Comfortable on 65k baht?

[NancyL]

If speaking of "odds".... you must remember that insurance companies do nothing but play the odds... They have actuaries to make sure the odds are in their favor in relation to who/what to cover, premiums against payouts.

It is still a person's responsibility to decide if they want to play the odds.

Sadly, though, the Thai people are left holding the bag to the tune of billions of baht in unpaid medical bills each year from foreigners who have decided to "play the odds" with regard to needing medical care, but refusing to take responsibility for planning on how they'll pay for that care when needed.

And this is problem that keeps the foreign consulate and embassy staff busy trying to obtain assistance from the families and friends of their people who have failed to take responsibility yet end up needing medical care in Thailand.

And retirees who have failed to take responsibility to plan for medical emergencies or the need for procedures like heart bypass surgery can find that their options here in Thailand are indeed very grim. Some spend their final months with in pain with a tremendous loss of independence and dignity.

[thaiduncankk]

If speaking of "odds".... you must remember that insurance companies do nothing but play the odds... They have actuaries to make sure the odds are in their favor in relation to who/what to cover, premiums against payouts.

It is still a person's responsibility to decide if they want to play the odds.

Sadly, though, the Thai people are left holding the bag to the tune of billions of baht in unpaid medical bills each year from foreigners who have decided to "play the odds" with regard to needing medical care, but refusing to take responsibility for planning on how they'll pay for that care when needed.

And this is problem that keeps the foreign consulate and embassy staff busy trying to obtain assistance from the families and friends of their people who have failed to take responsibility yet end up needing medical care in Thailand.

And retirees who have failed to take responsibility to plan for medical emergencies or the need for procedures like heart bypass surgery can find that their options here in Thailand are indeed very grim. Some spend their final months with in pain with a tremendous loss of independence and dignity.

I think the words 'billions of baht' is a very big exaggeration, especially if you are talking about the expat community, which is the group of people this thread was originally about. Of course, I have no figures to back up my claim, but I am sure you don't either, and are merely picking a figure out of thin air.

I am sure that if expats were such a burden, where it did cost billions of baht annually, the government would, by now, have addressed the situation.

[NeverSure]

It's a turn of phrase, a descriptor, probably not the best choice but we now all know what it means, it's not exactly relevant of the topic so let's not make a mountain out of it

Whether it is relevant or not, it is a downright despicable way to describe people, who, through no fault of their own, are less fortunate than others.

Nonsense!

OK let's make a mountain out of it then!

Here's what the term means by various definitions, Macmillan says:

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/the-lowest-of-the-low

2

British humorous someone from the lowest social class

Synonyms and related words

People from a low social class:

the precariat, the working class, lower class...

I actually prefer the literal translation, "low" means near the bottom of something, "lowest" means at the bottom of those low things, ergo, lowest of the low means at the bottom of a pile - at the bottom of what pile though, poverty, income levels, social standing, the phrase describes measurable comparable qualities and only refers to morals integrity and personal attributes, if that's what the listener wants! Additionally, the phrase is simply a descriptor, it doesn't convey pleasure approval or any other emotion, it simply describes.

I agree. People are making a mountain out of a molehill. "The guy on the bottom of the ladder." "The guy who is last in the pecking order". "The guy on the bottom of the totem pole".

None of these is disparaging. All are just descriptive and a part of life. Someone will always be on the bottom of the social order and try as we will we can't change that.

The nit pickers on here are ignoring Nancy's contribution to those who are on the bottom and in need. They are ignoring her big heart.

Shame on them.

Cheers.

[roo860]

The thread has moved on a bit since then, that was 3 days ago, lets keep on topic.

[hml367]

NeverSure,

Shame on you and the others who completely miss the point.

It is not about the people Nancy is helping..... rather it is the attitude some people have DELETED

I don't recall any posts in this thread being negative about Nancy helping anyone.

It was a question I asked initially to clarify what she was comparing to. Other than that, the thread is about if someone can live comfortably on 65k baht.

Edited January 27, 2016 by seedy
OP request

[chiang mai]

Sadly you are also missing the point. NS correctly suggests that all races and groups have their "lowest of the low" and Nancy is well known by her efforts in helping many of them, he goes on to to mention alternate descriptive names for them, none of which are disparaging except in the minds of a few readers.

