new year horror story

[brotherbuzz 3,196]

..............i'm serious

 

LMAO. I agree with you that the welfare of a child is the most important thing. Beyond that, you're a fucking joke. Puffing your chest out and threatening to demand an apology is funny shit

[anonsailor 0]

My sister and her husband had looked into retiring in Costa Rica, but due to her husband's declining health (read self-inflicted here), they are looking to stay in the US, the underlying theme here is STAY in good health, most of the stuff I read on the board here are mostly self-inflicted health issues, left's start with being grossly overweight, smoking, and far too much drinking (read I start at 10 AM and stagger home about 6 PM)...or as one board member here made the excuse of..."part of the LOS experience", in reference to drinking until passed out!

 

Guys, grow up!

 

NO ONE, regardless of age/health, should move to Thailand:

 

1) A GUARANTEED income to at least cover your basic needs of food, housing, etc.

2) OPEN Jaws airplane ticket to leave whenever necessary

3) An 'escape plan' to go back to your home country and start over if things go badly.

 

 

That's why the Thais have changed the visa rules, too remove just this sort of problem, now look at the total impact on all involved and tell me the Thai government is wrong on this front...

Edited January 4, 2008 by anonsailor

[Owen` 2]

This thread is diverging somewhat, but nidnoyham introduced pretty important stuff and other stuff has added. Thoughts:

 

1) I spent 2 weeks in Costa Rica last year. The price of everything there reflects its discovery as a retirement haven about 8 years ago. From what I saw on the Pacific coast, we are 8 years too late. It is no longer a great place for American retirees. Might have been once. No longer.

 

2) I suppose there are newcomers to the board and I am a bit of a broken record, but for people unfamiliar with the computation it is a very difficult one to understand. The magic number is 4%, or actually 4.5% if you have a future Social Security or State pension expected. That means you can take your lifetime's nest egg, extract about 4.5% from it in year 1, and add an inflationary increase of about 3% to your spending each year thereafter -- and your nest egg will survive 30 years at 95% confidence. This assumes you have that nest egg divided between government bonds and stock shares. If you take out more than 4.5 - 5%, the graph curves turn sharply downward and the confidence dives to 80%, 50%, 30% and 0 the more you take out in year 1.

 

If you have a pension coming in, now, add it to the 4.5%. It will mean you can spend more per year.

 

No, please don't step up and say you can get 6% from government bonds somewhere so that means you can take 6% and not lose money. The computation is historically based and inflation is powerfully present in it. The 95% confidence means 95% of all 30 year periods of economic behavior since 1880 did not run out of money. That includes those periods when bonds provided 6%. And when inflation was 15%.

 

3) The greatest threat you face to that 4.5% target is health care costs. If you can fit health care insurance premiums into that 4.5%, great. If you can't, guess what? You have to cut something else out, because THIS is the item that can bankrupt you. A very important part of this issue is what happens when you turn 65. Right now private insurers are mostly refusing further coverage past 65. Some are allowing it to continue if you had a policy with them prior to that age, but they will eventually fade away. It's a pure profit matter. As you get older, past 65, you become someone who is essentially guaranteed to cost them more money than you pay in premiums. It makes no financial sense for them to allow that. And so . . . once this trend becomes universal, odds are pretty high we all return to our home country's national health care for the elderly at age 65, whether we like it or not. The only way that can be avoided is if those national health plans eventually permit reimbursement for treatment out of the country. Hard to see how that can happen when it takes money out of the local medical industry's pocket.

[nidnoyham 30]

Owen thanks for all the good advise and figures- scary as they are.

 

I would like to address some of the issues raised by this post.

 

First of all Touristman ; When his child was conceived, he was in full time employment earning £30,000+ pa.

For the first 2 years of her life, this nipper wanted for nothing. He is a good father.

 

He, like dozens of others, myself included, had to make a life changing decision. We had all worked for an Airline for over 20 years. That airline was in the process of going bust. We all had a choice of taking the early retirement we were entitled to, or sit it out and risk losing all our service and pension rights if things went tits up. None of us had planned to retire at that time and for him it was about 8 years earlier than intended.

 

He had the choice of:

 

1.

Stay and chance losing everything.

 

2.

Retire on a reduced pension and get another job to make up the shortfall in income.

 

3.

Retire and live cheaply in LOS.

