Too Young to Retire to Live...Now What?

[mrtoad]

If people invest in TGAUs as per SPs advice they will do very well. A great investment.

[CWMcMurray]

Would the short version of the OP be... With the current crack down on tourist visa / visa exemptions, I would need to get a long term visa , but while there are a few visa options that I would qualify for that would solve my problem ... But I don't want to do any of those...

So what do I do ?

While I agree that marriage just for a visa is not the correct thing to do.. But after dating for 4 years...guessing I know what option your long time GF is hoping you will choose

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Soutpeel]

If people invest in TGAUs as per SPs advice they will do very well. A great investment.

I agree based on the average farang demographic in Thailand, there is a demand for locally produced TGAU's which one suspects would yield a good ROI for the savvy investor, but think we would be a long way off from an IPO on such an undertaking

[mrtoad]

If people invest in TGAUs as per SPs advice they will do very well. A great investment.

I agree based on the average farang demographic in Thailand, there is a demand for locally produced TGAU's which one suspects would yield a good ROI for the savvy investor, but think we would be a long way off from an IPO on such an undertaking

I think once people see the technical manual on the application of TGAUs into lifestyles then the demand will grow. I understand there is a publication coming out from The TGA shortly?

[Soutpeel]

If people invest in TGAUs as per SPs advice they will do very well. A great investment.

I agree based on the average farang demographic in Thailand, there is a demand for locally produced TGAU's which one suspects would yield a good ROI for the savvy investor, but think we would be a long way off from an IPO on such an undertaking

I think once people see the technical manual on the application of TGAUs into lifestyles then the demand will grow. I understand there is a publication coming out from The TGA shortly?

From what I understand one of TV's own member's is investigating the local market with a view to filling the void in the locally produced TGAU market, it seems they is a huge gap in Thailand, which could be effectively plugged by producing locally, I have requested a prospectus for this venture already

[AJBangkok]

Personally I wouldn't go for the Elite card, if under 50 and independently wealthy enough to retire in Thailand without ever having to work again. Perhaps the original one at B1million for life and no monthly dues but not the current one for 20 years at B2million plus B20,000 annual fees. Anyway it was a Thaksin brain child that has cost the taxpayer a bundle with a lot of leakage and was about to be axed by the Abhisit govt when they lost the election and revived by Yingluck. It could be axed at any time. I would rather sink B10million into a condo (of some in a condo and the balance in govt bonds) and get annual investment extensions.

I have just seen that there is no a B500k Easy Access 5-year elite card. I might consider that option but would still prefer the investment visa, if I had the B10million. You would be grandfathered in at B10million, if they were to increase it, as happened when it went back up to B10million from the temporary rate of B3million, but the Elite card is a political issue that could get torpedoed without much notice. It is easy to justify terminating it because it is loss making and prone to corruption, while there is only a very small number of holders, whereas there is no cost to the taxpayer from the investment extensions and the benefits are clear cut. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Elite card scrapped and a longer-term investment visa issued in its place like the Malaysian scheme.

I have no problem buying a 5 year elite card for 500k as it saves lots of money and time on unnecessary travel which more than pays for itself in just a couple of years in my case but I would have serious reservations about investing 10 Million Baht in the available overpriced property in Thailand. In fact I have no plans to ever buy any property in Thailand. The whole industry is full of overpriced scammers, lawyers who randomly steal your property, etc.

Now they're cracking down on people doing these back to back visas I suspect a lot of people will opt for the 500k Elite Easy Access membership.

I've done a 1 year Ed visa, many tourist visas and plenty of visa exempt entries over the past few years. Just doing the travel was very tedious and it can easily cost more than 100k a year, especially if you add 1 business class trip a year back to Europe or the US to get a triple entry tourist visa which generally isn't available in Asia.

I had no idea the Easy Access membership was available until very recently. When I found out about it on this forum I applied and had the visa within a month. I then cancelled a planned trip to Europe which saved me 150,000 Baht so I'm already ahead.

In my opinion even in the highly unlikely event that they cancel the Elite program which has been running for 11 years now if you already have the visa you can continue to use it regardless of whether they are issuing new memberships or not.

I would agree with your last sentence. The 5 year visa is issued by the ministry of foreign affairs. TPC the 100% government owned company that runs Elite only introduces the individual and takes a cut of the fees which they use to provide some additional services. Other than the initial fee there are no financial, age, marriage, or educational requirements to be met. You just show up once a year and get a new stamp.

If you buy this program once the visa is in your passport then your risk of continued residence lies with the ministry of foreign affairs not TPC. Your risk with TPC may be that u lose your free limo rides and cheap golf but not your visa.

