This year the big 60
Got a bit of money saved, and met a nice woman 10 years younger than me, who is not after my money.
Thinking of selling up in next year and living in Kalasin in north Thailand.
Should i go for it?
This was taken in whilst we were in Phuket
Hell yes , GB is going down the kasi , get out and enjoy yer self
one problem, UK pension is frozen if i retire to Thailand
Nice one Andy.
You do right, just say ‘Phuket’ and go to Thailand…sorry couldn’t resist.
Btw got to say you are definitely punching.
Can you holiday for fifty one weeks a year? Just trying to think out of the box.
Carryfast would be the expert on work avoidance, pre-retirement age.
That is only the UK pension frozen I guess?
Take professional advice on what to do with your own funds. Where there is a will, there is a way!
The .gov site takes you to Financial Conduct Authority approved advisors, and start from there.
Monet Saving Expert would probably have advice too.
Don’t jump in blindly but that is no reason not to do it.
Good luck!
Edit Money SA not the art experts!
If you can sort the financials get gone! Enjoy
Yes it is UK state pension that is frozen.
I don’t know what the inflation rate in Thailand is, nor what it will be 10 or 20 years from now, so any choice you make will have an element of chance/risk to it. Same with exchange rates.
Whether your personal pot should be left UK and funds transferred when needed, or all moved over straight away? No idea.
Take some advice from an approved financial advisor.
Is there any work/investment you could do over there to supplement your income? Again there will be risk attached to any business opportunities.
Yes must remember to remind my son, who is 46, but working in Macao. He spent at least 7 years working in Bangkok where his girlfriend still works and lives but had to follow the money but he says it will be straight back to Thailand when his contract ends.
It’s a scandalous rule, pension freezing, when you may have paid in all of your working life and I thank goodness (in my thinking moments) that I ended up here and not Oz when I retired.
I like to think there is a good reason for everything, but I am often saddened and disillusioned when I hear the ridiculous reasons, (or often disingenuous reasons given to hide a hidden motive) given for something.
So what is the reason for this, pension freezing if you go abroad…real one, or otherwise.
there have been campaigns to get it increased in other countries
If you’ve worked all your life and paid into state pension. Don’t see why your not entitled to it regardless of where you live.
If you go for the retirement type visa, you cannot work or make an income, they’re even opposed to voluntary work.
You’re right pension is frozen, so you might get 1 extra increase otherwise it’s fixed. If you do go, then can stop paying uk income tax (don’t pay NI on any of it), but then would pay local taxes, also must have health insurance
Think Thailand is like others nearby where you have to renew visas for a few years before can get long term residency, in that time, any conviction could get the visa cancelled😳
Otherwise, think of visiting and asking other expats of the reality and do serious homework
The other option is to marry her and get a spouse visa for UK, and that is going to cost at least 7 grand.
Maybe you could move house.
Ie move into your children’s house use that as your new home address. Then use it for any correspondence.
Get them to open any official letters that come etc.
Wait what, what do you guys mean UK pension is ‘‘frozen’’ if you ‘‘move’’? Are you talking about state pension or private?
In the link I posted, some countries it isn’t frozen and it is the state pension, stays at the same rate from when you receive it.
Yes and those countries include Australia, New Zealand and Canada though strangely you get the increases in the USA.
It is apparently to do with agreements with those countries but I can’t for the life of me think of what difference it makes, and why an agreement is needed in the first place.
State pension is frozen, some private ones are conditional as well, they depend on the fine details.
There’s a list of countries that have reciprocal agreements where the pension increases, as above, Aus and NZ are frozen countries.
Some places need health insurance as well whilst others you get health after just a couple of years.
Quite a few forums refer to expats now wanting to return to Uk but cannot afford it either. It’s not all,sunshine and roses.