No Letter and no Money

[Thingamabob]

From what you say I fear it will be a struggle for you in East Asia. In your situation it may be better to stay in the UK and take full advantage of the NHS, and to qualify for annual pension increases in line with UK inflation.

[fforest1]

23 hours ago, BertM said:

You should switch back to your home country to go work & earn enough (800k) to put in the Thai bank (never to touch) that you can use each year going forward to qualify for a retirement extension in Thailand. Then, you can live off your pensions legally. Kindly...

 

Until the 800,000 is raised...

[madmen]

 
At 13, I got very sick. They did not work out the problem until I was 19. I suffer from a schizo-affective disorder and have several other disorders as well (OCD- Harm being the worst) and I am in unable to work due to behavioral issues. I have a cross between bipolar and schizophrenia. It is pretty near medication resistant and I just live with it as well as can be expected. I am mediated but they work only so well and the side effects make daily life very hard.
 
It was always not like this. I did have a good job and a Company but when I fell sick, I made choices and trusted the wrong people. I was generally unlucky; the older I got, the worse the illness became.
 
At 37 I had a very bad meltdown during work and I had a business partner during this time take over my businesses and I lost my life savings. He generally stole a million dollar business beneath me during a time I was very sick. I never did recover 100% from this incident. I still suffer daily from my disorder. It is serious and very little can be done by doctors
 
As for my parents, they do not help me at all but they have promised me they will leave me a good monthly Trust Payment upon death. I am on a special pension now from my Government due to the fact this disorder is pretty bad. I have this week, for the first time in three years, been able to leave my village and surrounding areas and be able to travel with my wife as I have been well (no visual, auditory hallucinations or temper meltdowns like a two-year-old)  for the past three months. When I came to Thailand 10 years ago, I did not care if I lived or died and just was very lost. I met my wife and she turned a lot of this around.
 
I am a happy go lucky type of chap. I love my wife and her family very much as that is pretty much all I have on this earth. Thailand gives me a sense of worth for these reasons. Some of us are not very lucky in life. I was not with my health. I did not ask for what I got, but this is how I have to live. I am the black sheep of my family and my family are happy I am a long way from them. 

You mentioned in a previous post your pension is 30 k, that's wrong it's 40 k and you said this would force you onto the streets in oz.. That's not true. You pension would be higher in oz and you get rent assistance so staying outside of big cities you could easy get a Granny flat or share accommodation
Plus in oz a dollar is worth a dollar unlike over here so you get better spending power

And finally Medicare is free and so are many meds but over here good cover starts at 20k a month.. There goes most of your pension

Your far better off in oz and I don't know why people keep saying they would starve over there

[Thingamabob]

Ae,From what you say I fear it will be a struggle for you in East Asia. In your situation it may be better to stay in the UK and take full advantage of the NHS, and to qualify for annual pension increases in line with UK inflation.

[Thingamabob]

Ae,From what you say I fear it will be a struggle for you in East Asia. In your situation it may be better to stay in the UK and take full advantage of the NHS, and to qualify for annual pension increases in line with UK inflation.

[catman20]

 

I live on my pensions. I will never have enough money to place in the bank (400,000 or 800,000). So which country would you suggest I move to?

I know this probably not the right forum so would a mod move it to a more suitable one. Thanks

i know of some people in similar position as yourself they have been told, all the visa offices will sort out your yearly visa for 15,000 baht. 

[totally thaied up]

 

You mentioned in a previous post your pension is 30 k, that's wrong it's 40 k and you said this would force you onto the streets in oz.. That's not true. You pension would be higher in oz and you get rent assistance so staying outside of big cities you could easy get a Granny flat or share accommodation
Plus in oz a dollar is worth a dollar unlike over here so you get better spending power

And finally Medicare is free and so are many meds but over here good cover starts at 20k a month.. There goes most of your pension

Your far better off in oz and I don't know why people keep saying they would starve over there

A married man's pension is 30K - $644 - rent assistance is not that much on top of it. Brings it closer to $700

 

I am married to a Thai and would never leave her.  Last time I checked I could get a room for my wife and I for about $240 a week - there goes $480 a fortnight in rent. My wife works here - she gets more than 20K a month. We are much better off here at this point in time. $200 a fortnight left over in Australia s not much to live on and your life would be very dull.

