u/Competitive-Kick-436

Any thoughts to what Thailand/Bangkok might be like in 20-25 years? I’m not kidding myself into thinking it’ll be on the level of the East Asian mega cities, but if you can afford to live in some of the nicer areas, it sounds like the infrastructure upgrades might create a lot of pockets that get fairly close? I plan on visiting in the early 2030s once the metro expansion projects complete, but I would love to get thoughts from people who live there and are more familiar with how Bangkok has been changing over the years.

Also I’m open to other cities that offer retirement visas and solid public transport (I love living in places where you can be car-free). The climate outlook in Bangkok is the other thing I’m a little worried about, so if anyone has thoughts on other cities that would have great healthcare options, I’d be happy to look into it.

I’m a bit far out from FIRE, but having a goal I can visualize really helps with staying the course.

I maxed out my IRA for the year, and after setting aside money in fdlxx for emergencies, I have about $2500 leftover. I don’t have access to a 401k for at least another 6 months (I’m in the process of going temp-to-perm and the company has a 6 month wait time). Should I put the $2500 in my taxable brokerage account, or wait until 1/1/27 and put it in my IRA? I currently have $7700 in the taxable brokerage invested in VTI. This cash would be used to buy VXUS to add some international exposure. The purpose of this account is to use it as a bridge until I hit my retirement withdrawal age in about 24 years, and as an ultra-emergency fund.

I’m going traditional because (1) I live in NYC so I get a better tax break now (2) doing so lowers my AGI for student loan RAP repayment certification and I can save myself 1500-2000 a year in payments (3) I plan on retiring abroad and a lot of countries don’t recognize Roth contributions.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!