[roo860]

This is not the 'I love Nancy' show, am sure she does her best for folk

The topic is living on a certain amount of money.

[thaiduncankk]

The actual definition of 'lowest of the low' is - people who have no moral standards and lack any personal qualities, used more to describe someone like a major drug dealer, whose actions kill vulnerable people.

I, personally, would have thought 'poorest of the poor' would have been more appropriate.

[chiang mai]

No mr mod., and it's not the "I'm going to take pot shots at Nancy for no valid reason" show either. So until folks cease with the nonsense, expect the topic to veer from time to time.

[NancyL]

If speaking of "odds".... you must remember that insurance companies do nothing but play the odds... They have actuaries to make sure the odds are in their favor in relation to who/what to cover, premiums against payouts.

It is still a person's responsibility to decide if they want to play the odds.

Sadly, though, the Thai people are left holding the bag to the tune of billions of baht in unpaid medical bills each year from foreigners who have decided to "play the odds" with regard to needing medical care, but refusing to take responsibility for planning on how they'll pay for that care when needed.

And this is problem that keeps the foreign consulate and embassy staff busy trying to obtain assistance from the families and friends of their people who have failed to take responsibility yet end up needing medical care in Thailand.

And retirees who have failed to take responsibility to plan for medical emergencies or the need for procedures like heart bypass surgery can find that their options here in Thailand are indeed very grim. Some spend their final months with in pain with a tremendous loss of independence and dignity.

I think the words 'billions of baht' is a very big exaggeration, especially if you are talking about the expat community, which is the group of people this thread was originally about. Of course, I have no figures to back up my claim, but I am sure you don't either, and are merely picking a figure out of thin air.

I am sure that if expats were such a burden, where it did cost billions of baht annually, the government would, by now, have addressed the situation.

I do see the figures out of Suan Dok hospital and those add up to the low hundreds of millions of baht each year for foreigners from non-surrounding countries --i.e. all countries except Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos. Remember there is a sizable population of Japanese retirees and tourists are included in this report. Everyone so often a Chinese tourist can rack up a major medical bill.

So, billions of baht is not beyond the realm of reason that when you consider that Chiang Mai is just a small part of Thailand -- there are nearly four times the number of retirement extensions granted in Pattaya each year than in Chiang Mai.

[thaiduncankk]

If speaking of "odds".... you must remember that insurance companies do nothing but play the odds... They have actuaries to make sure the odds are in their favor in relation to who/what to cover, premiums against payouts.

It is still a person's responsibility to decide if they want to play the odds.

Sadly, though, the Thai people are left holding the bag to the tune of billions of baht in unpaid medical bills each year from foreigners who have decided to "play the odds" with regard to needing medical care, but refusing to take responsibility for planning on how they'll pay for that care when needed.

And this is problem that keeps the foreign consulate and embassy staff busy trying to obtain assistance from the families and friends of their people who have failed to take responsibility yet end up needing medical care in Thailand.

And retirees who have failed to take responsibility to plan for medical emergencies or the need for procedures like heart bypass surgery can find that their options here in Thailand are indeed very grim. Some spend their final months with in pain with a tremendous loss of independence and dignity.

I think the words 'billions of baht' is a very big exaggeration, especially if you are talking about the expat community, which is the group of people this thread was originally about. Of course, I have no figures to back up my claim, but I am sure you don't either, and are merely picking a figure out of thin air.

I am sure that if expats were such a burden, where it did cost billions of baht annually, the government would, by now, have addressed the situation.

I do see the figures out of Suan Dok hospital and those add up to the low hundreds of millions of baht each year for foreigners from non-surrounding countries --i.e. all countries except Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos. Remember there is a sizable population of Japanese retirees and tourists are included in this report. Everyone so often a Chinese tourist can rack up a major medical bill.

So, billions of baht is not beyond the realm of reason that when you consider that Chiang Mai is just a small part of Thailand -- there are nearly four times the number of retirement extensions granted in Pattaya each year than in Chiang Mai.

Tend to disagree with the figures, not that many will have bills running into millions. A lot that do, have insurance or are self insured.