 

Medicare is good to a point. I can only get to see a specialist in Australia once every six months. Here, I got a very good specialist and see her once a week for $15 and I am doing much better. I buy my medication for the chemists and my bill is no more than $45 a month.

 

I am much better off here. Some people may be better off in Australia but in my case, I will put my happiness with my wife first before the rest. It will always not bet this way for me but I have a great deal of pity for those that are doing it hard. 

 

My Insurance coverage at this time is 38,500 a year.

Edited December 3, 2018 by totally thaied up

[LivinLOS]

 

But it's just not true.

My UK state pension is double what most Thais earn (300bht/day).

And if I can't survive on double a locals wage, I deserve to be dead.

 

Except immigration has put a 65k a month number on what they demand.. Not 600b a day.. 

 

Irrelevant what the locals earn in that context. 

 

 

[madmen]

A married man's pension is 30K - $644 - rent assistance is not that much on top of it. Brings it closer to $700
 
I am married to a Thai and would never leave her.  Last time I checked I could get a room for my wife and I for about $240 a week - there goes $480 a fortnight in rent. My wife works here - she gets more than 20K a month. We are much better off here at this point in time. $200 a fortnight left over in Australia s not much to live on and your life would be very dull.
 
Medicare is good to a point. I can only get to see a specialist in Australia once every six months. Here, I got a very good specialist and see her once a week for $15 and I am doing much better. I buy my medication for the chemists and my bill is no more than $45 a month.
 
I am much better off here. Some people may be better off in Australia but in my case, I will put my happiness with my wife first before the rest. It will always not bet this way for me but I have a great deal of pity for those that are doing it hard. 
 
My Insurance coverage at this time is 38,500 a year.

My post was purely replying to what you said about living on the streets of oz before you met your wife. Obviously your not going to leave her

I would be interested to know what 38k coverage is? Wouldn't be much and one catastrophe and your screwed

Anyway the point is mute since you are no longer in oz. Personally I wouldn't have told them I was married as that's a fair whack of your pension and there is no way they could find out. Screw the government they are always going after pensioners in every budget

[Lacessit]

 

You mentioned in a previous post your pension is 30 k, that's wrong it's 40 k and you said this would force you onto the streets in oz.. That's not true. You pension would be higher in oz and you get rent assistance so staying outside of big cities you could easy get a Granny flat or share accommodation
Plus in oz a dollar is worth a dollar unlike over here so you get better spending power

And finally Medicare is free and so are many meds but over here good cover starts at 20k a month.. There goes most of your pension

Your far better off in oz and I don't know why people keep saying they would starve over there

Your post is absolute nonsense. Unless a person has a paid-for roof over their head in Oz, they are going to spend half their pension on rent. Here, I rent a condo apartment for the same cost per month as I would be paying for a week in Oz.

I eat out at restaurants most lunchtimes in Thailand. If I did that in Oz, I'd bankrupt myself quite quickly. Even a basic pub meal without alcohol in Oz is about $20. Here, I feed myself and my GF, including a large bottle of Heineken, for less than $10.

Have you looked at an electricity bill in Oz lately? $30 a month here. Water $2 a month.

Medicare? Yeah right. Without private hospital cover in Oz, you'll be waiting in agony for up to 18 months for a knee or hip replacement.

I live very well here. In Oz, I would be living off bowl noodles and bored out of my skull.

 

 

 

[Ban Phe Dezza]

 

the guy wants advice where to move..what are the prices ...

how to organize it the easiest way and cheap

I think that he does not want such nonsense that you serve him

My option would be the south in the Philippines. I have expat contacts there and so long as you stay away from the big cities it is Doable on the OAP at least for Aussies. atm i am doing a fair amount of research on the subject.  I think it would be hard to start again in Australia or most western Countries   Medical treatment is ok but Rent and food well think about . go on line, you tube, Expat clubs and compare costs of living at various places 

[LivinLOS]

 

Absolutely right.

