Expat Corner (part 2)

[martyp]

You might be surprised about pensions. Retirees in my age bracket, over 60, are more likely to have pensions. Some unions, government, police, and military still have pensions. Mine is from the University of California and they still have a pension benefits. Those pensions + Social Security can add up.

The Thai visa ecosystem is complex but to does provide a variety of options. I assume you know that an FBAR is triggered by having $10,000 in a foreign bank and is not connected to a visa. I’ve done an FBAR the past 5 years for my one Thai bank. They are easy to do online.

Definitely get insurance early. Make sure you know how it works here in Thailand. It might be on a reimbursement basis. I bought Thai insurance at age 62 when I figured out my US insurance wouldn’t adequately cover me overseas.

Good luck

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We have looked at requirements for a few countries' entry programs from Retirement to general entry. It is often a topic of conversation for us. We discussed with a few our friends, all couples, and we all think that with an average SS for both of ~$5,000 a month, that not many countries we reviewed would refuse permanent entry or at the least Temporary. Not to mention at least the same again from investment returns. Are we mistaken?

At 70 it may be too late, but we all have considered moving to countries with less/difficult/no access to personal firearms.

 

[Hans]

You might be surprised about pensions. Retirees in my age bracket, over 60, are more likely to have pensions. Some unions, government, police, and military still have pensions. Mine is from the University of California and they still have a pension benefits.

That's cool, if you have one. The figures I've seen are that a minority of Americans over 65 (one-third or fewer) get a pension (here and here), with the median pension far below the LTR visa requirement you cited (with pension+SS also below that figure, at the median). In my own case, I worked in the corporate sector, and I don't think I even know anyone personally who has a pension... so I've always thought of it as being part of some other world!

One consequence of this is that already-retired Americans will not be strongly represented among those taking advantage of various visa programs in various countries, in cases where proof of substantial income is required at application time (aside from the LTR visa, there's Malaysia's MM2H, Taiwan's Gold Card visa, Hong Kong Quality Migrants visa, etc.). Brits and Europeans might be more strongly represented, apparently because they have a larger percentage of people with large-enough pensions. Therefore, in the case of visa programs where income counts and assets do not, Americans might be better off applying while they're still working.

Regarding insurance, as far as I've been able to tell, Allianz Worldwide Care is widely accepted both inside and outside Thailand.

Regarding filling out forms (FBAR, etc.)... one less form to fill out is one thing better in my quality of life (not to mention less personal information being thrown around here and there). I get that different people evaluate this differently! That's OK!

Cheers.

 

[HunterAdvisor]

Expat living in Mexico since 2009. Any questions happy to help.

 

[teej1985]

Expat living in Mexico since 2009. Any questions happy to help.

How much has it cost you? Has it increased over time? Do you travel elsewhere are you in PV year round? Has it been easy to make friends? Is there anything you miss about the places you've lived before and don't have there?

 

[Lstansbury]

Very interested in rey as well. San Miguel looks beautiful

 

[eyenitnoy]

Congratulations! It looks like that visa is very expensive. Is it easy to get, besides costly?

I also am living in Thailand. I spend 7 or 8 months in Thailand and 4 or 5 months back in the states.

If you are over 50, it is easy to get a one year O visa for purposes of retirement. That's the route I used. I have to renew it every year, and there is 90 day immigration reporting. But it's cheap and easy to obtain.

 

[flyingaway]

I also am living in Thailand. I spend 7 or 8 months in Thailand and 4 or 5 months back in the states.

If you are over 50, it is easy to get a one year O visa for purposes of retirement. That's the route I used. I have to renew it every year, and there is 90 day immigration reporting. But it's cheap and easy to obtain.

Thanks for the information. Did you have or use an agent to handle the immigration things in Thailand?

