Are you struggling in Thailand?

[noobexpat]

Just now, Trippy said:

Being poor and happy, is better than being rich and miserable.

 

Wise words.

Tricky finding the 'efficient frontier' (one for google)

Different for everyone i guess.

[BigStar]

Didn't we have a Who Has The Most Cash? contest not long ago?

 

In any case, all our members are quite well off, scions of wealthy families/royalty in the UK (too modest to use proper titles), and only use visa agents to avoid waiting times at Immigration. No one is "struggling," except that our renters imagine that condo owners are always struggling to sell their condos.

 

With wealth goes extremely high intelligence (IQ contests a recurring topic), expertise in most anything, authoritative shrewd opinions and prognostications, extraordinarily high numbers of sexual conquests, and of course big d*cks (regularly mentioned and compared).

Edited April 11 by BigStar

[4MyEgo]

1 minute ago, bob smith said:

I made 

I made 40,000 in interest the other day without even getting out my bed!!

 

much love,

BOB.

 

Bob, those of us who have money, I mean enough to survive on till we are 101, don't throw it away on 10,000 baht steaks, if they exist, or gloat about buying a 4,000 baht bottle of wine, but please, do knock yourself out, as it's kind of entertaining.

 

Sounds like you have the mine is bigger than yours syndrome. 

[bob smith]

1 minute ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

Bob, those of us who have money, I mean enough to survive on till we are 101, don't throw it away on 10,000 baht steaks, if they exist, or gloat about buying a 4,000 baht bottle of wine, but please, do knock yourself out, as it's kind of entertaining.

 

Sounds like you have the mine is bigger than yours syndrome. 

mine IS bigger than yours though!

 

much love,

BOB.

Edited April 11 by bob smith

[noobexpat]

6 minutes ago, bob smith said:

I made 

I made 40,000 in interest the other day without even getting out my bed!!

 

much love,

BOB.

 

I lost more than that this morning in between 8am and 8:01am when the UK market opened 

[OneMoreFarang]

23 minutes ago, AlexRich said:

I wouldn't go to Thailand without a decent income/pension and a back up plan if anything happens that would lead me back home. You can live relatively cheaply if you want, but it's wise to have a cushion for unforeseen events. 

Yes, but...

It's difficult to make a survey with people who had to leave Thailand because they didn't have any money anymore.

But I am pretty sure that many of them would do it again.

Because a couple of years fun in Thailand is for many better than no fun at all in their life. 

[bob smith]

27 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

I lost more than that this morning in between 8am and 8:01am when the UK market opened 

ahhh never mind mate!

there’s always tomorra!

 

who are your biggest winners/losers at the moment?

i’ve got some big shares in a firm down in cornwall that have been paying well recently. They have just been taken over by some big saudi investors and that has made the share prices rocket. I cashed out a cool 16 grand the other day and spread my profits.

 

much love,

BOB.

Edited April 11 by bob smith

[Lacessit]

27 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Yes I am struggling ...struggling to breath ..the air is thick up here in Chiang Mai .

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

Hole up with air purifiers until the rains come.

[spidermike007]

20 minutes ago, bob smith said:

I made 

I made 40,000 in interest the other day without even getting out my bed!!

 

much love,

BOB.

Good on you. While I know some guys who are living on very limited income, I am thrilled I don't have to do so. Not big on self imposed austerity. Nothing wrong with a budget. But, life is short, and counting one's expenditures can get very dull. 

[Lacessit]

23 minutes ago, bob smith said:

mine IS bigger than yours though!

 

much love,

BOB.

Your head is certainly bigger than anyone else on ASEAN.

[bob smith]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Good on you. While I know some guys who are living on very limited income, I am thrilled I don't have to do so. Not big on self imposed austerity. Nothing wrong with a budget. But, life is short, and counting one's expenditures can get very dull. 

I totally agree mate.

 

much love,

BOB.

