Social Security & Cruising?

[John A]

Originally Posted by johnar

From what I get from all the post is bottom line, Don't ask don't tell meaning that people do it by keeping a US address with direct deposit. as for the property I have no clue and seams to me that each Goverment has their own rules. I guess the SSA never checks to see if people sign in and out of the country.

In my post I tried to explain the legal aspect by returning every 90 days. In my option if your not drawing welfare then you should be able to travel or live anyplace you want, you worked all your life paying in now it is your time to live.

Dutch

I know of a US cruisier who is currently in asian waters and receives disablity payments from US Workmans Comp. for a work related injury. He routinly flies back and forth to the US.

[johnar]

That is the same with me and the same plan to stay legal, I would guess his medical is the same as mine to Medical setaside fund.

Thank you for your input,

Dutch

[bobfnbw]

Why not just have it direct deposited into a US bank and be done with it?
You can access the money all over the world via atm's, or go into a bank and have it wired with in a few hours or days at extra cost?
Or dispense with cash, and pay everything with a credit card and pay that online via your checking account that your ss was direct deposited to?
I would have several thousand dollars on hand in the form of cash or traveler checks for that just in case, but mostly everthing should be albe to be handled with credit card/debit card.
Pay your bills on line. In fact have then automaticaly withdrawn from a acccount you set up to do just that. Have a balence of a few months payments in it, and link it to a credit card for overdraft protection. Have your primary cash stash in a seperate account for safety.
Having a address in the US after you leave is hard, unless you have RELIABLE family members.
I plan on selling all my stuff before I leave, and the few items I really want to keep will be left with my sons. I will use their address, for bank and driving licences. I bank with USAA and can access my account from anywhere. Their bill pay services are second to none. And a credit card linked to the account.
I will also plan on having over 10K in cash, traveler checks with me. Hidden well of course. And as much as I can afford in gold coins, say around 10K worth, again hid well.Of course there is always a chance that can be taken from us, but if it is hid very well on board, I don't think so.
Bob

[FSMike]

Bob -
I'm not sure I'd be posting that sort of information on the internet with the name of my boat attached.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by bobfnbw

...................Having a address in the US after you leave is hard, unless you have RELIABLE family members...............
Bob

I've established my address with St. Brendans Isle, Green Cove Springs, Florida for the past eight years with no land ownership of anything and no dependance on relatives. Many crusiers use this inexpensive service without any complications. 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

[hellosailor]

"And as much as I can afford in gold coins, say around 10K worth, again hid well."
And as long as you're tipping the boat boy $100 a shot, that should be no problem. US gold coins come as small as 1/10oz size, you should only need ahundred of those to make up 10K. Then again...who's going to believe they're gold? Or pay you more than 75% of the bullion price for them, when you need to cash them in?
That's gonna be an expensive safety line.

[AnchorageGuy]

We have friends in Mexico, Panama and Guatemala that collect SS, have it sent to their banks there, have been out of the US for many years and have never had a problem or been ask to come back to the US. WG

[bobfnbw]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Bob -
I'm not sure I'd be posting that sort of information on the internet with the name of my boat attached.

OK... then don't. Seriously do you think that the bad guys out there are monitoring this site and recording my boat name so that one day, maybe they can come aboard and look for "gold coins"?
Seriously get real.

"And as much as I can afford in gold coins, say around 10K worth, again hid well."
And as long as you're tipping the boat boy $100 a shot, that should be no problem. US gold coins come as small as 1/10oz size, you should only need ahundred of those to make up 10K. Then again...who's going to believe they're gold? Or pay you more than 75% of the bullion price for them, when you need to cash them in?
That's gonna be an expensive safety line.

Exactly what are you getting at here dude... cause I fail to see your logic?
But if you want to jump on my post about something that I might do in the future, feel free. The internet is a good place for it.

[hellosailor]

The logic is, Bob, just what I asked you. You're not James Bond with his concealed gold coins for emergency payments, and this is not the 60's. Carrying ten grand in gold coins, whose actual value may change by 50% within a few years (up OR DOWN), is a fantasy, not a practical way to carry emergency funds. The US Dollar and other paper currency is far safer to carry, still accepted world-wide, and while carrying that amount of currency across borders will violate many laws, carrying that amount of gold even as coinage will also violate laws.

Emergency money? Carry enough to pay off the local uniform, leave the rest where an ATM can find it. Ten k in gold coins? Sure, Mister Bond.

[Lostmt]

Bob,
Let me know when you need help hiding the coins. It will take me about an hour to drive over. Then I'll be back that night.

No in all seriousness in due time this thread will show up on the internet search when someone types in gold coins. Once the wrong person reads your post and keeps track of you they will be watching out for your boat.

I'd put my faith in the ATM and have a good banker that will watch my account for wrong charges. I would not use my debit/credit card anywhere except a ATM. It is easy for a clerk to get your card information and make some charges that you have to spend the time correcting. That just happened to a friend just the other day. A $1000.00 spent over the internet and now she has to file police reports and spend time at her bank getting the money back taken out of her account.

