Jump to content

JerseytoBKK

Member
  • Posts

    406
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by JerseytoBKK

  1. 16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

    As far as I can see the 'dope' was medicine manufactured by major pharmaceutical companies handed out by real doctors using real prescriptions.

    It was also approved by the Food and Drug Administration (or their equivalent) in many countries. In the US, the FDA and Big Pharma have a very close relationship. Anyone who researches the Biogen Alzheimer drug fiasco can't help but wonder what the hell is going on with the FDA..

    • Like 1
  2. For those who aren't aware of Perun's weekly presentations on the war, yesterday he released an analysis of how much and what type of aid Ukraine needs to succeed. Already over 4,000 comments and 99% of the comments marvel at the in-depth research he does and his superlative presentation skills. His videos are usually around an hour long and no one complains about the length and most would keep tuning into his presentations even if they were twice as long. He's that good. The previous week, his analysis talked about not underestimating Russia and their ability to prolong the war despite sanctions.

     

  3. On 11/13/2022 at 11:36 AM, Gaccha said:

    It's worth pointing out that BBB+ is designated as near junk bond status. Certainly not something I'd characterize as 'reasonably safe', although a lot turns on the meaning of 'reasonable'. At that level of risk, then equity is likely more appropriate. Generally, laymen investing in bonds are deeply risk averse. 

    BBB+ is considered investment grade. So is BBB and BBB-. Here are the 3 major rating companies: https://www.fidelity.com/learning-center/investment-products/fixed-income-bonds/bond-ratings

     

    The question is how trustworthy are the ratings? Anyone remember the AAA ratings of mortgage backed securities and the 2008 financial crash?

     

    The reason I'm looking at this thread is that my GF asked about a bond offering that True just advertised that has a "credit rating of BBB+ with a “positive” outlook from TRIS Rating Co., Ltd. on October 7, 2022." 

     

    " in June 2016 when S&P Global Ratings, the world’s leading provider of credit risk research services, acquired a 49% equity stake in TRIS Rating" So does this partnership make TRIS as reliable as any of the big 3?

  4. 30 minutes ago, gamb00ler said:

     

    Last year I tracked the US$ exchange rates for Wise and 3 major Thai banks for a  couple of weeks.  All 3 banks adjusted their exchange rate several times a day as did Wise.  You're correct when you said they vary.  But, they don't vary by much.  The rates are pretty consistent.

     

    Based on the average of the rates and the applicable fees, I calculated that for transfers under about 21K US$, Wise would result in the most ฿ per dollar.  For transfers greater than 21K $, a SWIFT transfer was best.  I assumed a SWIFT transfer cost $25 and the Thai bank would add a fee of 500 ฿.

    I keep a retirement account in Chase/JP Morgan so I get SWIFT transfers at no cost. Bangkok Bank charges .25% when receiving dollars. I check the actual amount deposited against the XE rate that day and it's always very close after accounting for the bank charge. For me, Chase to Bangkok Bank offers the best rate.

  5. 9 hours ago, Mavideol said:

    not Russia and not China are officially members of the UN as they never applied under their "new" name unfortunately the UN "politics" are afraid to ask them to correct it, for me UN is outdated and irrelevant to the current world standings/situations

    A good example of UN "politics" is the fact that Russia, China and Cuba are members of the UN Human Rights Council and members are elected by the UN General Assembly.

     

    "The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations system responsible for strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe and for addressing situations of human rights violations"

     

     

  6. 2 hours ago, xylophone said:

    I like the French Elle & Vire unsalted butter, which I buy from Big C here.

    Over the last 2 years, my girlfriend has really gotten into baking and frequently buys the 500 gram package from bakery supply places.  Don't know the current price but she says it's much cheaper than the price from the supermarket. The Elle & Vire is excellent quality and I was very surprised on how good it is. Noticeable difference between this and NZ butters when she bakes. 

    • Like 1
  7. 21 hours ago, JoseThailand said:

    I don't see your point. If you apply, you will get 60 day extension for 1900 baht, which adds 60 days to your current extension.

    The idea that I was half-jokingly trying to make is what if they decided to give out 30 day "covid" extensions and charge 1,800. I think many of the people who are lining up for 60 day extensions would also line up for 30 day extensions.

  8. 22 minutes ago, audaciousnomad said:

    Yup...this is the signal that things are ending soon. Anyone getting a 60-day approved this week(myself), that stamp will end in Oct. But since the covid program will not accept applications after 24-August(over a month before Oct)...it's doubtful we will be able to apply for any additional extension after this. Extending the program window by only a month, has effectively cut us off. Not mad about it, I'm prepared to move on. I'm just observing this reality.

    Or maybe they want you to pay them every 30 days instead of every 60 days.

  9. 23 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

    I have no advice, but Danang is great.  You should really enjoy it there.

    Thanks. Since I didn't have to leave today, I'll probably go to Danang next year, maybe for Songkran.

     

    22 hours ago, xylophone said:

    For what it's worth, I thought the same about the Siam Reap!

