RetireJapan

Thanks guys. So, 40 years of payments gets the full pension? In that respect, these additional 2 years of payments will get me closer to that. According to the simple pension calculator on nenkin net, I will get an additional 37,418 yen per pension year if I make the voluntary contribution. I also u...

Hi guys, I was exempted from paying the J pension (kokumin nenkin) for approximately 2 years when I was an exchange student here. I recently received a notice explaining that I can pay these periods retroactively (国民年金保険料追納). The exemption spanned 3 years and the total amount is about 350,000 yen. M...

Thank you both for the replies!
That gives me a good idea of how to prioritise our investments and is also reassuring with regard to the fact that there are no tax issues with funding my wife’s investments.

Thanks for the reply! I understand that iDeco is advantageous due to the tax exemption, but in the case of my wife who has no income, I think iDeco perhaps loses its appeal? From what I’ve read, iDeco incurs an initial fee and then an investment fee each time you top up, so without the tax exemption...

I currently have a tsumitate NISA going for myself, however I am considering opening another under my spouse’s name to maximise the tax benefit. She is a housewife so doesn’t have a taxable income. From what I have read on the matter, I can use my own income to pay into her account, but if this amou...

Thank you both. Reassuirng words! Much appreciated.
One of my coworkers mentioned today that Rakuten offer Vanguard funds now. Is that an equivalent service to the ones available in the US and UK,or does the fact that it works through Rakuten mean the fees are higher?

Thanks for the quick response! I may consider mixing in some of the 80% strategy plan this year, but I’m generally quite conservative with my money! Ha When your account was closed, were you at least refunded the current price of the stocks? I actually started voluntary UK pension payments in the mi...

I’m a Brit living in Japan, and started investing in Vanguard index funds earlier last year (very much a beginner). I used my family address to register in the UK. I currently buy 600 pounds of the blended 60% life strategy equity fund every month. I use TransferWise to send remittances from Japan t...