Should I Do It

[pattayadingo]

One thing to consider is the shock of retirement.

Now, you are not old and you are not a youngster. You have a work ethic and a routine, something that occupies your life and your mind. You will not have that once you retire. That can leave a void in your life.

The question then is, What are you going to do each and every day?

Life after retirement is not one long holiday. So I would suggest you sit back and seriously think what you will do each day when the novelty of retirement and all that free time wears off. Do you have interests? computers, internet, fishing, walking, hiking?

You do not like bars and drinking. What are you going to do with your evenings (not that you have to go to bars, of course) ? You can only sit and watch so much television or sit on the patio watching the world go by.

It is not my intention to put anyone off retiring early or going to live in a foreign country, only to point out that many, even in their own country can go a bit crazy from boredom if they do not think these things through and find some way to fill their days. (edited here)

Whatever you decide, I hope you find fulfillment in life and have some good years with your retirement as many of us do.

Edited March 26, 2012 by pattayadingo

[bikkalad]

I've had enough of the 9-5 crap as well ...... Been to Thailand 7 times over the last 20 plus years up north down south etc...... Will be coming over in July/aug for 6/9 month taster....... Must be a 45 yo thing;).........

[David48]

My feeling is to go for it. My old man (US citizen) manages on a SS cheque in Issan. <snip>

Yes ... but how old is your 'old man' ?

The OP is 45 ... traditional near the peak of his earning potential.

Not much older than the OP!

My assumption and my bad ... you certainly have the whole world as your oyster

.

[h90]

sounds good!

Travel a bit around in Thailand and have a look what area is best for you....a lot nice areas...Chumphon, Trang etc etc

[maprao]

I've had enough of the 9-5 crap as well ...... Been to Thailand 7 times over the last 20 plus years up north down south etc...... Will be coming over in July/aug for 6/9 month taster....... Must be a 45 yo thing;).........

You must be right I am thinking the same!

[Swiss1960]

Don't do it

First, you don't qualify for a retirement Visa yet (you are not 50), so you would need to do border runs every now and then and would need lot of money for that

Second, your 65k$ (2 Mio Baht) would only last for some time, assuming you live VERY low on budget with 40K a month (rent, food, electricity, water, internet etc. etc. included) , you would need almost 1.5 Mio Baht in the next 36 months, leaving you with 500K Baht only

Third, your 2K$ you receive in 3y would today be 60K Baht… so assuming you still spend 40K a month, you would be able to safe 20K Baht a month until your 50, which would give you another 500K Baht to save and you would then – if all goes well – have the 800K minimum to keep in your bank account forever for your retirement Visa

Looking at these figures, any nice lady would set you off plan… any health problem would set you off plan… any change in exchange rates would set you off plan…

Thus, my recommendation is to find yourself another job in the US and work for another 5 years, expand your savings and then do the step.

[maccaroni man]

you have the money to see the world and you have already been to los 25x why not start by going to south america there are places in brazil that are as international as the thai islands, then costa rica, and head to asia via india, indonesia, etc....seriously the world is your oyster.

[poanoi]

I left at 33 with perhaps $3000 in my pocket & a medical retirement.

Those $3000 went with my first gf so i had to get rid of that thief and eat noodles for a while.

I learned and stick to normal girls now, and i get more money than i spend these days.

ps: I would go to Sihanoukville right away if i dont have anything that binds me to Thailand, namely my gf & thai food

Edited March 26, 2012 by poanoi

[arthurwait]

Ok I'll be the first to say it...

If you hate the bars, you're obviously in the wrong job.

As other people have said living here is different to coming on holiday.

The money is plenty as long as you have medical insurance or money put away for emergency hospital treatment, school fees if you end up having kids and your very old age. As you don't have children you don't have the same old age plan as most Thais.

Also as others have said not working here can get tedious and you could end up like many others drinking your money away in bars all day if you dont find Thailand is the escape you are looking for, even if you don't like bars now. Also this leaves you open to the vultures working in them after your money.

