Finally Realizing That It's Not Me....

[ladislav]

Hey Ladislav, somebody wrote on another thread that you can't expat with credit card debt and/or student loans. Is this true?

The info below is not meant as legal advice.

I do not mean disrespect to the person who said it but me thinks he was talking through his rear orifice. I went abroad precisely because I had credit card debt and student loans which I could not repay with US salaries. I paid down the loans and paid my credit cards off from Japan. Also, when I ran up my debt to yet another 27K total I again went abroad. I was once even on a debt reduction program and banks were calling me in Saudi because they did not want to deal with my debt counselor.
But I think I know what you mean- you probably worry that you may not be given a passport or be stopped at the airport? I do not think so. Never heard of anything like this happening. Just before you expatriate, work out a payment plan with your creditors or go on some consumer credit counseling program if you can't hack the payments.
But is that what you mean?

[ladislav]

Hey Raindreamer, I know exactly what you mean about those Filipinas lusting after you. My first Filipina GF made out with me and let me feel her up (and down!) on our second date, gave me a BJ on the third date, wanted to sleep with me by the fifth date, and invited me to move in with her after we'd been dating for 3 months. She provided me with sex and BJ's whenever I wanted them. And this was an Americanized Filipina who'd been living in the U.S. for 20 years! Naturally, this experience made me decide to visit the Philippines to see if I could meet more women like this. I wasn't disappointed. I could not believe that so many 20-something girls who looked like models and movie stars were grabbing me and sucking the lips right off my face (I was 38 at the time). Dreams can come true.

38 is spring chicken here in the Philippines. I see guys that look as old as Mathuselas with 18 year old wives walking around the streets of this town I am in. At 49 I think I am a bit too young to get married here. Gotta wait some 20-30 years more and then get me a young wife.

[Hero]

But I think I know what you mean- you probably worry that you may not be given a passport or be stopped at the airport? I do not think so. Never heard of anything like this happening. Just before you expatriate, work out a payment plan with your creditors or go on some consumer credit counseling program if you can't hack the payments.
But is that what you mean?

Yeah, something like that. I was worried that I might not get a long-term visa if I had debt.

I figure if I work another year or two at my current job I can get my debt payments down to a manageable level, and
have the cash to get certified as an ESL teacher and move abroad.

[ladislav]

Yeah, something like that. I was worried that I might not get a long-term visa if I had debt.

Afaik, other countries do not care what debt you have in the US. And, afaicr, the only time you may not be given a US passport is if you owe more than $2500 in child support and not paying it. Or if there is court case pending against you, I think.

I figure if I work another year or two at my current job I can get my debt payments down to a manageable level, and
have the cash to get certified as an ESL teacher and move abroad.

That is what I did. There are 4-6 milllion Americans living abroad. I'd gather many took out loans and used credit cards to go abroad. I knew guys in Saudi with 36-60K in debt. But most were making at least minimum payments. What about American companies that are abroad? Think about how much debt these have.

As far as using credit cards abroad, I have some 11 credit cards. Once I used a visa to get a nice cash advance in Thailand- some 4K. No problem. All you have to do is call them, talk to them or email them before you go abroad so that they know it is you using the cards and they have not been stolen by some crook. I rarely have problems using cards and I pay them online and all. As long as your payments are current it really does not matter if they are being used in the US or abroad.

The only card I have a problem with is Discover because it is almost always a US card. I just use it to pay for online services. Also, Capital One cards have a freaky rule that they only allow you to use a card overseas for 3 weeks or so and then you have to call them again and let them know again.

[Nate]

Oh it gets worse, we lived in Montana for a few years. It was cheap but the local females were driven into blind rage at how hot my wife is, and the guys in Montana were every bit as idiotic and goofy as the females. No guy in Montana once asked me about how I got my wife or how they could get one too. They could never see past their own stupidity to form the thought.

My wife has citizenship now and we will be 100% out of debt by the end of 2010. Then its off to New Hampshire or Vermont and we will try our best to get into Montrea Canada at that point. I have a few pending claims and a lawsuit against the department of veterans affairs that could net me $100,000 within the next 2 years.

Bringing a foreign wife to America has shown me the true nature of Americans as a whole. Americans are fully fascist scum, they know little more than backstabbing and screwing people over, and the "men" in America have become very much like females. Never being honest, always trying to trip people up, and gossip is their only true skill.

