How Many Are “Stuck” Here With No Way Out

[BritManToo]

5 hours ago, Vacuum said:

A very good question.

Because we can!

[emptypockets]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 4:51 PM, heybuz said:

 I read on here from some who say they have no sympathy for those that did not plan for their life, well there are a lot that did but life dealt them a different hand, divorce which in later life leaves you with not much.There are also the others that tout themselves as financial genius's the ones that started working at 16 as a shiney arse in the same job for 50 years did nothing bought a house in the 60, 's did nothing except go to work and because of a property boom not through any planning became millionaires on paper. Now these same people come on forums and lord it over less fortunate people who maybe took the risks and failed. I have no sympathy for them they are the barstool SAS  of Thailand.55 my rant,I've had a few Leo's.

I slogged through 4 hard years of an apprenticeship, worked at some crappy jobs in crappy places (think remote mining towns in the back of beyond in Australia), took on further education to improve my lot in life. Definitely no shiny arse jobs in my CV.

I'm not going to apologise for that. My parents were typical working class people but they taught me the value of a good education and hard work.

There is no such thing as less fortunate. Anyone could do what I have done, I'm nothing special. Divorced twice (once at 44, and again at 54) so lost a lot of cash and assets. Picked myself up, brushed myself down as the song goes. I found, over the years, that the harder I worked the luckier I got.

I guess the difference maybe is that I didn't have delusions that I could retire in a foreign country at 50 years old with very little to back me up.

Still working in a well paid job at 63 years old and loving it. I can retire at anytime I choose but my preference at the moment is to keep working. My work/leave cycle gives me the best of both worlds I think. I get to spend two weeks in Thailand after three weeks at work.

No lording over it from me - just stating the facts.

 

I do feel for the older members 70,75 plus who are doing it hard due to the exchange rate, but guys my age...sorry no sympathy. Even less for the retirees who sire children when they should have had a vasectomy before coming to Thailand. They made their bed - now lie in it.

[emptypockets]

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 6:45 PM, Thaidream said:

While you make a good point- the reality of coming to Thailand in your 20s or 30s and being hugely successful is IMO a pipe dream- there are just not that many successful people from Western countries in Thailand that started decades ago and still here and successfu'.  I can only think of 5-10 from those early days that made it big in Thailand and are still going strong

 

Then there is the issue of retirement- what are you going to do when you are 65 and cannot work anymore.  You may have been relatively successful for some years but contributed nothing to your own countries Social Security Fund; a super annuation fund or other retirement scheme and thus you won't have a 'pension'.  Unless you have been able to save huge amounts through the years- you will be poor.

 

NOt everyone can invent the computer or Google rf facebook. In Thailand, as soon as you start a small business- and if it is successful- it will be copied 100 times over until everyone  loses money. There are just so many niches that are filled- although there aewsome franchises that could be successful in the right location but you have to well heeled already to buy into them.

 

Right now in the West there are still opportunities to go into a company out of College and work your way up the ladder.  It is 20-30 year from now when it will become harder as automation and Artificial Intelligeence will make success for many very difficult.  IMO the World will always need specialists- green tech; doctors; nurse; nuclear scientis etc.  Highly specialized, intelligent people will be in vogue always. At the same time- Governments and Social scientists need to really convene a major conference to decide how much AI will be allowed and actually needed in view of the life altering changes that will come.  

 

IMO- the conecept of a guarnateed income is not that far off and needs to be seriously considered.  In fact- one of the lesser know candidates running for President- Andrew Yang- has aplatform in which every US citizen will be paid $1000 per month for life. Think of how that would change the economy of a country; potentially eliminate poverty and allow people to live in dignity.

 

The question that really has to be answered is do we really need autonomous vehciles ; do  we need massive AI; do we need to send people to Mars- if the result is the ultimate degradation of our people.

 

You are right- the World is changing and changing fast- but is it for the better?  

$1000 a month sounds great. But who is going to pay for it? Governments don't have money except that which they take from other people via taxes.

[bwpage3]

8 hours ago, drbeach said:

Doubtful, good international schools in Thailand are world class - but they are expensive. American public education is horrible. It's well known that the Australian system is 2 years ahead of the American one. In other words, someone with 2 years in college is at the same level as an Australian high school graduate.

