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Money matters:
Graham Macdonald
MBMG International Ltd.
Nominated for the Lorenzo Natali Prize
Where there is a will there is a way, Part 1
Death is a depressing matter. No-one wants to talk about
dying or what they are going to do with everything they own when they pass away
but it is just one of those things that has to be done. After all, isn’t it less
depressing to think that your loved ones will be looked after and cared for when
you have gone?
A little history about Wills
Wills are spoken of in the Old Testament (Genesis 48), where
Jacob bequeaths to his son Joseph, a portion of his inheritance, double to that
of his brethren. Noah made a Will, which was witnessed and was where he disposed
of the whole world. But it is the Greeks we have to thank for the Will, although
not really in the form it is seen today. However, they started with a common
theme of wishing for a long life and good health. The Romans took on the Will
but in those days it was more a verbal contract with many witnesses who could
later tell the tale.
In England, the Will was administered by the local priest and
bequeathing to the church was a pre-requisite, it was written in Latin and was
thought only the very rich had need of one. Wills became law after the Norman
Conquest and it remained that way for a number of centuries. It was not until
1677 that Wills had to be signed by the person making the Will in the presence
of witnesses.
Wills in Thailand
As an expatriate living in Thailand with assets both here and
wherever you come from, it would be a good idea to look into having two Wills.
Although Thai law does recognise the validity of foreign wills, the
practicalities of proving the validity of the Will to the satisfaction of the
Thai court may be onerous, or even impossible to meet.
In Thailand, there are 3 ways of acquiring a Will:
1. You write it yourself and make any adjustments yourself
2. You go to a lawyer and he drafts one for you
3. You get a Public Will which can be obtained at the local district office
Or you can go for none of the above - you die without having
made one! Dying in Thailand without a valid Will in place will end up with the
Thai state dividing up your possessions using the six classifications under Thai
law, listed in order of Thai inheritance priority:
1. Spouse (50%) and children (equal share of residue)
2. Parents
3. Brothers and Sisters of full blood
4. Brothers and Sisters of half blood
5. Grandparents
6. Uncles and Aunts
Under Thai law, a statutory heir may be a non-Thai as well as
a Thai citizen. The laws of Thailand make no distinction as to the nationality
of the heir’s right. There are special regulations, however, regarding the
inheritance of real estate by foreigners.
Why everyone needs a Will
Everyone needs a Will. If you are married with children, a
couple living together or even single, it is vitally important that you have a
Will in place. Some people have Wills but they are way out of date; others feel
very healthy, think they will live forever and so put it off for a later date.
Then something bad happens, a car accident, a heart attack or a stroke; whatever
it may be, all of a sudden, it is just too late to get things sorted out. Your
money could go to people it was not meant to and the whole process could well be
subject to serious delays.
For an expat, imagine how difficult it would be for your
family if you die whilst living abroad. How would they cope if you have had your
accounts frozen until probate has being sorted out, this could be anywhere
between six months and many years!
There are lots of reasons to why you need a Will in place,
here are just five:
1. To allow you to decide who benefits from your estate.
Do you know what happens to your estate when you do not have a Will in place? Do
you believe that it all just passes to your partner when you shed your mortal
coil? If you do, you are not the only one. In a recent survey conducted by the
Co-op Funeral Services in the UK, more than half the people surveyed thought
this was the case.
2. To allow you to decide on the guardianship of your
children. Do you know who would have your kids, should you die unexpectedly
during their early years? If you do, have you actually asked them? Putting this
in a Will makes sure your children are looked after by the people you believe
will look after them as well as you do. Kids can and often do end up as wards of
court!
3. To avoid unnecessary expense. Arranging a Will is a
lot cheaper than dying without one in place. Applications have to be made to the
courts to appoint executors and insurance has to be applied for (at a premium)
to protect those dealing with the estate in the absence of a Will. All of this
can also take years to sort out and, in the meantime, all your assets are frozen
which means family could struggle financially before it is all sorted.
4. To avoid any unnecessary disputes. The old saying
‘where there’s a Will, there’s a way’, well there is a new saying ‘where there’s
no Will, there’s family you didn’t know existed’ - it is not very catchy, but it
is true. Having a legally binding, well drafted Will in place makes sure these
incidents do not happen. It is not just the ultra wealthy who fight legal
battles to get their hands on great fortunes. There has been a surge in the
number of court cases to contest inheritances in recent years. The most
successfully contested Wills are the self written Wills from the local
stationary shop.