 

[Old Microbiologist]

We retired to Hungary 13 years ago and at that time had an income of roughly $2500 a month. We had no issues other than normal bureaucratic ones. The Permanent Residence visa was a lot more complicated and required a lot of paperwork on our end with translations. That must be renewed every 5 years but if nothing changes it is automatic but requires a visit to immigration. Life is inexpensive enough that despite our pensions having doubled plus we haven't touched our IRAs or investment accounts and probably never will, our cash savings have become an issue to try and never exceed $10k. The FTACA is a PITA and requires us to go sign a document every year at our bank authorizing them to report everything on us to the US. Most banks here refuse US citizens for that reason but ours still supports us. It is actually not necessary to have an in-country account anymore and TransferWise works well enough. Since moving here Credit cards have become 100% adopted as that is how the Hungarian government cuts down on illegal sales (no tax).

We finally figured out how to apply for National Health insurance which is especially difficult to get but not tough just a lot of hoops to jump through. We pay a monthly fee (but I prepay for the year which is usually wrong so have to make some extra payment usually in February). The cost is a bit less than $25 a month per person and gives 100% coverage. However, we still use private doctors and clinics which are still insanely cheap. We hold off using the Medical Insurance for big-ticket things like surgeries. My wife has had 2 now in the past 2 years and it cost zero extra. It also cuts the costs of pharmaceuticals by 66% and they were already cheap.

Inflation has been a big problem this year but doesn't actually affect us given the dollar also increased in value. We are happy and life is good and we do not regret moving to Europe at all. We now have a Mercedes EQS all electric and use that for travel. No issues whatsoever getting charged while traveling. Can't complain about anything except for global warming which is becoming extremely apparent now.

 

[eyenitnoy]

Thanks for the information. Did you have or use an agent to handle the immigration things in Thailand?

Yes, I paid an agent. It made things a lot simpler.

 

[F4mandolin]

Boy, it's been a long time since I logged in. Just coming up on 8 years back in the UK. Finances are fine. Playing lots of golf and just making an attempt at playing tennis again for the first time in 35? years.



Need to get myself motivated to start the citizenship paperwork. In another 2 years or so I'd have to do another visa anyway....citizenship isn't much different I don't think.



Haven't been back to the US since we moved back 8 years ago.

 

[Koolau]

We retired to Hungary 13 years ago and at that time had an income of roughly $2500 a month. We had no issues other than normal bureaucratic ones. The Permanent Residence visa was a lot more complicated and required a lot of paperwork on our end with translations. That must be renewed every 5 years but if nothing changes it is automatic but requires a visit to immigration. Life is inexpensive enough that despite our pensions having doubled plus we haven't touched our IRAs or investment accounts and probably never will, our cash savings have become an issue to try and never exceed $10k. The FTACA is a PITA and requires us to go sign a document every year at our bank authorizing them to report everything on us to the US. Most banks here refuse US citizens for that reason but ours still supports us. It is actually not necessary to have an in-country account anymore and TransferWise works well enough. Since moving here Credit cards have become 100% adopted as that is how the Hungarian government cuts down on illegal sales (no tax).

We finally figured out how to apply for National Health insurance which is especially difficult to get but not tough just a lot of hoops to jump through. We pay a monthly fee (but I prepay for the year which is usually wrong so have to make some extra payment usually in February). The cost is a bit less than $25 a month per person and gives 100% coverage. However, we still use private doctors and clinics which are still insanely cheap. We hold off using the Medical Insurance for big-ticket things like surgeries. My wife has had 2 now in the past 2 years and it cost zero extra. It also cuts the costs of pharmaceuticals by 66% and they were already cheap.

Inflation has been a big problem this year but doesn't actually affect us given the dollar also increased in value. We are happy and life is good and we do not regret moving to Europe at all. We now have a Mercedes EQS all electric and use that for travel. No issues whatsoever getting charged while traveling. Can't complain about anything except for global warming which is becoming extremely apparent now.

Has language been an issue in daly life? I would struggle to learn a new language at my age.

 

[Alan]

Boy, it's been a long time since I logged in. Just coming up on 8 years back in the UK. Finances are fine. Playing lots of golf and just making an attempt at playing tennis again for the first time in 35? years.



Need to get myself motivated to start the citizenship paperwork. In another 2 years or so I'd have to do another visa anyway....citizenship isn't much different I don't think.



Haven't been back to the US since we moved back 8 years ago.

Has language been an issue in daly life? I would struggle to learn a new language at my age.