Honestly the government should drop the association with the "elite" name and just call it a 5 year long stay visa that costs 500k. TPC could still manage the process for the government. That would stop all the moaning from people who think the world should change to accommodate their individual circumstances like "there's no visa for me under 50" , " it's a ripoff, & this thing can go bust " etc etc

Everyone could then sleep peacefully with the knowledge that "yes, Thailand does have a visa for me, I just need to meet the criteria whether it's age, marriage, educational or financial and I can stay there" if I can't meet the criteria then it's not Thailand's problem - it's mine "

[ukrules]

Personally I wouldn't go for the Elite card, if under 50 and independently wealthy enough to retire in Thailand without ever having to work again. Perhaps the original one at B1million for life and no monthly dues but not the current one for 20 years at B2million plus B20,000 annual fees. Anyway it was a Thaksin brain child that has cost the taxpayer a bundle with a lot of leakage and was about to be axed by the Abhisit govt when they lost the election and revived by Yingluck. It could be axed at any time. I would rather sink B10million into a condo (of some in a condo and the balance in govt bonds) and get annual investment extensions.

I have just seen that there is no a B500k Easy Access 5-year elite card. I might consider that option but would still prefer the investment visa, if I had the B10million. You would be grandfathered in at B10million, if they were to increase it, as happened when it went back up to B10million from the temporary rate of B3million, but the Elite card is a political issue that could get torpedoed without much notice. It is easy to justify terminating it because it is loss making and prone to corruption, while there is only a very small number of holders, whereas there is no cost to the taxpayer from the investment extensions and the benefits are clear cut. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Elite card scrapped and a longer-term investment visa issued in its place like the Malaysian scheme.

I have no problem buying a 5 year elite card for 500k as it saves lots of money and time on unnecessary travel which more than pays for itself in just a couple of years in my case but I would have serious reservations about investing 10 Million Baht in the available overpriced property in Thailand. In fact I have no plans to ever buy any property in Thailand. The whole industry is full of overpriced scammers, lawyers who randomly steal your property, etc.

Now they're cracking down on people doing these back to back visas I suspect a lot of people will opt for the 500k Elite Easy Access membership.

I've done a 1 year Ed visa, many tourist visas and plenty of visa exempt entries over the past few years. Just doing the travel was very tedious and it can easily cost more than 100k a year, especially if you add 1 business class trip a year back to Europe or the US to get a triple entry tourist visa which generally isn't available in Asia.

I had no idea the Easy Access membership was available until very recently. When I found out about it on this forum I applied and had the visa within a month. I then cancelled a planned trip to Europe which saved me 150,000 Baht so I'm already ahead.

In my opinion even in the highly unlikely event that they cancel the Elite program which has been running for 11 years now if you already have the visa you can continue to use it regardless of whether they are issuing new memberships or not.

I would agree with your last sentence. The 5 year visa is issued by the ministry of foreign affairs. TPC the 100% government owned company that runs Elite only introduces the individual and takes a cut of the fees which they use to provide some additional services. Other than the initial fee there are no financial, age, marriage, or educational requirements to be met. You just show up once a year and get a new stamp.

If you buy this program once the visa is in your passport then your risk of continued residence lies with the ministry of foreign affairs not TPC. Your risk with TPC may be that u lose your free limo rides and cheap golf but not your visa.

Honestly the government should drop the association with the "elite" name and just call it a 5 year long stay visa that costs 500k. TPC could still manage the process for the government. That would stop all the moaning from people who think the world should change to accommodate their individual circumstances like "there's no visa for me under 50" , " it's a ripoff, & this thing can go bust " etc etc

Everyone could then sleep peacefully with the knowledge that "yes, Thailand does have a visa for me, I just need to meet the criteria whether it's age, marriage, educational or financial and I can stay there" if I can't meet the criteria then it's not Thailand's problem - it's mine "

If they really want to sell 1000's or even tens of thousands of these I believe they should offer an 'Easy Access Lite' 1 year membership with a 1 year visa but price it a bit higher on a yearly basis, just issue visa stamps that expire on the same date the visa expires to encourage prompt renewal.

I would suggest a 120-150k Baht per year fee so as not to discourage people from joining the more expensive longer term offerings.

I can understand a lot of people not wanting to commit to 5 or 20 years at a time, especially if they're younger in their 20's and 30's.

Maybe it would be a good option for those under 30 years of age. I noticed many years ago that Australia offer all sorts of visas to people under certain ages which aren't available to those of us who are older.