[Konini]

I don't want to be argumentative or to get involved in any sniping here, but I will say that I think you are possibly underestimating the number of pretty much destitute expats there are here in Thailand. Most of them aren't out drinking up a storm in the farang bars (although a I know of a couple who are) but remain out of sight and are generally unseen by most of us. Even one who I would never have thought to be destitute and regarded as bordering on affluent died pennyless and alone a few years ago.

Nobody is quite what they seem to the outside world, particularly here in expatland where we can be anything we want; I don't think I've ever met a run of the mill infantry grunter, every ex military person I seem to come across is ex special forces or paratroopers or navy seals or SAS; I think we've all come across that and I only know one who really was a (British) Marine - only those of us married to other farangs for a long time can't get away with telling people that we are something we are not. My husband and I led pretty normal, average, boring lives back home and neither of us could claim otherwise as we'd be caught out pretty quickly. None of us knows what really goes on behind closed doors or, more importantly to this discussion, what the true financial situation is of those people we think we know. As a race, we seem to be pretty adept at giving the appearance of being clean cut, well dressed and presented, racially tolerant and financially OK. We are all products of the kind of societies we were brought up in where more importance is placed on how it seems to others than how it really is. I'm not talking about the trailer park or council estate singlet, flip flops and tattoo types, I'm talking about the respectable looking types. We often (usually mistakenly) think of the former as the ones more likely to be down on their heels and a drain on society but rarely think of the well presented, well spoken upper working class and middle middle class being totally and completely broke and all alone in the world - not just here, but back home too. It is those we don't suspect of being destitute that make up the majority of the numbers, purely because they were brought up to keep up appearances and never give an outward clue of their true situation.

There have been several good and dare I say eye watering media items from UK (respectable) print, radio and TV outlets over the last 10 years or so, none for a year or two so I can't point to any sources. Not only Thailand of course, Spain is full of closet alcoholics who can't even find the money for the ticket to go back to UK, and I believe that the lack of free healthcare prevents a lot of Americans from returning; I know of at least one who is managing to live here OK (for the time being) but wouldn't be able to afford the cost of his many medications in USA (although I find it hard to believe that any first world country would really not help of their sick and elderly and not stump up for medical/medication costs, maybe it's just what he thinks).

[roo860]

I don't want to be argumentative or to get involved in any sniping here, but I will say that I think you are possibly underestimating the number of pretty much destitute expats there are here in Thailand. Most of them aren't out drinking up a storm in the farang bars (although a I know of a couple who are) but remain out of sight and are generally unseen by most of us. Even one who I would never have thought to be destitute and regarded as bordering on affluent died pennyless and alone a few years ago.

Nobody is quite what they seem to the outside world, particularly here in expatland where we can be anything we want; I don't think I've ever met a run of the mill infantry grunter, every ex military person I seem to come across is ex special forces or paratroopers or navy seals or SAS; I think we've all come across that and I only know one who really was a (British) Marine - only those of us married to other farangs for a long time can't get away with telling people that we are something we are not. My husband and I led pretty normal, average, boring lives back home and neither of us could claim otherwise as we'd be caught out pretty quickly. None of us knows what really goes on behind closed doors or, more importantly to this discussion, what the true financial situation is of those people we think we know. As a race, we seem to be pretty adept at giving the appearance of being clean cut, well dressed and presented, racially tolerant and financially OK. We are all products of the kind of societies we were brought up in where more importance is placed on how it seems to others than how it really is. I'm not talking about the trailer park or council estate singlet, flip flops and tattoo types, I'm talking about the respectable looking types. We often (usually mistakenly) think of the former as the ones more likely to be down on their heels and a drain on society but rarely think of the well presented, well spoken upper working class and middle middle class being totally and completely broke and all alone in the world - not just here, but back home too. It is those we don't suspect of being destitute that make up the majority of the numbers, purely because they were brought up to keep up appearances and never give an outward clue of their true situation.

There have been several good and dare I say eye watering media items from UK (respectable) print, radio and TV outlets over the last 10 years or so, none for a year or two so I can't point to any sources. Not only Thailand of course, Spain is full of closet alcoholics who can't even find the money for the ticket to go back to UK, and I believe that the lack of free healthcare prevents a lot of Americans from returning; I know of at least one who is managing to live here OK (for the time being) but wouldn't be able to afford the cost of his many medications in USA (although I find it hard to believe that any first world country would really not help of their sick and elderly and not stump up for medical/medication costs, maybe it's just what he thinks).

