than northern thailand and certainly has cleaner air.

very wet and humid though, much more than even Pattaya in my experience.

[marcusarelus]

56 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Hey Jing, you had that long thread about alternate locations/countries for expat living/retirement....

 

But one thing I don't remember ever seeing/reading in that long discussion was -- is there some entity/website that keeps kind of a central roster of what different countries offer retirement visa/stay programs, and what the details of those are???

 

You'd think, someone somewhere is keeping a compilation of such a thing. But I don't think I've ever seen/read a pointer to it here....

 

The same reason there is no organization of Immigration rules by office.  Or the restaurant is always on the top floor of the department store.  

[AlexRich]

1 hour ago, Naam said:

please tell us more about "losing a potential loss" and then bore us to death with fairy tales about "11-20% yield" 

He was with Bernie Madoff ... 12% guaranteed.

[Gecko123]

1 hour ago, madmen said:

The Thais haven't changed but the farang has.

That is a preposterous assertion.

 

Thais have unquestionably become ruder and less welcoming towards foreigners in the past 10 years. If anything, the trend has gone into overdrive in the past two years when immigration sweeps and roundups began to be publicized every night on the news.

 

But the change has largely been driven by money. The 'marry me and buy me a house" charade began to fall apart. Prayut started stigmatizing Thai women with foreign men as bad for Thailand's image, undercutting the money tree generated by the sex industry. Big box retailers moved in, gutted small retailers, giving them little incentive to cultivate new foreign prospective customers. The internet enabled foreigners to compare notes and prices and to become more street-smart, eliminating opportunites for price padding and gouging. Currency devaluations and austerity programs in the West started making vacation millionaires and expats alike more frugal. All this has undercut the financial incentive for Thais to engage with foreigners. The payoff is simply not sufficient for the happy Munchkinland performance to go on 24/7, and for largely financial reasons, the charade has been summarily dropped.

 

As far as whether foreigners are the ones who have changed, largely due to the internet, the guys coming over here hoping for a long-term romance with a Thai woman have more realistic expectations and are probably less likely to guzzle the kool-aid than newbies in years past. I think you're less likely to see cringeworthy examples of say a 70 y/o guy unabashedly pawing at a teenage village girl, naively thinking she's in love with him. In many ways, I would argue that some of the more unfavorable stereotypes about expats and sexpats are starting to fade. I'm not buying the premise that loutish and boorish behavior on the part of Western men is what drove the changes in attitude that have been reported by many, many long-term expats, most of whom are recounting these changes with sadness and regret in their hearts. In many ways the calibre of expats would seem to be improving, if those cheering immigration's purges are to be believed.

 

What's driven the change? Money, plain and simply, money.

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by Gecko123

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

58 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Not that I'm aware of anywhere near the comprehensive way you describe. But it's a good idea. Of course all those details are a moving target. Thailand isn't the only country with fluid rules. I recall hearing recently from a Mexican immigration lawyer that their system hasn't even incorporated all the law changes made well over a decade ago. He also expects major changes under the new leftist government. And that's only Mexico!
 

 

I see WikiTravel has the following list:

Quote

 

Retirement visa

Several countries offer a retirement visa. These all require at least evidence of adequate funds, a health check, and a police check that shows no criminal record. See the individual countries' immigration department web-sites for details:

Albania

Australia - Closed to new applicants

Austria

Belize (formerly British Honduras)

Bulgaria

Costa Rica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Guatemala

Honduras

Madagascar

Indonesia

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

New Zealand

Panama (the political system and government-related issues of Panama, including passports and visas are explored here)

Philippines

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Thailand There is also an Ehow article on these visas.

Tonga

UAE

 

https://wikitravel.org/en/Retiring_abroad

 

I didn't know, hadn't heard, that Spain has a retirement visa... I had only heard of EU folks talking about moving there in past discussions here.

 

[Captain 776]

I think I hear the U K calling u

[simon43]

11 minutes ago, Captain 776 said:

I think I hear the U K calling u

If you mean me, then that call will go unanswered.  If I were to return to Europe, the UK wouldn't be on my list, primarily because of the weather and my enjoyable experiences previously living in Andorra and Pyrenees France.

 

BTW, some might think Andorra is only for the rich, but that's not true at all.  I previously lived in the main town Andorra-la-Vella, and lived quite cheaply but with an enjoyable lifestyle (walking, skiing etc).

