Expat Net Worth

[Jingthing]

Said on the premise that some people without money would be here for reasons other than money

What a bloody romantic view of poverty ... ballocks.

[kiakaha]

40 M baht ~ 1.6M NZD

Earning 9% p/a, paying a 2% levy(no tax), is roughly 300K baht per month in interest income. More than enough to live a fully serviced lifestyle(vehicle, condo) ,come and go every 90 days on multi entry Non O , do whatever you really want everyday,go on holidays, save some of your interest income for contingency etc......

(rough calcuations on FX rate at 25 and not taking into account daily interest calculation and cumulation)

PS: parallel investments recommended to hedge FX and inflation risk

[torrenova]

Whis reminds me of the stupidity of the Bt800,000 retirement limit or Bt65,000 monthly. No credit is given to whether the applicant has a property or not and is thus perhaps paying rent. This poll gives does not take into account the requirements of the poster.

I mean, some people may like a large house, private pool, loads of land etc. whereas others mihgt prefer a 1 bed condo. Without kids, I fail to see why I would want some rambling house but I do appreciate the need to have some space around you.

As for living expenses then you can get a range from Bt20k a month to way over Bt500k a month. If you live in rural Thailand, eat local food and do not travel then your expenses are cheap. If you rent a swish pad in bangkok and have another place somewhere else, travel frequently in the front of the plane, eat imported food and enjoy expensive wines then you're in a totally different league. Same as the guy who has a live in or plays the rent a girlfriend game.

If it was just in cash terms, then surely anyone at the higher end would have well performing investments ? Someone living from cheque to cheque may have no other income.

[Jingthing]

For what it's worth, I appreciate the survey, simplistic as it is.

[Mobi]

IMHO a farang needs considerably in excess of 40million Baht in income producing assets (and/or a pension that would equate to this kind of sum in terms of investment income) in order to live a comfortable and leisurely lifestyle well into old age, taking advantage of all the pleasures that a tropical country like Thailand has to offer, and not have worry about running out of money, or the effects of hyper inflation.

That is not to say that people cannot survive on much less, and many undoubtedly do so, quite happily, but I wonder how they will feel when they reach their late 80's or even 90's?

Mobi,

Do you mean a principle of 40 Million Baht? 40 Million Baht = $133,000 USD right?

This amount to produce income?

take a calculator and try again my friend

Pardon my math.

At 30 Baht : 1 USD

1 Million Baht = $30,000 correct?

Therefore 40 Million times $30,000 = 1.2 Million USD. Correct?

Correct. Let's say at an arbitrary 8% would give you a monthly income of 267,000 Baht.

But I did say considerably in excess of this figure to make allowances for emergencies, medical bills , and maybe put the odd kid through school, buy a few water buffaloes, and provide housing for relatives etc etc - and maybe even the occasional world cruise.

And all of these assets should be offshore. I don't count any assets in Thailand as you could lose them all tomorrow.

[bendix]

Of course it's simplistic. It's meant to be a snapshot - not a scientific study. We can now see the feedback of 123 people and it's kinda interesting to see the spread. It's starting to look like a U-curve which i actually expected.

[Wrong Turn]

Mobi and Bendix, thanks.

$1.2-3 Million USD to live in Thailand, including medical, etc, is more than I'd need, but everyone is different. Depends on age of course, and how many years one expects or thinks they have left. Got to have a buffer for that.

I presume it's the principle above at the so-called average of 4% withdrawal.

This has been informative. Thanks.

[Enigma56]

555

Surely you can't be serious in posting this poll. Who's gonna divulge that kind of info on a web forum? I admit people could answer the poll anonymously.

Nice try though.

Your top layer isn't very high though. I mean that's about the price of a semi-detached house in the south of England. I think you could have gone to, say, 140 million Baht.