Just some thoughts.

[JomtienEats]

If they really want to sell 1000's or even tens of thousands of these I believe they should offer an 'Easy Access Lite' 1 year membership with a 1 year visa but price it a bit higher on a yearly basis, just issue visa stamps that expire on the same date the visa expires to encourage prompt renewal.

I would suggest a 120-150k Baht per year fee so as not to discourage people from joining the more expensive longer term offerings.

I can understand a lot of people not wanting to commit to 5 or 20 years at a time, especially if they're younger in their 20's and 30's.

Maybe it would be a good option for those under 30 years of age. I noticed many years ago that Australia offer all sorts of visas to people under certain ages which aren't available to those of us who are older.

Just some thoughts.

I would expect either this or perhaps reducing the age required for the retirement visa (if allowed by law). I would think it be at least a few months coming though - officials will want to see the effect of current tighetening, the economic effect, the backlash, before targetted loosening.

[mrtoad]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[NanLaew]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With all due respect to SP who I see as one of the few "been there, done that.... still here" sort of guys here on TV, I am quite gobsmacked by his TGAU adulation when AFAIK as of yesterday morning, he hadn't even seen the prospectus yet.

[mrtoad]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With all due respect to SP who I see as one of the few "been there, done that.... still here" sort of guys here on TV, I am quite gobsmacked by his TGAU adulation when AFAIK as of yesterday morning, he hadn't even seen the prospectus yet.

Yes, which makes it all the more impressive. I would assume it's a great investment opportunity given SP's experience - I beleive he has seen the test model of said product, and it looks like it could fill massive void in the lifestyle market

[Soutpeel]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With all due respect to SP who I see as one of the few "been there, done that.... still here" sort of guys here on TV, I am quite gobsmacked by his TGAU adulation when AFAIK as of yesterday morning, he hadn't even seen the prospectus yet.

I will concede I have yet to receive the prospectus, but I sincerly believe there is a large hole that could be filled by locally produced TGAU's, and there are multiple opportuities to achive very deep target market penetration locally with Thailand and possibly into regional SEA markets, such as Cambodia and Vietnam should the thrust be in that direction

[NanLaew]

Personally I wouldn't go for the Elite card, if under 50 and independently wealthy enough to retire in Thailand without ever having to work again. Perhaps the original one at B1million for life and no monthly dues but not the current one for 20 years at B2million plus B20,000 annual fees. Anyway it was a Thaksin brain child that has cost the taxpayer a bundle with a lot of leakage and was about to be axed by the Abhisit govt when they lost the election and revived by Yingluck. It could be axed at any time. I would rather sink B10million into a condo (of some in a condo and the balance in govt bonds) and get annual investment extensions.

I have just seen that there is no a B500k Easy Access 5-year elite card. I might consider that option but would still prefer the investment visa, if I had the B10million. You would be grandfathered in at B10million, if they were to increase it, as happened when it went back up to B10million from the temporary rate of B3million, but the Elite card is a political issue that could get torpedoed without much notice. It is easy to justify terminating it because it is loss making and prone to corruption, while there is only a very small number of holders, whereas there is no cost to the taxpayer from the investment extensions and the benefits are clear cut. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Elite card scrapped and a longer-term investment visa issued in its place like the Malaysian scheme.

I have no problem buying a 5 year elite card for 500k as it saves lots of money and time on unnecessary travel which more than pays for itself in just a couple of years in my case but I would have serious reservations about investing 10 Million Baht in the available overpriced property in Thailand. In fact I have no plans to ever buy any property in Thailand. The whole industry is full of overpriced scammers, lawyers who randomly steal your property, etc.

Now they're cracking down on people doing these back to back visas I suspect a lot of people will opt for the 500k Elite Easy Access membership.

I've done a 1 year Ed visa, many tourist visas and plenty of visa exempt entries over the past few years. Just doing the travel was very tedious and it can easily cost more than 100k a year, especially if you add 1 business class trip a year back to Europe or the US to get a triple entry tourist visa which generally isn't available in Asia.

I had no idea the Easy Access membership was available until very recently. When I found out about it on this forum I applied and had the visa within a month. I then cancelled a planned trip to Europe which saved me 150,000 Baht so I'm already ahead.

In my opinion even in the highly unlikely event that they cancel the Elite program which has been running for 11 years now if you already have the visa you can continue to use it regardless of whether they are issuing new memberships or not.

