Thinking aloud, personally I'd be worried to keep $700k in a safe.. not just for safety, but devaluation by inflation, and how to take out of the country.. 

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

I might spend two or three months of the year here. And I would be elsewhere the rest of the time. 

If Thailand was located in the Carribean, Latin or Hispanic Americas, I would do the same. 

20 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The whole society is based on "appearance of wealth," brand tags, etc, money, cars - red tags Money rules here in almost every facet of life. The "hi-so" appearance etc. Image (face) is everything.

Commit a crime, goes straight to "whats it worth" - compensation and so on. Pay the victim and the crime goes away.

 

Superficial, shallow nonsense.

IS it different than any western country? Go live in America and witness the worship of money and things there....it's called consumerism and it is the culture the US exported to all the mugs in the western world. Don't blame Thais, they are a poor imitation of the US and the west.

21 hours ago, bob smith said:

if there is one thing these lot hate it's paying more tax

Have you considered LTR visa for Wealthy Pensioners?

2 minutes ago, retarius said:

IS it different than any western country? Go live in America and witness the worship of money and things there....it's called consumerism and it is the culture the US exported to all the mugs in the western world. Don't blame Thais, they are a poor imitation of the US and the west.

rubbish!

 

the thais take gold digging and flaunting their wealth to a whole new level!

 

bob.

1 hour ago, Prubangboy said:

I practically never stay above The Marriot Hotel level, but when I do, stuff like wine and 5* restaurants seem exactly on par with the west (a little cheaper on the food).

 

A Richie-Rich would be staying at the Four Seasons (not the landscaping company). I'll bet they're pretty happy with everything. And not sweating the wine markup. 

 

If you're what the brokers call "Mass Affluent" ($2-5M), Bangkok gives you Monaco luxury at Barbados prices.

 

I can't pretend that I know the favored haunts and spending habits of the Jeff Bezos-rich.

 

They're probably staying at a private home and traveling with staff. So wherever they are, really, they could be anywhere.

 

 

In the US I get decent red wines for $15, good ones for $20, and outstanding wines for $30-50 a bottle. Here those same bottles are 300 to 400% higher. So, it tends to be a ridiculous exercise to chase good bottles here. I recently bought a good Chianti reserva, of a nice vintage, for 1,300. It is a good wine, and does not disappoint. But, for that same amount of money in California, I would be drinking a truly inspiring wine. Or buying a nice bottle of tequila. 

 

I often spend 1,000 to 1,500 on a bottle here that ends up being disappointing. And that is after I have researched the bottle. Storage here is an issue, as a good bottle can turn in as little as two weeks, if not stored in a cool enough environment. And getting a refund on a bad bottle is about as difficult as getting a refund on anything here. 

 

Some regressive nimwits politicians do not understand basic economics. By reducing taxes you stimulate the economy. In addition, if Thailand reduces its punitive wine taxes and luxury taxes, they might be able to attract more of those rich tourists they keep droning on and on and on about. The rich are smart with their money. And not only do they enjoy a nice bottle of wine with dinner, their wives also love to spend alot of money on luxury goods while they vacation. Impossible here. Who would buy a Prada handbag for $11,700 here, when you can get it for $4,800 in most world capitals? Same goes for wine. Who would spend $700 for a bottle of wine they could get for $125 at home.

 

 

     I personally would not want $700,000 lying around all day eating bon bons and not producing any income for me.   But, whatever floats your boat.

2 minutes ago, newnative said:

     I personally would not want $700,000 lying around all day eating bon bons and not producing any income for me.   But, whatever floats your boat.

up 2 you.

 

bob.

23 hours ago, bob smith said:

They think that rich people coming here will spend more money

Maybe they are hoping for not as many moaners and complainers.

 

💲💲💲💲💲💲 = happy, happy 

 

These people are happy, filthy rich. 

I met them recently down Louisiana. 

 

 

 

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

Who would spend $700 for a bottle of wine they could get for $125 at home.

 

 

An affluent person is not sweating that markup. Truly rich people accept that getting soaked comes with the territory of being rich.

 

Either they like the Thailand brand or they don't. Cost is only a factor to the upper-middle/lower rich people.

