scrubbedexpat141

You crack on. You know what day-to-day life is like and how one comment on here can be turned into a snowball of you being bled dry and having your pockets raided in your sleep.

Go and have a Red Horse. That stuff is fantastic.

Millhouse

Ok, I have to ask this... how much washing do you produce? Is it like one or two loads a week? or do you not have a machine? Just trying to figure out how much help is needed.

Philosophical 11

We have a washing machine which she only uses for the heavy stuff such as bed covers etc. She does not like to use it for clothes because it does not get them as clean as a hand wash. Might be the case for whites, but we don't have much of them.....mainly coloured. She also thinks it damages the clothes. Maybe one load a week. Just think of only two people. If I was on my own, I would just shove every thing in and press the Go button. Having bought a washing machine is the main reason I was not going to pay her mother or anyone to wash our clothes. If we didn't have one, it may be a different story.

Regards

Stokkevn

I am most likely the last person who should be giving advise to anyone on who to lend what to, being owed nearly P500k by family members. The only thing in my defense is that nearly all that was when we used to visit 1 or 2 times a year and I had a pretty good paying job. Surprisingly all non-family members have all paid in full

I have now said to the missus, anything she gets back we can split 50/50 which she sees as a challenge and sometimes sets off early in the morning, returning for lunch with a couple of thousand and of course the signed, I have paid notes. And this gives me a morning of quiet, everyone is a winner.

Stokkevn

The fan investment well worth the money. Today was shoved towards the medical center for BP tests. I said she should have hers done first while I sorted out my post. The result was that she has a BP of 130/90 vs my 130/80, so I went through with the nurse what my wife should give up ( chocolate, cigarettes, alcohol, fatty foods, offal from pig or chicken etc ). Wife looked very dejected by all the things she should give up and with the thrill of tree bark porridge, tree leaf tea and tree seed stew bestowed upon me when my BP was considered high. Not one mention of me having to give up beer, peanuts, crisps or cheese.

I think this could be the last time she insists on BP tests for me.

Maybe I have spoken too soon, while typing this she has just announced that my runny nose and cough ( what we call in the UK a mild cold ) is due to my consumption of beer and peanuts. Anyone any suggestions on a "Get out of Jail Free Card" for this, have tried the "It is a virus and you catch it from someone else" but that is never believed and I will not tell her what my father used to tell my girlfriends on how I caught a cold and that was getting out of a warm bed and going home.

Philosophical 11

Thanks all,

Stokkevn: A mild cold here in the Philippines would be a "fever" as you know. This means time off work or school. If I got a mild cold it would be because I drink Red Horse. If waddly woman gets a mild cold she would be close to death and her fb pages would be full of pictures of her laid dying in bed. Complete with make-up of course. Also would be pages of of her prayers to God to cure her of this affliction. She gets better which prompts more pictures and prayers. If her son wormboy gets a fever, it is invariably typhoid fever. Cue more pics and prayers.

Slightly miffed yesterday. Her brother came over and she gave him our Xmas tree plus all decorations to adorn her families house. Perhaps I am being petty but as it was me that paid for it all, perhaps I should have been consulted. Mushroom scenario again. They have their own decorations which are quite good. Her reasoning was that they were broken. Yeah....she expects muggings here to buy new ones this year. I think she will be slightly disappointed when she finds her parents house has better decorations than ours this year. But I suspect this is a sop to her parents to try and get their relationship on an even keel. I could be wrong of course.

Talking about money, I have taken steps to have my RAF Pension paid into my BPI account here. The initial process seemed quite simple. A quick Skype call to Equiniti and a form has been dispatched. That should save UK tax and give me over £100 pm extra. But I believe an SRRV or 13A is required to facilitate this. Something to look into. There is a newish scheme I have heard about whereby one can take a percentage of their private pension I believe as a capital sum. I am already drawing on mine and have taken 25% as a capital sum a few years back. Don't think it will apply to me but will have to research it.

Nice to see the Exchange rate creeping up at last.

All for now

quiltman

Talking about money, I have taken steps to have my RAF Pension paid into my BPI account here. The initial process seemed quite simple. A quick Skype call to Equiniti and a form has been dispatched. That should save UK tax and give me over £100 pm extra. But I believe an SRRV or 13A is required to facilitate this. Something to look into. There is a newish scheme I have heard about whereby one can take a percentage of their private pension I believe as a capital sum. I am already drawing on mine and have taken 25% as a capital sum a few years back. Don't think it will apply to me but will have to research it.

yes , the double taxation treaty requires you to be tax resident ,which normally means an SRRV .(not sure about a 13A) The form is DTT individual, available on the HMRC website, but this might be the form Equiniti are sending. This needs certifying by the BIR here and they require proof of residency such as a Cedula and Barangay residence certificate. Re the lump sum. BE CAREFUL as many folks have been caught. Yes, you can take lump sums but if more than the 25% allowed then you will be taxed on whatever you take out above the 25%. There's been a few articles in the UK papers financial sections about this.
Why you SHOULDN'T take a 25% lump sum from your pension | This is Money or this
https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.u...on-pot-as-cash

hopefully it'll be of interest.

