A Broke Expat in The Philippines' Story 

His facial expression says it all, he knows he has to go home and face Judge Judy.

With 100% sympathy, this does not pass the sniff test and I call BS.

So he had hundreds of thousands of dollars waiting for him but instead of going to back home to get it he waited until he ran out of cash and the visa expired? This is like that other injured Aussie guy who had free medical care waiting for him but he didn't feel like going home to get it and risked his life in ghetto local hospitals. Serious question, what's wrong with these people?

If he has 100s of thousands in 401K why is he worried about getting a job back home. I call bullsh-t!!!

It sounds like even Mark is struggling to believe the story. Smile and Nod, smile and Nod

I HOPE IM WRONG I BUT I SMELL A FISH.. ANYONE AGREE? HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS ????????

I don't have any sympathy for this guy. Going to a country that has so much poverty and then become a burden is asinine. What he states doesn't pass the smell test. You go to a country to retire but don't setup a way to supposedly access your retirement and other financial accounts? The more videos I watch from expat vloggers the more I feel I need to avoid expats, so much drama, bums, and scammers.

Good interview Mark - there is more to this story than meets the eye! He seems reluctant to return to the USA.

Watching this guy there are so many indications of deception. When the true story comes out it will be a good one. Congratulations on the baby! 🎉

Dots don't connect. This guy is full of it.

I’m not a math expert, but I can tell when something doesn’t add up🤔

I have lived abroad for years, opened US bank accounts and was approved for US credit cards on line, while living abroad. Expats should always have multiple bank accounts and ATM cards.

It is so nice that the American Embassy takes care of American citizens in this man's situation. When "No Joke Howard" ran out of money and was all drugged up from his addiction to heavy narcotics in Cambodia, the American Embassy paid for his plane ticket back home and took his passport, until he paid them back for the plane ticket.

His story sounds fishy. This was his own doing.

Tony Soprano always said he was in the waste management business..😮

Dude.. I live in Bacolod, i have a USA Bank Account..my pension goes there ANY USA bank you can access ANYwhere .I smell B.S!

There is more to this story. You can access your 401K overseas and the PI is no different. Even if that's the case, why didn't he set it up knowing he got "hundreds of the thousands" in there. There are lots of ways to prevent banks from closing your account. He said it's because of the address problem but also said that he has a lot of friends in Boston. He couldn't use one of his friend's addresses?

Mark, first things first, get that man a 9-volt battery for his smoke detector!

Certainly a cautionary tale. However, it's not difficult to open a US bank account online i.e. Chime. And, Wise will automatically give you a US account number and routing number that can be used to receive deposits when you open an account with them online. Most companies that administer a 401k have a process where you can cash out some or all of it. They email the form, you fill it out, get it notarized and send it back, then they deposit the funds to your account. You should be able to do that from the Philippines

He worked in the "waste and recycling business". From that point on, I kinda knew his story would be full of half-truths and obfuscations.

Mark, I am a skeptic of all hard luck stories, so I only ask, if I may, did you verified his story. Sorry, but there seem to be a few red flags I am hearing.

I'm certainly no judge but... this guy's honesty meter is right up there with Paul Cardwell's honesty meter. Both are broken. His eyes shift faster than a new Ferrari. Hundreds of thousands in 401K? The only truth I sense from this guy is the fact he's overstayed his Visa by three years and what "legitimate" Expat does this? I'm guessing he has major legal issues pending in Boston that he has fled and perhaps still fleeing from. His "flesh eating disease" is possibly Karma at work on an overtime basis. Mark, in Dallas.

Waste disposal/recycling industry, does that mean garbage collector? 🤔

I’ve known a couple conmen and that’s always the story, they have lots of money they just can’t access it.

If he has hundreds of thousands of USD in his social welfare account I am as rich as Elon Musk.....😂😂😂😂. I know a similar guy many years ago and everything he said was built on excuses and untruths.... If you overstay 36 months there is something wrong with you...

I think there might be a little BS going on here. If he wanted to go home, there are ways. Loser?

I've lived abroad in China for three years and the Philippines for two years then came back to the states. I don't know about this guy but during my travels I've seen many expats on the run from the justice system and couldn't go back home. This guy could have always gone the the usa embassy in Manila and they would have given him a ticket back home and why he didn't do it before all this time until now is beyond me. He would have to surrender his pass port until he paid the government back the money for the airline ticket.

When all the money is gone, love flies out the window!

Great interview thanks Mark. Something just doesn't smell right with this guy's story, however I certainly wish him well as anyone can fall on hard times.

Something is not adding up. Once again, many problems that people run into are self inflicted. Overstaying a visa, running out of money for healthcare in a country that has ultra cheap costs, no access to 401k, not understanding how to fill out a US job application. Sorry, but he needs to reevaluate several things across his entire ecosystem of decision making. Mark you're a great person doing great work. Thank you.

