RetireJapan

... 2000 went straight back to Japan, stayed until 2005, and can't remember what I paid into system. I can't remember if I asked for or received a refund. 2010-2011 was in Japan for a year and paid into the pension. I can't remember if I asked for or received a refund. 2013 it gets tricky. I moved ...

I use a normal bank account. If you happen to have an 'extra' bank or PO account, using that might help keep this separate psychologically, but it's also not hard to look at your balance and remember (in this case) that 1.5M of it is for emergencies. edit: My wife keeps some money at home, but I'm n...

Noticed this:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/transfer ... 07078.html

... We're going to chuck in 10m yen, they will do the same. The house will eventually become ours. Should be pleasant enough once its renovated. ... I've thought on this some, and don't know whether to mention it. This all looks fine. ¥20M will produce an almost new house that should be very pleasa...

Concerning the difference between ETFs and Mutual Funds, as discussed above, MF re-invest the dividends for you, whereas ETF does not. ... I'm US and have a schwab acct there. I don't own any mutual funds (some 1947 law (?)), but for the ETFs in my acct I can choose whether to reinvest or not at th...

I was just wondering whether foreigners with PR who are paying into the pension/healthcare system would be able to avail themselves of any social security or welfare system should they fall ill with a chronic and debilitating illness? My guess is foreigners don’t qualify for any kind of disability ...

I'm a recent retiree and am now paying for 介護保険, about ¥12,500/month. Since I'm paying in, I would certainly expect to be covered if I had to be institutionalized. (Yuk, what a thought!) This is new as a retiree, and is in addition to the other health insurance that I pay for. I don't think it would...

I'll be 99 in 2050.

Or dead before that.

Good veggies are a splurge that we regard as a necessity. String beans or cauliflower (and even tomatoes are ¥¥¥), it doesn't matter. If we're making a salad, additions like that are important. Locally, avocados (one of our favs) are priced at 98, 138, and 198, depending on size and which store. I u...

... so I think it kind of breaks the 'contract' to retroactively means test it. A 'contract' under which the final payout decreases each year that we don't retire... :| Well, there are some states in the US (Illinois) that are locked into obligations that seem to be un-doable. Likewise, other state...