SpokaneAl Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Lasted seven years, came back last fall. Cost of living is cheaper here, better quality of life, and: People smile without hoping for anything other than a smile back; Haven't heard a single dog bark in three months, let alone been attacked by a pack of them; No burning of plastic; No loud music, caterwauling as the moon sets, or unbridled exhaust; Haven't seen one person pick their nose. Nope, not even the person preparing my food ... Were there good things about my time in Thailand? Sure, but no where near enough to consider living there any longer, let alone dying there. My wife is joining me in April. We have a bucket list in the first month that includes: The Grand Canyon- camping and rafting; Las Vegas- attending a Cirque de Sol show, and, in the casinos, losing money; Driving north from San Diego through Malibu, sailing to and about Catalina, then taking Hwy 1 up the coast into Washington State and eventually Victoria, B.C. We'll stop at wineries and cheese farms along the way, detouring for camping in Sequoia National Park, and Redwood National Forest. Then Yosemite and back over to the coast …. Absolutely no way I would consider wasting another precious day of life in LOS. It has come full circle hasn't it? From the land of your birth back again assuming that you are american. When we craft a response, we write from our own, individual perspective. I think that is more honest than those who think they know about a particular country, when they really don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tif Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 You are lucky in the USA you have a cheap cost of living and a big country to live in and explore. What do we have in the UK? a Muslim hellhole, taxed to death by socialists. No thanks i'm staying here. Art galleries/theaters/GOOD bookshops/libraries/GOOD concerts, not merely jazz/blues/festivals which do not center around predominantly horseshoe throwing/bake sales (OMG). Great selection of real EUROPEAN cheeses and wines, not that orange plastic wrapped sh1t or California rose. ould go on. Do agree about the beautiful scenery though. Such a waste ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fey Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) hope the door nails you in the arse on the way out, bye! Edited February 28, 2015 by fey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIPinthailand Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) you lucky in USA you can be shot by crazy guys and for free. just yesterday in Missouri, 7 deads enjoy your return! I don't want to be taxed to hell! what you got there anyway. Walmart? hooters ? shopping mall with a/c? see guys, it a not a question what you got for less, but it's a question of life style. and Thai life style is much much better than the USA capitalist life style. I don't mind if you go back to USA. instead I will open the champagne to celebrate your departure. Edited February 28, 2015 by VIPinthailand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BADDAT Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag. And 24 packs of durex condoms that cost 9.88. Funny thing is that they are made in thailand! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longstebe Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag. Love Walmart. Everything that it sells and the customers it brings thru the doors, especially about 2-4am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag. And 24 packs of durex condoms that cost 9.88. Funny thing is that they are made in thailand! Mai poot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BADDAT Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag.And 24 packs of durex condoms that cost 9.88. Funny thing is that they are made in thailand! Mai poot. Mai poot means? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VIPinthailand Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 why no Walmart in Thailand ? we miss it so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiBiker Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Sweet Jesus, Did a poster before really just say he doesn't like Thai women? Must be gay!! I'm not at all interested in Thai women. I'm not gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1BADDAT Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 why no Walmart in Thailand ? we miss it so much. I heard the opened one before but thai people took everything back after using it so they lost money. Someone told me this so I am not sure of the accuracy. But Walmart definitely has a lenient return policy . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uptheos Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 why no Walmart in Thailand ? we miss it so much. I miss the people of Walmart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Hey don't knock Walmart -- when I go back to the USA for a few weeks just about everything I want to bring back with me to Thailand I can get at Walmart including laptop computer, dry grocery items i.e. spices, toiletries, OTC drugs, audio equipment, clothes esp. boxer shorts, and they are open 24 hours in the big stores for people like me with extreme jet lag.And 24 packs of durex condoms that cost 9.88. Funny thing is that they are made in thailand! Mai poot. Mai poot means? Means 'don't talk' -- I said toiletries above and didn't feel the need to detail items in what Walmart.com refers to the 'Sexual Wellness' department. Also last trip bought a Lodge cast-iron frying pan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCFC Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 you lucky in USA you can be shot by crazy guys and for free. just yesterday in Missouri, 7 deads enjoy your return! I don't want to be taxed to hell! what you got there anyway. Walmart? hooters ? shopping mall with a/c? see guys, it a not a question what you got for less, but it's a question of life style. and Thai life style is much much better than the USA capitalist life style. I don't mind if you go back to USA. instead I will open the champagne to celebrate your departure. Catch up with you inBig C then, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCFC Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 And opening the champagne sounds a little bit like a capitalist life style. Or is that Thai style metaphorical champagne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 you lucky in USA you can be shot by crazy guys and for free. just yesterday in Missouri, 7 deads enjoy your return! I don't want to be taxed to hell! what you got there anyway. Walmart? hooters ? shopping mall with a/c? see guys, it a not a question what you got for less, but it's a question of life style. and Thai life style is much much better than the USA capitalist life style. I don't mind if you go back to USA. instead I will open the champagne to celebrate your departure. . what you got there anyway. Walmart? hooters ? shopping mall with a/c? I have a life worth living. I have variety in every category. I am in no way materialistic; my cell phone has buttons, my daily driver, crank windows. I don't want to be taxed to hell! Being "taxed to hell" is for the ignorant, unwashed masses. There are many ways to legally avoid much taxation from the IRS. Contrary to the indignant spoutings of the desperate few on this thread who claim I came to LOS to live forever, failed due to ignorance, and had to return to the States, I in fact lived in Thailand to achieve something on my bucket list. I accomplished it, carefully following my accountant's instructions while doing so. You see, even if you are forced to play a game, you can still win, but you have to know the rules. The IRS you hate so much allows deductions for many things, including for authors, who can write off certain expenses incurred while writing. I am now back in the States, and much of the money I paid out to live in Thailand and extensively travel throughout Asia while writing a novel, is deductible. To such an extent that, even with the healthy American income I am again making, I am currently exempt from withholding. I won't pay taxes, my accountant says, for the next three years. Then I'm headed to either Italy, Argentina, or maybe Greece, to do it all over again. Some of us plan our lives, rather than stumble through them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Quote from Fran Lebowitz: How do you know if your child is a writer? she says, “Your obstetrician holds his stethoscope to your abdomen and only hears excuses.” http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/22/arts/television/22lebowitz.