Guest Posted October 22, 2003 Report Share Posted October 22, 2003 >>>Cash is king everything else is wishful thinking. <<< cash cash can be lost in a day. there are a lot more important things to consider than just having enough cash before moving here. i know more than a few people who had more cash than him, but have lost that here very fast. a bit too much partying, a few wrong decisions, and all is gone. if the main reason to move here is the availability of women, than chances are good that there will be a few richer women, a few richer business partners, and one more farang fucked up in asia. nothing new about that. the really important things to consider are issues like adaptability etc. i generally suggest people before moving to thailand if they can survive mentally in more obviously difficult countries in asia such as china, pakisthan or india. there you can really find out in a very short time if you have the qualities needed to make a living here. thailand appears to be so much more nice and modern, but in the end it is a very similar sythem as in the countries i have mentioned. only that in thailand it takes a lot longer to find that out - often too late. it's nice to have cash, but i would not just rely on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
june11 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 That's probably about one-third of the amount of money you would need to retire on, if you were to retire now at your age. Just some simple math, taking into account inflation, and assuming you need about $2000 per month to live on (using current dollars), and assuming you live until let's say 90 years old, and assuming "realistic" returns on your investments (ummm, maybe 6 percent unless you get lucky with stock funds).....I didn't actually do any calculations before writing this...and it was off the top of my head, but if i were to sit down for 5 minutes and do the math, i bet i'd be pretty close--that "one-third" is correct...maybe even one-quarter. I was recently calculating whether $700,000 was enough for a 50 year old guy to live on right now, until death, and it's not nearly enough (assuming about $2000 monthly living expenses). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 I agree with you, cash AND wishful thinking can be a losing proposition. better move to Thailand acknowledging its realities are one of a 3rd world country and know you will have to face them, rather than on a whim following perfect vacations. Many farangs are doing allright within this parameter, but a lot of their living there is often done despite... than because of.... after a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 My opinion and not the gospel... If you invest your money in something stable (fixed income fund), and live a bit native with a few outbursts here and there, you have enough to live on through retirement. However after my spending a couple of months in LOS and being forced home to take care of a sick mom, I see that I needed that to bring me back to reality (I DON'T have three hundred grand in the bank though, reality would have taken a back seat). I noticed while I was there but ignored the fact that: *You are never really accepted into main stream Thai society. *You can fuck as many bargirls as you want but when you are old sick who will take care of you? *There are many fucked up expats in Thailand. Who are you going to have a beer with and shoot the shit with on a level you are used to in the USA? *There is something real fucked up about the corruption in Thailand, not that it does not exist in the USA it is just that you may not be able to cope with the level it exists in Thailand for an extended period of time... *At the end of the day, when you fuck up the wrong way just once, you have lost the game out there... (and there are various ways you can do that) *Do you like sports? Try waking up at 5am to catch the game; that is, if it is on at all... I could go on and on. I just think if you CAN tolerate life there for a few months then you are on your way. I never got tired of fucking bargirls in the short two month time I was there. I practiced living like a native (sort of) for a majority of my two months and I had a ball eating kow phat and living in meager conditions. But two months is not the gospel. I know me and what I go through in the daily grind here in the USA but with three hundred grand in the bank I would make it work SOME FUCKING HOW. I am not happy in the USA and I noticed there are things that I loved about the LOS, just a short off the tip of my mind list: *Women don't berate you just because they can. (endemic in the USA and select other non asian countries) *It is 90 fucking degrees every day. (I can visit USA for Christmas and other cold holidays when I need some holiday cheer) *Dating is optional. Fucking however is MANDATORY (sort of a joke but sort of TRUE, relating to your sexpat aspirations). *I love paying the equivalent of fifty us cents for fried rice that tastes better than any fried rice I have eaten in the most expensive restaurant in the USA. *I lost 20 pounds in the two months there without even trying. (best shape of my life) *I drank less beer than ever in my life. *When you immerse yourself into "real" thai locations and cultural activities