Are you kidding me? This guy had hundreds of thousands of dollars back in the states but he can’t even scratch together a couple grand to fly back home. I smell bullshit.

Somebody get this man some smoke detector batteries ffs!

He has hundreds of thousands of dollars, and yet he is destitute? Something smells a bit fishy about his story.

If you overstayed 3 years here in Thailand, you would be deported and blacklisted for 10 years! how does someone not know to renew your visa once a year! Ashamed of my fellow Bostonian..

I have a coworker in the fishing boat that died 2017 from hanging there in dumaguete, we can't believe that he would do that to his self, it's very suspicious.

Good stuff Mark pushing back on some of the responses. Plenty of people in worse situations then this guy as you pointed out. To be honest seems like a lot more to the story. I have plenty of mates back home who I would help out and would help me out especially if I could guarantee payment on arrival. Seems like the guy has burnt a few too many bridges. Good luck to him is all I can say.

I doubt that he has hundreds of thousands of dollars in his 401K, if he even has one. They should throw him in jail for violating immigration laws.

This guy is a pathological liar and broke.

He can get an emergency repat loan from the embassy that would get him home. It’s not hard.

His, Storey is not believable. I thing he is full of crap

His eyes tell the story..this is pure scam..

I'm glad the Philippine government didn't jail him, but overstaying 3 years without extending/paying is damn disrespectful if you ask me? I mean really.......And then it seems odd that he literally can't find someone who will get him a one-way to SFO? Strange........

Flesh eating bacteria is a serious business, it can kill you. He got into trouble due to the hospital bill and then the pandemic also made his return to his homeland difficult, so don't be so hard and judge him, anyone can get into that situation!

"I was paying for her college." So, this dude's north of 60, and the girl was maybe 20, so that's a 40+ years difference. LOL! He thought that would work?! And paying for the family? Strange dude; no mystery why he wasn't Chad in USA. "Couple hundred thousand" is totally vague. Is it 200k or 800k? Big difference. Can't access it? He's one big red flag.

What i did when we visited in the Philippines is i have my WISE account set up and my bank connected to it. My brokerage account is also connected to my banks. When we bought a condo and needed the funds, i just transferred the funds from brokerage to Bank of America,then use wise to transfer to my Philippine bank and that’s it.

Great interviewing Mark 👍 For me, this guy's story just doesn't add up. If you overstay your visa then the usual course of action is to be deported

Owe? Owe who?? Oh uh yeah them. lol. He didnt seem really happy that Mark was going to fix him up with the right people and plan. Were we hoping for a GoFundMe or a Paypal donation? I am sooo destitute!

Good stuff Mark. Yeah, this guy is coming up short on logic and truth.

As a Canadian expat here in the Philippines, I am astonished with how many of my American friends have so much trouble getting their money from the US. For such an advanced country, the government pension services and the banks are far behind what they are in Canada. In Canada there are only 5 big banks, and I mean BIG as each bank has many thousands of branches. Their services are very extensive. The Canadian Government also provides extensive services for expats. For example, they convert my pension into PHP at prime rate and deposit directly into my PNB Philippine bank. There are no service fees of any kind. My Canadian expat friends here in the Philippines have the same experience. Canadian banks freely accommodate expats, allowing easy cheap money transfers, accepting foreign addresses and phone numbers, so dealing with them as an expat is very easy.

He is acting and talking suspicious. I don't believe his story.

Half a story for sure.

I dunno Mark, 1+1= 3 with this guy…something not adding up

Waste & recycling? What’d he do? Pick up beer cans from the trash?

Great interview! This gives a dose of reality to the guys who have fallen for the pipedream that other expat youtubers sell

Something ain’t right here….embassy should loan him a one way ticket and $100. How can you not have access to your 401? I call BS

Yes thats the story, 20 seconds into the video and figure out this dude is a conman

hard to believe that family cannot buy him a ticket back home...

Something is not right with this guy named Dave. To me, he’s one of those people that can BS people while keeping a straight face. Believe me, there are many people just like him. I’m not judgmental, but I have a very inquisitive mind and am pretty good a reading body language.

Let's just scratch snorkeling off my to-do list.

I am calling BS. “Hundreds of Thousands of dollars in a 401k”. Why did you not go home years ago. ??

Cash is king in the Philippines. I lived there for a year in 2006. Transferring money from my US Bank account to my Philippine bank was a crazy drama. I wound up flying back to the USA for a week, and travelled back there with $50,000 US dollars of my savings. If you travel with more that $10,000 in cash, you have to declare it to US Customs, which I did. They were pretty cool about it. I had to tell them I'm a software engineer and I took it out of my savings account.