I would agree with your last sentence. The 5 year visa is issued by the ministry of foreign affairs. TPC the 100% government owned company that runs Elite only introduces the individual and takes a cut of the fees which they use to provide some additional services. Other than the initial fee there are no financial, age, marriage, or educational requirements to be met. You just show up once a year and get a new stamp.

If you buy this program once the visa is in your passport then your risk of continued residence lies with the ministry of foreign affairs not TPC. Your risk with TPC may be that u lose your free limo rides and cheap golf but not your visa.

Honestly the government should drop the association with the "elite" name and just call it a 5 year long stay visa that costs 500k. TPC could still manage the process for the government. That would stop all the moaning from people who think the world should change to accommodate their individual circumstances like "there's no visa for me under 50" , " it's a ripoff, & this thing can go bust " etc etc

Everyone could then sleep peacefully with the knowledge that "yes, Thailand does have a visa for me, I just need to meet the criteria whether it's age, marriage, educational or financial and I can stay there" if I can't meet the criteria then it's not Thailand's problem - it's mine "

If they really want to sell 1000's or even tens of thousands of these I believe they should offer an 'Easy Access Lite' 1 year membership with a 1 year visa but price it a bit higher on a yearly basis, just issue visa stamps that expire on the same date the visa expires to encourage prompt renewal.

I would suggest a 120-150k Baht per year fee so as not to discourage people from joining the more expensive longer term offerings.

I can understand a lot of people not wanting to commit to 5 or 20 years at a time, especially if they're younger in their 20's and 30's.

Maybe it would be a good option for those under 30 years of age. I noticed many years ago that Australia offer all sorts of visas to people under certain ages which aren't available to those of us who are older.

Just some thoughts.

Good reasoning but why would they want to sell "1000's or even tens of thousands of these" when the whole premise is some level of being 'elite'?

The original top-level membership was a no-brainer for those with a chunk of change since in the purchasers scheme of things, that wasn't any great chunk of change at all. It probably went along with their translation of the of-stated mantra, "never invest more than you can walk away from". With the limo, golf, spa attachments, I think it was probably aimed at some of the more flush Asians that were already seasonal or semi-regular visitors.

The 5-year 'lite' version, with a sign-up charge of 500k baht and no annual renewal dovetails it in between the cash resources someone with a Thai spouse would have to prove annually and what the cash resources the officially retired has to prove access to.

When you look at it, if a married person doesn't have recourse to US$12.5k at the drop of a hat or a retired person doesn't have instant access to OR proof of guaranteed annual income of US$25k, then neither should realistically count on being able to survive long in LOS. The 'lite' card however, may be a better fit for some people on these two classes; probably a really good option for the retiree that hasn't provided for a state or private pension such as a freelance worker or self-employed person.

By creating a 'poor mans' version, then the door is reopened to the less ardent and disingenuous to come in and fly under the WP radar as these sort of people would see it as a fairly cheap way to legally be illegal in Thailand. It would be abused, even possibly by those already struggling to qualify for a marriage extension and definitely by those totally without a sustainable retirement plan.

Regarding the comment, "I can understand a lot of people not wanting to commit to 5 or 20 years at a time, especially if they're younger in their 20's and 30's", I would be sort of interested to know how old these really long overstay guys that are suddenly popping out of the woodwork were when they made their last entry to Thailand.

[mrtoad]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With all due respect to SP who I see as one of the few "been there, done that.... still here" sort of guys here on TV, I am quite gobsmacked by his TGAU adulation when AFAIK as of yesterday morning, he hadn't even seen the prospectus yet.

I will concede I have yet to receive the prospectus, but I sincerly believe there is a large hole that could be filled by locally produced TGAU's, and there are multiple opportuities to achive very deep target market penetration locally with Thailand and possibly into regional SEA markets, such as Cambodia and Vietnam should the thrust be in that direction

I spoke with another TGAU supporter, who is very excited about the massive market penetration potential. I have to admit that i need to burrow myself into some further reading about the possible market growth, as I'd like to claw back some recent loses in my portfolio. The investment however certainly has a warm, fluffy feel to it.

[NanLaew]

Look SP has told you already. Invest in TGAUs .

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

With all due respect to SP who I see as one of the few "been there, done that.... still here" sort of guys here on TV, I am quite gobsmacked by his TGAU adulation when AFAIK as of yesterday morning, he hadn't even seen the prospectus yet.