 

Number 3 was so tempting for several reasons. In the first place, he had heart trouble, was overweight, smoked, ate too many bacon and 'dog rolls from the canteen, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, the chance of getting re employed was pretty grim.

 

As anonsailor said, self inflicted illness. If he stayed in England, the rent and local tax on his home would be over 2/3rds of his pension.

 

Moving to LOS meant he had the company of his Thai lady, daughter and a few Expats, along with the weather and other benefits. He took a chance on his health and for a while he made efforts to keep fit. He bought a couple of bikes, rigged up a pulley exercise machine, but the heat coupled with his weight, got too much. Had he been a fitter person, I would not be posting about him- yet !

 

I just wanted to get people thinking about their situation..... Money, health insurance, distance from your home country, stuff like that. Until you know someone in this situation, like all things, it does not enter your head it can happen to you.

 

He is coming home on the 9th. One thing that has occurred to me, is the working mans ignorance of ' The System' for getting help when needed. He is still paying U.K tax on his pension, so not really out of things- I hope! The tax debt is partly their fault. they gave him a rebate on retirement. I retired at the same time and didn't get one.

 

Thanks for the replies and advise.

Edited January 4, 2008 by nidnoyham

[touristman 1]

Owen thanks for all the good advise and figures- scary as they are.

 

I would like to address some of the issues raised by this post.

 

First of all Touristman ; When his child was conceived, he was in full time employment earning £30,000+ pa.

For the first 2 years of her life, this nipper wanted for nothing. He is a good father.

 

He, like dozens of others, myself included, had to make a life changing decision. We had all worked for an Airline for over 20 years. That airline was in the process of going bust. We all had a choice of taking the early retirement we were entitled to, or sit it out and risk losing all our service and pension rights if things went tits up. None of us had planned to retire at that time and for him it was about 8 years earlier than intended.

 

He had the choice of:

 

1.

Stay and chance losing everything.

 

2.

Retire on a reduced pension and get another job to make up the shortfall in income.

 

3.

Retire and live cheaply in LOS.

 

Number 3 was so tempting for several reasons. In the first place, he had heart trouble, was overweight, smoked, ate too many bacon and 'dog rolls from the canteen, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, the chance of getting re employed was pretty grim.

 

As anonsailor said, self inflicted illness. If he stayed in England, the rent and local tax on his home would be over 2/3rds of his pension.

 

Moving to LOS meant he had the company of his Thai lady, daughter and a few Expats, along with the weather and other benefits. He took a chance on his health and for a while he made efforts to keep fit. He bought a couple of bikes, rigged up a pulley exercise machine, but the heat coupled with his weight, got too much. Had he been a fitter person, I would not be posting about him- yet !

 

I just wanted to get people thinking about their situation..... Money, health insurance, distance from your home country, stuff like that. Until you know someone in this situation, like all things, it does not enter your head it can happen to you.

 

He is coming home on the 9th. One thing that has occurred to me, is the working mans ignorance of ' The System' for getting help when needed. He is still paying U.K tax on his pension, so not really out of things- I hope! The tax debt is partly their fault. they gave him a rebate on retirement. I retired at the same time and didn't get one.

 

Thanks for the replies and advise.

 

I apologise.I understood that the chap came here with little to nothing and no back-up and then had the child.

 

I suppose he was left with a bit of a Hobson's choice.....................still, bit of a nightmare for the nipper; not much fun at standard state schools if you are half-farang i understand, and whilst not wanting for things in the first 2 years as a nipper i would hope to have options beyond that if i ever planned to bring children into this world.Snookered before they start

 

Good luck to all involved.

 

=================================================================

 

Brotherbuzz, you miss the point

Sinbinjack is using pejorative terms to decribe me, something he would never do to my face.It's simply unfair to have no accountability when we probably live only streets apart.I call people morons or idiots, but i can back it up using the idiots actions and a dictionary to show the idiot.''waste of space'' is just an insult; if i'm and idiot, say so and back it up; if i'm a racist, say so and back it up...........but 'waste of space' is just an insult, objectively wrong, just an insult............and i'm not going to take it from some lazy fat fuck sex tourist .............see?

 

p.s i understand Darwinian stuff to understand that if i went into a bar and was a weedy chap and called some musclebound psycho a 'waste of space', then i'd probably get a kicking for such an insult.Maybe i'm a coward, but i wouldn't rile a huge musclebound nutter under standard circumstances........he would have to have majorly overstepped the line, and even then? So, why do the equivalent on here........espcially if you are some fat squirt, you know, a little courstesy, or be literally correct........not much to ask really

[crazedchef 21]

Hello,

 

My prayers are with this poor bloke. I wish him all of the best. There but for the Grace of God go I.