Excuse me there is nothing wrong in coming from a council estate.

So you just got involved in 'sniping'.

[TheAppletons]

Excuse me there is nothing wrong in coming from a council estate.

So you just got involved in 'sniping'.

Oooooh, look, the Internet Police are back again. I just love phony, manufactured internet "outrage".

[Dante99]

"I do see the figures out of Suan Dok hospital and those add up to the low hundreds of millions of baht each year for foreigners from non-surrounding countries --i.e. all countries except Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos. Remember there is a sizable population of Japanese retirees and tourists are included in this report. Everyone so often a Chinese tourist can rack up a major medical. "

Nancy,

Are you suggesting that Japanese visitors account for a substantial portion of the unpaid bills? What would be your guesstimate of their ball park range on the % of the total at Suan Dok?

Thanks.

[Mousehound]

Sorry to get back on track but this may be of interest:

By working on cost of living comparisons with this site (below) it is possible to come up with a comparison with ones own "home" city. This is interesting as I can say for instance that two can live OK in my "home" city on say $1000 a month - excluding rent and that the same standard of living in CM would cost me 57k Bht. In fact with rent and the way I would like to live comes out uncannily close to the 65K BHt that Thai Immigration want.

You can play with the figures - changing say the number of meals out a day and Thai V western food, so it is quite fine grained.

http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp

[MaeJoMTB]

We often (usually mistakenly) think of the former as the ones more likely to be down on their heels and a drain on society but rarely think of the well presented, well spoken upper working class and middle middle class being totally and completely broke and all alone in the world - not just here, but back home too. It is those we don't suspect of being destitute that make up the majority of the numbers, purely because they were brought up to keep up appearances and never give an outward clue of their true situation.

The sad truth is that almost everyone over the age of 60 is alone.

As they live longer they become more alone as friends and family die off.

In the west almost everyone who lives long enough will be in a care home, or living in a house on their own.

That's just the way life is.

If you don't want to be alone, you need to die young.

[roo860]

We often (usually mistakenly) think of the former as the ones more likely to be down on their heels and a drain on society but rarely think of the well presented, well spoken upper working class and middle middle class being totally and completely broke and all alone in the world - not just here, but back home too. It is those we don't suspect of being destitute that make up the majority of the numbers, purely because they were brought up to keep up appearances and never give an outward clue of their true situation.

The sad truth is that almost everyone over the age of 60 is alone.

As they live longer they become more alone as friends and family die off.

In the west almost everyone who lives long enough will be in a care home, or living in a house on their own.

That's just the way life is.

If you don't want to be alone, you need to die young.

[NancyL]

"I do see the figures out of Suan Dok hospital and those add up to the low hundreds of millions of baht each year for foreigners from non-surrounding countries --i.e. all countries except Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos. Remember there is a sizable population of Japanese retirees and tourists are included in this report. Everyone so often a Chinese tourist can rack up a major medical. "

Nancy,

Are you suggesting that Japanese visitors account for a substantial portion of the unpaid bills? What would be your guesstimate of their ball park range on the % of the total at Suan Dok?

Thanks.

Japanese retirees are the second biggest group here, with U.S. retirees being No. 1, if you go by the number of retirement extensions granted by CM Imm. each year. Just like English-speaking men, there are Japanese men who come here in search of the comfort of Thai women and fall victim to their charms, ending up making unwise investments with funds they thought would would be available for medical emergencies. Then, they're reduced to living month-to-month on pensions that cover the basics, but don't leave them with sufficient reserves for medical emergencies.

The Japanese consulate is well aware of the problem and has been trying to encourage leaders within the Japanese retiree community to create their own home-grown version of Lanna Care Net. They've been busy studying what LCN does and we've conducted seminars about preparing for end-of-life in Chiang Mai for members of the Japanese CLL club (their version of CEC), but that's kind of like preaching to the choir. By in large, those are Japanese/Japanese couples who have their lives pretty well organized. Not the Japanese guys who have entered into relationships with Thai women and gone to live in the villages, only to find themselves in trouble when they develop health issues later in life. It's sad because the Japanese culture has issues about respecting privacy and preserving face that make their people "shy" about doing the sort of hands-on intervention that Lanna Care Net case workers sometimes take it upon themselves to do.