What do you do is your out cruising and this happened to you?

[tallyhorob]

stay away from using an ATM card except at the bank when you are pulling money out. Use a Credit card and then just pay the bill in full from your checking account on line bill pay. That way you have the protection of the law on CC and can dispute a false charge and not have to fight to get your money back into your account from an atm card. OR maybe have 2 accounts one with the ATM card that you keep a smaller amount in and transfer as needed.

[John A]

If you have a credit card for charging larger amounts, boat parts and such, contact the credit card company and request a hold to be put on any charges until you have called them and given your permission to honor a charge.
Don't make ATM withdrawals at night or when there are a number of young locals on the scene.

[bobfnbw]

Alright... what will you do if you cannot access that credit card, atm machine or whatever ? If that has never happed to you, then you just don't know, now do you?
Wifes card was unusable last week when someone in another state got a hold of her numbers. The bank fraud department put a hold on the account, and it took over a week to get a new card. What if we were off shore?
Think it could never happen ? Ok, just don't ask me to help you when /if if does.

There are many ways to cover oneself if things happen. Having extra food for instance, and a way to make water other than rain. And available access to funds. You could use traveler checks, cash, gold, what ever. Sure there is a risk. So is sailing and life. No one gets out alive.
You want to insult me by calling me mr bond.. go ahead. Its stupid, but so what.
Still not sure what our point is. Mine is having capital to do what I want when I want to. Regardless of the local situation. 10K in funds aboard is not a lot imo. Sure it would hurt a bit to lose it, but I bet some of you have more than that in electronics. Would that hurt to get it ripped off ?
As far as coming up in a google search... that is pretty funny. I choose not to live in fear that someone may/might be looking for posts like that.
I have a lot more tied up in my boat. If they want so bucks just take it.
But this is way off topic. So I am done.

[hellosailor]

No insult meant, Bob. Mr. Bond may be a fossil of the Cold War but most of us wouldn't be insulted to be in that class.

Sure, ATM cards don't always work, but at least if it is stolen, it can and will be replaced in a week. And a lost card alone doesn't provide account access. If your coins are stolen--they're a total loss, aren't they?

If you know people in the gold trade, i.e. you are a jeweler or regular customer or close friend, you will count yourself lucky to get 90% of the spot price of bullion weight for 24k gold. Forget the coin value. So with gold coins, right away your $10,000 emergency fund is worth only $9,000 "here and now" and more likely, if you're stuck in a hard place, someone knows you are stuck and you'll be lucky to see $7,000 for them. With that kind of loss? You can have a new ATM card sent out overnight, anyplace in the world. OK, two nights in PagoPago but the hotel stay is still "free" compared to the loss you'll take on the gold. $50-100 a year, and you can also get a "full" American Express card (what they call a "charge" card, not a "credit" card) and they're real good about generating replacements, refunding traveler's checks, and making other arrangements for travelers.
And then, if you go someplace really remote and try to convince some warlord that you really have gold coins...You don't think he'll send some friends to clean out the rest of the boat?
I could be wrong, but I'd sure like to see a poll on the forum, asking if any forum members have ever used gold, or heard of anyone who used gold, in the way you say you would use it. Anytime in the past thirty or forty years.
Other than bridal dowry in the back countries of "South Asia"? (What was all called "India" on the maps) I don't think anyone would know how to tell if your coins were even real, unless they were in the business. Which would mean, within wire banking range these days, as well.

By the way, even before there was a public internet? I can confirm at least one hobbyist whose home was burgled, cleaned out of expensive equipment, after he made the mistake of posting on a BBS that he'd be gone for a vacation. It isn't funny, there are people who make a living that way. And many of them come back to look for the empty boxes from the replacements that rich folks immediately go out and buy. Then, they steal all the new good stuff the second time!

It's a business, there are full-time professionals in it. Using Google? Maybe not. Trolling places where rich people talk about their hobbies and schedules? Yup. For many years now. (Rich, yes. If you have discretionary income, if you can afford hobbies at all of any kind, you're rich compared to most of the world.)

[imagine2frolic]

Couple of things about the Phils. You can't own property, but your wife can will it to you if she is the first to go. Second your area probably has a Philippines National Bank which will give you acces to your money much easier for when cash is needed. ATM's are a good source also.

I am on a forum for just what you propose for the fact I am getting ready to set sail for the Phils also. liveinthephilippines.com is a great site to ask questions from those who are truly doing it successfully without any surprises.

You cannot import your boat, and change title unless you want to pay 100% taxes on it. Another good source is sailsamal.com. Ellen, and her husband sailed to the phils, and can answer many of your questions. She is Filipina with a dual citizenship with Canada, and her husband is Norwegian(?). They seem to be thriving there. I am also sure Pelagic will be a great source of information also. He is based in the Phils too.........i2f