 

Shit happens, and it can happen at any minute to ANY of us.

 

I was looking forward to hitting the FLB and going on the bar crawl, but reading touristman's post is giving me second thoughts.

 

He seems like he would be VERY easy to get into a fistfight with and Thailand is not the place for that (actually nowhere is.)

 

You should move to a small Southern Conservative Christian town in America so you can spew your filth and hatred more easily. They love people who look down their noses at others and think they are morally superior.

 

I get this impression from you just in the few post I have read today. The more I read the more I truly dislike YOU.

 

crazedchef

[sinbinjack 243]

I apologise.I understood that the chap came here with little to nothing and no back-up and then had the child.

 

I suppose he was left with a bit of a Hobson's choice.....................still, bit of a nightmare for the nipper; not much fun at standard state schools if you are half-farang i understand, and whilst not wanting for things in the first 2 years as a nipper i would hope to have options beyond that if i ever planned to bring children into this world.Snookered before they start

 

Good luck to all involved.

 

=================================================================

 

Brotherbuzz, you miss the point :alright

Sinbinjack is using pejorative terms to describe me, something he would never do to my face.It's simply unfair to have no accountability when we probably live only streets apart.I call people morons or idiots, but i can back it up using the idiots actions and a dictionary to show the idiot.''waste of space'' is just an insult; if I'm and idiot, say so and back it up; if I'm a racist, say so and back it up...........but 'waste of space' is just an insult, objectively wrong, just an insult............and I'm not going to take it from some lazy fat fuck sex tourist .............see?

 

p.s i understand Darwinian stuff to understand that if i went into a bar and was a weedy chap and called some musclebound psycho a 'waste of space', then I'd probably get a kicking for such an insult.Maybe I'm a coward, but i wouldn't rile a huge musclebound nutter under standard circumstances........he would have to have majorly overstepped the line, and even then? So, why do the equivalent on here........especially if you are some fat squirt, you know, a little courtesy, or be literally correct........not much to ask really

Well done little man you can see the error of your ways,now we just have to work on your memory as mummy seems to recall that you started calling the big bad man names and you know that is not what your mummy wants ,there is no point denying it little man as the posts are there for everyone to see so be a good boy and play nice. otherwise the big bad man will take you up on your offer of a meeting,and take your dummy away from you.

PS. I see that the Vocabulary that I promised is working ,but we do still need a little work on our spelling.

Edited January 4, 2008 by sinbinjack

[anonsailor 0]

I think Owen has a nice accounting of costs, but I do wonder if that is really taken into account fully, as I see far too many "retired" guys in LOS with limited means and a lousy health outlook. I can think of at least one individual I know that is in LOS on a "retirement" visa, but I note that he leaves the country every 90 days or so and returns after 90 days...hmmmm

 

Again, back to my point of means...if you can not afford to leave your medical (and other) benefits in you home country, it's not worth the risk for going to a country where you WILL drop down on the health scale as a result. I see far too many retirees siting at open bars at 9-10 AM and leaving late in the day...this is NOT a privilege of retirement or "part of LOS experience..", it's an abuse of ones health status...

[sinbinjack 243]

I think Owen has a nice accounting of costs, but I do wonder if that is really taken into account fully, as I see far too many "retired" guys in LOS with limited means and a lousy health outlook. I can think of at least one individual I know that is in LOS on a "retirement" visa, but I note that he leaves the country every 90 days or so and returns after 90 days...hmmmm

 

Again, back to my point of means...if you can not afford to leave your medical (and other) benefits in you home country, it's not worth the risk for going to a country where you WILL drop down on the health scale as a result. I see far too many retirees siting at open bars at 9-10 AM and leaving late in the day...this is NOT a privilege of retirement or "part of LOS experience..", it's an abuse of ones health status...

I don't disagree with you to any great extent,but,It was not your decision or mine to make (or anyone else's) The guy who made the decision is the one who has to live with the outcome not anyone else,and not all of the people who come to Pattaya are of great means .Some of the guys on here are very well off ,so much so that quite a few ,If you believe them are actually better off in retirement than I was when working 60 to 70 hours a week.We cant foretell every thing that happens so sometimes we take a chance and it works and other times it doesn't ,this poor bloke has got himself in a bit of trouble and has to go home ,big deal he is British and the British have health covered for free in the UK he will be no more of a burden than some Iraqi fleeing the fighting in that country or any other refugee who we take in and care for.

