Sincere advice & opinion sought

[Kwasaki]

29 minutes ago, cyberfarang said:

This is my main concern living in Thailand and there does not seem to be a plan B for serious accident or health issues.

www.thailife.com 

 

[NanLaew]

3 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

If the cost of living is going up in oz, wouldn't that mean that the rental return on the OPs house would also be going up ? Sell the house and invest in what ? Money in the bank gets a return but the capital doesn't appreciate, it wont stay ahead of inflation. A property has capital appreciation and a return, it will stay ahead of inflation. 

Correct.

 

I am not a big fan of the, "Sell it all and move to Thailand and enjoy your twilight years worry free" brigade.

 

Thailand, where all you can legally own is a box in the sky... and the box you go 'home' in.

[steven100]

What is your question  ?   you waffled on about your life and the only possible question was ... should you rent your house out in Australia or not  ..... 

Well,  thats your choice .... there are both pros and cons .....  

As for now ... you are 70++    so you may want to get a medical check to see all your marbles are in place,  just by the story ...

anyways, might be time to start looking at home care or similar for you ....   nobody should leave it too late ....

good luck.

[CharlieH]

Off topic posts removed

[BB1958]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

What is your question  ?   you waffled on about your life and the only possible question was ... should you rent your house out in Australia or not  ..... 

Well,  thats your choice .... there are both pros and cons .....  

As for now ... you are 70++    so you may want to get a medical check to see all your marbles are in place,  just by the story ...

anyways, might be time to start looking at home care or similar for you ....   nobody should leave it too late ....

good luck.

Don't engage me Steven, I'm intelligent, you're quite clearly not and you will be humiliated, now we don't want that do we.

[DILLIGAD]

1 Maybe I am a dumb , but I love Australia, I could not bear to sever my ties.
3. In this regard I am an even dumber - I don't know how to play the market - I get 4.77% at the moment and we have "deeming" in Australia. It means the GOV deems us to be getting X% therefore if we can get more it is not counted towards income. At least that's how I understand it.

What happened to point number 2) ?


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[BB1958]

5 hours ago, whiteman said:

As Peter w42 said the cc insurance is only good for trips and will not cover you if you are deemed to be living in Thailand check the small print but trust me it does not.

 

If you have a all ready paid up house in Thailand then 60k bhat up north should just about do you but no health cover there.

 

Health cover for a 70 year old in Thailand is around 125k a year if you can get it now.

 

So you can always self insure depending how much is your lump sums you have in place.

 

Looking at your calcs as to half pension and lump sums  combined of 60000 bhat a month I would say 2 things you can shoot me down later.

 

But 50 years in a pension that returns say 40,000k Bhat per month it must have been very small contributions or your wagers were low over that time and the rest made up of your lump sums brings you an other 20000 so both give you 60000 bhat your figures not mine.

 

Hence why I think not sure but your lump sums in Ausy if large enough could cover you for say a heart attack and recovery in  a Thai hospital and maybe some lump sum left over.

 

So looking at what details you have written my gut feeling for you and your wife is to stay in Ausy and carry on just visiting Thailand  and see out your days that way.

 

I myself are 70 from NZ not Ausy but have enough to have made the other choice and made Thailand our home for the last 13+ years but I do not live up north so I need more than 60k monthly income to live.

We also do not live in Bangkok and have our own home which is paid off so no debts.

 

I hope you take this message in good faith.

I Did take it in good faith mate, your writing seems sincere - Lump sum's around 300,000 AUD - small nest-egg to most people I know. Badly invested, perhaps? But safely stashed, nonetheless. Some of it is not even invested, just there to draw on as needed. The house has been worth 500,000++ but right now maybe 400,000+++ - the market is not good in my part of Australia. I was not 50 yrs in a pension, although I understand how you could construe that. I worked 50 years to qualify for a completely portable, index-able Aussie pension

[BB1958]

2 minutes ago, DILLIGAD said:

What happened to point number 2) ?


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I'm not a Kiwi, hence what the NZD does is largely irrelevant to me.

[sipi]

For me the whole thing is about balance and affordability. 

Right now I am in Australia. The weather is absolutely glorious. The police and ambulance can be here within 8 minutes, and free medical treatment isn't far away. The only sounds I can hear is the distant sound of birds pairing up for the Winter. 

