RetireJapan

Deep Blue wrote: ↑Thu Mar 27, 2025 10:02 pm This is getting some unwelcome press recently.

https://on.ft.com/3RnK7U9

The comments section is pretty angry about this amazing benefit we’re able to exploit.

And that is from Financial Times readers

Imagine what will happen once the Daily Mail gets hold of this story...

Anyway, I went with an overseas investment plan called the EVO 25 through a "financial advisor" called Argentum Wealth. I think a few posters on here are familiar with them. After reading up on various situations that are similar to mine I realize now that I made a mistake starting this p...

eyeswideshut wrote: ↑Tue Mar 25, 2025 6:56 am So basically you just take out 5% of whatever your portfolio is worth on a given date every year?

Yes. For us, this should be more than we need for basic expenses, so we will add it to a cash fund.

In a severe market crash we could even use some of the fund to buy when prices are depressed.

@Ben, why do you want to wait until you have improved your Japanese more? Is it just having more of a feeling of belonging to the culture more? Couple of things. I had a slightly unpleasant experience in my naturalization preliminary interview in 2011: I turned up hoping to get information and advi...

I have been thinking about this for a long time (I'm not US, so have no financial incentive to do so). My motivation is similar: this is my home and I want to right to live here, not just permission (which is what I have with PR). Being able to vote, have a kanji name, and be treated normally by gov...

So you mean using 5% of the remaining balance each year without adjusting for inflation? In other words, your budget will shrink each year, especially with inflation. But you can also up your spending if the stock market booms I guess. Might shrink temporarily, but should grow as the portfolio does.

RingoFan wrote: ↑Thu Mar 20, 2025 3:49 pm I was considering giving them a call, but then realised that Skype has been discontinued by Microsoft, so I have no cost-effective means to call the UK.

Skype still works until May, might as well use up and credit you have left

You don't have to start over, it takes a couple of months to switch then you can relocate all your money to the better funds in the select plan.

My wife did this a couple of years ago.

For teaching jobs in Japan there is not much point in doing any qualifications below an MA from a reputable university. The only benefit would be personal development.

Just called the HMRC phone line as described in the post below. https://i.ibb.co/Kj0cqSsW/image-1.png I had to wait around 45 minutes despite calling at 8am UK time when the phone lines opened. I was calling to confirm that they had received the money I sent them in November and that they were going...