[evenstevens]

Just like English-speaking men, there are Japanese men who come here in search of the comfort of Thai women and fall victim to their charms, ending up making unwise investments with funds they thought would would be available for medical emergencies. Then, they're reduced to living month-to-month on pensions that cover the basics, but don't leave them with sufficient reserves for medical emergencies.

who are the english-speaking men???may i ask

for every hard luck storys etc etc that your work comes across etc etc, their is TEN FOLD happy storys to be told, such as mine

defacto relationship 13 yrs, and stronger as the yrs roll on. to sprouting my daisys days , step daughter, studying at the kings university c/rai never been nicked for a solitary baht,

perhaps if you widen your horizons,and get out and about in the real c/mai world, happy expat storys are countless ditto to mine

now back to the O/P,

cobber 65 k, is ample , commonsense is only needed by you ,good luck

[mamborobert]

Whilst we are digressing a tad perhaps the Japanese Consulate could do some good deeds for local Thai women that are trafficked through debt bondage and the like to Japan, as many as 2000 a year from Thailand, and a significant portion from the north.

I would suggest that considerably more Thais fall victim to Japanese than vice versa and suffer considerably more hardship as well.

As far as the OP is concerned 65k will be sweet. They should also not be worried if initially the monthly total is more than this as they buy significant household items to establish themselves (depending on the level and desirability of furnishings where they live, Tv, internet set up, motorcyle, flurry of side trips, language classes etc as well), and becomming familar with an acceptable pricing in a bartering world.

I do think that the longer you are here and the more established you become (and translate form visitor to expat) your costs do come down significantly.

Edited January 27, 2016 by mamborobert

[subterminalvelocity]

If 65K is a fair bet for monthly expenses, what's recommended in reserve for those living here as the time nears?

Although I don't spend anywhere near 65K, that amount covers income from assets at home. At 45, I'm just wondering when the spending (measured) should begin. My wife has a business which covers both of us so I have no real expenditure.

Nether of us has children either but talk about perhaps starting a family.

Outside of monthly spending, any thoughts on a lump sum to keep the wolves away?

[fey]

If 65K is a fair bet for monthly expenses, what's recommended in reserve for those living here as the time nears?

Although I don't spend anywhere near 65K, that amount covers income from assets at home. At 45, I'm just wondering when the spending (measured) should begin. My wife has a business which covers both of us so I have no real expenditure.

Nether of us has children either but talk about perhaps starting a family.

Outside of monthly spending, any thoughts on a lump sum to keep the wolves away?

??? reserve is 0-3 million

what are you comfortable with? surely at 45 you have an idea what you may need in your home country. well, here is a tad less then that. aim for what you would need in your home country and you will get along here great.

you seem pretty naive, or are just trying to make small talk. either way, once you get here dont take any investment advice from foreigners or go looking for financial advice from those you dont know well.

[subterminalvelocity]

If 65K is a fair bet for monthly expenses, what's recommended in reserve for those living here as the time nears?

Although I don't spend anywhere near 65K, that amount covers income from assets at home. At 45, I'm just wondering when the spending (measured) should begin. My wife has a business which covers both of us so I have no real expenditure.

Nether of us has children either but talk about perhaps starting a family.

Outside of monthly spending, any thoughts on a lump sum to keep the wolves away?

??? reserve is 0-3 million

what are you comfortable with? surely at 45 you have an idea what you may need in your home country. well, here is a tad less then that. aim for what you would need in your home country and you will get along here great.

you seem pretty naive, or are just trying to make small talk. either way, once you get here dont take any investment advice from foreigners or go looking for financial advice from those you dont know well.

Er pal, I've been living here for 6 years.

My money stays at home for the future when my wife and I need it. I'm not naive.

I don't take any advice from foreigners in this country.

I personally think 65K or less is a paltry sum of money but really wish to know people's thoughts on what amount keeps the wolves at bay as the light 'loses its brightness'?