 

Living on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees is also an option for me, thanks to the little old tunnel that joins Navarra Province in northern Spain to Haute Pyrenee province in south-west France - it only takes 10 minutes to travel through - no tolls.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

24 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

I see WikiTravel has the following list:

https://wikitravel.org/en/Retiring_abroad

 

I didn't know, hadn't heard, that Spain has a retirement visa... I had only heard of EU folks talking about moving there in past discussions here.

 

 

If accurate, this info below for Spain seems pretty reasonable in financial terms:

 

Quote

How to Retire in Spain: Residency

For temporary residency in Spain, you’ll want to get yourself a long-stay visa, or visado nacional. This will allow you to live full-time in the country and provides way more benefits than a tourist visa. A long-stay visa allows you to work, study, retire or live in the country for an indefinite amount of time. You’ll need to live in Spain at least six months out of the year to maintain your visa. You must also renew the visa annually.
 

Since you’re probably looking for a relaxing retirement in Spain that doesn’t include clocking in and out, you can instead apply for a residence visa, or visado residencia. This visa does not permit you to work in the country. You will need to prove that you have the means to support yourself and any dependents while you live in Spain without working. You can do this by providing evidence of a certain minimum monthly income like pensions and investment statements. Typically, you’ll need to prove you’ll have at least roughly $2,500 and $532 per dependent coming in each month.

To get your visa process started, visit your local Spanish embassy or consulate. Each application can cost around $200 in fees.

 

 

https://smartasset.com/retirement/how-to-retire-spain

 

BTW, I also checked the details on New Zealand, since they were on the list of retirement visa programs above... And not surprisingly, the NZ program requires a not so small fortune of money to buy in, up into the $1 million plus range.

 

Edited June 3, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Jingthing]

https://wikitravel.org/en/Retiring_abroad
 
I didn't know, hadn't heard, that Spain has a retirement visa... I had only heard of EU folks talking about moving there in past discussions here.
 

Not a complete list at all.

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[sidjameson]

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

 

 

 

True, if you have a freelance business registered in France.  But I would not and would continue my online teaching into China, getting paid into my Thai Paypal account.  A quick online check suggests that if I declared this offshore income to the French tax authorities,  then I would have to pay about 1,700 GBP per year on my 30,000 GBP income.

 

Sounds reasonable.

 

 

Simon, if too personal then sorry. But ive noticed for a few years i guess that you earn a very decent salary but live very frugally. 3000bht rent etc. What are you saving for? You must be worth a fortune and i can only see someone inheriting and spending all your wealth.  Why do you do it?

[4675636b596f75]

No one has mentioned air pollution.  

 

In deciding where to live, or where not to live, this ought to be a huge consideration.  

[simon43]

1 minute ago, sidjameson said:

Simon, if too personal then sorry. But ive noticed for a few years i guess that you earn a very decent salary but live very frugally. 3000bht rent etc. What are you saving for? You must be worth a fortune and i can only see someone inheriting and spending all your wealth.  Why do you do it?

Ha ha, you have it all wrong! ????

 

I used to be rich, (well $2.2 million USD after I sold my one-man-band business around 1999.).  I wrote software algorithms for artificial intelligence applications.

 

Half of that money was in company shares that I wasn't allowed to sell for 2 years.  In the meantime, the company who bought my business went bust and bang went $1.1m USD...

 

Then I built a beautiful house just outside London in 5 acres of gardens.  My UK divorce saw my ex -wife taking 100% of the house (because she had 3 kids to bring up).

 

Finally, the last of the money went on building Phuket Airport Hotel, a small business with huge potential, but which was soundly destroyed by my crazy second wife, (as old threads on this forum tell).

 

After that, I was a little short of cash, but older and wiser.

 

Since those days, I've been very happy living modestly.  My house costs 3,000 baht a month because, well, that's how much things cost in Issan.

 

There's not much to inherit, I live for today and enjoy my life very much.  I plan for the future in terms of good health insurance, but otherwise, I let things take their course and never worry where the next $ or meal comes from because.. well..... things always seem to turn out OK for me.  My stress levels are absolutely zero.

 

But winning a big lottery would be welcome of course ????

[sidjameson]

Wow! Thanks for that. Probably a bit sad of me but its nice to "get to know" a poster. Especially one whose posts are always worth a read.

Do you feel any resentment towards your two female assisins?