[bob smith]

Just now, Lacessit said:

Your head is certainly bigger than anyone else on ASEAN.

with good reason!

 

much love,

BOB.

[Bday Prang]

29 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Maybe.  Maybe not.  Back in 1998, you could also stay in Thailand long term on a dozen visa dodges and programs that just don't work today. 

 

Unless you have a WP, there's no telling when they'll start cracking down on whatever "occupation" you choose.  I suspect the 700+ foreigners they caught out recently on Phuket thought they were safe... 

 

And let's see what happens when the Revenue Department has some incentive to scrutinize money coming into Thailand at tax time in 2025.

 

Well those living on 400,000 a year will have no need to worry at all about taxes

[jaideedave]

29 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Didn't we have a Who Has The Most Cash? contest not long ago?

 

In any case, all our members are quite well off, scions of wealthy families/royalty in the UK (too modest to use proper titles), and only use visa agents to avoid waiting times at Immigration. No one is "struggling," except that our renters imagine that condo owners are always struggling to sell their condos.

 

With wealth goes extremely high intelligence (IQ contests a recurring topic), expertise in most anything, authoritative shrewd opinions and prognostications, extraordinarily high numbers of sexual conquests, and of course big d*cks (regularly mentioned and compared).

You've left out the SAS operatives strategically located at several beer bars  in Pattaya

[KhunLA]

41 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

That's assuming you're on the income method and not on the "money in the bank" method.  Lots of guys are whittling away at their 400K or 800K and then have to go to dodgy agents.  (The ones that can fake a bank statement) 

 

Not hard to imagine they'll eventually struggle to pay the agents.

Bad news, though.  If you're struggling in Thailand, "back home" isn't going to be any cheaper.  Being a Covid refugee for a couple of years proved that to me.  The saving grace is that you can pick up a job back home.  But unless you have some special skill, that just qualifies you for a miserable existence.

 

 

29 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Anyone I know who is living on 40k a month, is watching every baht they spend. And that is no fun, unless you are a monk like soul, or you are happy with a very simple life. 

Some some very poor retirement planning.  What the hell were they doing for 40+ years while working ?   Same as here, getting drunk and living beyond there means ?

 

I'm far from super genius, my salaried jobs sucked, and why I had 30+ different employers.  Only one paid a decent wage, and only there a long as I was, since the work rules allowed me not to be there 5 days a week.  Only one pittance of a pension from 1 company, and only there 13 yrs.  And took that early, at discounted rate 

 

USA Soc Sec is just OK, and enough for Ret. Visa plus with biden administration.

[still kicking]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

I am struggling in Australia. Cold, and expensive. Two weeks to go, and I will be back in Thailand.

People are really struggling here. Rental costs have skyrocketed.

You live in the wrong part of Australia I live in the west we had no rain for over a month every day 30 plus temps I have not have a rent increase in 8 years 

[impulse]

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Some some very poor retirement planning.  What the hell were they doing for 40+ years while working ?   Same as here, getting drunk and living beyond there means ?

 

I don't judge.  I can think of a thousand ways to go bankrupt in the USA at no fault of your own.   If it happens early, you can recover.  If it happens close to retirement, too bad.

 

Enron employees...(Caught out several extended family members)   Healthcare issues (my niece's hubby needed $250K in kidney treatment.  His Dad paid that out of his retirement fund...  His reasoning:  How can I enjoy retirement if I let my son die?)  Restaurants during Covid... 

 

There's 1000 ways...  There but for the Grace of God.

 

[KhunLA]

1 minute ago, impulse said:

 

I don't judge.  I can think of a thousand ways to go bankrupt in the USA at no fault of your own.   If it happens early, you can recover.  If it happens close to retirement, too bad.

 

Enron employees...(Caught out several extended family members)   Healthcare issues (my niece's hubby needed $250K in kidney treatment.  His Dad paid that out of his retirement fund...  His reasoning:  How can I enjoy retirement if I let my son die?)  Restaurants during Covid... 