5. To reduce Inheritance tax - More about IHT next week!
To be continued…
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The above data and research was compiled from sources
believed to be reliable. However, neither MBMG International Ltd nor its
officers can accept any liability for any errors or omissions in the above
article nor bear any responsibility for any losses achieved as a result of any
actions taken or not taken as a consequence of reading the above article. For
more information please contact Graham Macdonald on [email protected]
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Snap Shots: by Harry Flashman
Preventive camera maintenance
 There
is one school of thought that suggests that cameras are now so foolproof
that they last for ever and no maintenance or servicing is necessary. I
also know that when something costs very little, we tend to ignore it.
When we are looking at 50 baht items, they are easily replaced with
loose change.
The same does not go for cameras. Today’s cameras,
even in the consumer range, are no longer cheap. It is difficult to find
any half-decent DSLR camera under 20,000 baht and even the better point
and shooters are around 10,000 baht. Photography and money are
inexorably intertwined. To show you the money that can be involved in
photography, my favorite lens was a 40 mm Hasselblad wide angle, with a
huge bit of glass on the front, that would cost in Thailand over 200,000
baht. Worth looking after?
The first concept is to understand just what it is
that will go towards destroying your camera. Usually these are simply,
dust and grit, moisture and condensation, battery contents and being
dropped. Looking after your investment is then a simple case of
countering the above factors.
Moisture and condensation are the easiest ones to
counter, but the dampness comes from more than just being caught out in
the rain. Thailand is a hot and humid environment. How many times have
you taken your camera outside and found you could not see through the
viewfinder because it had steamed up? That is condensation. The best
answer here is to keep small sachets of silica gel in your camera bag.
Many bottles of tablets come with perfect little sachets in the top of
them.
There will also be times when you get caught in the
rain, or you may even want to get rain shots. The camera body is
reasonably water proof, but you should carefully wipe the outside of the
case dry afterwards, and especially blow air around the lens barrel and
the lens mount.
Dust and grit is the ever present danger in the
environment. How many times have you got a small piece of grit in your
eye? Often, I will wager. Small particles such as that can be very bad
for the lens focusing and zooming mechanics too. This is where a blower
brush is needed. They are cheap, but do a great job. Get one. Never
brush bits away with your fingers - your sweat is corrosive!
That leads us to the even more serious type of
corrosion - leakage from batteries. Just about every camera in the world
these days has a battery, even if it is just to drive the needle on the
light meter. Working with an external battery pack on a Nikon I have
found everything has failed - a sure sign of battery failure. Inspection
showed this to be true, and the cheaper batteries leaked the most.
This little scenario would have been much worse, if
the battery had been internal. The discharging batteries give off fumes
that attack and corrode the complex electronic circuitry. That little
problem can destroy the camera totally - expensive! There is a moral
here, isn’t there?
In fact, there are two morals to be learned. The
first is to check batteries every three months in this climate, I would
suggest, rather than just waiting for the batteries to fail or become
erratic. And secondly, you get what you pay for - so buy the best you
can. It will serve you well in the end. Acid leakage (and even acid
fumes) from a battery can totally ruin a modern camera, getting into the
electronics so that it never works properly again. The answer here is to
discard the batteries every twelve months, even if they seem to be fine,
and if you are not going to be using the camera for an extended period,
then take the batteries out altogether.
Finally, keep your camera in a soft case that can
absorb some shocks. Not the silly leather or plastic thing it came in.
If you have not got one - then go out and buy one today. They are very
inexpensive, especially when compared to the cost of the camera.
Preventive maintenance.
Modern Medicine:
by Dr. Iain Corness, Consultant
This is Pinktober
We are in “Pinktober”, a breast cancer awareness program
charity drive to assist the poor under the care of the Thanyarak Foundation
(under the patronage of the late Princess Mother Sri Nagarindra).
Unfortunately, we are still looking for a cure for many cancers, but the
research is continuing.
In the meantime, early detection does give the cancer
sufferer a much better survival rate than otherwise. In the UK they have
actually been studying early detection with the National Cancer Director
Professor Mike Richards indicating that work is well underway to catch more
cancer cases earlier and improve the longer term treatment for cancer
survivors.