If you do move be careful with your money, after 25 visits you should know who to avoid, don't rent or buy into overpriced ex-pat condos ,but do find friends who do speak your own language if you can't speak Thai who are interested in what you like to stop you going mad. It is important to find something for work if it is a business of your own it is more difficult without Thai friends/contacts you can trust.

[Pacificperson]

First, take a look at what you do and how much you spend when you are on vaction in Thailand. This should give you a pretty good idea of what you will do and how much you will spend after you make the move. Also, you should have a cash reserve and a plan for health insurance so that your reserve has a chance to remain intact. Good luck and I hope you make it soon.

[arthurwait]

The problem as I see it is if he does love it in LOS.

His income will give him a livable life but no capital to establish himself and make something.

lot of life left at 45.

His income is not even truck money let alone condo or hobby farm money.

If he is happy renting and riding a bike I would say yes, but if he envisages something more then I would hold out a few years and get the nest egg that would make something more available.

Yep, if you do find yourself bored after whatever amount of time, you don't really enough money to start a business and you may find job opportunites here limited.

[wana]

it isnt as ridiculously expensive as people think it is to do a visa run every 90 days

there are buses going from BKK for about 200 thb to aranyaparthet ,every half an hour or so from kao san rd

its a hassle for sure ,but it beats working in jail with dangerous prisoners 6 days a week

al the time knowing if a riot kicks off you might get your throat cut

[GuestHouse]

It sometimes seems that every other post on here is related to income/cash flow problems. Pensions not going up with inflation, inflation itself, how to find a job that pays a living wage, what to do about hospital bills.

A well thought out financial plan is a must have.

Then you need to work the plan and live the plan.

Working the plan is easy to understand, but not always easy to do. Working a tough job, working in tough locations, sticking it out to get the funds up. We most of us have to do this, we most of us find it a hard grind.

Living the plan is harder to understand and much harder to do - hardest of all if your head isn't straight before you get here.

A pretty smile from a young woman and before you lnow it you have a young woman's needs to see to - No not endless sex, you can rent that cheaply. Rather, a house, maybe one for mom too, a car, a family, maybe a ready made family.

My advice is take some more time, make a plan, get someone else to check it over and if you need to get out of a nasty job, do that first, then come back to the plan.

I'm not saying you should not move to Thailand but I see three holes in your current plan which I think it would be wise to address:

Free lump sump capital to buy a home/ car / furnatute/ hobby stuff ... And for emergecies.

Inflation - Switching to a fixed income at such a young age is going to put you and your future at the mercy of inflation.

Life change - I think the changes you rightly want need to be made at home before you move. If not they will bite you later down the line.

Edited March 26, 2012 by GuestHouse

[arthurwait]

Yep good point. If the proposed miminum wage hike does come it's going to be more expensive to live here.

[oldsailor35]

Its your decision, do you hang around in USA living a miserable life, or do you go to LOS, use your head , relax and enjoy life. With your income, you can live happily in LOS, so why not give it a go. Never mind what they say about staying on in a completely unhappy situation, just to accumulate a few more dollars. None of us knows when the grim reaper will knock on our door. I say "get out of Dawson"

I did and i am in my 70's now wishing i had come years ago and not wasted all those years of my life saying 'what if'

Good luck !

[ShodomonRules]

IF you do it, be conservative. Bring one suitcase, live cheaply, do not buy anything, do not get a girlfriend. Travel about on a bus, checking out various areas every few weeks. Nothing long-term, not even a Thai course. There are plenty of places to rent at 250 baht--$8-- per night. Don't blow through your savings like so many do when they first come here. Become intimately familiar with the baht to dollar ratio.

Wait six months, see if you like it. Odds seem to be 50/50 that a person will/a person won't. Neither you, nor me, nor any other poster knows at this moment in time.

[theblether]

Don't do it....wait the three years. You will be thankful for having the nest egg behind you if you wait.

The hardest thing to do is build capital, the easiest thing to do is spend it.

[GuestHouse]

It is important to know and understand the enemy - The enemy is inflation. The younger you are when you move onto a fixed income the more dangerous the enemy is.

