RetireJapan

I get asked a lot about internet providers, and my current OCN connection seems kind of crappy, so it seems like a good chance to look at what is out there.

What are the options for internet? Are any better (more uptime, faster speeds) or cheaper?

Hi CS Thanks for joining us :) I'm not really in a position to educate anyone, as I barely know what I am talking about. The saving grace of RetireJapan is that very clever people occasionally pop in and comment here. In the meantime, here are my thoughts... State pension schemes tend to be better t...

I'm mentioned a few times that THEO does tax-loss harvesting (based on what seems to be happening on my statements, which sometimes show a negative number for capital gains), but do they really? I don't recall having seen it anywhere in their promotional literature or website. Does anyone have a def...

I think it might be useful to have a 'post your stock purchase ideas here' thread to allow us to: a) think things through in public, b) get feedback from others, and c) share our thought processes. Of course everyone should understand that these are just thoughts and not suggestions, and no-one shou...

I'm always looking for ideas for blog posts, so if there is something you'd like to read about please post it here!

Can't promise I'll write about it, but I will definitely take a look and have a good think about it

Hi markshinshu Thanks! As I understand it, power costs 30-odd yen in the daytime and the feed-in tariffs are only 30 yen (domestic) and 23 yen (commercial) so it makes sense to use your own power in the daytime and sell the excess then buy at night. Our new house faces due south and the roof will be...

Yeah, definitely planning to get a battery at some point. I'm expecting prices to come down a lot over the next 10-20 years :) The gamble is that currently feed-in tariff for <10kw is 30 yen for 10 years, then unknown after that (current market feed-in tariff is 11 yen). Feed-in tariff for >10kw is ...

I've been looking further into solar panels and am now drafting my second blog post. Before that I could do with your help! So a few things have cleared up. You can use the power from commercial installations (over 10kw) yourself and are not forced to sell all the electricity. Given that, would it b...

Hi Gareth

The website is here: http://hosted.jalt.org/chapters/kq/sche ... ptember/09

Recently I've been finding the best format to be a quick overview of personal finance and accounts in Japan, then a lengthy Q&A

If they are changing the rules so that you can qualify for pension payments after paying in for 10 years as opposed to the 25 it has been up till now, and you can backpay for ten years, is there anything to stop someone just backpaying 10 years the month or so before they retire and getting the ben...