 

I built in a large contingency when I moved out here at 75 Baht to the GBP.  The 2008 crisis and, lately, the Brexit debacle - I'm a Brit - have reduced that rate to 42 Baht to the GBP, on a good day!  i did not foresee such a large reduction in my income, which is all derived from UK pensions.  I sincerely doubt that anyone else saw this coming either - if they are honest about it.

 

I roughly plan for 50% currency movements over a decade... I am also planning for a 1 - 1.5 mil retirement deposit requirement when I am eligible for retirement visas.. Lets not think that will remain static forever. 

To not allow for inflation (100% per decade +-) and currency movements is madness.. And why we see so many condo skydivers.. 

 

When I have voiced these opinions over the decades, that secure retirement amounts for the younger retirees are far far higher than many suggest, I have been outnumbered.. And yet thats precisely how it is. Theres no way I would ever consider permanent relocation / retirement with a couple 100k EUR / GBP / USD, simply not viably safe given hoped lifespans. 

[Ban Phe Dezza]

 

or OP..buy a ticket to manila 

make a tourist visa for philippines
take a taxi from the airport in Manila to Cebu or Angels 
hire the first willing girl you meet for a few days

to help you find a place ... easy

best advice i have seen on this subject

[Ban Phe Dezza]

 

or OP..buy a ticket to manila 

make a tourist visa for philippines
take a taxi from the airport in Manila to Cebu or Angels 
hire the first willing girl you meet for a few days

to help you find a place ... easy

best advice i have seen on this subject

[totally thaied up]

 

My post was purely replying to what you said about living on the streets of oz before you met your wife. Obviously your not going to leave her

I would be interested to know what 38k coverage is? Wouldn't be much and one catastrophe and your screwed

Anyway the point is mute since you are no longer in oz. Personally I wouldn't have told them I was married as that's a fair whack of your pension and there is no way they could find out. Screw the government they are always going after pensioners in every budget

ACS Insurance - They paid out 220K this year on a Gallbladder operation. So far they have been very good. I have had three claims so far and they paid

 

I told Centrelink because if they did find out and I did need to return to Australia with my wife in Tow (I plan on doing PR for her next year), I have nothing to worry about. I have not turned my back on Australia but at this point in time, Thailand is a much better bet even though I am doing sort of hard just at this point in time. 

 

Your post does make a lot of sense. Some people are much better off at home. This is very true but what I am trying to say is there is a lot behind some peoples history and it all just may not be how it seems.

[Lacessit]

I think the situation with respect to income will be resolved through agents. When there is bad law, there will always be people who resolve the impasse by going around it.

[madmen]

Your post is absolute nonsense. Unless a person has a paid-for roof over their head in Oz, they are going to spend half their pension on rent. Here, I rent a condo apartment for the same cost per month as I would be paying for a week in Oz.

I eat out at restaurants most lunchtimes in Thailand. If I did that in Oz, I'd bankrupt myself quite quickly. Even a basic pub meal without alcohol in Oz is about $20. Here, I feed myself and my GF, including a large bottle of Heineken, for less than $10.

Have you looked at an electricity bill in Oz lately? $30 a month here. Water $2 a month.

Medicare? Yeah right. Without private hospital cover in Oz, you'll be waiting in agony for up to 18 months for a knee or hip replacement.

I live very well here. In Oz, I would be living off bowl noodles and bored out of my skull.

 

 

 

Get hit by a bus in oz and your flown by chopper. Have a stoke or anything requiring icu your free and immediate

Try paying for your hospital bill here? Your looking at 2 million baht +++I doubt you have good insurance.. Simply impossible on your pension.