Here's an inflTion calculator to help explain. Whatever time frame an old guy in his 70s plugs into this calculator, a young huy in his 40s has to add an extra 30 years.

Try it out Old Guy $2000 a month planning on living 15 more years - asumes 5% inflation and his buying power will fall to 926.

A guy in his 40s plugs in 40 years and his $2000 drops to a buying power of $257.

When I say make a plan and get some to look it over, I mean get an independent financial advisor to look it over. Not a wealthy expat who thinks nobody can live on under $4000 a month and certainly not a cash strapped bar fly who's seeking validation of his own mistakes by getting others to join him.

Do not turn a midlife crisis into a late life disaster.

["]http://www.thisismon...alculator.html]

Edited March 26, 2012 by GuestHouse

[smokie36]

Don't do it.

Thailand is not a place to come to for negative reasons, and neither is it a good plan to blow your life savings.

I personally would stick the job out and keep the savings intact.

But I'm more conservative than most.

My pension os my real savings......Its not a great deal of money but one thing for sure....on the first of every month there will be 2,000 us deposited in my checking account.....the life expectancy of a corrections officer at a max security prision is about 57 years old....i could have more money in a few more years.....but what price tag do you put on a quality life

I think you should stick it out for another 3 years. Bide your time and save hard. Retire then and buy a condo and a pick up and you can sit back and enjoy your 60000 Baht a month pension in full.

As to meeting a woman well....that's a whole other thread....

Edit: I'd also say...don't live on 60k a month either. Try to live on 40k and save the rest. You never know what is around the corner.

Also consider health insurance costs.

Edited March 26, 2012 by smokie36

[nocturn]

My feeling is to go for it. My old man (US citizen) manages on a SS cheque in Issan. His rent is reasonable and the house is great, the utility costs are very manageable.. he doesnt go overboard with a/c, satellite tv etc but he enjoys the simple things in life. The Outreach programme (US) comes to Udon yearly so he manages to sort out the paperwork for his visa for NongKhai Immigration.

I find the simple things in Thailand is what gives the most pleasure if you are sensible. A good life can be had, with all the possibilities of finding a good woman if you take it easy and give it time.

I know what I would choose! Good luck to you, hope you get your freedom soon!

Best wishes

tv and air cond is overboard?

[Shot]

OP. You have a government job. Can you take a leave of absence for a year? Come to LOS, live for a year or so, and make a decision from there?

I did it at 46, for the same reasons.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.

[Swiss1960]

Not sure all you guys who tell him "do it" really read what he's up to financially...

Starting with 65K US$ => 2 Mio Baht => no income for the next 3 years => so he will need 30K to 40K Baht a month for living (rent, food, living without wife) and when his first pension kicks in, he will be down to 500K Baht already... no matter inflation...

Then 2K US$ equal 60K Baht (if he's lucky and America did'nt f*** up the upcoming election...) unitil 62... niot much to live on, not enough for wife (kids, family, sick buffalo etc. etc.), no money to buy a condo...

That's why I said, look for another job in the US for the next 3 years until your pension kicks in, safe some more and then come with 3 Mio Baht AND pension and then, he will have a decent and pretty safe living.

[Kwasaki]

Yeah, sure, think hard about coming and think hard about staying at that soul crushing job that you're lucky to get out of alive. I think you're coming. Ignore the naysayers. Some posters here are just biased against lower wealth retirees.

Sorry Jingthing, but that's a completely stupid thing to say and you're much better than that.

It's not about being biased against lower wealth retirees. It's about providing an alternative view to someone who - frankly - seems depressed to me. It's all very well for people to so cavarlierly say 'go for it' when it isnt them who have to suffer the consequences if it all goes wrong.

This is a life-changing decision and to be honest he doesnt seem in the right frame of mind to make the call logically, and we have people telling him to basically give up his career (at 45), his entire working life, his earning potential and his lifesavings, simply because he has a 60000 pension to look forward to.

It might be enough for many people, but you know NOTHING about this guy - his needs, his health, his eating habits, his expectations of lifestyle etc - so i think it is beholden upon people to put a brake on what appears to be a decision or desire based on current misery.

