For long term expats, is your average life expectancy based on your home country or Thailand?

[thecyclist]

18 hours ago, sidjameson said:

Do you think Thailand's air quality will take any years off that?

Most definitely, if you live in the capital  or Chiang Mai. 

[Ralf001]

I expect I will have another year, maybe too.

 

That'll peg me early 50's.

 

That would have to be under my home country average.

[Stevemercer]

I'm from Australia and moved to Thailand aged 55. My Dad in Australia lived to 98 and my Mum is still alive and healthy at 93.

 

While I hope I've inherited good genetics, I think moving to Thailand will take a few years off my life. Thailand is tropical with all sorts of molds, insects and infections attacking the body. I guess I average half a dozen bites a day which must take a toll and add to disease risks over time. The air is probably dirtier than Australia which, again, adds health risks over time. Living conditions are probably less hygenic. The risk of accident (traffic etc) is also higher.

 

So often I will pick up a fungus, a cut will get infected, or I have a cough, and it can take an age to cure in Thailand. Go back to Australia and the complaint will clear up in a few days.

 

I'm not complaining. I think it is just a cost of living in Thailand. I doubt that the average farang will have a longer life by moving to Thailand, but they may have a happier life.

[alex8912]

18 hours ago, bignok said:

Busy. Busy people live longer.

Def not ones on forums all day all over the place. Keep that in mind or just google it. 

[shackleton]

Something I have never thought about 

What will be will be  is my attitude

I do try and exercise walking most days gets me out the Condo plus  watch what I eat weight wise 😅 

[donmuang37]

19 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Understood.

I considered putting this in the US forum, because for Americans estimating your life expectancy well is a really big deal (financially) in deciding what age to start your social security benefits.

Jingthing,

I strongly recommend against taking SS pension early - you'll regret it later.  I took mine at full retirement age - 65 in my case.  Have been receiving it for 21 years.  Taking it at 70 would have been better.  Good luck

 

[blazes]

 

If you live on the income from an annuity, the amount of monthly income will depend on life expectancy in your own country at the time you took out the annuity.

 

For most of us living in LoS, our longevity will depend to a large extent on the state of our livers.  You can easily google "liver health" to find all the do's and don't's (and diets) to keep that organ as healthy as possible after your diagnosis of cirrhosis arrives.

[James26]

Neither. My mortality is based on what I put in my mouth and how I choose to conduct my life.

[mfd101]

15 hours ago, chickenslegs said:

Life expectancy charts are massively affected by infant/childhood/teenage deaths.

Yes. Much of the huge increase in life expectancy in The West in the 20th century was due to the near-elimination of infant mortality by the 1950s.

 

For comparative purposes over time or between countries, it makes much more sense to take expectancy at, say, 25 or 30 (ie post-infancy & post-teenage risk years).

[Thingamabob]

What is the point of this question ?

[Jingthing]

47 minutes ago, donmuang37 said:

Jingthing,

I strongly recommend against taking SS pension early - you'll regret it later.  I took mine at full retirement age - 65 in my case.  Have been receiving it for 21 years.  Taking it at 70 would have been better.  Good luck

 

Too late!

[BigStar]

18 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Too late!

I say you made the wisest decision. I took mine early, no regrets. I also retired early.

 

https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/11/19/why-smart-people-take-social-security-at-62.aspx

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-reasons-claim-social-security-133005765.html

https://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/social-security/articles/reasons-to-take-social-security-early

Edited December 6, 2023 by BigStar

[phitsanulokjohn]

20 hours ago, sidjameson said:

Do you think Thailand's air quality will take any years off that?

Yes for sure.If you wasn't already a smoker before you came Thailand,then by inhaling all that black pollution,you'll soon become one.

No one knows when we're gonna die,if we did, you'd probably die early worrying about it.

[CygnusX1]

20 hours ago, mfd101 said:

Not living out here in south Surin. Air is not the pure quality that it was in Canberra but not too bad all the same.

Coincidentally, story in today’s Canberra Times, “wood-fire heaters cause up to 63 deaths in Canberra a year, study finds”. So, pure air in Canberra, as long as it’s not a still winter night. Yes, I realise that these “‘studies” are usually suspect, and that “‘up to” can mean anything.

