Meth: a Ticking Timebomb Gone Viral

Money Makes the World Go Around

The day I turned sixty, I applied for a lump sum payment from my superannuation fund (401k). The fund managers invest in various places, but the bulk of my cash was used to buy shares. Over the years, the fund has done well, and in a single year alone (about four years ago), they made me around 35k Australian dollars, without putting a cent of my own into it...and it was tax-free.

The trouble was the next year, it underperformed and went down about 5k. Since then, I've kept a close eye on how the fund was doing. Like any portfolio that is heavily invested in the share market, it fluctuates, sometimes dramatically. And because I knew I was close to cashing out these highs and lows have been causing me some anxiety.

Questions like, what if the market crashes in the days before I close the account, have been on my mind over the last few months. But today, twelve days after I made the request, they have finally paid me out. I got lucky and there was no market crash...in fact, over the last ten days, it has held steady. It isn't over yet and the funds still have to be deposited into my bank. It will then take ten days for them to clear the funds and make the money available in my account.

Things got close there money-wise. Going broke in a foreign country, with nobody to ask for a temporary load, was a concern. Setting up the house was an unforeseen cash drain, and now that I have a live-in girlfriend, my monthly budget has increased significantly. Nada doesn't share the cost of rent, pay for food or contribute anything towards the power bill. These are bills we both consider to be mine to take care of. I would need to pay them even if she wasn't here, although the amounts would be somewhat smaller.

Nada earns 12000 baht per month (around US$360) and I don't think it right for me to expect her to give me money from her measly earnings. She has put her son, who is in his final year, through a private boarding school. The school has combined the final two years of his education with a prevocational course to assist him in becoming a motor mechanic. I'm proud of her for doing that on the money she makes. She does get some help from the government, and her father also helps out a little, but Nada has pretty much done it off her own back and for me to expect her to help with the bills is something I don't believe would be fair. It's not like I can't afford it, but the delay in getting a new cash influx into my everyday bank account had me worried for a bit.

There are many things Nada brings to the table that could be easily overlooked. Not only does she cook, clean, and keep me company, but she also interprets for me. It's because of this help (in part) that I am in line to receive a pink (as opposed to a blue, which all Thai nationals have) Thai ID Card. There are many benefits to having an ID card, including cheaper public transport costs. It also makes dealing with officialdom much easier. In many instances, the card is accepted as a replacement for carrying a passport...which at the moment, I have to take almost everywhere I go. Carrying an ID card means I can leave my most important document at home where it is much safer.

The other, much more important thing about having an ID card is it's a crucial piece of evidence used as proof of address when applying for a yearly visa extension.

So now that my cash flow, and fingers crossed, visa issues are almost done with, I can get on with enjoying retirement here in the land of smiles.