[NancyL]

Just like English-speaking men, there are Japanese men who come here in search of the comfort of Thai women and fall victim to their charms, ending up making unwise investments with funds they thought would would be available for medical emergencies. Then, they're reduced to living month-to-month on pensions that cover the basics, but don't leave them with sufficient reserves for medical emergencies.

who are the english-speaking men???may i ask

for every hard luck storys etc etc that your work comes across etc etc, their is TEN FOLD happy storys to be told, such as mine

defacto relationship 13 yrs, and stronger as the yrs roll on. to sprouting my daisys days , step daughter, studying at the kings university c/rai never been nicked for a solitary baht,

perhaps if you widen your horizons,and get out and about in the real c/mai world, happy expat storys are countless ditto to mine

now back to the O/P,

cobber 65 k, is ample , commonsense is only needed by you ,good luck

The point of Lanna Care Net is to help elderly expats who have medical difficulties. Many of the people we assist are men who are alone without family or friends and sometimes they have been victimized by Thai people.

We do, sometimes assist people like yourself who are in wonderful relationships with very caring Thai people. Thai people who are at a loss as to how to help their loved one and welcome the assistance and advice our caseworkers can provide.

As for the other poster, who asked why the Japanese Consulate isn't doing more to assist Thai women who have been trafficked by Japanese men, I expect they do have programs in place to prevent human trafficking, much as the American Consulate does. These issues are separate and unrelated from situations where their own nationals turn up for consular services, destitute, old, frail and ill with their life savings having been taken by a Thai person.

[Konini]

Excuse me there is nothing wrong in coming from a council estate.

So you just got involved in 'sniping'.

Is trying to pick fights with internet strangers a way of keeping yourself busy? There is absolutley nothing wrong with coming from a council estate and I would ever suggest otherwise. Council and other social housing in UK is how those unable to afford to buy or rent privately live. Getting back to that poorer end of society which started this ridiculous argument of yours. Housing commission in Australia, same name I think in NZ, there are probably equivalents in all countries for the less well off. Being poor doesn't mean that you're bad or inferior.

I was brought up on an estate that had been built and paid for by the NCB for relocating miners in the mid 1960's but owned and managed by the council, effectively a council estate, in the middle of an area of very bad council estates.

It's never held me back; I don't allow it to.

[roo860]

Excuse me there is nothing wrong in coming from a council estate.

So you just got involved in 'sniping'.

Is trying to pick fights with internet strangers a way of keeping yourself busy? There is absolutley nothing wrong with coming from a council estate and I would ever suggest otherwise. Council and other social housing in UK is how those unable to afford to buy or rent privately live. Getting back to that poorer end of society which started this ridiculous argument of yours. Housing commission in Australia, same name I think in NZ, there are probably equivalents in all countries for the less well off. Being poor doesn't mean that you're bad or inferior.

I was brought up on an estate that had been built and paid for by the NCB for relocating miners in the mid 1960's but owned and managed by the council, effectively a council estate, in the middle of an area of very bad council estates.

It's never held me back; I don't allow it to.

Hear hear!!

No argument, stating my opinion, as it's a forum.

[cheeryble]

"I do see the figures out of Suan Dok hospital and those add up to the low hundreds of millions of baht each year for foreigners from non-surrounding countries --i.e. all countries except Burma, Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos. Remember there is a sizable population of Japanese retirees and tourists are included in this report. Everyone so often a Chinese tourist can rack up a major medical. "

Nancy,

Are you suggesting that Japanese visitors account for a substantial portion of the unpaid bills? What would be your guesstimate of their ball park range on the % of the total at Suan Dok?

Thanks.

Japanese retirees are the second biggest group here, with U.S. retirees being No. 1, if you go by the number of retirement extensions granted by CM Imm. each year. Just like English-speaking men, there are Japanese men who come here in search of the comfort of Thai women and fall victim to their charms, ending up making unwise investments with funds they thought would would be available for medical emergencies. Then, they're reduced to living month-to-month on pensions that cover the basics, but don't leave them with sufficient reserves for medical emergencies.

The Japanese consulate is well aware of the problem and has been trying to encourage leaders within the Japanese retiree community to create their own home-grown version of Lanna Care Net. They've been busy studying what LCN does and we've conducted seminars about preparing for end-of-life in Chiang Mai for members of the Japanese CLL club (their version of CEC), but that's kind of like preaching to the choir. By in large, those are Japanese/Japanese couples who have their lives pretty well organized. Not the Japanese guys who have entered into relationships with Thai women and gone to live in the villages, only to find themselves in trouble when they develop health issues later in life. It's sad because the Japanese culture has issues about respecting privacy and preserving face that make their people "shy" about doing the sort of hands-on intervention that Lanna Care Net case workers sometimes take it upon themselves to do.