 

I found university in America a breeze. It was more focused on homework assignments and less on exams.

Total rubbish

 

I have first hand experience, what facts are you spouting from?

 

Thailand International schools are not world class anything

 

Private High Schools in the US top ten can run 1,594,650 baht per year. There isn't anything remotely close in Thailand or anywhere else.

 

Why do you think the majority of IVY league colleges are made up of Americans?

 

<2% of the students at Harvard are Thai (And those are probably the corrupt rich ones that can afford it)

 

 

[bwpage3]

14 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Good points. But I have at least three friends who moved to Thailand, when they were in decent shape financially. Things change. Investments go south, businesses fail, guys get involved with the wrong women, and make the fatal mistake of not taking enough time to get to know them, etc, etc. Some guys just get caught up in those kinds of tragic situations and my heart goes out to them. It is no fun being broke. 

Agreed. 

 

Thailand plays by a different set of rules and an unsuspecting foreigner can lose it all.

 

It is a very sad situation, specially when you have to where to move back to and have lost all your money.

[emptypockets]

43 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Agreed. 

 

Thailand plays by a different set of rules and an unsuspecting foreigner can lose it all.

 

It is a very sad situation, specially when you have to where to move back to and have lost all your money.

Not unsuspecting foreigner.... a  stupid foreigner. Unfortunately they will be stupid anywhere not just in Thailand.

We see and read this time and time again on this forum as well as in day to day real life.

Some peoples should never have left home.

Edited August 12, 2019 by emptypockets

[EVENKEEL]

8 hours ago, emptypockets said:

I slogged through 4 hard years of an apprenticeship, worked at some crappy jobs in crappy places (think remote mining towns in the back of beyond in Australia), took on further education to improve my lot in life. Definitely no shiny arse jobs in my CV.

I'm not going to apologise for that. My parents were typical working class people but they taught me the value of a good education and hard work.

There is no such thing as less fortunate. Anyone could do what I have done, I'm nothing special. Divorced twice (once at 44, and again at 54) so lost a lot of cash and assets. Picked myself up, brushed myself down as the song goes. I found, over the years, that the harder I worked the luckier I got.

I guess the difference maybe is that I didn't have delusions that I could retire in a foreign country at 50 years old with very little to back me up.

Still working in a well paid job at 63 years old and loving it. I can retire at anytime I choose but my preference at the moment is to keep working. My work/leave cycle gives me the best of both worlds I think. I get to spend two weeks in Thailand after three weeks at work.

No lording over it from me - just stating the facts.

 

I do feel for the older members 70,75 plus who are doing it hard due to the exchange rate, but guys my age...sorry no sympathy. Even less for the retirees who sire children when they should have had a vasectomy before coming to Thailand. They made their bed - now lie in it.

61 here and make decent dough as well, long hrs but I've had it being away from home and my daughter. Retiring end of year, keeping my papers up to date just in case but I'm figuring I should be alright.

[gamb00ler]

On 8/11/2019 at 3:33 AM, fordguy61mi said:

This is why my wife will be seeking her Citizenship here in the U.S. and gaining a U.S. Passport so we can travel back and forth without problems when I retire in 4 years.

My wife of 20 years applied (July '16) for her US citizenship after holding green card for 40+ years.  It took 15 months from first application until final approval.  The current anti-immigrant climate caused tens of thousands of Permanent Residents to apply for citizen status.  This caused long wait times for USCIS processing.  Hopefully the queues are shorter now.

[Scutty]

You are giving far too much importance to money ....You dont need that much . You are stuck here in your head only . just get used to living without all the crap that you habitually need . You will find you need a lot lot less than you think . Free your mind .!!!

[Scutty]

First to go should be the booze . If you drink your going to need at least twice as much money as if you dont . Unless you brew your own which is what i do in the UK , but out here in Asia ...go teetotal and you will save a small fortune . As well as staying out of potentially dangerous situations . We all know how much the Thais hate foreigners who drink .