We have or house in Thailand and visit annually.

[bigtrouble]

There is land lord insurance available against dud tenants. Saved me once big time and it's not expensive.
Rent your place out but how will it effect your pension payments is the big question

[BB1958]

9 minutes ago, sipi said:

For me the whole thing is about balance and affordability. 

Right now I am in Australia. The weather is absolutely glorious. The police and ambulance can be here within 8 minutes, and free medical treatment isn't far away. The only sounds I can hear is the distant sound of birds pairing up for the Winter. 

We have or house in Thailand and visit annually.

Mate I know where you are coming from - Missus and I had a long talk, she too points this out - Late Nov to Early Feb is probably what we will do as far as visiting Thailand - funny not a whole lot of advice, a bit of good stuff, but, some were unable to understand the nuance. Last night we ***almost*** said to hell with it all, lets just get a vehicle/rig, that suits our means and explore this "wide brown land" - join the "grey wave".

[sirineou]

I am in a similar situation as you in the US, 

I plan to retire in Thailand in a couple of years  with a little more of monthly pension than you, put not much more

If you own your own house and car in Thailand, depending on your lifestyle 60,000 baht per month  is plenty.

I also have about $100.000 usd  in an annuity, if I take a $1000 usd every couple of months ($ 6,000) it will take 17 years to deplete, if it did'n not gain any interest  , which of course it  does . 

I will not sell my house in the US, and will not rent it. I plan  spend a couple of months in the US every year, and who knows, if I dont like it in Thailand I can always go back home. I have a preexisting medical condition that would never be covered with insurance in Thailand, and eventually as I get older I might have to return .

Or who knows, Thailand is not my country, I stay there at their pleasure, and that could change at any time.

or I could simply get homesick.

I have heard of people who have burning bridges and when things when belly up for them they had no place to get back to . 

 I would never sell my house in the US, who knows what prices will be in 10 -15 years, would you be able to buy an other house cash? would you be able to get a mortgage at that age having being out of the country , with no work history ?  

After living in the US for so long will my wife still like it in Thailand?, after I am gone and most of her immediate Thai family past, will she still want to stay there? We are there foe a few months now, even the Sahara desert is nice when you are there on vecation.

I dont think my wife will, she is by now used to the law and order here and she certainly does not like BS. She is not as easy going as I am, Not sure she would put up with the BS in Thailand .  And if she does not want to go back, After I am gone, she can certainly sell it and have a tidy sum to maintain her until she collects Social security.

Anyway, that;s my thinking.

 

[BB1958]

29 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I am in a similar situation as you in the US, 

I plan to retire in Thailand in a couple of years  with a little more of monthly pension than you, put not much more

If you own your own house and car in Thailand, depending on your lifestyle 60,000 baht per month  is plenty.

I also have about $100.000 usd  in an annuity, if I take a $1000 usd every couple of months ($ 6,000) it will take 17 years to deplete, if it did'n not gain any interest  , which of course it  does . 

I will not sell my house in the US, and will not rent it. I plan  spend a couple of months in the US every year, and who knows, if I dont like it in Thailand I can always go back home. I have a preexisting medical condition that would never be covered with insurance in Thailand, and eventually as I get older I might have to return .

Or who knows, Thailand is not my country, I stay there at their pleasure, and that could change at any time.

or I could simply get homesick.

I have heard of people who have burning bridges and when things when belly up for them they had no place to get back to . 

 I would never sell my house in the US, who knows what prices will be in 10 -15 years, would you be able to buy an other house cash? would you be able to get a mortgage at that age having being out of the country , with no work history ?  

After living in the US for so long will my wife still like it in Thailand?, after I am gone and most of her immediate Thai family past, will she still want to stay there? We are there foe a few months now, even the Sahara desert is nice when you are there on vecation.

I dont think my wife will, she is by now used to the law and order here and she certainly does not like BS. She is not as easy going as I am, Not sure she would put up with the BS in Thailand .  And if she does not want to go back, After I am gone, she can certainly sell it and have a tidy sum to maintain her until she collects Social security.

Anyway, that;s my thinking.