    Went to Siem Reap about 5 years ago and agree that it is great place to visit, especially for those into antiquity. Was surprised about how many archeological teams from different countries were working on uncovering additional sites.

    • Like 1
  10. On 7/16/2022 at 11:28 AM, KhunBENQ said:

    Dumb question came to my mind (could not find a clear answer).

    I read that for the Non O application you need at least 15 (or 21) days remaining permission to stay.

    Does this imply that the Non O application will be "under consideration" and a second visit to immigration office is necessary or is it approved on the spot/same day?

    Last time I did this was about 15 months ago in Bangkok, Division 1 (CW). They took all the copies and forms and made an appointment for me to come back in 14 days to find out if I was approved to get the non-O visa. 

    • Like 1
  11. 3 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

    The mistake some folk make is to not have a dedicated bank account for immigration purposes.

     

    If using account for various transactions the bank can "consolidate" some and in turn the io may demand bank statements.

     

    I use money in bank method for extensions retirement at CW and only provide photocopies of bankbook pages. No statements required. 

    This was the first time that BB consolidated 10 months of activity into 1 line item in the 3 years that I have had this account. In the message I just posted, I was curious if an IO would have an issue with just seeing 2 line items 12 months apart. That's the reason that I make very minimal use of that account so it can show that the monthly balance always exceeds 800K.

  12. 14 hours ago, OJAS said:

    I think that you should give serious consideration to opening an account with another bank for future retirement extensions using the 800k method. Most other banks will issue 12-month statements on the spot (e.g. Kasikorn do as stated above by @Digitalbanana, plus Krungsri as stated by @flexomikeelsewhere). In any event it is IMHO preferable to house the 800k you need for retirement extension purposes in an exclusively separate account (presumably your reference to paying your phone bill from your Bangkok Bank account means that it is your general all-purpose account?).

    I rarely use my BB acct. Pay almost everything with Thai Baht using my US based credit cards that do not charge foreign exchange fees. Those cards earn frequent flyer points..

  13. UPDATE: Went to CW this morning with my fiancée. I think that made all the difference. Without her there, I believe I would not have received the extension.

     

    We went straight to desk 32 and my fiancee showed the IA (Immigration agent) the printout from the Bangkok Bank email and asked if it was OK. The IA mentioned lack of bank stamp on the statement and my fiancée said that was what we received from the bank and if we wanted the stamped version it would take 3-4 days. Then the dates were mentioned. My last extension was on July 20, 2021 and the "12 month" statement started with the balance showing on August 1, 2021. So a missing 9 days. The IA said she would ask her supervisor. Can back and said this time they would issue the extension but next time I need to have the book updated to show 12 months.

     

    Will reply to some of the responses but general notes:

     

    1. I have had over 800K Bhat in this account for over 3 years. 

    2. In the past when I did the annual update of the bank book, it always showed all the transactions so a statement wasn't necessary. Just needed the bank letter showing current balance. When I updated this time, it rolled all the previous transactions (which averaged less than 1.5 a month) into 1 line item. 

    3. For those who mentioned using a dedicated account with no transactions, are the IAs in CW OK with just 2 lines showing entries 12 months apart?

    4. I intend to get my bank book updated every 2-3 months from now on. If it doesn't look right 2 weeks before my extension date, then I'll order the statement from BB

    5. I will also look into opening another account at a different bank. With the US dollar being extremely strong, I think its a good time to bring in extra cash because eventually we'll get a reversion to the mean and the exchange rate will drift back down somewhat.

    • Like 2
  14. 41 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

    sorry to hear waht happened to you... but i think there is no one to  blame from thai side... 

    i hope you can solve the problem and get your visa and the extension soon

    good luck... 

    PS: did you tell BB about the situation and they can make it faster?

    I was told at the branch where I opened the account (Sukhumvit 43) that even if I went to corporate headquarters here in Bangkok that they couldn't do it faster. Even asked if they could write that they couldn't produce the statement within 2 days but no luck.

  15. 13 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

    As UbonJoe wrote - the Bangkok Bank mobile phone App does have an option to request a historical statement and that is e-mailed within 5 mins (usually). However, the statement is not quite 12 months (even though the App states ‘you can request your statement history up to the past 12 months’).

     

    i.e when requesting a statement today the earliest the e-mailed statement will start on is the 1st August-2021 and go up to the latest transaction (up to yesterday). 

     

    So..  its not quite ticking the 12 months statement box....  I wonder if the box-checkers at ChaengWattana will be ok with this ’technical difference’.

     

     

     

    I just noticed that and I'll go back to CW tomorrow and see if it works. Will update results tomorrow.

    • Like 2
  16. 14 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

    You can have a statement emailed to you if using Bangkok Bank's mobile app. 

    Select accounts and then the account you want the statement for and then click the 3 dots at the top of the page. You will then be able to select getting a statement.

    Thanks Joe. Will CW accept a statement that I print out as opposed to an official bank stamped letter?

×
×
  • Create New...