[JingerBen]

2 hours ago, Scutty said:

First to go should be the booze . If you drink your going to need at least twice as much money as if you dont . Unless you brew your own which is what i do in the UK , but out here in Asia ...go teetotal and you will save a small fortune . As well as staying out of potentially dangerous situations . We all know how much the Thais hate foreigners who drink .

You make some good points, but it's not necessary to go teetotal unless you are an alcoholic who can't control yourself.

Just drink moderately, that's all.

Your last line is nonsense. Thais don't "...hate foreigners who drink."

They hate the obnoxious way so many of them act when they drink.

[CALSinCM]

On 8/10/2019 at 10:01 PM, bowerboy said:

Am i wrong to think that way? Is it being overly pessimistic to think you could get well and truly stuck here with no realistic way out. To be clear I guess I am really referring to Farangs with Thai wives and families (for A single person there is onbviously nonissue at all).

You're not 'stuck' here.  You obviously were willing to leave the home country to find work before.  You'll need to be open to leaving Thailand to look for work as well.  Don't think of excuses like, "It will be too hard on the children."  No it won't.  I followed my dad around the world.  No, your kids won't be 'normal' as they will have a range and depth of experiences that their cohorts back 'home' will never of had the chance to experience. 
You think you're stuck, but you're are not.  You're only stuck in your desire for things not to change.  But change they will.  So why not embrace the change and move with it - right to a job in another country. 
"But it's difficult!"  Yep, embracing change is uncomfortable, but you may find yourself wayyyy better off in the long-run. 

[spidermike007]

12 hours ago, emptypockets said:

Not unsuspecting foreigner.... a  stupid foreigner. Unfortunately they will be stupid anywhere not just in Thailand.

We see and read this time and time again on this forum as well as in day to day real life.

Some peoples should never have left home.

There is one absolute truth about meeting women here. Take your time getting to know them. You have no idea who they are in the first year. Alot push the agenda and try to move things along. I always push back. And take my time. Some do not like that and they walk away. No issues. See ya!  

 

Look, if it is good, it is only going to get better over time. And if she is a loser, a thief, emotionally undeveloped, an idiot, a scam artist, a fool, or is carrying alot of unresolved baggage from her childhood, time will reveal all of that. So, take your time and do not allow her to push you around. 

[fhickson]

theres always a "way out".

 

you either downgrade or upgrade as you are forced to. money availability moves most people. when the money runs out if you dont move yourself, society will move you.

 

theres always a worse location to goto or a better one around the next bend.

[gk10002000]

On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 12:46 PM, mstevens said:

There is a huge opportunity cost staying in Thailand a long time if it's through your prime earning years.

This is spot on.  I almost jumped to Thailand back in 2008.  I was 51 at the time.  I could have scraped out some decent life teaching technical things, maybe eventually getting hooked up with a University ( I have a BS in engineering and a MS in math), maybe setup some profitable tutoring etc.  I was also looking at buying into a business or two.  I had about 300K USD to my name.  Instead literally the day before I was buying the plane ticket and enrolling in the teach certification formality class, I got a great contract job.  I ended up on that job for like 5 1/2 years, then they hired me "permanently" etc. I am 62 now and really can retire comfortably and with many options in many places.  I am a senior test engineer in the aerospace industry. In November it will be 3 years with the company and I get to keep their matching 401k contributions which will be about 34K USD so of course, barring some real disaster I will at least work until Nov 1.   I am now a millionaire Plus, so things worked out for the best. .  Also I really topped off social security and my early payments if I took them now, would start at $2,000/month I just came back from 3 weeks in Thailand.  Fun to visit, but after 15 trips, some as long as two months in country there, I really don't think I would have done well had I moved there. 

 

  Those prime earning years really do happen and should be considered.

