Retirement, any takers?

[sgd]

For me, what's most important (especially with young dependents) are,

1. Political Stability - I wouldn't want to be in the situation where there may be any chance of an uprising either by the people or the military.

2. Safety - To family, self & property. I wouldn't want to live in a place where crime rate is high and be always worrying about safety, especially more so at night.

3. Infrastructure - Utilities (Power, Water, Telecom), Transport, Facilities (Healthcare, Shops, Schools...). Basic needs / comforts of life.

4. Natural Disaster - This is of course really beyond our control but covers things like earthquake, typhoon/hurricane, flood, bush fire... The countryside may be great, but, not if it's a natural disaster magnet...

I suppose (1) to (3) easily removes many of the low cost options...

IMO, Singapore is a great place to be... if you can afford to retire here. If you're young enough, work hard, don't go for short-cuts... Aim for enough ($$) to retire in Singapore so that you can have the free option to retire almost anywhere else if you so desire or treat Singapore as a HQ and have the choice to stay for longer periods in different countries.

Especially for buddies here, if you'd been able to save and invest for a good enough returns all this while, I don't see why you won't be able to achieve your dreams...

Well if you are rich and have a few million then you will feel right at home here but if you are going to be the common bulk of people who are going to only have few hundred k by the time then Singapore is very going to be very expensive and you will not be able to retire on it. But Philippines and Thailand you should be able to make your money's worth and live pretty well if not high.

Safety and security means different things for different people, to some people basic needs like water and food factors high, for Singapore these are totally lacking, everything that you see on your dinner plate (including the dinner plate) is imported even the water that you take for granted is imported. I might add if you recall there was a food scare just a few years ago a lot of people rushed to stock up on rice supplies and cleared out all the rice shelves in supermarkets and sent prices thru the roof. This shows that Singaporeans are pretty savvy can pick up on events and food safety factors very high among Singaporeans.

We do have a strong visible police presence that is often used to suppress any voice of dissent is that what you see as security?

[Caelitus]

For best behavior my vote goes to thailand all the successive governments from beginning till now have never persecuted their minorities. For retirement I think any place in thailand is good except maybe in southern Thailand due to unrest.

plus points: thailand net rice exporter, food and water plentiful and cheap. No pollution issues, Good infrastructure, good healthcare, good transportation, well organized tolerant society.

minus points: royal family succession if not handled properly may lead to instability.

I have these comments. I travel monthly to Thailand to the north east. From my observation, infrastructure planning is quite a mess. Quality of construction can be questionable. I always stay at a place opposite a plot of land where there was a collapse of a hotel many years ago. That serves as a stark reminder.

For healthcare, I will stay clear from some places that they call hospitals. You will need a comprehensive healthcare plan if you want to patronise the better hospitals e.g. Bangkok Hospital Group. But do note that their prices can be way above others which can qualify as good too.

SGD, when you say transportation, do you mean that purchasing a vehicle is cheap?

They have a highly tolerant culture but have you experienced working when a yes means a no and a no means a yes? hahaha....

Anyone who is interested in retirement in Thailand can read up on their retirement visa option.

[WolfT]

Actually sg is the best place to retire already.
All our friends and relative are here!
Retirement very easy one ma!
Follow the below can liao.
Do not
1)Gamble
2)Upgrade to condo
3)Buy expensive car
4)Smoke and drink (health reason)
5)Compare

[Bibi]

I have these comments. I travel monthly to Thailand to the north east. From my observation, infrastructure planning is quite a mess. Quality of construction can be questionable. I always stay at a place opposite a plot of land where there was a collapse of a hotel many years ago. That serves as a stark reminder.

For healthcare, I will stay clear from some places that they call hospitals. You will need a comprehensive healthcare plan if you want to patronise the better hospitals e.g. Bangkok Hospital Group. But do note that their prices can be way above others which can qualify as good too.

Spore also not much difference except Spore much more ex.

1986, collapse of New World Hotel in Spore. Benjamin Sheares Bridge collapse 2012? Infrastructure planning is a complete failure for the past 5 years. I got a feeling the govt know about this but chose to ignore it until the lost of one GRC.

Subsidized health care in Spore is cheap but be prepared to be a guinea pig, operated by apprentice. Now, even if u have money and go for private treatment in govt hospital, be prepared to wait long long.

[KopiKat]

We do have a strong visible police presence that is often used to suppress any voice of dissent is that what you see as security?

I definitely have no objections if the Police do their job to bring law and order to Singapore. Be it China nationals protesting against salary, Malaysians protesting against their elections or even locals taking the law into their own hands cos' they're unhappy with something,... I definitely wouldn't want myself or my family members to be unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity of any illegal gathering that can turn ugly... even if the possibility of that happening is very remote. By all means, go register for a police permit, so that we can avoid your protests...

Not just Singapore, even in other more countries, I'm always glad to see police around.... unless it's one of those less developed country where corruption at that level is high...

PS. Best is to go live in another country long enough to experience for yourself. By all means, choose another place to retire if you really find that it suits you. In my case, I have travelled to quite a few countries and stayed long enough in a few to realise that those are not where I'd want to retire. Over time and experience, my thinking has changed and at this point in time, Singapore is still the place... and I have learnt to channel my focus and energies to save and invest, to make sure I have enough to retire here...

---

Someone shared this with me in FB. Really strikes a chord with me... perhaps different generation from many here... haha...

[sgd]

I have these comments. I travel monthly to Thailand to the north east. From my observation, infrastructure planning is quite a mess. Quality of construction can be questionable. I always stay at a place opposite a plot of land where there was a collapse of a hotel many years ago. That serves as a stark reminder.