Well I htink our house in London suburb, inside M25, on Underground line is 4 bed semi and worh currently 25 million baht based on GBP 1.00 = Baht 86

[cobra]

An interesting poll,

I too expected it to be fairly flat but it's beginning to look like a standard bell curve,

I think when it comes to Net worth people tend to be overly optimistic when coming up with a hard number, as I presume a lot of assets are paper and volatile.

My Net can very dramatically from day to day depending on markets,

One day I have a car waiting for me, the next I may be driving Miss daisy ...

[Captain Chaos]

555

Surely you can't be serious in posting this poll. Who's gonna divulge that kind of info on a web forum? I admit people could answer the poll anonymously.

Nice try though.

Your top layer isn't very high though. I mean that's about the price of a semi-detached house in the south of England. I think you could have gone to, say, 140 million Baht.

Well I htink our house in London suburb, inside M25, on Underground line is 4 bed semi and worh currently 25 million baht based on GBP 1.00 = Baht 86

Wow, where can I get an exchange rate that generous?! The pound is at 62.95 to the baht right now according to xe.com

[sriracha john]

An interesting poll,

I too expected it to be fairly flat but it's beginning to look like a standard bell curve,

actually it's the opposite of a Bell curve with high numbers at the polar ends of it... whereas a Bell curve would have very small numbers at the polar ends.

What I find interesting is that supposedly 1/4 of thaivisa members are millionaires in dollars.

Edited March 6, 2008 by sriracha john

[dr_Pat_Pong]

An interesting poll,

I too expected it to be fairly flat but it's beginning to look like a standard bell curve,

I think when it comes to Net worth people tend to be overly optimistic when coming up with a hard number, as I presume a lot of assets are paper and volatile.

My Net can very dramatically from day to day depending on markets,

One day I have a car waiting for me, the next I may be driving Miss daisy ...

[bendix]

What I find interesting is that supposedly 1/4 of thaivisa members are millionaires in dollars.

I dont think that's a true reflection of the reality. I'm not saying people are lying (why would they in an anonymous poll?). I'm more inclined to believe that people are more likely to participate if they are at either extreme, and that might skew the results accordingly.

[chiang mai]

An interesting poll,

I too expected it to be fairly flat but it's beginning to look like a standard bell curve,

actually it's the opposite of a Bell curve with high numbers at the polar ends of it... whereas a Bell curve would have very small numbers at the polar ends.

What I find interesting is that supposedly 1/4 of thaivisa members are millionaires in dollars.

I don't think there's anything surprising in the results - with the median age for ex pats in Thailand at around 55 (as per the previous age poll) that means that most will have made money from the property and stock market boom in the West over the past ten years and by virtue of their age, would have had fairly low mortgages. £I million is not a lot of money these days - I see recently that it now requires net assets of £10 million to be in the comfort zone of being able to live a financially carefree life.

[geriatrickid]

Said on the premise that some people without money would be here for reasons other than money

What a bloody romantic view of poverty ... ballocks.

why <deleted>? Hardly romantic. Sure, some people that fall in love will do anything for a loved one, even braving the bugs and stench from the outdoor bog. Others work in rough conditions because it comes with the job. It's an adventure when you are 25, but it's hel_l when you are 75. Some people would rather be poor in thailand than return home to face responsibilities for conduct or past activities e.g. folks abandoning kids and spouses or fraud investigations. Others get hoodwinked into believing its a cheap paradise (e,g. teachers) only to find out they are in a rut or don't want to admit that they are being exploited. Lots of reasons.

[PattayaParent]

What I find interesting is that supposedly 1/4 of thaivisa members are millionaires in dollars.

I dont think that's a true reflection of the reality. I'm not saying people are lying (why would they in an anonymous poll?). I'm more inclined to believe that people are more likely to participate if they are at either extreme, and that might skew the results accordingly.

I don't think it's a true reflection of reality as there's more than 123 members of TV.

[BigSnake]

About 800000 Bahts per year.