This question could apply to F4 as well since he is an American who moved to Yorkshire

 

[MarieIG]

This question could apply to F4 as well since he is an American who moved to Yorkshire

 

[martyp]

Thanks for the information. Did you have or use an agent to handle the immigration things in Thailand?

You can go the visa agent route or you can do it yourself. I extended my OA visa 5x myself with no problems for about $55. You just have to be organized and not go at the last minute. It takes a couple of hours, once per year, at the Immigration Office.

 

[ncbill]

This question could apply to F4 as well since he is an American who moved to Yorkshire

Extremely British Movie

 

[F4mandolin]

Oh come on!! It's not like they speak jibberish around here. Although when I moved back to this area in 2004 for work, I spent 3 years (before getting married) out away from civilization and lived near a couple of old farmers who still had the old heavy Yorkshire accent that was almost impossible to understand.....a lot harder to understand than this video.

Then....I had to move into town where my wife was comfortable.

 

[bmcgonig]

Oh come on!! It's not like they speak jibberish around here. Although when I moved back to this area in 2004 for work, I spent 3 years (before getting married) out away from civilization and lived near a couple of old farmers who still had the old heavy Yorkshire accent that was almost impossible to understand.....a lot harder to understand than this video.

Then....I had to move into town where my wife was comfortable.

Anyone here watch Clarkson’s Farm? There’s one guy in there, Gerald, and nobody and I mean *nobody* knows what he says [emoji3]

 

[Hans]

Regarding the following (from the predecessor "Expat Corner" thread):

SE Asia ... easy for an older man to find a partner.

Does that mean "a partner who expects financial support", or other cases as well? Just curious.

 

[Koolau]

Regarding the following (from the predecessor "Expat Corner" thread):



Does that mean "a partner who expects financial support", or other cases as well? Just curious.

No first hand experience but I would assume support would be part of the "deal." In most cases, marriage implies support no matter where the partners originate. I have (had now) a friend who had terrible luck with marriages in the USA. IIRC he had 3 divorces. He married a lady from RP and they stayed together over 25 years until his death. I believe he went to RP to find a wife - and he did. When ever I visited with them, I couldn't tell the difference between his marriage and 1000 others I've been able to see. He loved her and she respected him. I considered it an ideal marriage, BUT he was the bread winner. He brought her to the USA and got her citizenship. "Support." It's just a word where marriage "contracts" are concerned. As always, YMMV.

 

[Hans]

No first hand experience but I would assume support would be part of the "deal."

Is that an assumption you're making about SE Asia in particular, or about relationships in general?

If the latter, then I'd have to disagree, based on experience. I've had girlfriends before (including in Asia, but not SE Asia) and usually there were no financial demands. In the rare case where I meet a woman who thinks boyfriend-girlfriend involves payment, I stay away. That being said, I've heard varying perceptions of relationships in SE Asia, which is why I asked for more specificity on the comment I quoted. The comment didn't specify "marriage", it seemed to be about any kind of man-woman relationship, whether marriage or not.

 

[Koolau]

Is that an assumption you're making about SE Asia in particular, or about relationships in general?

If the latter, then I'd have to disagree, based on experience. I've had girlfriends before (including in Asia, but not SE Asia) and usually there were no financial demands. In the rare case where I meet a woman who thinks boyfriend-girlfriend involves payment, I stay away. That being said, I've heard varying perceptions of relationships in SE Asia, which is why I asked for more specificity on the comment I quoted. The comment didn't specify "marriage", it seemed to be about any kind of man-woman relationship, whether marriage or not.

Heh, heh, I guess I'm too old school. I still think most folks are looking for a long term relationship - sometimes, but not always, called marriage. I think many women of the world (probably more than not) consider financial issues a must in such a long term relationship. Here in the USA, I think that is much less an issue because virtually any single female can survive as well as can any single male through personal efforts. I submit (without documentation) that a significant proportion of the rest of the world is still old school because of having less economic opportunity. (Certainly that proportion is shrinking over time.)

BUT, as usual, I could be wrong and YMMV.

 

[Hans]

Heh, heh, I guess I'm too old school. I still think most folks are looking for a long term relationship - sometimes, but not always, called marriage. ...

