The short answer

An international retirement planning service brings everything together: your pensions, your income in baht, currency, tax in the UK and Thailand, investments, health and protection, and your estate and family — into one written plan, reviewed every year. JLIT's service starts with a free, no-obligation review with Lawrence by email, WhatsApp, LINE or video call. You'll get a clear picture of where you stand and what to do next; if you'd like help putting it in place and keeping it on track, any costs are explained in writing before you commit. Whoever you choose, insist on a written plan, clear costs in pounds and answers you understand.

What an international retirement planning service is

Retirement planning in the UK is complicated enough. Retiring to Thailand adds a second country's tax rules, a second currency, a second legal system for your estate, and the practical challenge of managing UK pensions and accounts from 6,000 miles away. A domestic UK adviser may not know the Thai side; a Thai adviser may not know UK pensions. An international retirement planning service is built for exactly that gap.

Its job is to answer one big question — how do I live well in Thailand for the rest of my life, and look after the people I love? — by bringing together the parts most people handle separately:

What a good service should include

1. A full picture of where you stand

Every pension, investment, savings account, property and policy — in the UK, Thailand and offshore — with values, charges, features and beneficiaries. Many people discover forgotten pensions or valuable guarantees at this stage.

2. Your goals and spending, in baht

Where you want to live, how you want to live, what you want to leave, and what it all costs — in the currency you spend.

3. A pension strategy

Which pensions to keep, consolidate or leave alone; how to take tax-free cash; how to draw income; and whether any transfer makes sense. For most people living in Thailand, a transfer to an overseas scheme now carries a 25% charge, so a good service will often recommend keeping money in the UK pension system in an expat-friendly form.

4. A sustainable income plan

An income floor from secure sources, a cash reserve, a sensible withdrawal rate and a drawing order that keeps tax down in both countries.

5. Currency and banking

How money moves from pounds to baht cheaply and safely, how much to hold in each currency, and how to protect your visa money and emergency fund.

6. Tax coordination

Your UK residence position, Thai tax on money you bring in, the UK–Thailand treaty and the timing of big decisions — coordinated with tax specialists where needed.

7. Protection and healthcare

Health insurance that will keep renewing as you age, life cover where family depend on you, and a healthcare fund for the gaps.

8. Estate and family

Beneficiary nominations, trusts, UK inheritance tax after you leave, and wills in both countries — working with lawyers for the legal documents.

9. An annual review

A plan is only as good as its last review. Rules, markets, exchange rates and lives change; a good service checks everything at least once a year.

How JLIT's retirement planning works

JLIT's retirement planning is led by Lawrence Young — a British expat who has lived in Thailand for many years, with more than 30 years in international finance. He made the move himself, and the service is built around the questions he and his clients have actually faced.

1. Get in touch through the enquiry form on this page, by email at enquiries@ExpatFAA.com, WhatsApp on +66 95636 1829 or LINE (LAW007LU).
2. A free first conversation — by video call, phone or in person where possible — about where you are, what you want and what worries you.
3. Your full picture — Lawrence gathers the details of your pensions, savings, income, property, protection and family.
4. Clear findings — what's working, what isn't, what you could gain and what to watch for, in plain English.
5. Your plan, in writing — if you'd like help, a written recommendation covering what to do, why, and every cost in pounds.
6. Putting it in place — Lawrence handles the paperwork with providers, and coordinates with lawyers and tax specialists where needed.
7. Ongoing reviews — at least once a year, and whenever your life or the rules change.
8. Always reachable — by email, WhatsApp or LINE, in your time zone.

The first review is free and carries no obligation at all. Many people simply come away with a clearer picture and a list of things to sort out themselves — and that's fine.

The service at each stage

What you get, and what it costs you, at each stage.

There is no obligation at any stage. Ask how any ongoing advice would be paid for, and get it in writing.

Who it's for

• Planning to retire to Thailand in the next few years, and wanting to get it right before you go.
• Already retired here, with pensions and savings that have never been looked at together.
• Approaching 55 or 57, and deciding how and when to take pension money.
• Holding several old pensions from past employers.
• Married to a Thai partner, and wanting to make sure they're protected.
• Worried about the exchange rate, the frozen State Pension or rising healthcare costs.
• Approached about moving your pension, and wanting a second opinion first.
• Selling a UK home or receiving a lump sum, and unsure what to do with it.

Where to start

A free review of your whole retirement, and the right way to move your money to Thailand.

What planning looks like at each stage of retirement

The questions change as retirement goes on, and so does the help you need.

Five years or more before you retire

This is when planning does the most good. There's time to trace old pensions, fill State Pension gaps, use ISA allowances, reduce risk gradually on money you'll need first, and decide where and how you want to live. Decisions made now — about residence, tax-free cash and the shape of your investments — shape everything that follows.

The year you retire or move

The busiest year: switching on income, building a cash reserve, moving visa money, setting up banking in two countries, arranging health cover, telling HMRC you're leaving and making sure wills and nominations reflect your new life. A service keeps all of it in the right order.

The settled years

Once life in Thailand is running smoothly, planning becomes a yearly rhythm: checking income against spending, rebalancing investments, refilling the cash reserve, adjusting for exchange rates and keeping up with rule changes in both countries — such as unused pensions coming into UK inheritance tax from April 2027.

Later life

Health, care and family come to the fore: making sure cover keeps renewing, planning for long-term care, simplifying accounts, and making sure a partner can manage if you can't. A lasting power of attorney and a clear list of what you hold become just as important as investment returns.