[chiang mai]

On reflection Bendix it might have been useful to clarify the definition of ex pat. I would guess you are interested in seeing how the numbers apply for long term "permanent" residents and not merely long term tourists or people taking a break year?

[siamamerican]

An interesting poll,

I too expected it to be fairly flat but it's beginning to look like a standard bell curve,

actually it's the opposite of a Bell curve with high numbers at the polar ends of it... whereas a Bell curve would have very small numbers at the polar ends.

What I find interesting is that supposedly 1/4 of thaivisa members are millionaires in dollars.

I don't think there's anything surprising in the results - with the median age for ex pats in Thailand at around 55 (as per the previous age poll) that means that most will have made money from the property and stock market boom in the West over the past ten years and by virtue of their age, would have had fairly low mortgages. £I million is not a lot of money these days - I see recently that it now requires net assets of £10 million to be in the comfort zone of being able to live a financially carefree life.

It is quite amazing. The 2007 US median net worth by household for a 55 year old is around $170,000. 1 mil would put you in the top 10%.

The median might be higher in Thailand, because the 55 year olds are the ones that have saved enough to retire.

[mellow1]

Once again all the millionaires are on ThaiVisa, none around where I live. I guess Issan doesn't attract millionaires, who want to live here. I've traveled a good part of Thailand over the years, as well as a few other countries. If I were a millionaire, I wouldn't live in Issan either, nor any other part of Thailand. But that's just me, I've seen some truly beautiful places and if I had millions( dollars or pounds or Euro) I'd go to one of them. They even have stable governments, and good weather. I'm not bashing Thailand, but why would such a rich westerner put himself here? I can only think of business reasons.

[siamamerican]

Said on the premise that some people without money would be here for reasons other than money

What a bloody romantic view of poverty ... ballocks.

why <deleted>? Hardly romantic. Sure, some people that fall in love will do anything for a loved one, even braving the bugs and stench from the outdoor bog. Others work in rough conditions because it comes with the job. It's an adventure when you are 25, but it's hel_l when you are 75. Some people would rather be poor in thailand than return home to face responsibilities for conduct or past activities e.g. folks abandoning kids and spouses or fraud investigations. Others get hoodwinked into believing its a cheap paradise (e,g. teachers) only to find out they are in a rut or don't want to admit that they are being exploited. Lots of reasons.

Agreed, LOS clouds can cloud your judgment. It did mine and I was old enough to know better. A dream of a carefree lifestyle style in LOS sure puts a damper on grinding it out back home.

It doesn't take much to secure the finances to retire in LOS if your young. Work and save in your home country for 3-5 years. Return to Thailand and be exploited, but don't touch your nest egg for 20-30 years. You won't be rich, but most importantly you probably won't be destitute when you reach old age. After a brief moment of sanity, I did just that and antipate not only retiring comfortably, but leaving a good sum of money to my loved ones.

[pattayadave]

555

Surely you can't be serious in posting this poll. Who's gonna divulge that kind of info on a web forum? I admit people could answer the poll anonymously.

Nice try though.

Your top layer isn't very high though. I mean that's about the price of a semi-detached house in the south of England. I think you could have gone to, say, 140 million Baht.

Well I htink our house in London suburb, inside M25, on Underground line is 4 bed semi and worh currently 25 million baht based on GBP 1.00 = Baht 86

got a couple of 100k stashed under the bed PM me i'll accept that rate no problem

[BEENTHEREDONETHAT]

It does not seem all that unusual for someone with a money to want to live in Thailand. I for one find it a very enjoyable place to live and every morning when I get up and look out at the beach I think what a fantastic view and a comfortable climate, I find the food to be good and reasonable healthy. The people are friendly. Grant you the government leaves a lot to be desired but I don't think any place is perfect. The property tax rate is also very nice.

So considering 40million baht I cannot think of a place as nice as this where I could live on that kind of money. I guess it all boils down to what you enjoy doing.