Oh... then I guess I'm more "old" than I am "old school". I thought it wasn't unusual for people past the age of having kids to not make marriage a priority (as in, some aim for that, some don't). I know of older people who have a partner, in some cases long-term, but don't get married. Who knows, maybe they got divorced enough times that they're tired of that routine.

That being said, I agree with your perception that "most folks" (if we include all ages) are looking for the above, and that marriage is typically a financial partnership of some kind.

I posted my question because I'm new to SE Asia and I'm hearing from others that, for an older foreign man in this region, it's quite common that dating/relationships involve financial support from the get-go (e.g., "compensated dating"). So I was wondering if that's what the person who commented (JakeinChina) meant when he said "easy for an older man to find a partner". But it appears that he doesn't post here anymore.

 

[martyp]

I am a retired American expat in Thailand. I am 67. My Thai wife is 42. We've been married 4 years, together 6 years. As for financial support "from the get go" - I want a companion. I asked my Thai girlfriend (now wife) to stop working. Thais work extremely long hours for low pay. If I was going to see her at all she would have to stop working. Thai children support their parents and family which is common in communitarian Asian families. When she stopped working at my request then I replaced her income. There are two cousins in the family that work and also contribute to the family support though my income is definitely much larger. When I grew up in the 1960's my father worked and my mother was a stay at home mom. So there is nothing unusual for me or me and the cousins to be supporting 3 generations of the family. This used to be pretty standard in America. Wherever you are and whatever your family situation you have to manage your budget to live within your means and provide a good life for yourself and others.

Obviously marriage is a personal choice between both parties both here and in America. Finances are an important factor here and in America. If one person wants to get married and the other doesn't then the person who wants to get married is free to walk away. That is how it worked with my sister in America and that is how it works in relationships in Thailand.

What is different here in SE Asia is that age gap relationships are more common and more accepted. It is easier to find a partner because the dating pool is larger and old people are not invisible in Asian society. The structure of the relationship is more along traditional lines (think the 1960's) though there are of course modern thinking Thais out there as well. Each contributes to the relationship and gets something out of it. If my contribution is money and hers is cleaning and cooking then so be it. Same as with my mom and dad.

 

[Surewhitey]

How much has it cost you? Has it increased over time? Do you travel elsewhere are you in PV year round? Has it been easy to make friends? Is there anything you miss about the places you've lived before and don't have there?

Since I didn't see any replies to your question, thought I'd chime in. We lived in Playa del Carmen from 2011-2015 & we (mostly) enjoyed the time there. You will have your "Mexico moments" but then you visit stateside & remember why you are there.

I tracked expenses @ $1700/mo which includes car, insurance, health insurance (states), rent, food, pretty much everything but travel (outside Mexico). Likely to be more now, but this was 1/3 the US back then.

We traveled extensively in the Yucatan, Belize & a little in south & n. central Mexico. Liked the dryness of San Miguel de Allende area.

Living in a beach area in the summer is pretty tough. Humidity is high, but tourism is slow, so good/bad there. Winter is humid & warm & tourism can be a beat down, but you learn to work around it.

We lived on a tourist visa for 6 months at a time and either went to Belize or back home for a visit to repeat the visa. I believe it's just a 3 nt requirement... You aren't guaranteed to get 6 months, but only 1 time DW was given a shorter time (depending on the mood of the person stamping that day).

We made friends faster as everyone else is not working too & has time to talk. You get recognized after a few months of being friendly.

We did miss some food, but you learn to adjust & adapt. There are things I miss from there & it's a treat to return there too, so goes both ways.

Chiapas state is a great place to visit in addition to Guanajuato state. Driving during the day was never a problem for us, even the 3 day's trek from Laredo to PDC.

There's always the safety consideration there & it may be different now. Some people have there stuff shipped there, some people have a driver bring their car (local service). We drove it in 3 days / 2 nts...

Rent was 7000 pesos in 2015 (including electricity and water) & in a local neighborhood with loads of space. 1 mile from the beach & overlooking a park. We still talk fondly of our place there. I'm still there on G-street view...

We occasionally talk about going back, but likely to Cozumel. PDC is too big now. Cozumel is a lot slower paced not as many party peeps.