Ha! T'land not even in top 10 retirement countries.

[jobin]

In my mind T'land rates at least #6 in global retirement venues.  But, full disclosure, i've never lived in any of the other places, and i'm not rich.  Decide for yourself and go to Slovenia if you like.

 

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-great-places-in-the-world-to-retire-if-youre-not-rich-2016-08-10

[Kwasaki]

lf anyone believes that web site report they need help.

[pieeyed]

A lot of where you retire is directly in line which how much money you have to retire with. If you are a multi millionaire then you probably would not retire in Thailand. 

[Craig krup]

I think the great unspoken factor is health cover. Apparently the (misnamed) Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) can mean that a couple, 65, in good health, are paying $20,000 a year just for health cover. You'd need to be in pretty bad shape to spend that kind of dough in Thailand. So for Americans the cost of healthcare has to be an issue. For Europeans (including Brits pre-Brexit) the reasoning runs the other way. If healthcare is free in Europe then the cost in Thailand (any cost above zero) has to be a disincentive. 

[KhunBENQ]

13 hours ago, pieeyed said:

If you are a multi millionaire

One my mansions might be in Thailand

[guzzi850m2]

13 hours ago, pieeyed said:

A lot of where you retire is directly in line which how much money you have to retire with. If you are a multi millionaire then you probably would not retire in Thailand. 

Well I noticed some of the rich guys here on TV are not rich enough to retire some places in EU due to fairly high taxes on wealth. I read again and again about one dude that say the only thing keeping him in Thailand is that he don't pay any taxes here. Okay this TV forum, soooooo.

 

I am actually very interested in the no1 spot, the Algarve in Portugal but not as a full time place but more like a 4-6 month a year place and then go back to Thailand in the vintner season.

 

Well not retired yet and are still trying to earn enough for such a lifestyle but are not sure if I will reach it, time will tell.

[Jingthing]

18 minutes ago, Craig krup said:

I think the great unspoken factor is health cover. Apparently the (misnamed) Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare) can mean that a couple, 65, in good health, are paying $20,000 a year just for health cover. You'd need to be in pretty bad shape to spend that kind of dough in Thailand. So for Americans the cost of healthcare has to be an issue. For Europeans (including Brits pre-Brexit) the reasoning runs the other way. If healthcare is free in Europe then the cost in Thailand (any cost above zero) has to be a disincentive. 

Age 65, they'd be on Medicare but age 64, different story. 

[Jingthing]

Such articles rarely take easy visas into account.

On that factor, Thailand rates quite high. 

 

I've done research (and/or trips) on retirement in all those countries before except SLOVENIA. So, cool, a new one to check out. 

Edited April 17, 2017 by Jingthing

[thurien]

52 minutes ago, Craig krup said:

 For Europeans (including Brits pre-Brexit) the reasoning runs the other way. If healthcare is free in Europe then the cost in Thailand (any cost above zero) has to be a disincentive. 

 

beg you show me one European country where health care is free

[Jingthing]

 
beg you show me one European country where health care is free

Last time I checked expats in France can get on the national health system.
The U.S really is a freakish case. The highest health care costs in the world by far and nowhere near the best outcomes or access.

[guzzi850m2]

Quote from Wiki

Healthcare in Europe is provided through a wide range of different systems run at the national level. The systems are primarily publicly funded through taxation (universal health care). Private funding may represent personal contributions towards meeting the non-taxpayer refunded portion of costs or may reflect totally private (non-subsidized) healthcare either paid out of pocket or met by some form of personal or employer funded insurance. All EU and many other European countries offer their citizens a European Health Insurance Card which, on a reciprocal basis, provides insurance for emergency medical treatment insurance when visiting other participating European countries.

The European Union has no major administrative responsibility in the field of healthcare. The European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumers however seeks to align national laws on the safety of food and other products, on consumers' rights and on the protection of people's health, to form new EU wide laws and thus strengthen its internal markets.

 

That doesn't means that non EU citizens will get free health care too. I can't get free health care anymore since my permanent address is in Thailand but if I moved my address back (which I might do when I retire from work) I will get free health care after 6 weeks.

 

Yes the US is crazy expensive for healthcare, so much; my health care policy my company provides; covers everywhere in the world, expect the US. 