Professor Richards said, “Cancer treatment in Britain has
improved vastly in recent years and we are now beginning to see the impact
on our survival rates. Recent cancer mortality figures for under 75’s show
that nearly 9000 lives will have been saved in 2007 compared with 1996 and
we are on course to meet our target of a reduction of at least 20 percent in
cancer death rates by 2010.”
There is conflicting evidence as to the efficacy of
Breast Self Examination (BSE), but if it provides a chance of early
detection, then as far as I am concerned, it is worth it. The process of
looking is called breast screening, but is still a subject that seems to be
controversial, though honestly, I do not know why. The sensationalist press
feeds on fear, and by instilling fear into women about breast cancer will
always sell a few more papers. It is not so long ago that one of the
international news magazines had a front cover story on breast cancer
screening, with the inference being that it was probably all a waste of
time. Despite mammograms and suchlike, there were cases that escaped
detection until it was too late and other such negative predictions. Was it
all then a waste of resources and money?
Ladies, let me assure you that it is none of those.
Unfortunately, the cancer detection story is one that suffers from a problem
which can be associated with an inexact science. Since we can put men on the
moon, clone sheep (and even rabbits in Chonburi, apparently) and other
incredible facts, we should then be able to diagnose human conditions with
pin-point accuracy. Unfortunately wrong! We’re getting better at it, but
we’re not there yet.
Diagnosis and detection are “real time” arts, not
sciences, even though we would like them to be. Sure, we use “science” as a
tool, but that is all it is. A tool to help us see the problem. Just like we
can use a telescope to see things at a distance - even if we can’t see the
object, that doesn’t mean to say it wasn’t there.
There has been a bit of that thinking with Mammograms of
late. A lady has three clear annual Mammograms and then finds she has
advanced breast cancer during year number four. Was the testing useless?
Again I ask you to look at the “real time” situation. So
today cancer was found. When did it “start” to grow? This week, this month,
this year? The answer depends upon the type of the cancer. Some fast growing
cancers would be impossible to pick up, even if the person had monthly
mammograms. The slow growing variety can be picked up years ahead.
Unfortunately mammography cannot be a 100 percent indicator - we are not
that good - yet. But it is still one of the best diagnostic procedures we
have. And it is better than nothing.
Likewise, Breast Self Examination (BSE) has its
detractors as well as its proponents. Sure, a lot depends upon how well the
woman carries out this self testing, but again, surely it is better to look
than to carry on in blissful ignorance?
Breast cancer is like all cancers - the sooner you find
it, the sooner you can deal with it and the earlier treatment is
administered, the better the outcome. Studies from the American National
Cancer Institute show that 96 percent of women whose breast cancer is
detected early are still alive five or more years after treatment. That’s
not all doom and gloom, is it?
Heart to Heart with Hillary
Hello Hillary,
In reply to Mona from Manchester. Her husband brought a
bucket of sand to the beach. She traveled hours and hours on a plane to get
here. If you don’t like it then go back to somewhere you do like things. Why on
earth people fly halfway around the world, say it’s disgusting and try to be
busy-bodies and make the new country conform to them is beyond me. She’s not
complaining about total negligence or even total stupidity. She’s complaining
about THE WAY THINGS ARE here. If she doesn’t like it then that airplane will
take her home just as fast as it got her here.
PBK
Dear PBK,
What an interesting set of initials, my Petal. What do they stand for I wonder?
However, Mona is still allowed to air her opinion (no matter how right or wrong
it is), just as you have been allowed to air yours. Remember, PBK, that most
foreigners do complain about the way things are here… it doesn’t suit everyone,
you are correct, but rather than just tell Mona to catch the next plane out, how
about advising her on some of the other attractions of Thailand? There is more
than just sand here, as we all know.
Dear Hillary,
I will admit I’m what you call a “balloon chaser”, but there are many reasons
for this. You would have read the readers letters to your newspaper and seen all
the discontented British pensioners there are. Frozen benefits and the pound
sterling going down like a lead balloon. We are doing it tough, Hillary. You
would go chasing free roast pig too, when you’ve really got to count the
pennies. It probably doesn’t mean much to you, being a working woman, but don’t
you forget we are only pensioners.