Id give my left nut for a 5 year visa to France at this point.

As I have said...the US is turning into a nation of she-prics and he-bitches..the term "bitch" is very appropriate for many American men.
In the presence of an even moderately attractive girl, many become absurdly obsequious ankle lickers...absolutely pathetic....it becomes quickly evident that they are not capable of wearing the pants in a relationship...


Nate

[Hero]

As far as using credit cards abroad, I have some 11 credit cards. Once I used a visa to get a nice cash advance in Thailand- some 4K.

Wow, why do you need 11 credit cards? I only have 3, and I just tossed one of them into the shredder because I never use it. And there's no such thing as a "nice" cash advance; I mean, don't they charge a 3% fee right off the bat, and then an interest rate around 23%?

I'll say this: I don't feel so bad anymore about having just $7500 in cc debt, after reading some of your stories.

[momopi]

As far as using credit cards abroad, I have some 11 credit cards. Once I used a visa to get a nice cash advance in Thailand- some 4K.

Wow, why do you need 11 credit cards? I only have 3, and I just tossed one of them into the shredder because I never use it. And there's no such thing as a "nice" cash advance; I mean, don't they charge a 3% fee right off the bat, and then an interest rate around 23%?

I'll say this: I don't feel so bad anymore about having just $7500 in cc debt, after reading some of your stories.

I'd advice keeping the card that you haven't been using, and use it once every 6 months, and pay off the balance. Shredding the credit card or closing it will not improve your credit score, but keeping "old" ones and using it once in a while, paying off the balance, will help your overall credit score.

Having a few credit cards is not a bad idea. If you only have one, and something happens to it, you're SOL. Also, with multiple credit cards, you can call them and ask for special rates on balance transfers, or use it to your leverage to lower the interest rate. My credit cards are all under 10% with no annual fees.

On the down side, cards with lower rate usually don't have good reward points.

[ladislav]

Wow, why do you need 11 credit cards? I only have 3, and I just tossed one of them into the shredder because I never use it. And there's no such thing as a "nice" cash advance; I mean, don't they charge a 3% fee right off the bat, and then an interest rate around 23%?

Well, it is an ego thing with me among other reasons. I collect credit cards. I did not have any credit for ten years because I lost my job and was not able to pay off the cards. So, this is how I ended up in Saudi Arabia. I should have gone there immediately but I did not know any better so I tried to make it in the USA. Wasted 18 months. But I was still able to buy a computer on credit and learned everything about the Web and all. Then I went to Saudi.
There, I paid all the debts off but my credit was ruined for seven years. I rebuilt it only recently.

They offered me many of these cards in 2007 and I just filled out the applications and mailed them out. And yes, there is the 23% interest if you take a cash advance but you may need the money in an emergency and it is expensive money but it is better than no money and you will not go to prison if you cannot pay it back.
Especially, as I travel, I exceedingly fear of my ATM card not working at times and a couple of credit cards not working as well. Some glitch, some bad machine and you are screwed. It has happened numerous times before and it will not happen again if I have all these cards to back me up. Also, if you take a cash advance and it is 23%, you can always call them and renegotiate the terms. And there are so many programs and insurance schemes with your credit card companies- in many cases, they will pay your minimal balance for 18 months if you say you are unemployed. Just fill out a simple online form and you pay nothing for a long time. And you can do so many things within those 18 months.

One thing that we can learn from the US government is that it has created an empire of debt and it is borrowing from everybody all the time and yes, it plunges itself and others into a relative crisis but few people end up living on the street no matter what and somehow all have more or less quality times and we have to keep in mind that there is no debtor's prison in the USA. So, the worst that can happen is that you declare bankruptcy in the end and restructure yourself and you can always do something anyway. One great thing about America is that there are so many alternatives- you can for example have all your cards paid off by taking out a loan at http://www.prosper.com. Anyway, there are always ways to deal with debt. Yeah, it is risky and all, but no one will kill you or jail you and it sure beats not being able to get anything done by not having credit at all.