Where planning makes the biggest difference

Good retirement planning isn't about beating the market. It's about avoiding the expensive, often irreversible mistakes that are easy to make when you're juggling two countries. Our guides show how big those can be:

• Pension transfers — a transfer to an overseas scheme typically costs 25% for Thailand residents: £50,000 on a £200,000 pension.
• Charges — 1% a year more in charges on £200,000 costs about £110,768 over 20 years.
• Timing — in our example, bad market years early in retirement left a £300,000 pot over £200,000 worse off than the same years later on.
• Guarantees — giving up a final-salary pension or protected tax-free cash can cost far more than any flexibility gained.
• Tax — which money you bring into Thailand, and when, can change your Thai tax bill.
• Family — a Thai will alone can save a partner a year or more of waiting for frozen money.

Our guides to pension transfers, moving to retirement income and estate planning explain each in detail.

Planning yourself or using a service

A fair comparison of doing it yourself and using an international retirement planning service.

Some people with simple affairs manage well on their own. A free first review is an easy way to find out which suits you.

What your written plan should contain

Whatever service you use, the plan you receive should be clear enough to explain to a friend. A good one covers:

1. Your situation and goals, as you described them.
2. Everything you hold today, including guarantees and beneficiaries.
3. Your income plan — where each baht will come from, now and later.
4. What is recommended, and why — including what to leave alone.
5. What you would give up, stated plainly.
6. Every cost, one-off and yearly, in pounds and percentages.
7. The tax position in the UK and Thailand.
8. What happens next, and when the plan will be reviewed.

If anything is missing or unclear, ask — and don't sign until it isn't.

How to judge any retirement planning service

Whoever you're considering — including us — ask these questions, and expect clear answers:

1. Who will I actually deal with, and how long have they advised expats in Thailand?
2. Do they understand both sides — UK pensions and Thai tax, currency and law?
3. How are they paid — fees, commission or both — and how much, in pounds, in writing?
4. Will I get a written plan, with the reasons for each recommendation and every cost?
5. Where will my money be held — with well-known providers, in my name?
6. What will they not recommend, and will they tell me when doing nothing is best?
7. How often will they review my plan, and how do I reach them?
8. Did I approach them, or did they cold-call me?

A good service welcomes these questions. Be wary of anyone who is vague about charges, pushes one product for every problem, promises guaranteed high returns or pressures you to decide quickly. Our guide to questions to ask before changing pension arrangements has a full checklist.

Red flags to walk away from

• Cold calls, social media messages or "free pension check" offers you didn't ask for.
• Early access to pension money before the minimum age — 55 now, 57 from 6 April 2028.
• Pressure to sign quickly, or "today only" offers.
• Guaranteed high returns, or exotic investments such as overseas property or storage units.
• Vague or hidden charges, or "the provider pays me, so it's free".
• Money going anywhere other than a well-known provider, in your name.

Any one of these is a reason to stop and get a second opinion. Our guide to investment scams and due diligence explains the checks.

What to have ready for your first review

You don't need everything to start — a first conversation works fine with rough figures. But the more you have, the more useful the review:

• Recent pension statements, including old workplace schemes.
• Your State Pension forecast from GOV.UK.
• Savings and investment statements — UK, Thai and offshore.
• Your monthly spending in baht, roughly.
• Property details — UK and Thai.
• Insurance policies — health and life.
• Your visa route and dates.
• Your wishes for your partner and family.

Three real-world examples

Mark and Ploy: everything in one place

Mark, 62, had four UK pensions, an ISA, a Thai account and a condo in Ploy's name. They'd never looked at it together. A review with Lawrence consolidated three pensions into one expat-friendly plan, set up an income floor and cash reserve, updated every nomination in Ploy's favour and arranged Thai and UK wills that work together.

Alan: the second opinion

Alan, 58, in Phuket, was urged by a caller to move his pension overseas "before the rules change". A free review showed a 25% transfer charge and higher costs. He kept his pension in the UK system and reorganised it for life in Thailand instead.

Sue: the review that changed nothing

Sue, 66, in Hua Hin, asked for a review "just to check". Her pensions were well invested, her charges low and her income sustainable. Lawrence told her so — and suggested only a Thai will and a bigger baht cash reserve. Sometimes the best advice is reassurance.

Your checklist for choosing a service

• They understand UK pensions and life in Thailand.
• I know who I'll deal with, and can reach them easily.
• Every cost is in writing, in pounds.
• I'll get a written plan with reasons.
• My money stays with well-known providers, in my name.
• They'll review it every year.
• They'll tell me when doing nothing is best.
• I approached them — and I don't feel rushed.

Getting in touch

The easiest way to start is the enquiry form on this page — choose retirement, add a line about your situation, and Lawrence will come back to you. You can also email enquiries@ExpatFAA.com, message on WhatsApp at +66 95636 1829 or on LINE at LAW007LU. Whether you're still in the UK planning the move or have lived in Thailand for years, the first review is free.

When you share documents, keep them safe: send statements through secure channels, never share passwords or one-time codes with anyone, and use a private, protected connection on hotel, café and condo Wi-Fi.

How we wrote this profile

This profile describes what an international retirement planning service for expats in Thailand should include and how JLIT's service with Lawrence works. Figures come from our retirement, pension and estate guides and their sources: GOV.UK on the overseas transfer charge and State Pension abroad; J.P. Morgan Personal Investing on pension allowances and ages (September 2026); Morningstar UK 2026 on withdrawal rates; Pensions Age and HaysMac on inheritance tax; and ThaiLawOnline on Thai probate. The illustrations are simple calculations, not forecasts. Checked 14 October 2026. This profile is general information, not personal financial advice.