Bob the Balloon Chaser
Dear Bob the Balloon Chaser,
I may as well be a pensioner, Bob my Petal, as I can assure you that you don’t
get much sitting in an attic reading heart-rending letters, yours included. I’m
afraid there’s nothing much I can do for you, as your financial predicament is a
situation that you have chosen. You can always go back to the UK, where your
pension will be unfrozen, but then, you will be frozen. Your choice, Bob. Your
choice.
Dear Hillary,
There are so many lovely girls in Thailand, how come all the people who write in
to you seem to have picked a dud? Are all Thai girls as bad as they are painted
by these guys or what? I get nervous about coming over for my next holiday when
I read all the horror stories. Is there some easy way to pick a good one?
Yankee Doodle
Dear Yankee Doodle,
You are forgetting that there is a legion of lovely ladies out there who are
doing all the right things by their men, be that a short term arrangement or a
long term steady/married situation. These people do not need to ask Hillary for
advice, so you are getting the wrong impression if you think everyone is like
the sad people who write to me. Many of them do try and warn the tyros, but I
believe their situations and their problems do not really represent the majority
of farang/Thai liaisons. However, remember that in any man/woman relationship
there can be problems. Look at the divorce rate in your own country, for
example. The last figures I read were 50 percent of first marriages end in
divorce and 60 percent of second marriages go down the alimony alley as well.
The simple answer, Petal, is to use discretion and judgment before plunging
headlong into something that could be an unsuitable partnership. Is the girl
always looking for money? Does her father have a sick buffalo? Does her brother
fall off his motorcycle and break any number of legs requiring expensive
operations, when public hospital treatment is very, very inexpensive? If the
answer is “yes” to any of those questions, move on to the next lady, and apply
the same simple tests!
Dear Hillary,
I live in the UK, but come over to Thailand twice a year. I think I would be
better off having a bank account in Thailand that I could send some money over
to when I have some spare, instead of walking around with cash. Some friends
have told me it’s impossible for me to get a bank account on a tourist visa. Is
this the case? What should I do? Should I send it to my Thai girlfriend? I don’t
know her very well, but she does look after me when I go over there.
Bill the banker
Dear Bill the banker,
The safest way is for you to transfer your money into my personal bank account,
where I will keep it safe for you. This is much better than sending it to some
girl you meet in a bar. No matter how well she looks after you. Now I am joking
here, my Petal, but that is precisely what many men do every year. Never put
your money in someone else’s account, as that is the best way to lose it. Bill,
you can open a bank account here - just get a reliable Thai address to use,
that’s all.
Let’s go to the movies:
by Mark Gernpy
Now playing in Pattaya
Red Eagle / Insee Dang:
Thai, Action/ Thriller – Ananda Everingham is really terrific as the
red-masked crusader in this re-launch of an action franchise from the
1950s and ’60s that starred the legendary leading man Mitr Chaibancha.
Set in 2016, the story shows Bangkok as a city threatened by crime,
corruption, and a deadly nuclear project that is about to be built. In
the midst of the dismay, a mysterious hero called Red Eagle steps
forward to eliminate the evildoers. But he has to face his dangerous
enemy Dark Devil, the elite killer hired to hunt him. Rated 18+ in
Thailand.
It is a wonderment! There are flashes of director Wisit
Sasanatieng’s trademark wild use of color and his antic imagination, but
subservient here to the demands of a comic book masked crusader much
along the lines of Batman. In fact his icon, the spread eagle, looks
much like the spread bat-wings of Batman’s symbol. The film, really, is
a sort of Thai Dark Knight. I have to say that the film is horrifically
bloody, too much so for my taste. One particular moment got me to
squirming, when we see the details of Ananda stitching up his own huge
gashes with a large hook. And, not only are there way too many
beheadings, but they are wild and extended beheading sprees, and then
they go on to play around with the severed heads for awhile. Uggch.
For the whole, Wisit was mostly having fun and I found
his enjoyment infectious. There’s a lot of imagination at work, in a
wild and impossible comic book style.