When I was in Thailand and things went sour there, I had a credit card to buy me a ticket out. Things were messy for a while when I went back to the US but I was back home on my own turf and could solve problems there. I have heard of guys committing suicide in Thailand because they got cheated/robbed and had no money and overstayed their visas and that meant jail and the embassies did not help them out. Compared to that, the 23% problem is nothing. There are so many things you can do with that debt- postpone the payments, restructure them, pay from other cards -which can go on for months and even years and then if the worst happens, again you can go to Saudi and pay everything off. In the meantime, you will have cash to tide you over and help you do things you've wanted to do.

I'll say this: I don't feel so bad anymore about having just $7500 in cc debt, after reading some of your stories

It all depends on the income and also how well you can juggle the debt. If you make 2K a month in the US, it is a lot. If you make 5K a month in Saudi, $7500 is a piece of cake.
Plus in most countries in the world, credit is hard to come by and 23% is nothing. People will do anything to be able to borrow money there, but they can't. Most Americans do not know how easy it is to get credit in the US and how many things can be accomplished with it if used wisely. So what if you run up a debt. No one is going to jail you.One of the advantages of credit is that it allows you to save time and get things done quickly. Cash takes time to accumulate and while you are accumulating it, opportunities slip you by, girls leave you and all kinds of things go on. Had I had credit in 1996, I would have gone to the RP and married my girlfriend and then I could have gone and stayed with my mother and looked for a job and things would have worked out eventually. I did not and that is how I got screwed.

[Hero]

I'll say this: I don't feel so bad anymore about having just $7500 in cc debt, after reading some of your stories

It all depends on the income and also how well you can juggle the debt. If you make 2K a month in the US, it is a lot. If you make 5K a month in Saudi, $7500 is a piece of cake.

Well, I clear about $3100 a month after all the deductions are taken from my paycheck. Plus, my credit card has a variable
rate that hovers around 9%, which isn't so bad.

[Grunt]

If there is one thing I have learned since being married, its that debt drains every bit of joy from life. Ive given myself ulcers because I borrowed $10,000 from my uncle to move (escape?) from Montana to Virginia 7 months ago. We are now pouring every cent of our expendable income into getting rid of that loan.

We live like pawns and its basically destroyed my relationship with my uncle. I eat canned soup all week, and I have holes in my jeans and shoes, but my uncle gets his $1500 a month!

We have dedicated this year, 2010, to getting 100% out of debt once and for all. I am off to a good start, as I just got forgiveness for $15,000 worth of student loans because I am a disabled veteran. I had a tax lien on my credit report over that student loan that dragged my score down into the low 600 range.

My wife has one credit card with a current balance of $4000, and once its paid off we are hiding the card somewhere and only using it for emergencies ONLY. We will never have another credit card. On a good note, this whole miserable situation has forced us to learn how to live within our means.

Once things settle down, I will sit and think about why Fred Reed moved to Mexico. He says, "There is more to life than debt service". Its the truth.

[Winston]

Hi raindream,
Your words about how Filipinas transformed your life and soul is very moving and touching. I will share it with my list and group for sure. It's very inspiring and describes well how one can be transformed with the right girls, culture and location.

When you said you weren't a big fan of everything I say or do, what did you mean? What about my actions or words do you not agree with? It seems that you and I are on the same page in our path and observations and experiences, so where is the disagreement?

[momopi]

If there is one thing I have learned since being married, its that debt drains every bit of joy from life. Ive given myself ulcers because I borrowed $10,000 from my uncle to move (escape?) from Montana to Virginia 7 months ago. We are now pouring every cent of our expendable income into getting rid of that loan.

We live like pawns and its basically destroyed my relationship with my uncle. I eat canned soup all week, and I have holes in my jeans and shoes, but my uncle gets his $1500 a month!

We have dedicated this year, 2010, to getting 100% out of debt once and for all. I am off to a good start, as I just got forgiveness for $15,000 worth of student loans because I am a disabled veteran. I had a tax lien on my credit report over that student loan that dragged my score down into the low 600 range.

My wife has one credit card with a current balance of $4000, and once its paid off we are hiding the card somewhere and only using it for emergencies ONLY. We will never have another credit card. On a good note, this whole miserable situation has forced us to learn how to live within our means.

Once things settle down, I will sit and think about why Fred Reed moved to Mexico. He says, "There is more to life than debt service". Its the truth.