[boomerangutang]

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Last time I checked expats in France can get on the national health system.
The U.S really is a freakish case. The highest health care costs in the world by far and nowhere near the best outcomes or access.

                        That's a factor in my thinking.  I moved to settle in Thailand in 1998 and have been doing alright here, in spite of being poor monetarily.  

 

Now waxing philosophical:   Nearly everyone worships money.  That is their God, despite the acting they do at temples, mosques and churches.  I view money as a means to get by and hopefully be comfortable.   When I think of having it tough, I give a thought to things like gulags or Syrian refugees, where basic survival is the name of the game.

 

                      I've thought of returning to my country, the USA (I was 'naturalized' at 12, before that; Danish).  I'm drawn to the desert regions of the SW.   

 

                       I recently read about an Italian woman who just died.  Emma Morano of Italy was 117.  The eldest person now living is 117-year-old Violet Brown of Jamaica, born 10 March 1900.

I had to grin when Morano mentioned the reason for her longevity:  Not getting married.

 

 

[steven100]

no thanks .... I'll stay .....        and drink my beer ..

[impulse]

11 hours ago, thurien said:

beg you show me one European country where health care is free

 

Euro health care is a lot like that breakfast buffet at my favorite hotel. It's not actually free, but it's included in the cost of staying there- and you don't get a refund if you don't take advantage of it...

 

Edit:  I should also mention that it's subsidized by Americans who get bent over the table on prescription prices to fund new drug development, and open up our checkbooks every year to fund the Euros' defense from the Red Menace (and protect their oil shipments from pirates)- allowing the Euros to spend their money on a real nice buffet instead.

Edited April 18, 2017 by impulse

[JimCrane]

10 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Last time I checked expats in France can get on the national health system.
The U.S really is a freakish case. The highest health care costs in the world by far and nowhere near the best outcomes or access.

of course the quality and training in the u.s. is a wee bit better.

[joeyg]

I have free excellent, red carpet healthcare at the La Jolla VA in San Diego. I get red carpet treatment because I was on staff there for three years. It's the only thing I miss about the states. Thailand is still number one for me and I really could go anywhere else I want to. But I like Thais and I like Thailand so it's a OK for now...

[boomerangutang]

Overall, I like Thailand, but here are some of the most glaring drawbacks:

 

>>>  noise pollution.  Whole books could be written about it.  Don't get me started (and I've got 11 books listed already, on Amazon).

 

>>>  stealing.  In years past, it was an on-going problem for me.  Now not so bad.   Perhaps I should qualify that, by saying; nearly all the stealing I suffered was by hill tribers.  In the big picture, any culture of people has its bad apples, so it's not fair to pigeonhole one ethnic group - though Latin and South America have more than their share of thieves.

 

To balance out my bellyaching, here are some of the good things about Thailand:

 

>>>   friendly people. Rule of thumb: the farther away from touristy areas, the friendlier the locals are to farang.  I've had that proven hundreds of times.   

 

>>>   children are carefree - to the extent of being able to walk/ride bicycles where they want, pretty much any time.  It brings joy to my heart to see kids being kids, and exploring outside, and mingling, making up games, not being afraid of strangers.  In western countries, particularly the US, kids are indoctrinated to always fear and distrust strangers.   

 

There is a true story of a newlywed US couple who were vacationing in Mexico.  The man's motorcycle overturned and he got a bad bump on the head.  The wife was hysterical.  She wouldn't allow any Mexican ambulance staff to touch him, while she kept screaming for a medi-vac helicopter.  After a long wait, while the man was bleeding, a copter arrived.   On its way to hospital, the man died.  

 

>>>   very little price-gouging away from touristy areas.  When I walk into a restaurant in my northernmost region of Thailand, or over the border to a Burmese town, .....I don't ask about prices.  I simply ask what they have to offer, and go from there.  They never charge inflated prices.  Vegetables at markets are so cheap, that I often pay more than the vendor asks.  P.S. I'm not rich by any means.

