js007

When I was working, I used to have part of my paycheck sent to my Netbank account, but now that I'm retired, I don't use the account much, unless I transfer money to it from my B of A account. The big advantage was the "no fee" ATM. Anyway, the new minimum balance is $500. Washington Mutual also has a no-fee ATM, or at least they used to. That would be another choice. J

Owen, No problem. Do your figures include just the interest and dividends on the capital, or are you factoring in the fact that someone might simply plan to spend down to the last dime and then drop dead? At this point, I have no kids that I know about, and no wife. Suppose I have $500,000 worth of investments yielding, say 4%. That's 20,000 a year, before taxes. That works for now so long as the world economy stays relatively stable and the dollar doesn't tank. At some point, though, I just might decide that I should start spending some of the principal each year. I might as well have fun while I still can, no? I'm 55, but I seriously doubt I'll still be around at age 85. J

I retired last year at 55, and already I'm beginning to wonder if that was such a good idea. Anyway, I've been in Thailand for the last eight months or so, but I'm still more or less in tourist mode and spending more than I planned on. I'd like to think I could live on 70,000 baht a month, which is about what I get (not including money from stock investments and the like), but that would require some modification of my daily routine, as I seem to be spending in excess of 100,000 baht a month. Of course, Thailand is more than Pattaya, and it might well be easier to live elsewhere - Chiang Mai, or maybe somewhere in Issan. I have a feeling the baht will eventually weaken vs. the US dollar, so that will help a bit, when it happens. Also, if I bought my own place that problem would be solved. All I really need is a clean, safe, secure place to live, satellite TV, and broadband Internet. J

For what it's worth, I think that the USA consulate services officer makes a trip to Pattaya every so often. Any US citizen could get the letter from the embassy during one of those visits, so no trip to Bangkok would be necessary. J

The Andaman Sea Guesthouse is good, and is not too far from the nightlife. It's right across the street from Cristin Massage and down a small soi, if you can picture that. Ferb Guesthouse is also OK, but is a slightly different location. J

For one person I'd think 70 sq. meters would be adequate. Of course, more would be better, but you'll pay for it. Actually, many of the small condos seem to be in the 40-60 sq.m. range. J