For healthcare, I will stay clear from some places that they call hospitals. You will need a comprehensive healthcare plan if you want to patronise the better hospitals e.g. Bangkok Hospital Group. But do note that their prices can be way above others which can qualify as good too.

SGD, when you say transportation, do you mean that purchasing a vehicle is cheap?

They have a highly tolerant culture but have you experienced working when a yes means a no and a no means a yes? hahaha....

Anyone who is interested in retirement in Thailand can read up on their retirement visa option.

No man when I say transportation I meant public transportation cheap and good. Look at the traffic there's no point to buying a vehicle. Also going there to retire to enjoy life not going there to work. People on average paid around 8k bhat a month that's like less than $500 so I don't see how I will need to be working in thailand to communicate much with thais other than buying things or getting someone to do the laundry.

I see Thailand as one place where they like arrange all the happening things to do in one area to make everything convenient for whether marketing, shopping clubbing pubbing or whatever entertainment you need all within walking distance or easily reachable by rail, elsewhere there are such things also but often you need to travel and not so convenient. In Singapore everything are also in walking distance but things are not getting cheap and at the same time getting very cramped and will get even more expensive as more and more come here to cram in future.

Spore citizen allow to stay up to 30 days in thailand after which they can do a visa run like what all the farangs are doing in thailand, go to border crossover and crossback get a chop for another 30days. Retirement visa allows longer up to 90 days but need to put around 800k bhat into bank. As for buying a place I think I will take my time here, there are many options my preference will be not to buy at all because I don't see the value once you buy you are stuck with it and if it turns out to be a bad choice you are screwed. I think I will just rent move around from place to place. Rental is very cheap, for less than S$500 can get a very excellent accommodation and live it up. I think by then I can rent out my pigeon hole to FT in sing for 3k or more and his money will finance my retirement in bkk no need even to touch cpf.

idea idea

[raiden]

Actually sg is the best place to retire already.
All our friends and relative are here!
Retirement very easy one ma!
Follow the below can liao.
Do not
1)Gamble
2)Upgrade to condo
3)Buy expensive car
4)Smoke and drink (health reason)
5)Compare

Yes. Only for the sake of friends and relatives.
If not, life in Singapore is rather stressful.

---

I have these comments. I travel monthly to Thailand to the north east. From my observation, infrastructure planning is quite a mess. Quality of construction can be questionable. I always stay at a place opposite a plot of land where there was a collapse of a hotel many years ago. That serves as a stark reminder.

For healthcare, I will stay clear from some places that they call hospitals. You will need a comprehensive healthcare plan if you want to patronise the better hospitals e.g. Bangkok Hospital Group. But do note that their prices can be way above others which can qualify as good too.

SGD, when you say transportation, do you mean that purchasing a vehicle is cheap?

They have a highly tolerant culture but have you experienced working when a yes means a no and a no means a yes? hahaha....

Anyone who is interested in retirement in Thailand can read up on their retirement visa option.

No man when I say transportation I meant public transportation cheap and good. Look at the traffic there's no point to buying a vehicle. Also going there to retire to enjoy life not going there to work. People on average paid around 8k bhat a month that's like less than $500 so I don't see how I will need to be working in thailand to communicate much with thais other than buying things or getting someone to do the laundry.

I see Thailand as one place where they like arrange all the happening things to do in one area to make everything convenient for whether marketing, shopping clubbing pubbing or whatever entertainment you need all within walking distance or easily reachable by rail, elsewhere there are such things also but often you need to travel and not so convenient. In Singapore everything are also in walking distance but things are not getting cheap and at the same time getting very cramped and will get even more expensive as more and more come here to cram in future.

Spore citizen allow to stay up to 30 days in thailand after which they can do a visa run like what all the farangs are doing in thailand, go to border crossover and crossback get a chop for another 30days. Retirement visa allows longer up to 90 days but need to put around 800k bhat into bank. As for buying a place I think I will take my time here, there are many options my preference will be not to buy at all because I don't see the value once you buy you are stuck with it and if it turns out to be a bad choice you are screwed. I think I will just rent move around from place to place. Rental is very cheap, for less than S$500 can get a very excellent accommodation and live it up. I think by then I can rent out my pigeon hole to FT in sing for 3k or more and his money will finance my retirement in bkk no need even to touch cpf.

idea idea

Thailand is a good idea too but will it be more suitable if you are single and not married?

[sgd]

Thailand is a good idea too but will it be more suitable if you are single and not married?

But married people can also go to thailand, there's so many things wife can do, there are loads of hair salons around, also pedicures, facials, massage, spas, shopping malls and all cheap to boot like anything, shop how hard also will not break your wallet.

If you are single or newly single again and like to party it's cheap too depending what you do but if you are abv 50's won't have the stamina might want to pace yourself slowly once a month or every few month. Partying is one thing that can burn thru a lot of money quickly even tho booze there is so cheap.

[WolfT]

Thailand is a good idea too but will it be more suitable if you are single and not married?

But married people can also go to thailand, there's so many things wife can do, there are loads of hair salons around, also pedicures, facials, massage, spas, shopping malls and all cheap to boot like anything, shop how hard also will not break your wallet.

If you are single or newly single again and like to party it's cheap too depending what you do but if you are abv 50's won't have the stamina might want to pace yourself slowly once a month or every few month. Partying is one thing that can burn thru a lot of money quickly even tho booze there is so cheap.

I may consider if me and a whole group of friends become widower/divorcé...George Clooney style!

[edragon]

I think Thailand have too much flood water to be comfortable and nothing can be done about it.
Watch for the news soon.