 

>>>  no tipping required outside of touristy regions.  Therefore; I tip when I choose.   In contrast, tipping for certain things, in the US, is required.   Exception, in Thailand, are some hotels/restaurants in very touristy areas, which tally in the tip onto the bill.  I don't like that.  If a person has something to sell, name the price, and go on from there.   It's disgusting, to me, when a vendor names a price, the customer agrees, and then the customer gets a bill for more than was agreed upon.   Suggestion to anyone reading this:   if there's a tip tacked onto your restaurant or hotel bill, .....DON'T PAY IT, ....and tell them why.

[Craig krup]

14 hours ago, thurien said:

 

beg you show me one European country where health care is free

UK free (please, don't give me prescription costs and getting your teeth de-scaled). France free - you get the co-payment back if it isn't time-wasting nonsense.

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, JimCrane said:

of course the quality and training in the u.s. is a wee bit better.

Doesn't matter if you can't afford it. 

[Jingthing]

On 4/16/2017 at 9:02 PM, Kwasaki said:

lf anyone believes that web site report they need help.

You exaggerate.

Like most things, this isn't a black and white situation.

People can get some starting clues and leads from such websites and from there they must do a lot of personal research to determine whether the destination ideas may work for them and their specific situation and desires.

Anyone that takes those sites as gospel without doing further research is of course very foolish. 

[Jingthing]

So what's the visa situation (retirement) for non-EU nationals in PORTUGAL?

This article makes it sound quite good.

Yes, I've been all around Portugal before including the Algarve and I get the attraction.

 

I do find the language difficult (Brazian style is so much more fun too) but it's relative. At least learning Portuguese is useful. Compare to Slovenian. 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-peddicord/best-places-to-retire-in-europe_b_7785908.html

Edited April 18, 2017 by Jingthing

[Kwasaki]

5 hours ago, Jingthing said:

You exaggerate.

Like most things, this isn't a black and white situation.

People can get some starting clues and leads from such websites and from there they must do a lot of personal research to determine whether the destination ideas may work for them and their specific situation and desires.

Anyone that takes those sites as gospel without doing further research is of course very foolish. 

I agree so you agree. 

[BigKahuna]

12 hours ago, boomerangutang said:

                        That's a factor in my thinking.  I moved to settle in Thailand in 1998 and have been doing alright here, in spite of being poor monetarily.  

 

Now waxing philosophical:   Nearly everyone worships money.  That is their God, despite the acting they do at temples, mosques and churches.  I view money as a means to get by and hopefully be comfortable.   When I think of having it tough, I give a thought to things like gulags or Syrian refugees, where basic survival is the name of the game.

 

                      I've thought of returning to my country, the USA (I was 'naturalized' at 12, before that; Danish).  I'm drawn to the desert regions of the SW.   

 

                       I recently read about an Italian woman who just died.  Emma Morano of Italy was 117.  The eldest person now living is 117-year-old Violet Brown of Jamaica, born 10 March 1900.

I had to grin when Morano mentioned the reason for her longevity:  Not getting married.

 

 

Men live longer if married

Women live longer if not married

 

 

[Jingthing]

Recent info about retirement residency in Portugal for non-EU people (U.S. in this case).

Note the financial requirements are rather modest and income flexible (can just show assets) but that there is a health coverage requirement:

http://www.expatexchange.com/ctryguide/4216/92/Portugal/United-States-Citizens-Moving-to-Portugal-Demystifying-the-Paper-Trail

Edited April 18, 2017 by Jingthing

[BigKahuna]

On 17/04/2017 at 0:02 AM, Kwasaki said:

lf anyone believes that web site report they need help.

Never seen a list like this that many agree with. It seems the lists get changed each year and its a way of promoting certain places.

 

 

[NanLaew]

19 hours ago, joeyg said:

I have free excellent, red carpet healthcare at the La Jolla VA in San Diego. I get red carpet treatment because I was on staff there for three years. ...

...and not simply because you are a Vet?

[joeyg]

2 hours ago, NanLaew said:

...and not simply because you are a Vet?

No.  I am a Vet but was on staff there for 3 years.  So I rarely had to go through the appointment making system.  Plus UCSD is one of the top research and Treatment facilities in the country.

[dageurreotype]

On 17/04/2017 at 10:17 PM, KhunBENQ said:

One my mansions might be in Thailand

Anything with more than four bedrooms is called a 'mansion' here.