You're right Nancy

The Japanese mentality's quite different and Japanese men have their own version of depression.....it even has a name.....whereby they don't go out and lock themselves in their bedroom, not uncommon for grown men in this case to stay with parents.

A couple of us have been trying to help a Japanese man here who hadn't been out for months apart from buying food and happily he sometimes hikes or cycles with us now.

But he will not go for professional care some sort of shame that's particularly Japanese.

Add to that no real friends, not wonderful finances, and I sure hope we can help him improve.

Genuine nice guy too.

[RedQualia]

If 65K is a fair bet for monthly expenses, what's recommended in reserve for those living here as the time nears?

Although I don't spend anywhere near 65K, that amount covers income from assets at home. At 45, I'm just wondering when the spending (measured) should begin. My wife has a business which covers both of us so I have no real expenditure.

Nether of us has children either but talk about perhaps starting a family.

Outside of monthly spending, any thoughts on a lump sum to keep the wolves away?

??? reserve is 0-3 million

what are you comfortable with? surely at 45 you have an idea what you may need in your home country. well, here is a tad less then that. aim for what you would need in your home country and you will get along here great.

you seem pretty naive, or are just trying to make small talk. either way, once you get here dont take any investment advice from foreigners or go looking for financial advice from those you dont know well.

Er pal, I've been living here for 6 years.

My money stays at home for the future when my wife and I need it. I'm not naive.

I don't take any advice from foreigners in this country.

I personally think 65K or less is a paltry sum of money but really wish to know people's thoughts on what amount keeps the wolves at bay as the light 'loses its brightness'?

Assume "as the light loses its brightness" refers to death, in which case there is no "keeping the wolves at bay." That is, in fact, when they are most likely to appear. Health care may be more affordable than in other countries (USA), but it's still a "pay as you go" system. If you cannot pay, you cannot go. And so the Thai health care system will be happy to take everything. It will finally come down to how bad whatever one has might be versus how much said person (and/or heir family) want them to continue to live. It will be no problem at all to run through whatever the insurance one has is willing to pay, after which you can start running through your savings or "nest egg" (unless you decided you didn't need that cheap insurance before hand, in which case just start running through the savings/"nest egg" immediately). Maybe it's time to start selling things then? Motorbikes and cars and pickups and houses and etc. Wonder how rapidly those things can be liquidated, and at what rate, in order to pay the "health care providers." Or maybe just die and get it over with, yes?

Too, declining health is declining health. By that, I mean that if you're having one kind of problem, there are likely to be ripple effects so that you end up having another kind of problem, which may aggravate the original problem so that you have two problems. And where there are two problems, there will likely soon be four. And so on.

Hypotheticals:

- You have a massive coronary at age 45 or 55 or 65 or whatever. Or, you're in a major accident and end up road kill. OK. End of problems, and your spouse gets to look for someone new.

- You have a heart attack at age 65-70, followed by a stroke. You probably aren't going to last all that long, and really, maybe you don't want to, depending on how bad that stroke may have been. Maybe better to just move along and let your spouse get on with contemplating what he or she may do next. But if you do try to go on, or can't just off yourself, money will be a factor in determining how much longer you get to go on, quality of care, affordability of options, and etc.

- You're age 55 and are diagnosed with lymphoma. You'll probably be dead by age 60, but in the meantime, how much radiation and chemo will your insurance/savings/liquidated assets be able to provide? Usually not enough to get you past that age 60 barrier, but if you've no insurance/savings/assets, you're unlikely to go terribly far.

In short, any number of things can happen, and regardless of age. And then the wolves come.

I believe OP was pretty clear about how much money he has to live on each month. If he has any nest egg whatsoever, I doubt it's terribly large, and if he's got an income of 65K Baht per month, it's not going to be growing too quickly.

OP, then, seems like an ideal candidate for procuring health insurance. Now, while he's under age 60. His other options seem a bit thin.

As for those who choose not to buy health insurance, mai bpen rai. Do as you think best. It's your funeral. Literally.

[TheSiemReaper]

https://twitter.com/georgebkk/status/697280906176794628/photo/1

That's 2 million Baht for a moto accident. For those still wondering why health insurance is a must...