Depending on your interest rate and loan terms, you might be able to get a better deal with p2p loans from services such as http://www.prosper.com/.

I could give a few general financial advice, but only if you're interested.

[ladislav]

If there is one thing I have learned since being married, its that debt drains every bit of joy from life. Ive given myself ulcers because I borrowed $10,000 from my uncle to move (escape?) from Montana to Virginia 7 months ago. We are now pouring every cent of our expendable income into getting rid of that loan.

We live like pawns and its basically destroyed my relationship with my uncle. I eat canned soup all week, and I have holes in my jeans and shoes, but my uncle gets his $1500 a month!

We have dedicated this year, 2010, to getting 100% out of debt once and for all. I am off to a good start, as I just got forgiveness for $15,000 worth of student loans because I am a disabled veteran. I had a tax lien on my credit report over that student loan that dragged my score down into the low 600 range.

My wife has one credit card with a current balance of $4000, and once its paid off we are hiding the card somewhere and only using it for emergencies ONLY. We will never have another credit card. On a good note, this whole miserable situation has forced us to learn how to live within our means.

Once things settle down, I will sit and think about why Fred Reed moved to Mexico. He says, "There is more to life than debt service". Its the truth.

But you see, the thing with loans is the even though you pay through the nose for them, they do help you get things done. You got out of Montana,didn't you? In a lot of places, people would be willing to take out loans and pay back the loans with any sacrifice required of them, it is just that they cannot get them. I also had big bills and all with high interest but I did get something in return for them. Looking back, I accomplished most things I wanted by using credit. Yes, they crippled me somewhat and cramped my style, but I still hobbled along towards my goals and achieved them. It is all about what price you are willing to pay. The thing in the US is that the taxes, wages and rents are designed in such a way that you have little diposable income to begin with so it makes it hard to live with such debts. Not so in Japan and the ME. I paid them all pretty effortlessly and still took vacations and had good food and all.

The only time I got in trouble with loans and could not pay them back was when I tried to work in the USA and the market was so lousy for my field in the late 1990ies that I simply could not afford the rent, the loans and the car, etc. Had I had a good job, the whole thing would have been a non issue. You ability to get credit in the US becomes a boon once foreign money is factored into the equation. No wonder the US government is borrowing money from Saudis/Japanese/Chinese If there was so much money in America to begin with, why is the US so heavily in debt and keeps borrowing? And where is the real money? I only saw money for real when I went to cash rich countries such as Japan and the Arab oil countries. I personally do not think it is that easy to save money in America or just to live a good lifestyle. I always hear about someone making money somewhere but I rarely see too many of such people. Most people struggle just to pay bills. Decade after decade.

After six months in Saudi I was still 14K in debt because I was not making full payments but I was still able to go to the Philippines and live there 6 months having unimaginable fun. Such is the power of overseas earnings.

[puresalvation]

Hey mate,

just a short answer, it never was you to start with. I agree with what has been said about Anglo/english speaking women. Most english speaking women are really inflexible and never bring anything worthwhile to the table in a realtionship. whereas foreign women seem to be alot more classy and intelligent.

Foreign women actually want to date men.

What say you lot?

Regards.

Pure.

[Shokkers]

I am the type of person that needs to accomplish something. I do have a military pension, and its not bad at $3700 tax free per month. The problem is, when I am in Ukraine I get alot of unwanted attention from Ukrainian guys. Its not too bad, but that low level of hard stares and general hostility that over time gets on my nerves.

Also, who is to say the US dollar does not fall over dead like the Soviet Ruble? Then I would be stuck in Ukraine with no job, no skills, and 45 years old and disabled from the war?

I would like to try to start a business in Canada or Europe, but I simply dont have the money to start one. I am currently considering a move to New Hampshire or Vermont as both states are very very close to secession from the Union. Once they do that, its going to be an economic boom and I want to be there to see it happen.

I guess time will tell. All I know is, America is screwed.

Grunt, you'd probably be 50, 55 or 60 before any state 'secedes from the union'. Not that it couldn't happen, Texas is making those noises but it's one of the few states that possibly could operate independently with its own oil, ports, farms, etc.

Why not set something up in the Czech republic? I'm thinking about it. It's still relatively close to Ukraine if your girl got homesick.
Best, KK