 

Who eats in a pub every night? Pub grub is the same price here.. Meat and Veges and wine are cheaper in oz . Rent is affordable in small towns

 

You can't pick and choose. So your talking utter rubbish

 

[Mike Teavee]

 

best advice i have seen on this subject

Apart from the part about getting a taxi from Manila to Cebu ???? 

 

Seriously, If I chose to move to Philippines it would be to the Visayas, Cebu or Davao 

[giddyup]

 

You mentioned in a previous post your pension is 30 k, that's wrong it's 40 k and you said this would force you onto the streets in oz.. That's not true. You pension would be higher in oz and you get rent assistance so staying outside of big cities you could easy get a Granny flat or share accommodation
Plus in oz a dollar is worth a dollar unlike over here so you get better spending power

And finally Medicare is free and so are many meds but over here good cover starts at 20k a month.. There goes most of your pension

Your far better off in oz and I don't know why people keep saying they would starve over there

Can someone who has OCD is Bi-polar and schizophrenic describe themselves as "happy go lucky"? Not only that is also capable of running a million dollar business.

[NoshowJones]

 

If you can use 400k, then you're married to a Thai.

ME non 'o' from Savannakhet will last you 15 months, no evidence of income or savings required.

Not yet anyway, but, This is Thailand.

[marcusarelus]

 

Get hit by a bus in oz and your flown by chopper. Have a stoke or anything requiring icu your free and immediate
Try paying for your hospital bill here? Your looking at 2 million baht +++I doubt you have good insurance.. Simply impossible on your pension.

Who eats in a pub every night? Meat and Veges and wine are cheaper. Rent is affordable in small towns

You can't pick and choose. So your talking utter rubbish

I have a pension and good insurance and find my hospital bills cheap to reasonable.  I've a nice house for a small amount of money per month.  I had a handyman come yesterday to replace bulbs in the vaulted ceiling, fix a bathroom door that was out of square, put a new hinge on a cupboard and wire a defective circuit.  300 baht 2 hours work.  

 

Biggest chunk of budget is rent you can't pick and choose.  Thailand wins by a long margin. 

[Ban Phe Dezza]

 

Apart from the part about getting a taxi from Manila to Cebu ???? 

 

Seriously, If I chose to move to Philippines it would be to the Visayas, Cebu or Davao 

Yes i had reservations about the taxi but let it pass Many Busses, Planes or Ferries to various places If heading to Angles there is a direct bus from Terminal two about 300 Peso from memory lets you off at the Mall near Clark airfield 

[totally thaied up]

 

Can someone who has OCD is Bi-polar and schizophrenic describe themselves as "happy go lucky"? Not only that is also capable of running a million dollar business.

I was pretty stable for 15 years and worked for a major Company and had a business on the side. People personally know me on this forum from Australia and also in real life. This was all true till it exploded upon me. 

 

I am happy go lucky. You need to be in this life. My illness has manifested itself much more in my older age. I was told when I was younger to expect this.  If it did not get so sick, I would have tried again to do something.

Edited December 3, 2018 by totally thaied up

[elviajero]

 

Well done. However, what you wrote is not an option.

Unless you've tried, or can provide a report from someone in the same situation that tried and failed, then your opinion is nothing more than an opinion. 

 

I made add it clear that it was an uncorroborated report and that it might be an option. I'm well aware of the standard reasons they issue ME visas in Savannakhet, but consulate staff have a degree of flexibility, so based on a report from someone in a similar situation claiming to have got one it might be an option.

[Lacessit]

 

Get hit by a bus in oz and your flown by chopper. Have a stoke or anything requiring icu your free and immediate
Try paying for your hospital bill here? Your looking at 2 million baht +++I doubt you have good insurance.. Simply impossible on your pension.

Who eats in a pub every night? Meat and Veges and wine are cheaper. Rent is affordable in small towns

You can't pick and choose. So your talking utter rubbish

Did I say I only have the pension? I have a contingency fund for hospital care here. I also have top level private health cover in Oz for the cost of a plane ticket. I can call on $150,000 in Oz at the click of a mouse if need be.

Your contention that people can live comfortably in Oz on the pension is remarkable only for its paucity of facts.