I will concede I have yet to receive the prospectus, but I sincerly believe there is a large hole that could be filled by locally produced TGAU's, and there are multiple opportuities to achive very deep target market penetration locally with Thailand and possibly into regional SEA markets, such as Cambodia and Vietnam should the thrust be in that direction

Large hole or many small holes that collectively could amount to a large one? There's a subtle difference and I am sure that you don't need me to point that out. However, the total neophyte embracing TGAU as a 'one-size-fits-all' solution needs to make sure he is covered. Personally, I have a higher exposure in Vietnam (well I did until I got my laundry back a few minutes ago) but I will raise this interesting new development tonight in the usual circle and try and gauge their reaction.

[JomtienEats]

Mods - this thread could do with a clean-up. Lots of interesting and informed discussion relating to the topic, but also too much incomphrensible gibberish.

[NanLaew]

Mods - this thread could do with a clean-up. Lots of interesting and informed discussion relating to the topic, but also too much incomphrensible gibberish.

LOL.

Clean up? Don't you have a box of tissues handy?

But seriously, why don't we just punt this thread into Pub where it ought to have been from the get go.

Edited July 21, 2014 by NanLaew

[Soutpeel]

Mods - this thread could do with a clean-up. Lots of interesting and informed discussion relating to the topic, but also too much incomphrensible gibberish.

incomphrensible gibberish ?

only because you dont know what is being talked about, as you have noticed there a few on here who do know what is being talked about and are providing good insight into possible options for "investment type visa's as well" eg the TGAU market, get in early on the start up and It could be gap you wish to explore as regards possible long visa's even a WP, especially if the BOI give their endoresment for a francise type operation, which I believe this is what is ultimately planned to ensure maximum penetration in the target markets, think of it as a 7/11 of the TGAU sector

But hey if you dont wish to take part in asspect of this discussion, up to you, but please dont stop other knowledgeable posters from providing very valuable information

[mrtoad]

Mods - this thread could do with a clean-up. Lots of interesting and informed discussion relating to the topic, but also too much incomphrensible gibberish.

You should listen a little bit more to long stay expats. You are ignoring the investment opportunities as it costs more than a visa run. In the long run, you'll regret not listening to savvy advice.

[Soutpeel]

Mods - this thread could do with a clean-up. Lots of interesting and informed discussion relating to the topic, but also too much incomphrensible gibberish.

LOL.

Clean up? Don't you have a box of tissues handy?

But seriously, why don't we just punt this thread into Pub where it ought to have been from the get go.

agreed

[JomtienEats]

the gibberish continues unabated.

[mrtoad]

the gibberish continues unabated.

Ok Sunshine, be specific in what advice you are looking for, or are you just whining because you don't qualify for a visa?

[Soutpeel]

the gibberish continues unabated.

You perceive this as gibberish because you just dont understand, most people dont understand Einsteins theories, but I dont see them being called gibberish anywhere

[Soutpeel]

the gibberish continues unabated.

Ok Sunshine, be specific in what advice you are looking for, or are you just whining because you don't qualify for a visa?

If I recall some of his earier posts, he was adocating having another option on the THB 500k/5 year visa which required the person to pay THB 100k/yr and get a 1 year visa and the option to work, if i remember correctly

but seeing as the program is called Thai Elite, a 1 year, 100k visa and option to work is hardly "Elite" is it, it would jusy provide another loop hole where one suspects personages in the class of visa would be borrowing money and then working on line to pay the loan back or teaching "English"

[tonytigerbkk]

Evening all,

anyone fancy a boxing match?

[mrtoad]

Thanks for clearing that up SP. I guess he is another serial visa abuser. On liner per chance?

[Maestro]

Removed an off-topic post.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[mrtoad]

Evening all,

anyone fancy a boxing match?

Tony is there any update on the TGAU prospectus?

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[tonytigerbkk]

Evening all,

anyone fancy a boxing match?

Tony is there any update on the TGAU prospectus?

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Hi Mr. Toad,

At the moment our lawyers in India are running through the contracts.

Although the lawyers are in India, this is only to save money on the expenses and keep down the share prices.

The shares will be launched from within Thailand and so should qualify people for an investment visa but we still need to run this past our lawyers first (Patel & Patel).

While you are in our waiting room, why not enjoy browsing through my picture collection of Australian celebrities teaching children how to swim.

[LivinLOS]

Great post OP, and making a lot of sense. However, sense is not that common in Thailand.

It is a great post but will someone tell us where in the world can one reside with no reported income and without paying any tax?

OK there are a few exceptions like maybe Monaco, Isle Of Man, Cyaman Islands etc. but no "normal" countries surely.

OP could open a subsidiary office here? Pay tax on 50,000 and get a visa and a work permit?

You would be surprised.. Lots of countries dont tax worldwide income generated entirely outside the country.