PS I can see where you are coming from Owen but for the likes of myself I could live quite Happily on £150 per week in Pattaya but in the UK if I was renting like I would in Pattaya I would pay at least £ 100 a week for a studio and for a 3 bed home like the one I own then I would need at least £200 a week and on top of that there would be Council tax(property taxes) and services(gas ,water,electricity) We in the UK on retiring get a minimum (if we have paid all our stamps)£87 a week plus whatever private pension that we paid for,I would hope for the equivalent of £140-£150 a week when I retire in 9 years and that would make me happy in LOS but struggling in The UK ,so I can understand why someone who was borderline would take the chance, as he would always know that he could go home in times of bad health.

Edited January 5, 2008 by sinbinjack

[touristman 1]

I was looking forward to hitting the FLB and going on the bar crawl, but reading touristman's post is giving me second thoughts.

 

He seems like he would be VERY easy to get into a fistfight with and Thailand is not the place for that (actually nowhere is.)

 

I haven't been in the FLB for years.

 

I haven't had a 'fistfight' since my early 20's.

 

Nice assumptions

[jacko 8,762]

I haven't been in the FLB for years.

 

I haven't had a 'fistfight' since my early 20's.

 

Nice assumptions Seemed like reasonable assumptions to me considering your prior posts....

[sinbinjack 243]

Hello,

 

My prayers are with this poor bloke. I wish him all of the best. There but for the Grace of God go I.

 

Shit happens, and it can happen at any minute to ANY of us.

 

I was looking forward to hitting the FLB and going on the bar crawl, but reading touristman's post is giving me second thoughts.

 

He seems like he would be VERY easy to get into a fistfight with and Thailand is not the place for that (actually nowhere is.)

 

You should move to a small Southern Conservative Christian town in America so you can spew your filth and hatred more easily. They love people who look down their noses at others and think they are morally superior.

 

I get this impression from you just in the few post I have read today. The more I read the more I truly dislike YOU.

 

crazedchef

Dear crazedchef, from the little I know of you from your posts I would eat at your place anytime

[touristman 1]

Dear crazedchef, from the little I know of you from your posts I would eat at your place anytime

 

watch out crazedchef, this cowardly morbidly obese fat fuck low-brow one-dimensional sex tourist scum will eat you out of house and home.

 

Just a warning

[crazedchef 21]

Good Afternoon,

 

I do not cook professionally anymore, but I did for many years. I specialized in Gentlemen's Clubs in San Antonio TX.

 

Pattaya's club are what I always wished for in S.A.

 

After having a big ass rocket fly right over my head and explode not too far away the last thing I want to do is get into a heated argument. I truly need the R n R.

 

Touristman, why are you so hatefull?

 

It is not a good way to go through life. Mai pen rai (spelling?) Let it go.

 

crazedchef

experiencing truly terrifying things besides flamers on a forum

 

SOON!!!

[Tengotodo 52]

Back to the OP for a second. I didn't see anywhere how much this guy was trying to live off of? Just as a refererence point, might be helpful to know. Also, I assume he stopped "mongering" considerably (or perhaps all togehter). That alone is not only costly but has to contribute to bad health in the long run. Did he smoke? Not really relative to his plight currently, but may help some decide what to do and what NOT to do in the long run.

[nidnoyham 30]

Back to the OP for a second. I didn't see anywhere how much this guy was trying to live off of? Just as a refererence point, might be helpful to know. Also, I assume he stopped "mongering" considerably (or perhaps all togehter). That alone is not only costly but has to contribute to bad health in the long run. Did he smoke? Not really relative to his plight currently, but may help some decide what to do and what NOT to do in the long run.

 

 

I don't know his exact financial situation. It is something I never ask. I estimate he had a £25-28,000 lump sum. 10 of which he gave to his wife in U.k for safe keeping. That was about the most sensible thing he did. It paid for his op' 2 years ago. The rest paid of CC debts and furnished his house in Pattaya. Basically he lives of his pension, which varies with the exchange rate GBP-BHT. Another little twist he didn't reckon on.