you feel so good about learning "another" way to live life. Again, I could go on... Quietly though, if in your position, I would be there in a fucking heartbeat... Oneye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Many farangs are doing allright within this parameter, but a lot of their living there is often done despite... than because of.... after a while. Excellent analysis P127... Oneye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 i know what people mean when they say that, and i don't want to imply it's impossible, but most expats i talked to, find that after decades they don't really have one true thai friend (not even their wife). Even those who have, if they had to go home, how long would the thai friend keep in touch with them, as friends do? And as FlyW often says: learn the freakin' language, for Godsake!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Obviously we all have our own opinions about this subject.... It seems to me that the important thing here is that you can always go back home and re-enter the working world in the USA. My advice is to look at it as an alternative for a fixed period of time - say two years. If you yearn for "respectability" forget the English teacher thing and enroll at Chula or Thammasat and get a degree (MBA? Thai Studies). That should answer any questions for future employers, if that's of concern to you. The issue of how much "you need" for retirement is something separate. Sure, it would be great to have $700,000 to retire on, or $2,000,000 but the statistical fact of the matter is, 95% of the people in America will work all their lives and at 65, will have less cash than you do now. You have an opportunity - and clearly the desire - to take a path that most people in the west are afraid to take it. Taking alternative paths can open up many doors that you never knew existed. You have the money, you have a window of time - go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lazyphil Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 <<95% of the people in America will work all their lives and at 65, will have less cash than you do now>> Very good point and what about the Thais--even less :: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 Taking alternative paths can open up many doors that you never knew existed. ------------------------------ Very good point. That should be the idea behind a big change like that, not just trying to make do. At least at his age. 5, 6 years older may be too late. Once over there, he should be open to possibilities and for that, maybe try to explore other places and be a big fish in a small pool (provinces, neighbouring countries) rather just another small fish in the big mango. Just for teaching, he will get more respect or recognition (around town) as an ajarn in provincial main cities. His money will take him much further there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
voodoo31 Posted October 23, 2003 Report Share Posted October 23, 2003 <The issue of how much "you need" for retirement is something separate. Sure, it would be great to have $700,000 to retire on, or $2,000,000 but the statistical fact of the matter is, 95% of the people in America will work all their lives and at 65, will have less cash than you do now.> Yes very good point bkkshooter. What I notice is people often spend what they earn or create a lifestyle based on what they earn. When I first came to Thailand I was happy to stay around Khao san road for 100baht/night and eat street food etc, on Koh Samui would pay maybe 300/night but still kept the budget really tight and still enjoyed myself. Each time I go back to Thailand I seem to be looking for higher priced, better hotels, worrying about amenities and luxuries etc. Sounds like you have roughly USD400,000 in savings. On 5% interest that is USD20,000 /year or about 1670/ month. Now that's about 70,000 baht / month. 95% of Thais would never dream of having that kind of money. And that's before you income from teaching, so you could be looking at around 100,000 baht / month - this is more than enough to enjoy your stay. Just show some simple restraint compared to when you are on your weeks holiday, this should not be hard. At 39 you are still young and can do many things in the future. If you managed to get yourself in the type of job you have it sounds like you have smarts, no reason you cant find other ways to make money, earn income in Thailand or elsewhere away from teaching English. Bye the way, a lot of people having been slagging of english teaching, this sounds slightly elitish to me, maybe coming from well off expats who have secured themselves "propper jobs" in LOS. I wouldnt let their opinions get you down, nothing wrong with English teaching and I know people who do it who find it very rewarding, possibly more rewarding than shuffling money around on markets and preparing end of month reports for foriegn banks. Anyway good luck wit your decision, one or two years is not such a big time out of your life to do something like this if you're 39, on the other hand keep an eye on your future. If you come here try to keep up your skills or develop yourself if some way or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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