Business
Retirement planning is more than just investing

PHUKET: A common question that I get from potential clients is, “Why do I need a registered investment adviser? I can buy stocks on my own.” Well, retirement planning is more than just buying and selling stocks and bonds. The answer is that retirement involves not only investment planning, but it also involves tax planning. The best way to explain this crucial point involves one of the most popular investments for yield today – master limited partnerships, or MLPs.
MLPs invest in energy assets. They’re similar to real estate investment trusts (REITs), except that they carry on an active business. This has allowed MLPs to constantly and consistently increase their payouts over the last several years. A trend which will likely continue.
There are three types of MLPs: upstream, midstream and downstream. Upstream involves exploring and developing oil and gas properties. Downstream focuses on processing and refining. Midstream refers to the companies in the middle that provide services to energy companies on either side and charge a fee for their services.
The tricky part of investing in MLPs is the way that they are taxed. An MLP pays out the income from its businesses to its owners. Income from an MLP is treated as a return of capital. MLP owners receive what is called a K-1, which is a detailed tax report showing the income and expenses of the business. Each owner is allocated a certain portion based on the number of units they own.

Because of the income MLPs generate, and the way that they are taxed, they are great for retirement, but terrible for a retirement account. What do I mean by this? By owning MLPs in your retirement account, you are actually missing out on a lot of the tax breaks you can get by owning the MLP. MLP investors not only get the income from the MLP, but they get expenses that they can write-off against all other income. This is handy for retirees looking to limit the income they have to report to Uncle Sam and lower their tax bill.
Most retirees fail to take taxes into consideration when planning for retirement. The more money they have to pay Uncle Sam, the less they have for retirement and to live on. I not only provide you with suitable investments, but I also help devise your tax plan. After all, what good is saving for retirement if the government is going to keep taking a good chunk of your money?
Now, let’s look and see how some MLPs have done for my clients since the start of the year. Here is how you would have fared had you put US$100,000 into these MLPs on January 1.
Not including fees, you would be sitting on US$117,435.49, good for over 17 per cent return on principal. Along the way, you would have also collected a total of US$2,791.39 in distributions. You got price appreciation and received an average yield of 5.58 per cent on your money. This is why MLPs are so attractive and why I recommend them for my clients.
Now, what are some of the risks going forward? One risk is that interest rates rise. This would increase the yield on bonds and term deposits. Investors could sell some of their MLPs and shift the money towards other assets.
What about the price of oil? The good news is that MLPs are not affected by the price of oil or natural gas, especially the pipeline MLPs like Kinder Morgan. Kinder Morgan gets paid to pipe oil and natural gas regardless of their price. Kinder Morgan charges fees based on volume, not on the price of the underlying commodity.
MLPs are great long-term investments. The increase in US oil and natural gas production will continue to drive demand for the businesses of upstream, midstream and downstream MLPs. As long as oil and gas keeps flowing, the MLPs will continue paying my clients and I and keep us happy long into our retirement here in the Land of Smiles.
Don Freeman is president of Freeman Capital Management, a Registered Investment Adviser with the US Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), based in Phuket, Thailand. He has over 15 years experience and provides personal financial planning and wealth management to expatriates. Specializing in UK and US pension transfers. Call 089-970 5795 or email: freemancapital@gmail.com.
— Don Freeman
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Turbulence ahead for Thailand’s aviation industry | VIDEO

When the airlines, in particular, were asking the government to put their hands in their pockets for some relief funding in August last year, it was genuinely thought that international tourists would be coming back for the high season in December and January. At the very least local tourists and expats would head back to the skies over the traditional holiday break. And surely the Chinese would be back for Chinese New Year?
As we know now, none of that happened. A resurge in cases started just south of Bangkok on December 20 last year, just before Christmas, kicking off another round of restrictions, pretty much killing off any possibility of a high season ‘bump’ for the tourist industry. Airlines slashed flights from their schedule, and hotels, which had dusted off their reception desks for the surge of tourists, shut their doors again.
Domestically, the hotel business saw 6 million room nights in the government’s latest stimulus campaign fully redeemed. But the air ticket quota of 2 million seats still has over 1.3 million seats unused. Local tourists mostly skipped flights and opted for destinations within driving distance of their homes.
As for international tourism… well that still seems months or years away, even now.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Business
Domestic air passenger numbers double those of January

Passenger numbers on domestic flights within Thailand have doubled within a month, rising from 4,000 in January to over 10,000 this month. Having nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel plummeted once more when Covid-19 resurfaced late last year.
Apirat Chaiwongnoi from the Department of Airports says 15 of Thailand’s 29 airports are now operating domestic flights, with more expected to follow. He believes the aviation sector will continue to recover further in the coming 6 months, bolstered by the national vaccine rollout.
Around 120 domestic flights a day are now operating, which is twice the number that were operating at the lowest point in the crisis. Prior to the resurgence of the virus in December, domestic passenger numbers had recovered to 30,000 – 40,000 a day, around 80% of pre-pandemic numbers.
The DoA says airports must continue to adhere to the Covid-19 hygiene measures put in place by the Health Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Samut Sakhon’s shrimp market to remain closed until February 15

Samut Sakhon’s Central Shrimp Market, the epicentre of Thailand’s recent wave of Covid-19, will remain closed until February 15. The market can reopen once the overall hygiene situation at the market and surrounding area has improved, according to the province’s disease control committee.
Local officials say the shrimp market needs to remain closed until the market structure and nearby residential facilities are inspected. People who violate the order face up to a year in prison and a fine up to 100,000 baht.
More than 12,000 people in the province have tested positive for Covid-19. The increasing number of infections is a result from the active case finding to contain the spread of the virus.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World | Thairath Online
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Thailand3 days ago
Polygamy is not under Thai law, but the lifestyle is still practiced
- Thailand2 days ago
Tourism officials aim for vaccinated travellers to enter Thailand by the third quarter of 2021
- Bangkok4 days ago
Thailand celebrity gets a month in jail for Covid-19 cluster birthday party at Bangkok hotel
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
59 foreign tourists arrive in Phuket, first to undergo the luxurious “villa quarantine”
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)1 day ago
PM says Thailand will consider lifting quarantine for vaccinated tourists
- Bangkok3 days ago
Bangkok bars and nightclubs may soon reopen, CCSA announcement expected today
- Cannabis4 days ago
Thai government hopes cannabis will be a primary cash crop for farmers
- Crime2 days ago
Drunk police officer shoots and beats vendor on Bangla Road in Phuket