 

I imagine his net pension is £750-£850 pm. He lives a very modest lifestyle in Pattaya ( much to his partners dismay ) He does not, as far as I know " monger" any more. That would have finished him off, in more ways than one. I have mentioned his lifestyle, including smoking etc.

 

I spoke to him today, he didn't sound too good. Personally, I don't think the Airline will accept him for travel. As mentioned before, it is not a quick hop across the English Chanel, it is half way around the world. This is the case , excepting the Ausies, for most of us.

[sinbinjack 243]

"his net pension is £750-£850 pm"I personally don't see that as too little

especially as he no longer mongers , I live on about the same in the UK I drive a car I bought new and own my own home on which I am still paying the mortgage, finishes this year so very low now,so I don't understand where the problem is apart from his health ,and that was not realy something anyone can reliably predict.

[ginseng 0]

He may want to consider going to Singapore if he's concerned about the quality of healthcare in Thailand, if the issue is money then I don't know.

[BigDUSA 71]

OK here's the deal. Tell your friend to book a ticket to the US and head to LA and go to the best hospital and check into the emergency room with heart pains. They will treat him for free. US hospitals are required by law to treat anyone who shows up. US taxpayer will pick up the cost.

[nidnoyham 30]

A sad ending I'm afraid, he died at 2am in hospital here, 6 hours after arriving. It is all such a mess, i can't begin to tell you the complications. Maybe in a few days time.

 

Thanks for the advise bigD anyway.

[bart 0]

A sad ending I'm afraid, he died at 2am in hospital here, 6 hours after arriving. It is all such a mess, i can't begin to tell you the complications. Maybe in a few days time.

Shit … wow ….

 

Condolences, condolences …..

 

Nidnoyham, thank you for starting this thought provoking, profound thread about your workmate - and staying with it all the way, gulp, till the end. I for one would greatly appreciate an update eventually – as and when you feel appropriate.

 

bart

[Owen` 2]

An FYI that may help frame of mind.

 

When someone's arteries are closed to the point that bypass is the only solution, they are in big trouble regardless because the grafted arteries soon close up after they are put in place. And worse, odds are at least 50/50 he would have died in the hospital recovering from the bypass. The arteries replaced by grafted arteries would not be the only ones clogged.

 

The lesson is cut back on smoking and get some exercise.

[jacko 8,762]

Thought provoking and saddening thread. It certainly has me thinking. A couple of recent trips to a major hospital here for minor ailments, and seeing first hand the rip-off process they apply without remorse, has emphasized this.

 

Those able to bring heath insurance from home to retirement in LOS surely are fortunate.

[sinbinjack 243]

Sorry to hear the sad news ,I do hope the family will get over their loss and all legalities are taken care of quickly.

Edited January 11, 2008 by sinbinjack

[nidnoyham 30]

After an entire day on the phone Thursday, all friends, ex wife and daughter based in the U.K now realize the only person able to do anything regarding a death certificate, recovery of his effects, information from his employers about his insurance cover etc, is his wife in LOS.

 

She has a passport, but no visa for U.K. To get a vise fast tracked, she needs a death certificate. Her husband took all Thai documents with him for the purpose, I assume, as evidence to the Company, of his recent change of marital status. Marriage, birth certificate of his young daughter.... These doc's are in the bag he took to hospital with him, that no one but his wife can get released.

 

His daughter here ( who he never legally adopted ) has faxed a letter to the Embassy in BKK explaining the situation and a phone contact of the hospital holding his body.

 

The hospital wants rid of him, but no one is willing to arrange a funeral director, because of the £2000+ bill that will go with such arrangements. They will hold his body for 5 days and then the Government take charge of disposal. We are almost sure he had a policy that will pay for his funeral, but I phoned the Personnel department, to give them phone contacts of friends in LOS and as sympathetic as the lady was, she could tell me nothing other than the information of his death, has been forewarded to the Company Head Office. As far as they were concerned, the ball is now in his wifes court, to make a claim on his estate.

 

His wife thinks he made a Will, but no one can find it, it could be with him with the other doc's.

 

The best advise I can give for any of you married to a Thai, but have you're estate in your own country, is to make a will in both countries, appoint an Executor in each.

 

With the recent trend in I.D theft, all usable information for this, is now very tightly controlled. Fortunately for the wife, a friend there, has the means to buy her a ticket, when she gets the visa. She has never flown, or left the country before. He and his Thai wife- her cousin, may travel with her.

 

It's all a mess. It could have been made less so, with some planning and preparation.