 

There's 1000 ways...  There but for the Grace of God.

 

That's not TH 

 

If you were struggling there, USA or where ever, moving to foreign country with no safety net, not the best idea.  And if using and agent to skirt the financials, even worse idea.

[brianthainess]

55 minutes ago, noobexpat said:

 

Yen?

Dong ??

[brianthainess]

56 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

unless you are a monk like soul, or you are happy with a very simple life. 

Free food and accommodation, no bills and someone does your cooking, and I see many going on jollies all over Thailand, free healthcare and a frock.  

[impulse]

6 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

That's not TH 

 

If you were struggling there, USA or where ever, moving to foreign country with no safety net, not the best idea.  And if using and agent to skirt the financials, even worse idea.

 

I'd bet you can count on the fingers of one hand the percentage of foreign retirees that made their money in Thailand.

 

If I look at the lifestyle I can afford in the USA on SS alone (for example) vs the lifestyle I could afford on that same monthly in Thailand (or Mexico), that would be a no-brainer.  Thailand or Mexico... And if I had any nest egg at all, it could last decades in Thailand, but dwindle to nothing in a few years at US rental rates, food costs, etc.

 

[0ffshore360]

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

I’m as happy as Larry!

 

much love,

BOB.

Tell us more about Larry.

[ChaiyaTH]

I always struggle with cashflow, there is not enough to do endless business. Hard to struggle here otherwise, even with 15K salaries one can have a nice phone, room, motorbike and good food + few beers / fun as a local.

 

Those who struggle seem to lose it always on the same thing: a girl and too many drinks.

Edited April 11 by ChaiyaTH

[SAFETY FIRST]

2 hours ago, piston broke said:

 

I've been pissed and broke a few times but I keep bouncing back

[proton]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Anyone I know who is living on 40k a month, is watching every baht they spend. And that is no fun, unless you are a monk like soul, or you are happy with a very simple life. 

 

Luxury, we live on 31k and the Mrs gets a 1/3 rd of that for bits and bobs and we run a car. Could spend another 31k but what on?

[Middle Aged Grouch]

Everybody with a brain gets to struggle at some point in Thailand. No matter if rich or poor.

 

Struggles with the greedy local in-laws.

 

The inefficient and excessive red tape and bureaucracy of the Immigration offices.

 

Various handymen or service technicians who either overcharge or just do not know the job.

 

Crooked real estate managers or developpers who do not do their job and just try to squeeze out as much money as they can from the foreigner.

 

Crooked taxi or tailor cheats who will overcharge or who will outsource the work with crappy jobs: Watch out also how some tailors in Bangkok or Hua Hin do the cloth quality trick,. They will show the material unstiched which will be of decent quality but the cloth used will be another very similar of lower grade. Often done in making suits.

 

Getting ripped off with the taxi or tuk tuk cheats refusing the meter...

 

Restaurants that cheat on the bill...and so on

 

 

[scottiejohn]

1 hour ago, bob smith said:

I dropped 10,000 on a steak dinner last weekend. 

 

4,000 on a bottle of wine.

 

much love,

BOB.

Yet more BS from the master BSer!

[Chivas]

1 hour ago, impulse said:

 

That's assuming you're on the income method and not on the "money in the bank" method.  Lots of guys are whittling away at their 400K or 800K and then have to go to dodgy agents.  (The ones that can fake a bank statement) 

 

 

 

I can utterly assure you they dont "fake" a bank statement !!

Not so long ago I might have agreed with you but having been taken through the process from start to finish very recently it was mind boggling what went on via Bangkok Bank

[bob smith]

4 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Yet more BS from the master BSer!

stop talkin sh!t mate!!

 

much love,

BOB.

[norfolkandchance]

2 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Er - 40K a month is 480 K a year.

 

I average 660K a year, I see no reason to live as a miser.

Lightweight.