It is not stupid at all, as said before you are really out of touch, not all people are like you, please try and understand that, he can come on triaI, and see for himself, that is what is needed, he does not need directions from someone like you.

I really hope the whole edifice in your financial plans does not come down on your head, I say that as a retired builder. .

Edited March 26, 2012 by Kwasaki

[bendix]

Yeah, sure, think hard about coming and think hard about staying at that soul crushing job that you're lucky to get out of alive. I think you're coming. Ignore the naysayers. Some posters here are just biased against lower wealth retirees.

Sorry Jingthing, but that's a completely stupid thing to say and you're much better than that.

It's not about being biased against lower wealth retirees. It's about providing an alternative view to someone who - frankly - seems depressed to me. It's all very well for people to so cavarlierly say 'go for it' when it isnt them who have to suffer the consequences if it all goes wrong.

This is a life-changing decision and to be honest he doesnt seem in the right frame of mind to make the call logically, and we have people telling him to basically give up his career (at 45), his entire working life, his earning potential and his lifesavings, simply because he has a 60000 pension to look forward to.

It might be enough for many people, but you know NOTHING about this guy - his needs, his health, his eating habits, his expectations of lifestyle etc - so i think it is beholden upon people to put a brake on what appears to be a decision or desire based on current misery.

It is not stupid at all, as said before you are really out of touch, not all people are like you, please try and understand that, he can come on triaI, and see for himself, that is what is needed, he does not need directions from someone like you.

I really hope the whole edifice in your financial plans does not come down on your head, I say that as a retired builder. .

If you think it's out of touch to advise a westerner to come and give up his career, his earnings and his life savings because he's miserable at work, so be it.

If you think it's a good idea for a foreigner to live in Thailand with no capital behind him . . again, so be it.

If that means I'm out of touch, then I'm happy to admit it.

I think doing what some people are suggesting he does is at best sheer folly, at worst cynical and tinged with an element of schadanfreude.

[thaicbr]

Open. I would say get another year in the US.

start making plans and doing some research. think about the fact that you have been working a long time. it is very.very hard to suddenly do nothing.

What education do you have. think teaching. you will need an education degree these days.

you can live on 30 - 40 thou per month fairly easily (if outside the Pattaya etc)

personally after a few months when your sure I would buy a low cost car/truck (250 - 300 thou) my mate got his for 160 then 30 getting it sorted.

[Jingthing]

It could be argued that suggesting the OP stay in that hell on earth job one minute longer than absolutely necessary is schadenfreude.

Edited March 26, 2012 by Jingthing

[thaicbr]

It could be argued that suggesting the OP stay in that hell on earth job one minute longer than absolutely necessary is schadanfreude.

well. the op has to be careful and make plans otherwise the shit could be far worse. I know I've been there. and was dam_n lucky. that was 6 years ago. now I don't think I could do it.

Op. make plans. study your options. then do it.

btw. look at getting a non b business visa from a consulate. your visa is the most difficult thing. (and it can get expensive if you don't plan)

[letitbe]

youll probably end up another sad case. Drinking like crazy and whoring. You simply do not have enough and when inflation really hits youll be same as those sad forang trying to scrounge a drink of other forang and moaning about their lot.

[edwinclapham]

My feeling is to go for it. My old man (US citizen) manages on a SS cheque in Issan. His rent is reasonable and the house is great, the utility costs are very manageable.. he doesnt go overboard with a/c, satellite tv etc but he enjoys the simple things in life. The Outreach programme (US) comes to Udon yearly so he manages to sort out the paperwork for his visa for NongKhai Immigration.

I find the simple things in Thailand is what gives the most pleasure if you are sensible. A good life can be had, with all the possibilities of finding a good woman if you take it easy and give it time.

I know what I would choose! Good luck to you, hope you get your freedom soon!

Best wishes

tv and air cond is overboard?

Air conditioning as opposed to a fan is expensive. Satellite tv is another expense! Khun Pa enjoys doing his art, travel etc and therefore his priorities differs to someone else.