 Legend
of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole (3D): US/ Australia,
Animation/ Fantasy – The animation is superb! I’ve been a fan of
animation since I was a kid visiting the Walt Disney Studios near my
boyhood home, and I think Disney would be thrilled by the animation
here: the textures of the feathers, the motions of the owls, and
particularly the expressiveness of the faces and the life in the eyes. I
think he would also be pleased by the nightmare-inducing terror in the
film, which matches some of the frightening scenes of the witch in Snow
White, and the death of Bambi’s mother.
The use of 3D is superb, and in particular the scenes of
flight are giddy with exuberance and excitement. Shown in 3D at Pattaya
Beach, and please note: the 3D is real 3D, and is a true
step forward in the art. If you at all appreciate animation, don’t miss
it! Shown in 2D at Major, and in 2D and Thai-dubbed at Big C. Mixed or
average reviews.
It’s about a young barn owl who is kidnapped by the owls
of St. Aggie’s, ostensibly an orphanage, but actually where owlets are
brainwashed into becoming soldiers. Our hero escapes to the island of
Ga’Hoole, to help its noble owls fight the army being created by the
wicked rulers of St. Aggie’s. The story is good, but mammothly
complicated and confusing, based on a series of books which would seem
to be required reading for even minimal understanding. This may be the
beginning of a series, but they should have gone slower with the plot
elements in this first one, in my opinion. It is a remarkably detailed
world the owls inhabit, full of its own culture and ways of doing
things, and it takes a bit of getting use to.
Grown Ups: US, Comedy – This film, starring Adam
Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade, is a
comedy, or so it wishes, about five friends and former teammates who
reunite years later to honor the passing of their childhood basketball
coach. I can’t imagine why anyone would deliberately want to see this
picture. It’s pretty ugly, full of pretty ugly Americans, living ugly
lives, tearing each other down in typically American ways. Enough, one
could say, to re-emphasize why one would prefer to live in Thailand.
Looks sort of like home movies of the people involved. I find no real
humor in it at all. But, it’s up to you. Apparently, there are some
people who actually like the humor of Adam Sandler. This makes me grieve
for the future of humanity. Generally unfavorable reviews.
Devil: US, Horror/ Thriller – A group of people
trapped in an elevator realize that the devil is among them. Produced by
M. Night Shyamalan, which the directors and crew are desperately trying
to live down, being that his name, post-Airbender, is as welcome
as the devil himself. Mixed or average reviews. Not at Big C.
 Edge
of Darkness: UK/ US, Crime/ Drama/ Thriller – Vintage Mel Gibson,
working within the familiar framework of a bloody revenge thriller. He
plays a homicide detective who investigates the death of his activist
daughter, and uncovers not only her secret life, but a corporate and
government cover-up as well. Mixed or average reviews. Not at Big C.
Saturday Killer / Mue Puen Dao Phra Sao: Thai,
Action/ Comedy – About a troublesome gunman who kills for money to cure
his impotence, and a mysterious girl he has a crush on but whose heart
he can’t seem to win. This is the middle film in a trilogy of crime
films, Friday Killer, Saturday Killer, and Sunday Killer,
all with well-known Thai comics paired up with leading ladies. 18+.
 Detective
Dee: China/ Hong Kong, Action/ Crime/ Thriller – When the mysterious
deaths of a series of loyal subjects threaten to delay the 690 A.D.
inauguration of Empress Wu Zetian, she summons the infamous Detective
Dee back from exile to solve the crime. Based on a Chinese folk hero,
and starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. Shown in a Thai-dubbed version
only.
Scheduled for Oct 21
My Best Bodyguard: Thai,
Action/ Thriller – Starring HRH Princess Ubolratana as a dedicated
reporter fighting a villainous pharmacy organization that secretly runs
an experiment involving a deadly virus which can kill a whole city.
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (3D): US/
Australia, Action/ Comedy/ Family – The age-old battle between cats and
dogs, in live-action with animated mouths that spout talk that’s meant
to be cute. It offers little more than the spectacle of digitally
rendered talking animals with celebrity voices, all in 3D. Generally
unfavorable reviews.
Staying happy in Paradise - the Counseling Corner
Richard L. Fellner
Thai - Western relationships
Relationships between Thais and Western partners: an
evergreen topic! In this Counseling Corner series, we look below the
surface to devote ourselves to the most important issues that can await
those who enter such relationships.
