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Expats retiring. On what?


pattaya127

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Fidel said this in a thread:

"I'm not willing to sacrifice security for life in LOS".

 

So now, i am thinking of those expats who have come to LOS not too late in their life, with very little coming from the home country when they retire. Now making between 25 and 40 00 bahts more or less a month, all this maybe irregularly, and with periods of unemployement. What happens when you get really sick, cancer maybe, are you insured already?

Do you worry what you would do if you get incapacitated or logically, retiring at some point. Crossing your fingers? Planning to work into your late 60s and 70s?

Sorry for being flippant. just asking if you think about this, have it figured out and feel confident you may not have to go back home, which i seem to gather, would be a great letdown in your life.

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Hi p127,

 

Very good point. I remeber the comments by Fidel and I think he was right. People who come here fairly young and stay permanently need to think about exactly the points you make. Those of us who came later in life (but not too late - when is that?) will in many cases have assets in the home country and pensions etc. to fall back on when work here finishes.

 

Many years ago, when I was around 30, I worked in the Caribbean and had the option to stay on more or less permanently. I went through the thought process you describe and decided against it. Instead I returned to the UK, stayed for 15 years and acquired some assets before leaving again.

 

Khwai

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What happens when you get really sick, cancer maybe, are you insured already?

 

Nope, not unless I return to my semi-socialist Canada

Will still die anyway...so ther real question is LOS or??

 

Do you worry what you would do if you get incapacitated or logically, retiring at some point. Crossing your fingers? Planning to work into your late 60s and 70s?


 

Will continue to strive to work, earn what I can as long as I can. Get too bored otherwise. VERY realistic that there are FEW opportunities in LOS. If I was younger and wanted a future within Asia, I'd go elsewhere.

 

Ultimate escape.....go to Embassy, hand in passport, return to die sad, lonely old fart, too far from where his heart is. A truly depressing thought. Better to die in Thailand with the few friends I have, have a grand Budhist funeral, put my ashes in a CC bottle and sit on the top shelf of some bar having a drink with all and watching over the punters and players for the forseeable future. Then the girls can say, "See that man, he Canada man. He Jai Dee man, my sister know him. He my lucky spirit." "OK, now you by drink for me and my friend on shelf, OK now?"

 

But, I've already done all that. And thats another story. :grinyes:

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"put my ashes in a CC bottle and sit on the top shelf of some bar...... Then the girls can say, "See that man, he Canada man. He Jai Dee man, my sister know him. He my lucky spirit."

-----------------------------------------

Yeah, sure! I can see one of our adorable english drunks (no name) exclaiming " Dude, it's LHL....", then reaching out to the ash container, which invariably will slip from the pissed hands, fall and break on the floor, just as a persistent draft blows what was left of LHL into the depraved soi, most of it in the face of some mangy dog, the rest being swept away a few minutes later with the broken porcelain. this is some fucking Lucky spirit you were, man! :( :( :(

 

PS: just cracking up thinking of this parting scene :D :D :D

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From my point it all really boils down to how much you can tolerate your own country. If its still rosy, you have good family ties, lots of friends and can pick up well paid work easily then Fidel has a point. Its not worth the sacrifice to earn crappy wages, have no security and have the govt make life harder for you by choosing to live here permanently.

 

However on the other side I think many of the people living here choose to do so as they're better off (maybe not financially or security wise) than the alternative. They have chosen to sacrifice security for life, yes it is risky but where are you going to get if you life your whole life in a padded box?

 

I do think about those things from time to time ... pensions, insurance, getting sick, and I do sometimes wonder what I'm still doing here. What I do know is that I could go back and be miserable as f&*$ but have a fat bank account and a rosy pension ... or I could stay here, earn a wage that I can live on and see what life has to offer. If it goes to ratshit then move on ... there are plenty more countries I have yet to visit :)

 

Just my 50 satangs worth :)

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Hi P127,

 

I made that comment based not only on my logical assessment of how things are likely to work out for me but also based on what I've seen happen to other guys.

 

One guy came here in his early thirties, over 20 years ago. He's a Swede and he teaches English. Up until recently he had been living on a salary little higher than a Thai teacher's salary... maybe 9k or 10 k a month.

 

He told me that his dad died young from a heart condition and that he was starting to have heart trouble too. He's not in too good a position to pay for medical care and he seems bitter about the fact that I earn more cash than him.

 

I can't say for sure but I suspect that deep down he may wish he had gone home after a few years and put himself in a more financially secure position.

 

The next guy's case is exceptional. He came here in his late forties with a fair amount of cash. Things went tits up for him and he developed a pretty bad drinking habit. Things went from bad to worse....

 

At one stage the guy had 2 years overstay, 800 baht in his pocket and debts to his land lady and friends.

 

He found a way to get out of it and now he enjoys free accommodation and food at one of Bangkok's finest prisons. His teeth have all fallen out and the embassy doesn't seem to have any time to deal with his case, (some of the other locals have arranged with the embassy to open a bank a/c in his name where we can deposit money to buy him complan and vitamins).

 

I know these are extreme cases and I know that it probably is possible to make a decent life over here but it's difficult.

 

I would venture that a Farang earning 40,000 p/m is likely to have a lower standard of living in the long run than a Thai earning 20,000 baht p/m.

 

Mostly, we farang ex-pats drink quite a bit and travel when we can.... spending much of our surplus. We tend to fork out more on rent and take part in activities that cost more than the average Thai would be willing to spend.

 

We can't get bank loans here to pay for houses and cars so it's more difficult to build up capital.

 

All in all, at least for me, trying to make a 'life' here is a more difficult prospect than trying to make a 'life' at home.

 

 

 

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Hi Fidel,

 

One guy came here in his early thirties, over 20 years ago. He's a Swede and he teaches English. Up until recently he had been living on a salary little higher than a Thai teacher's salary... maybe 9k or 10 k a month.

 

Are you serious? 9-10k a month?

With that kind of money I`d get the hell out of there asap.

 

All in all, at least for me, trying to make a 'life' here is a more difficult prospect than trying to make a 'life' at home.

 

I agree 100%. And it sure doesnt make the situation any better when you have kids and they reach the age where they will have to go to school. And if you want to give them the best from both worlds you will probably send them to a decent international school and will have to fork out some 200k a year!

That was what did it for me.

 

Cheers

Hua Nguu

 

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