Edited August 13, 2019 by gk10002000

[fhickson]

5 hours ago, gk10002000 said:

This is spot on.  I almost jumped to Thailand back in 2008.  I was 51 at the time.  I could have scraped out some decent life teaching technical things, maybe eventually getting hooked up with a University ( I have a BS in engineering and a MS in math), maybe setup some profitable tutoring etc.  I was also looking at buying into a business or two.  I had about 300K USD to my name.  Instead literally the day before I was buying the plane ticket and enrolling in the teach certification formality class, I got a great contract job.  I ended up on that job for like 5 1/2 years, then they hired me "permanently" etc. I am 62 now and really can retire comfortably and with many options in many places.  I am a senior test engineer in the aerospace industry. In November it will be 3 years with the company and I get to keep their matching 401k contributions which will be about 34K USD so of course, barring some real disaster I will at least work until Nov 1.   I am now a millionaire Plus, so things worked out for the best. .  Also I really topped off social security and my early payments if I took them now, would start at $2,000/month I just came back from 3 weeks in Thailand.  Fun to visit, but after 15 trips, some as long as two months in country there, I really don't think I would have done well had I moved there. 

 

  Those prime earning years really do happen and should be considered.

but your stay in thailand is not going to be at all the same at 62 as it would have been at 51.

 

at some point time becomes more valuable then money, and there always seems to be a next target financially just around the corner.

[brokenbone]

1 hour ago, fhickson said:

but your stay in thailand is not going to be at all the same at 62 as it would have been at 51.

 

i find it hard to believe 62 can be any more useless then 51,

but it rocks when youre below 40

[fhickson]

3 hours ago, brokenbone said:

i find it hard to believe 62 can be any more useless then 51,

but it rocks when youre below 40

your body starts deteriorating much faster as you age. 10 years is a huge difference after 40. when your younger you dont notice it much.

 

apart from the obvious aches and pains and little john issues, also ability to be happy in a new location and mental adaptability. can lead to various hardships and resulting complaining about things as well.

[Isaanbiker]

20 hours ago, JingerBen said:

You make some good points, but it's not necessary to go teetotal unless you are an alcoholic who can't control yourself.

Just drink moderately, that's all.

Your last line is nonsense. Thais don't "...hate foreigners who drink."

They hate the obnoxious way so many of them act when they drink.

Not only Thais hate some out of control idiots who beat up their wives and do other stuff. Who wants to listen to some drunk mumblers, please? 

[Isaanbiker]

20 minutes ago, fhickson said:

your body starts deteriorating much faster as you age. 10 years is a huge difference after 40. when your younger you dont notice it much.

 

apart from the obvious aches and pains and little john issues, also ability to be happy in a new location and mental adaptability. can lead to various hardships and resulting complaining about things as well.

   Just imagine you'd get younger again after a certain age......

[Isaanbiker]

10 hours ago, fhickson said:

theres always a "way out".

 

you either downgrade or upgrade as you are forced to. money availability moves most people. when the money runs out if you dont move yourself, society will move you.

 

theres always a worse location to goto or a better one around the next bend.

The problem with worse/wrong decisions is that you only realize it when it's already too late. 

[blackcab]

Multiple off topic posts have been removed.

[Berkshire]

On 8/12/2019 at 10:31 AM, spidermike007 said:

No, he WAS decent looking. He is in the ground now, as he took he own life. And he was super charming. But, I get your meaning about being broke. That is a tough one to overcome. Having said that, I have friends in LA who are younger, good looking, and successful, and they cannot get a date with anyone under 50! It is a truly alarming, and desperate situation in the US right now for a single man, who is not into really fat women, or worth less than $50 million.

Condolences regarding your friend.  That's a tough way to go.  But I get your point about women in the USA.  If you're north of 50, it seems no women under 40 will talk to you.  I've got middle aged friends in America who are upper middle class, very well-off, and they're relegated to dating what we would consider very old women...if they're dating at all.  It seems like getting old in America is mostly about waiting to die.  Sure you can have hobbies and recreation and all that.  But there is something about being with young females in Thailand that keeps one energized and vibrant.  For an older single man, being "stuck" in the USA is much worse than being stuck in Thailand.     

[gearbox]

7 hours ago, fhickson said:

but your stay in thailand is not going to be at all the same at 62 as it would have been at 51.

 

at some point time becomes more valuable then money, and there always seems to be a next target financially just around the corner.

Looks like it worked out OK for him. From his post he had intentions to work in Thailand too, not to spend his time drinking cocktails in the company of young women. 