Philosophical 11

Thanks Quiltman. Ever helpful as per usual.

I assume this is referring to my Military Pension only? I have already drawn on my Military pension as already stated. As far as the tax is concerned and warned about, I am already paying tax so that is not of great concern. But a further drawing of my military pension fund (CETV) would be of great benefit to me right now. Perhaps there is a time limit to this as I have been drawing my annuity for a number of years now. Obviously I could pose the question to Equinity or whoever is responsible for these matters.

Regards...and thanks.

Philosophical 11

I have to smile sometimes at my lovely lady. Our days are normally spent doing nothing much together except for our twice daily walks to the beach ....once first thing in the morning and a visit to the shops and then during the cool of the evening for a swift half on the beach. I look forward to these as it breaks up the monotony of being cooped up in the house. Any suggestion of going out during the afternoon is shunned as its too hot. Not too hot for her to leg it into the market to pay or receive money I may add. A few weeks ago she announced she was off to her mothers house which is no problem. I got bored and took the bike out for a spin and went by her mothers house to say where I was going. She was having her nails done which she normally has done here. No problem but she asked where I was going and a thousand and one other questions. She felt put out that I dared to leave the house on my own and perhaps feared I would be up to no good. My cycle ride was punctuated by many texts from her. Fast forward to today. She says she is going to her mothers house...again no problem from me. I said I might go for a ride to kill the time before we go for a walk to the beach this evening. Cue shock and horror. Anyway she left rather apprehensively judging by her excuses and reasons to go and visit her family. Again no problem for me. As she left I went to get changed for my ride and she was back at the gate within a couple of minutes. Apparently all her family were out. Unlikely. They never go out en-mass. And she did not have time to get there and back anyway. I think its all very sad. She wants to visit her family but she does not want me to go out on my own. But, I certainly do not want to stay in here whilst she is out and about. And I certainly do not want to visit her house where I am told to sit in a corner and be thrown the odd biscuit.

Anyway....must get showered and changed for our evening walk to the beach. With my lovely lady.

Regards

quiltman

, As we have discussed previously, it is likely your Military pension is EXCLUDED from the DTT as it is classed as a government pension. This means it is added to your State Pension and any tax due above the tax free limit is deducted from your Military pension. Re the drawdown. As I understand it , under the new rules you can take 25% of your pot in cash tax free BUT I'm not sure how often - i.e once a year for example.(The old rules allowed ONE 25% withdrawal then you had to buy an annuity with the balance) There was an example in the first link I sent you so you'll have to read it to see how it applies in your circumstances. Do you want me to try and investigate a bit more for you? I have a friend in UK who deals in pension funds with Barclays so I could ask him.

Philosophical 11

Hi Quiltman,

Thanks for that. Yes, I understand that my RAF Pension is excluded from the DTT. What I am particularly interested in is can I take a further capital sum from my RAF pension bearing in mind that I have already taken 25% some time ago? If your man at Barclays does not know I can always give Equiniti a bell for a definitive answer.

Many thanks. Again.

quiltman

I've just re read the article I linked to. It says you can take money out of your fund but each time you do, then 25% is tax free and you pay tax on the balance. I.E you take 10K out - 2.5K is tax free BUT you pay tax on the balance of 7.5K - so at 20% that's 1.5K tax - you end up with 8.5K.
only you can do the maths to see if it's worth it! It does NOT say you are limited to how often you can withdraw so it looks like you can take money out whenever you want but don't forget, it will be classed as income, so if you take too much out in any one tax year you could end up paying tax at 40%!. I'll ask my friend for his advice. give me a few days.

Philosophical 11

Thanks Quiltman,

If I can draw again on my pension, then that is music to my ears. I am happy paying the tax because I am already doing so on my monthly payments. Doubt if I will creep into the 40% bracket but I will do the sums before I make any withdrawals ....if I am permitted.

Thanks again.

quiltman

Done a little more investigating. Don't want to rain on your parade but the following may be relevant to your situation:
https://www.saga.co.uk/magazine/mone...ules-explained
the nub is whether your Military Pension is classed as a money purchase or personal pension. As you are receiving a pension and have already taken a lump sum plus the fact that a Military Pension is classed as a government pension may mean that you do not come under the new rules and so cannot withdraw any more. You need to ask Equiniti since as I read it, the new rules only apply to private pension pots. I have emailed my friend in UK to ask the same questions. Fingers crossed!

Philosophical 11

Thanks again Quiltman. I value your research on my behalf. Looking at that link, I think I am stymied by the second sentence. But as you say, fingers crossed. However, its always worth asking the question. Nothing ventured....nothing gained as they say.

Many thanks once again. Much appreciated.