[Donbuie3]

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

This may be an academic topic for most as looking at national life expectancy numbers doesn't tell you very much about your own situation as far as factors like health history, the risks you take, and health history of your relatives, etc.

 

However in some cases it's worth looking at particularly for older Americans deciding when to start their social security benefit.

 

Being American, I looked this up and was kind of surprised to learn that the Thailand life expectancy is much higher than in the US.

 

I wasn't surprised at all to learn that U.S. life expectancies are much lower than other "advanced" western countries though. 

 

U.S.

Men 73.1 (BAD!)

Women 79.1

https://www.statnews.com/2023/11/13/life-expectancy-men-women/

 

THAILAND

Men 75.75

Women 84.08

 

So long term expats, are we in the Thai bucket or stuck with our home country?

Depends on your lifestyle within Thailand. Live a simple life like the locals, likely have an extended life. My wife’s grandmother was over 100 when she died.

Drinking daily, smoking, chasing young ladies, eating unhealthily? I think you know the answer to that.

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, donmuang37 said:

Jingthing,

I strongly recommend against taking SS pension early - you'll regret it later.  I took mine at full retirement age - 65 in my case.  Have been receiving it for 21 years.  Taking it at 70 would have been better.  Good luck

 

Unless you're stuck in a job you hate. I took retirement at 60, 21 years ago.

[1FinickyOne]

21 hours ago, Jingthing said:

So long term expats, are we in the Thai bucket or stuck with our home country?

It probably depends on how long you have lived in each place. 

 

I am just past the 73.1 but I have probably spent half my adult life in Thailand... my parents made it to 92. I think genetics probably plays a larger role than location in most cases. 

[1FinickyOne]

2 hours ago, donmuang37 said:

I strongly recommend against taking SS pension early

It really depends on what you do with that money - - some people need it to live and are happier being retired early...

 

For me, I did not need the money, but I took it early and invested the money and I am pretty sure I did better with the funds than leaving it in the hands of the government. 

[newbee2022]

22 hours ago, bignok said:

Mostly positive thinking and being busy. Munger was 99. His diet was junk food. As long as you get enough electrolytes and protein the rest of the diet doesn't matter much at all. I had a relative 96. She was fat. Ate cake and whisky. 

Tell me what mysterious stuff this is: she was really eating whisky??🧑‍🎄

[bignok]

Just now, newbee2022 said:

Tell me what mysterious stuff this is: she was really eating whisky??🧑‍🎄

Whisky is a mystery to you?

[newbee2022]

8 minutes ago, bignok said:

Whisky is a mystery to you?

Dear Lord, let it rain brain. Bignok is thirsty😂🧑‍🎄🌲

[bignok]

6 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

Dear Lord, let it rain brain. Bignok is thirsty😂🧑‍🎄🌲

Your posts are idiotic.

[bignok]

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

Too late!

How old are you?

[Jingthing]

17 minutes ago, bignok said:

How old are you?

Over 62. Say no more.

[newbee2022]

47 minutes ago, bignok said:

Your posts are idiotic.

Is that your first name??😂😂😂

 

[CartagenaWarlock]

22 hours ago, timendres said:

I live like I am going to die tomorrow.

Unfortunately, that is working out to be a disaster.

Same for me. Blew one million USD in one year without purchasing any appreciating assets

[newbee2022]

53 minutes ago, bignok said:

Your posts are idiotic.

....and our Lord didn't listen to me 😵‍💫😂

[CartagenaWarlock]

56 minutes ago, 1FinickyOne said:

For me, I did not need the money, but I took it early and invested the money and I am pretty sure I did better with the funds than leaving it in the hands of the government. 

If you took at 62 and the FRA was at 67, you permanently lost 30% every year. No investment can bring you that kind of return unless you consider gambling an investment. 

[Photoguy21]

Whatever it is I cant change it so I dont bother about it.

[bignok]

18 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

....and our Lord didn't listen to me 😵‍💫😂

Your trolls are pathetic. You must be 8yo.