23 hours ago, CharlieH said:

The whole society is based on "appearance of wealth," brand tags, etc, money, cars - red tags Money rules here in almost every facet of life. The "hi-so" appearance etc. Image (face) is everything.

 

I call this " the rat race " and I do not participate in it .

What is it good for ?

Publicly showing your wealth only attracts problems , ( and fake " friends " ) , especially in Thailand .

Appearance is misleading ... I knew a guy in BKK who drove around everywhere in his big shiny car , but lived in a dirty shack .

2 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

 

I call this " the rat race " and I do not participate in it .

What is it good for ?

Publicly showing your wealth only attracts problems , ( and fake " friends " ) , especially in Thailand .

Appearance is misleading ... I knew a guy in BKK who drove around everywhere in his big shiny car , but lived in a dirty shack .

exactly.

 

many thais, especially the males with super inflated egos, would gladly forgo the basic necessities in life for the appearance of being rich.

 

bob.

I live in a place where everyone is always dressed really well. So I upgraded to $100 polo shirts.

 

I do then in fact participate in the rat race.

 

And I enjoy the lack of friction and the cheerier demeanor I get over when I was wearing my decades-long uniform of Banana Republic black V-neck tee shirts.

23 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

I live in a place where everyone is always dressed really well. So I upgraded to $100 polo shirts.

 

I do then in fact participate in the rat race.

 

And I enjoy the lack of friction and the cheerier demeanor I get over when I was wearing my decades-long uniform of Banana Republic black V-neck tee shirts.

spin that wheel, fella!

 

I could clean out Lacoste, Armani and D&G this afternoon if I so wanted.

 

The question I keep asking myself though is....

 

Why?

 

bob.

13 minutes ago, bob smith said:

 

 

I could clean out Lacoste, Armani and D&G this afternoon if I so wanted.

 

 

 

bob.

I'm a Lacoste Man. 'Love those complex colors. I have 18 of them. To have 4 different shades of orange? Very mood-elevating. 

 

Tho Ralph Lauren is more flattering on a fattie.

 

Claiming that no, no, I'd prefer to bungee-jump instead of having a cantaloupe-colored variation-shirt seems like shrill madness to me.

 

I just took some pricey tours; not all experiences will scratch your itch any better than if you bought a sofa you love to look at and sit on every day instead.

 

Generally, the experience is better argument comes from people who can only afford mid-tier experiences and no-tier objects. Hence their bias.

 

I'm statistically dead in 10-12 years. 'May as well burn it all down and wear a well-fitting polo shirt in the meantime.

 

I recall your sputtering outrage at me ordering 200 baht pad Thai. Carpe Diem, Bob! It's not just for happy hour.

 

And a Lacoste polo lasts triple the lifespan of a Central Department Store one -so really, what are you really saving with your pretend-thrift?

5 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

And a Lacoste polo lasts triple the lifespan of a Central Department Store one -so really, what are you really saving with your pretend-thrift?

....the last time I shelled out 70 quid on a Lacoste polo shirt it shrunk in the wash!

 

never again.

 

and yeah, 200 baht is scandalous for a Pad thai,

I could get 4 for that just round the corner!

 

bob.

Lol! Thailand seems to believe that rich people throw their money away! The reason many are rich is because of the OPOSITE!!! Also, Thailand is actually a cheap place to visit, so how much do you need to spend to be happy?? 

7 minutes ago, harryviking said:

Lol! Thailand seems to believe that rich people throw their money away! The reason many are rich is because of the OPOSITE!!! Also, Thailand is actually a cheap place to visit, so how much do you need to spend to be happy?? 

Exactly.

 

I have met quite a few mega wealthy people in my life and every one of them was as tight as a camels ar$e in a sandstorm!

 

no exceptions.

 

bob.

4 hours ago, Prubangboy said:

An affluent person is not sweating that markup. Truly rich people accept that getting soaked comes with the territory of being rich.

 

Either they like the Thailand brand or they don't. Cost is only a factor to the upper-middle/lower rich people.

That has not been the case with most of the very rich people I have known. They are smart with their money, and don't like getting over charged. 

7 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

That has not been the case with most of the very rich people I have known. They are smart with their money, and don't like getting over charged. 

100% correct.

 

bob.