 

I had a colleague who was going to retire at 60. He was dreaming about it,  wanted to do lots of things when retired. Retired as planned at 60, bought a shiny new car in a month, after 3 months was diagnosed with cancer and died before reaching 61.

 

It is all relative....

 

If you are employed at 50+ and the employer keeps coming with pay rises and promotions what would you do? Work until 80 because the deal is not to be missed out? If you do that, you may never be stuck in Thailand, you may die before coming here permanently. 

 

 

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, Berkshire said:

Condolences regarding your friend.  That's a tough way to go.  But I get your point about women in the USA.  If you're north of 50, it seems no women under 40 will talk to you.  I've got middle aged friends in America who are upper middle class, very well-off, and they're relegated to dating what we would consider very old women...if they're dating at all.  It seems like getting old in America is mostly about waiting to die.  Sure you can have hobbies and recreation and all that.  But there is something about being with young females in Thailand that keeps one energized and vibrant.  For an older single man, being "stuck" in the USA is much worse than being stuck in Thailand.     

Great insight. Totally agree. Being over 55 in the US, without an outstanding wife or a fortune sucks. Not much of a life. 

[Gecko123]

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Great insight. Totally agree. Being over 55 in the US, without an outstanding wife or a fortune sucks. Not much of a life. 

I'm sure that this post will draw a few howls of protest from all the Casanovas and Don Juans out there eager to tell us about their most recent conquests, but, in my humble opinion, I think you may be overstating the ease with which a 55 y/o plus foreign male can find a Thai female companion with most of the attributes generally considered to be desirable in a wife or long-term girlfriend. While finding a younger wife here may still be somewhat easier than for an older guy in the West, when you consider the package of attributes generally viewed to be desirable traits in a spouse by Western men, I think it is misleading to suggest that Thailand is somehow a paradise of romantic opportunity or male domestic bliss. Just one man's opinion.

 

Signed,

Quasimodo

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Gecko123

[BritManToo]

15 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

I think you may be overstating the ease with which a 55 y/o plus foreign male can find a Thai female companion with most of the attributes generally considered to be desirable in a wife or long-term girlfriend.

Nah, most Thai girls have tits & pussy, you've just got to avoid the ones with a penis.

[bwpage3]

8 hours ago, Berkshire said:

Condolences regarding your friend.  That's a tough way to go.  But I get your point about women in the USA.  If you're north of 50, it seems no women under 40 will talk to you.  I've got middle aged friends in America who are upper middle class, very well-off, and they're relegated to dating what we would consider very old women...if they're dating at all.  It seems like getting old in America is mostly about waiting to die.  Sure you can have hobbies and recreation and all that.  But there is something about being with young females in Thailand that keeps one energized and vibrant.  For an older single man, being "stuck" in the USA is much worse than being stuck in Thailand.     

Americans are pretty much bombarded with the thought that 50 year old's shouldn't be with 20 year old's since the time they are small.

 

You have to seriously ask yourself if Thailand was on the same international pay scale as other first world countries, would the women be so willing to go with a 50+ year old?

 

People get seriously confused when they move to Thailand.

 

50+ year old's with 20 year old's is not normal in most countries throughout the world.

 

Thai women make the sacrifice to have a better quality of life and economic standard.

 

Anyone that thinks they are dating men 30 years their senior for any other reason is delusional.

 

That is why you don't see 50 year old's with 20 year old's in America

[BritManToo]

Just now, bwpage3 said:

You have to seriously ask yourself if Thailand was on the same international pay scale as other first world countries, would the women be so willing to go with a 50+ year old?

Thailand isn't a 1st world country.

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, bwpage3 said:

Anyone that thinks they are dating men 30 years their senior for any other reason is delusional.

A while back I had a bit of a fling with a Filipino night club door girl.

She was 30, I was 61 and she was definitely doing it for fun (god knows why, I try not to think too hard about female motivation). Anyways, she handled the 'dancers' as part of her job and said from locker room chat around 30% of the girls did the job because they enjoyed the sex with random guys, another 30% did it for the alcohol, drugs and party scene, and the remaining 40% just wanted the money. The girls were aged 18-30 (older ladies weren't employed), all their customers were aged 50+.

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by BritManToo