Part 4: Status and
Money
What am I being ‘loved’ for? A client asked a couple
of weeks ago.
Indeed, it can be hard to tell at times when being in
a relationship with a Thai partner. The Asian concept of relationships
differs from the Western ideal in many ways, but one of the most
important differences is that men are generally supposed to bring in the
money and to provide status, while women help to spend the money and are
taken care of; in return, they manage the household and do their best to
make their husband feel happy at their side.
Now, the interesting thing is that many Western men
admire the ‘warm’ and traditional qualities of Thai women - but once
they start to live with them, they want them to ‘emancipate’ - if only
from their tradition of expecting financial support! So it doesn’t come
as a surprise that arguments and unhappiness over the role of money in
the relationship is the most frequent issue Western/Asian couples have
to deal with.
Expats with a long experience of living in Asia know
this too well, Asian women deal with the reluctance of their Western
partners their own ways: few would quit a relationship over it, but of
course the money they need to fulfill their dreams (and be it just to
buy the new ‘Honda’ for their papa, a washing machine for their mother,
a new mobile phone for their brother and...) has to come from somewhere.
So they will try to ‘convince’ their partner for quite a while, or
sooner or later fling to attract money from other sources. In Pattaya,
that’s quite often by freelancing as a ‘playgirl’, as it can generate
the most money within the shortest amount of time. That way or another,
financial issues can result in tensions that leave both partners
speechless out of frustration and anger, and extremely hurt at times.
Thus, finding a compromise that works for both
partners in time is crucial in developing a relationship that is
satisfying for both. To avoid problems right from the beginning - or at
least to resolve already gridlocked situations - using a neutral
counselor to moderate and help work out a solution for the emotionalized
issues can literally be worth the salt.
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Live the happy life you planned!
Richard L. Fellner is head of the Counseling Center Pattaya
in Soi Kopai and offers consultations in English and German
languages after making an appointment at 0854 370 470. |
Bridge in Paradise:
by Neil Robinson
Here is a hand
from the 2009 Gold Cup semifinal in Scotland, as reported by Andrew
Robson. This was a team contest, using IMP scoring, so the important
thing is to make your contract. Overtricks are of little importance. I
found it instructive because it illustrates the value of keeping your
options open when planning the play of a hand. South dealt and NS were
vulnerable.
S: AQ
H: AJ9876
D: K106
C: AJ
S: 10 S: J876
H: K1052 H: Q3
D: AQ83 D: J7542
C: 10854 C: K3
S: K95432
H: 4
D: 9
C: Q9762
South West North East
2S P 4S All pass
South opened with
a weak two spade bid, which North raised to four. Imagine you are
sitting South. At both tables, West led a club to dummy’s jack and
East’s king, followed by a club continuation to dummy’s ace. Without
looking at the EW hands, decide what you would play from dummy for the
next trick.
At one table,
declarer decided to pull trumps and started off by playing the ace and
queen of spades. When neither trumps nor clubs split the contract was
doomed, losing two clubs (the king and ten), a trump and the ace of
diamonds.
Poor splits seem
rather likely in view of South’s distributional hand and thus the
declarer at the second table decided on a more flexible plan, keeping
open the possibility of running dummy’s long suit, hearts, or making the
contract with a cross-ruff. He played the ace of hearts and ruffed a
heart, noting the fall of the queen. This was followed by a trump to
the ace and a third heart, ruffed low while East discarded a diamond.
Next came
declarer’s singleton diamond. West played the ace and led back another
diamond. Dummy won the king and led a fourth heart, ruffed low since
declarer knew West had to follow. Declarer had scored seven of the nine
tricks played so far, and the last four cards in each hand were as
below, with the lead in declarer’s hand.
S: Q
H: J9
D: 10
C: -
S: - S: J87
H: - H: -
D: Q8 D: J
C: 108 C: -
S: K9
H: -
D: -
C: Q9
East now has more
trumps than declarer, but is helpless to stop declarer scoring three
more tricks (and making the contract) with a cross-ruff. Declarer led a
club and ruffed it on board, then led a diamond back to ruff with the
nine of spades. Finally he scored the spade king.
Flexibility won -
a premature drawing of trumps would have restricted the options to only
losing ones!
If you have bridge
questions, or to send me your interesting hands, please contact me at:
[email protected].
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