Yes, I can pick and choose. Thank you for the entertainment you are providing. It's always amusing to see muddle-headed opinions here.

[HungDonger]

OP- Before looking at other countries to relocate (at a considerable cost) I suggest you consider paying an Agent.

At 15,000 Baht per year this equates to about 41 Baht per day.

Not a huge cost I would have thought.

 

[NoshowJones]

 

"I can never understand why elderly westerners would even consider retiring abroad without enough funds put by for a rainy day..."

 

There are always condescending posters in each of these threads asking this, and the answer is so obvious:

 

If someone has limited funds, they go live in a cheaper country.

If the choice is going broke in one's native country or having the funds to last several times longer in a 3rd world country, the decision is an easy one.

 

"My dad once told me, you make your own bed and you must lie on it and he was right."

 

Another "blame the victim" statement. Your father's commonplace views of life and fortune cookie sayings are less than profound.

 

Someone or their loved one has a serious illness and the medical bills are too much, someone works hard but the company downsizes and one can't find a job over a certain age, etc,, etc.

Tons of examples in the news everyday.

 

But a certain segment of TVF posters instead get pleasure and try to build up their deficient sense of self with these condescending and worthless posts.

 

 

 

 

Great post JimmyJ, I wish certain other posters would read it carefully and understand it.

[soalbundy]

 

I think in the whole history of Thai visa there has never been so many threads opened on the same subject, many asking the same questions over and over again, hoping to receive answers they want to hear.

 

A question for the OP: you claim not having enough funds to even raise 400000 baht ($12000) to obtain your yearly extension and I am assuming that as you are living on pension incomes you`re not a young guy. So have you planned or thought about what might happen if you get seriously ill or involved in an accident, how you would pay for your medical expenses? Are you hoping to obtain your medical fees with a Go Fund Me or from some charitable organisation? This is part of why immigration are insisting westerners have some funds put by in Thailand for such occurrences that is in your best interests to do so. 

 

As Thai immigration start tightening up and enforcing the immigration procedures more and more, many expats will be considering moving to other S.E. Asian countries. Last year I visited Vietnam and Cambodia and while in those countries got chatting to expats. They all told me that as more westerners start staying in those countries looking for relaxed lifestyles for a pittance, the rules are being tightened up there as well.

 

I can never understand why elderly westerners would even consider retiring abroad without enough funds put by for a rainy day, living on a month to month basis and having no plan B for changing bank rates and changing immigration policies, then blame immigration and others for their predicaments.

 

I am not deliberately going out of my way to be malicious, I am only talking common sense that everyone is responsible for their own lives and no one owes anybody else a certain lifestyle and a living.  My dad once told me, you make your own bed and you must lie on it and he was right.

If you are old and seriously ill one should have the good manners to die as cheaply as possible, I say that as a 70 year old, yes I do have insurance here but it wouldn't cover brain surgery or the like. All the planning and insurance in the world won't let you live beyond what has been dealt out to you,"do not resuscitate" was good enough for Jesus.

[NoshowJones]

 

I would like to see the figures that show how many on gov' pensions in the UK have 10,000 or 20,000 sterling sitting in the bank.

Ok you have to take health care and SS out of the situation.

Among a lot of the guys I worked with in the 80's there was the attitude that you worked, paid your tax and SS stamps and when you retired the gov' would take care of you. When I started paying for private pensions I was told I was being stupid 'why do that? healthcare will always be free'

Buy a house? why do that? the gov' has to house you.

I'm sure a lot of you know what I'm saying.

For the ones who can't prove the 40, 65 a month or 800 in the bank the only option I can see is the agent way. If that gets stomped on then it's move or overstay.

I don't think anyone will have to bother about your'e last sentence.

There are too many influential people making plenty of money for it ever to get stomped on.

[soalbundy]

 

Can someone who has OCD is Bi-polar and schizophrenic describe themselves as "happy go lucky"? Not only that is also capable of running a million dollar business.

I've half a mind to believe you