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverSure Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 -snip- I accomplished it, carefully following my accountant's instructions while doing so. You see, even if you are forced to play a game, you can still win, but you have to know the rules. The IRS you hate so much allows deductions for many things, including for authors, who can write off certain expenses incurred while writing. I am now back in the States, and much of the money I paid out to live in Thailand and extensively travel throughout Asia while writing a novel, is deductible. To such an extent that, even with the healthy American income I am again making, I am currently exempt from withholding. I won't pay taxes, my accountant says, for the next three years. Then I'm headed to either Italy, Argentina, or maybe Greece, to do it all over again. Some of us plan our lives, rather than stumble through them. This is something a lot of people don't understand - maybe because they've never been self employed. I could develop a web page about Thailand with only the "hope" of making money. Then when I traveled to Thailand to do "research" for my "business" called a website, I could deduct all travel expenses including airfare, hotels and meals and local travel, etc. from my other income and greatly reduce what I owe the IRS for the year. I can do that for 3 years before the IRS can question the validity of future years' deductions, but I'm home free for the first 3 years if I can just show any effort to grow that website. If I have a business and am "thinking about opening a branch in Thailand" I can write off all costs of a trip to Thailand to do my research. Many people "hear" that the IRS and taxes are bad, but they aren't. The percentage of tax they take and the deductions they allow probably make Americans the least taxed people in the West. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If the IRS wants to do an audit of your finances, they can question the validity of anything anytime they want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fey Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) meethinks you can only deduct the parts of your trip when you were working. self-employment tax does not accept deductions and would wipe out any savings you gain using deductions on income. Edited February 28, 2015 by fey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeverSure Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 (edited) <script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script> If the IRS wants to do an audit of your finances, they can question the validity of anything anytime they want. I've been audited fully three times, had good records, and one time actually got a refund for an error I caught preparing for the audit. (Yes you can. When they open up the return for an audit it can go both ways.) What I'm describing is completely legal. meethinks you can only deduct the parts of your trip when you were working.self-employment tax does not accept deductions and would wipe out any savings you gain using deductions on income. I'd be traveling to take photographs for my website, and researching Thailand for blog articles. I'd be in Thailand for business purposes. I don't understand the self employment tax part. I wouldn't have any self employment income to be taxed. I wouldn't have any self employment income for the first three years and there wouldn't be any taxes to pay. I would be able to write off my business losses from my other income and reduce my income taxes paid. Cheers Edited February 28, 2015 by NeverSure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 Certain types of financial activity even completely within IRS regulations can attract an audit. The outcome of the audit is something else. Being audited is not fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 If the IRS wants to do an audit of your finances, they can question the validity of anything anytime they want. . Sure they can, that's why I keep meticulous, contemporaneous records, and always use a CPA. I've had the same one for almost 30 years. I was audited once in all those years because of a "red flag." My accountant handled it without my presence, charged my a couple hundred bucks, and the IRS said thanks, and we haven't heard from them since. We're not talking about breaking the rules here. We're not even talking about bending them. We're talking about knowing them. You can't play the game, if you don't know the rules. You'll just keep getting penalized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I can just hear the IRS folks saying to themselves: "Oh sh*t -- another would-be novelist". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I can just hear the IRS folks saying to themselves: "Oh sh*t -- another would-be novelist". . Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoiBiker Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I hope the novel is more interesting than your posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLCrab Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I can just hear the IRS folks saying to themselves: "Oh sh*t -- another would-be novelist". . Thank you. You're welcome, I'm sure. Other than the half dozen or so on here, I personally know several. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHP87 Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 problem in the USA it s very hard to make any friend. here it s much easier. European and Thai are much more friendly than the USA guys. In USA you get a "hi" and nothing else. the guys who set the Boston bomb said they have no US friends. This is don't understand. Most of my best friends in the USA I have since about 1970 or before. My best friend has been a friend since before we attended school. His dad was our family doctor and he is a retired heart surgeon. I won't make friends hanging in bars or shopping malls. To make new friends I'd have to join some civic clubs etc. and be around people I have something in common with. I don't judge any Western nationality by what I see in Thailand. I don't believe that expats are necessarily representative of the country they came from as a whole. probably you friend is from Europe. most guys born in the USA are obnoxious and real first degree minded. (their jokes are about sex mainly and most US guys insult women)they will just invite you to see the super ball and eat turkey while watching dumb TV with guys chasing a ball that is not even oval. their conversation is just gossiping as they have been nowhere except a trip or two to Las Vegas. (so they can say they have been to Paris and Venice) believe me, I know the USA, it' s just a terrible country filled with zombies, Wal Marts , churches and fast foods at every corner. don't talk to them about Thailand, they all think it's a town in Mexico. back to USA? no thanks! Your post speaks loudly about you and the type of people you hung around with and not about Americans in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeijoshinCool Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I hope the novel is more interesting than your posts. . Not for me to decide. But I can tell you this: it's not mean, nor spiteful, nor full of bitter people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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