 

Mate, we may come from different countries but your post really resonates with me, EVERY single one of your points. Thanks

 

[steven100]

13 hours ago, BB1958 said:

Don't engage me Steven, I'm intelligent, you're quite clearly not and you will be humiliated, now we don't want that do we.

sorry BB, I was just concerned on your medical insurance cover. You are clearly and have clearly sorted things for future income ...  as for renting out the house in Auss, thats your choice as you know the pros and cons of it.

I did like the idea of packing up and traveling the wide brown land, you don't get that opportunity everyday.

[BB1958]

 

6 hours ago, steven100 said:

sorry BB, I was just concerned on your medical insurance cover. You are clearly and have clearly sorted things for future income ...  as for renting out the house in Auss, thats your choice as you know the pros and cons of it.

I did like the idea of packing up and traveling the wide brown land, you don't get that opportunity everyday.

Decent of you to apologise - good luck to you

[BB1958]

This thread seems to be reaching a natural conclusion, firstly thank you to the moderators, who filtered the "drivel". Thanks to all the rest of you, for your valuable input.

 

A few words just to assuage some remarks.

• It seemed to some - I already had answers, however, visiting (even frequently) and "living" here, seemed to me, to be two very different things. Not sure if others see it this way? 
• Jogging - seemed odd to some. Yet, most could do it - IF they wanted to and had the persistence to do it. I was not a jogger, my beautiful wife is - she taught me, now it is something we do without even thinking, it is a relatively slow pace and we "talk" the whole time. If you want to condition yourself - THIS http://www.c25k.com/ is one of MANY similar pages that will get you there in a VERY short time. Probably most will need to get a "check up" first, before commencing. Always wise, I would say.
• Insurance remains a minefield in our collective minds. Almost to the point of being a stopper - We could self insure I guess, as our "liquidity" is several million Baht - BUT, it would be an incredible waste of a lifetimes "savings" should something very expensive occur.

Conclusion - We are leanings towards continuing our stay in Australia and visiting Thailand in the cooler months, before the burning season. Love Thailand and it's people, however, the current tightening of rules and various other small (in isolation) things that irritate. These (collectively) have diminished the once carefree existence, that made Thailand so very desirable as a place to be. It is still wonderful in so many respects - but it is also clear, many are on the same page as we are - in this regard.

 

Warmest Regards - BB

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by BB1958
Wrong URL

[MalandLee]

Good thread BB...

 

Good luck mate

[sipi]

Thanks for the thread BB.

Yes a lot of us are on the same page.

For us, traveling to Thailand for a few months as a tourist in the cool season is enough. The rest of the time at our home in Oz, and doing other trips either around Oz or abroad (NZ is a great little short side trip occasionally).

Once the wifes parents get older we might spend a little bit more time in Thailand.....maybe.

[oxo1947]

On 5/5/2560 at 9:58 PM, i claudius said:

just get on with it,you dont need advice

Yes remind you old of the old joke-

I’m seventy eight years old.

Believe it or not, I’m currently involved with a 28 year old girl, and also, on the side, her 19 year old sister. We engage in all manner of pleasure, and in my entire life I’ve never felt better."

My good man," says the priest, Why are you telling me?"

 

And the guy goes: "I’m telling everybody!"

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by oxo1947

[BB1958]

10 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

Yes remind you old of the old joke-

I’m seventy eight years old.

 

Believe it or not, I’m currently involved with a 28 year old girl, and also, on the side, her 19 year old sister. We engage in all manner of pleasure, and in my entire life I’ve never felt better."

 

My good man," says the priest, Why are you telling me?"

 

 

 

And the guy goes: "I’m telling everybody!"

 

 

 

 

Yes wonderful joke, perhaps I will laugh tomorrow...

[oxo1947]

4 minutes ago, BB1958 said:

Yes wonderful joke, perhaps I will laugh tomorrow...

Only if you have time between counting up your assets .........once again..............

[BB1958]

2 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

Only if you have time between counting up your assets .........once again..............

Not sure why you take pleasure insulting people, but, I hope you feel better now, old fella.

Edited May 8, 2017 by BB1958

[sanuk711]

On 5/5/2560 at 9:23 PM, tonray said:

I don't understand the question. If you have the means to live in either OZ or Thailand why not discuss it and live where you both want to ? What is the issue you are struggling with ? Why keep a house locked up in OZ ? Sell the damned thing and be done with it.