[chuchok]

Of course it's simplistic. It's meant to be a snapshot - not a scientific study. We can now see the feedback of 123 people and it's kinda interesting to see the spread. It's starting to look like a U-curve which i actually expected.

You don't say.....

[madjbs]

Correct. Let's say at an arbitrary 8% would give you a monthly income of 267,000 Baht.

But I did say considerably in excess of this figure to make allowances for emergencies, medical bills , and maybe put the odd kid through school, buy a few water buffaloes, and provide housing for relatives etc etc - and maybe even the occasional world cruise.

And all of these assets should be offshore. I don't count any assets in Thailand as you could lose them all tomorrow.

Don't you find it incredibly amazing how those hundreds of thousands of other people manage to survive without a 267,000 Baht per month income and 40 million Baht worth of assets?

Edited March 6, 2008 by madjbs

[threelegcowboy]

I like to think of myself as a Laos Multi-millionare

[naka]

Correct. Let's say at an arbitrary 8% would give you a monthly income of 267,000 Baht.

But I did say considerably in excess of this figure to make allowances for emergencies, medical bills , and maybe put the odd kid through school, buy a few water buffaloes, and provide housing for relatives etc etc - and maybe even the occasional world cruise.

And all of these assets should be offshore. I don't count any assets in Thailand as you could lose them all tomorrow.

Don't you find it incredibly amazing how those hundreds of thousands of other people manage to survive without a 267,000 Baht per month income and 40 million Baht worth of assets?

Not really amazing ... If they aint got it ... they aint got it.

Naka.

[naka]

Correct. Let's say at an arbitrary 8% would give you a monthly income of 267,000 Baht.

But I did say considerably in excess of this figure to make allowances for emergencies, medical bills , and maybe put the odd kid through school, buy a few water buffaloes, and provide housing for relatives etc etc - and maybe even the occasional world cruise.

And all of these assets should be offshore. I don't count any assets in Thailand as you could lose them all tomorrow.

Don't you find it incredibly amazing how those hundreds of thousands of other people manage to survive without a 267,000 Baht per month income and 40 million Baht worth of assets?

Not really amazing ... If they aint got it ... they aint got it.

Naka.

[Naam]

Once again all the millionaires are on ThaiVisa, none around where I live. I guess Issan doesn't attract millionaires, who want to live here. I've traveled a good part of Thailand over the years, as well as a few other countries. If I were a millionaire, I wouldn't live in Issan either, nor any other part of Thailand. But that's just me, I've seen some truly beautiful places and if I had millions( dollars or pounds or Euro) I'd go to one of them. They even have stable governments, and good weather. I'm not bashing Thailand, but why would such a rich westerner put himself here? I can only think of business reasons.

i don't claim that i am rich Mellow because "rich" is a relative thing. let's say i am "well off". your question lacks logic! the reasons why i chose Thailand is because in my country (Germany):

-the taxman would take 48.5% of my income,

-an equivalent home on a 1,800m² land would be in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 million dollars (~ $750k in Thailand),

-utilitities, car insurance, road taxes, etc. would be more than double,

-basic living cost such as food would be nearly double,

-only in my wildest and wettest dreams i could think of employing a driver for my wife and a couple with the functions housemaid/cook and gardener (all three of them fulltime).

to sum it up... living in Germany and enjoying nicer weather, faster internet, better roads (i miss the Autobahn!) and all the other goodies of a developed country with an excellent infrastructure would (if conducting my present lifestyle) require FOUR TO FIVE TIMES my present net worth respectively my income.

got it?

edited to correct mistake because i used Dollars instead of €uros. an equivalent home would be in the range of 3.75 to 5 million dollars!

Edited March 6, 2008 by Naam

[AlexLah]

Sorry I do not get it.

Worth in terms of what?

Annual net salary?

Savings?

Investments?

To me the question implies net annual salary including allowances.

How much is a company (willing to) paying you per month or year.

That is what you are worth at this time.

Am I correct in my thinking?