There isn't a question tonray,--or we could of answeredit-- it,s  just more of a story of how -Look-well I am doing everyone............

Edited May 8, 2017 by sanuk711

[daveAustin]

Op, I would personally keep the status quo - houses un-rented in both places and flit between the two to catch the best weather. Or try to let the Oz one out as a holiday home by the week when not there. Surely you have management firms over there that take care of any damages? Moving back to Thai full time will do your head in, and you're right, things have noticeably tightened up. The only thing I wouldn't do is let a woman be in charge of my finances (like my mother used to do), but each to their own. All the best.

[BB1958]

17 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Op, I would personally keep the status quo - houses un-rented in both places and flit between the two to catch the best weather. Or try to let the Oz one out as a holiday home by the week when not there. Surely you have management firms over there that take care of any damages? Moving back to Thai full time will do your head in, and you're right, things have noticeably tightened up. The only thing I wouldn't do is let a woman be in charge of my finances (like my mother used to do), but each to their own. All the best.

Hi Dave,

We decided just that last night - we are no longer going to make Thailand our primary home, may have done several years ago, but as you point out too "things have noticeably tightened up" .

Thanks for not jumping onto the "insult" bandwagon and all the very best to you and yours...

[bazza73]

On 5/6/2017 at 7:49 AM, impulse said:

 

NZ, OZ, What's the diff?

Kiwis use an entirely different set of vowels.

[bazza73]

To the OP:

 

I would maintain private health cover in Australia, and self-fund your health insurance in Thailand. For over 70's, health insurance here is horrendously expensive.Insurers won't touch over-70's with pre-existing conditions.

 

If you sell your house in Australia, it's fairly likely you would lose the Age Pension as your assets would then be above the Centrelink asset limits. It's a matter of working out whether the extra income you can generate from putting the cash tied up in the house to work will be enough to compensate you for the loss of pension. Or perhaps you are one of those lucky guys that get a public service pension, in which case the above comments need not apply.

 

I can't emphasize this enough - ensure 80% of your assets stay in Australia. Only put into Thailand what you can afford to lose.

 

The smoke season here is bad enough to convert non-smokers into smokers in terms of what they inhale. Either stay away, or spend a month and a half in somewhere like Jomtien or the islands to avoid the worst of it.

 

In your position, I would probably sell the house and invest the proceeds. I'd buy a good quality mobile home or campervan and put it in storage for the times I was back in Oz. However, your choice. It just doesn't make sense to me to have a major asset lying idle with outgoings such as council rates.

 

It sounds like you are quite well placed financially, so you can pick and choose where you want to spend most of your time. Good luck for the future

 

[BB1958]

On 5/9/2017 at 3:16 PM, bazza73 said:

I can't emphasize this enough - ensure 80% of your assets stay in Australia. Only put into Thailand what you can afford to lose.

Yes Bazza, Already put a bit of cash up buying our house (And MiL's house), but, if I lose it all - it will only make a BIG dent and not completely destroy our financial future. Sad we cannot liquidate our home without affecting the pension - but, not much we can do about that. 

 

The "times are a changing" thing is a worry, too. We do "couchsurfing" -  over 100 young folk over the years - (For us) great to interact with these young folk AND I get to speak English. Of 100+ people only two would not be welcome back - although we parted friendly.

 

BUT, now we MUST take them to immigration and register them (Got fined 800 Baht per person for two people last year) we are "frightened" is too big a word, probably "unsettled" by the authorities enforcing this law more "passionately" than they did in the past. Plus, "some think" we get money for this, of course anyone who understands couchsurfing, knows it is free. We have NEVER asked for one cent. We stick to the "spirit" of couchsurfing 100%. Our first experience over 9 years ago STILL writes a few times a year - beautiful.

 

Thanks for your thoughts mate

BB

 

 

[steven100]

bye, have a good trip ....  don't forget to write ......

[kannot]

5800 baht a month and saves most of it...................Im pretty sure most Thais here could also do that instead they choose to borrow and spend. Good for her!

MY Wife is the only one  in her family who saved and always had some money in the bank...... one of 9  kids