It's scary to think how fast life can go from sun shine + rainbows to a total shit show. mark give us an update on the repatriation process. Good luck David.

Hundreds of thousands equates to maybe 200k. He will burn through that in 2-3 years moving back to the U.S.

There's a good chance he has to stick to the story with holes in it for the sake of the friends who are supporting him at the moment. By coming clean people who have lent money to him could start to worry about getting paid back. Just hope he does the right thing

I don't think he's telling you his whole story. It doesn't add up. This video should be titled every man tells a partial story. I don't feel sorry for him. He says he has funds he can't access. Bulls**t.

Dont understand how a person overstay in the PH. I went there for a 2 weeks vacation and ended up returning home sooner. It was just too much for me. Too crowded and polluted. I'm sorry to say that.

Wow! Eight months of financial support to live in a foreign country ... Can you introduce me to your friends!

Cannot understand how someone would not be able to access their 401K when out of the US. 401K's are setup for retired individuals so they may travel and live outside the US without issues of restricted access. Perhaps it may be because of not having a bank within the US. If that is the problem, one may setup a bank account in the US when living in a foreign country. Use the address of a relative or friend. When asked for ID, use your passport. It's not a difficult task.

You can cash your checks with your American bank by taking a photo of it. I've done it from outside of the county. You only need a phone and the banking app. Hasn't he thought of that? Story sounds a bit fishy if you ask me. Get an online job. I did that from outside the country too. You can also get an emergency loan from the embassy. My friend did that.

There nothing like giving an attorney in the US access or someone being power of attorney and letting them access the funds he mentioned??

How much does it cost to buy a battery for a smoke detector?

Can’t even afford to change the battery in the smoke detector

Wow, Philippines enforces it's immigration laws. It would amazing what a wonderful country the US would be if we enforced our immigration laws.

Never overstay your visa anywhere. Bad luck.

Thank u so much Mark for this intresting program .I need to set up all things now

Something is off about this guy’s story… just doesn’t ring entirely true.

And the test results are back and the test proves sir "You Are A Liar!" (Mark how did you keep a straight face)

Hate to say it, but sounds like some BS to me...

We don't know the whole story here I think. Before you leave your country Never go somewhere with out multiple ways to access your money, remote Mail service, multiple phone service options for communication and text codes, multiple income sources. Sounds like bad planning. Tapped out his friends back in the US, tapping a local friend. Over staying your Visa, Bank account closed back home, the hole just gets deeper. Thousands in a 401k , yet not going home to fix things and end up destitute in Philippines doesn't add up. Most countries especially the Philippines is not where you want to be with no money. I'm sorry this guy has had some health problems but you can't just sit there and crash and burn.

You don't plan to fail, you fail to plan.

After the Sabastion fiascal, im a bit leary also. Lol.

Great topic Mark. A good warning for people going to PI. I hope the best for him but it seems like going back to the US will allow him to re-group. All the best.

There’s probably a warrant waiting for him in the states.

It’s very easy to withdraw your 401K. I got mine in less than a week. All he needs to do is call your previous employer. They will give you a form. Send it to together with the Apostilled Notarized SPA to your family member. The proceeds will be sent to your bank or in check.

Getting a Paul Cardwell vibe here.

I am 6000 miles away from this guy. But even from here I can smell the BULL shit …. ugh🤣

I came to comment and saw literally everyone else commenting the same thing 😂😂

Foreigners can no longer open a bank account in the Philippines unless they have permanent residence visa. This rule was ordered by the Philippine Central Bank fairly recently...less than 2 years ago. It's an absolute travesty and hardship for those of us who wish to stay here for longer term. Unbelievable but its true.

I AM CALLING BS ON THIS MAN

I don't buy him. He could be world zoom v2.

His story has nothing but holes in it!!! His story is fishy!! If he was getting donations and paying were helping him, if he had an ounce of common sense he would have took $2,500 to the immigration office and he would have paid off his overstay in full and let the country!!!

Moral of the story is ensure you are covered for any event as much as possible. Hoping for the best and holding your breath never works. I hope he can get himself home like he should have a long time ago. Too many excuses but I wish him well.

10-15 grand owed? he will never pay this back. when he lands in America he will be on the streets no one he knows wants anything to do with him. 100's of thousands in the 401k..bullshit

Dude, am very skeptical of this guy..he EFFED up...I am retired military ...I have pension ...you did NOT do your research !

You can access anything if you use a VPN. I’m calling BS on his story and I am seeing too many people coming here without a retirement check coming in. I’ve been here for almost 2 years and before I left the US I called my banks and explained that I was moving to the Philippines and both of my bank accounts have my Philippines address and I even received mail from my banks at my address here in the Philippines. I just turned 47 and I’m a veteran so I receive my monthly retirement income as well as my VA disability and there is no way I would move to another country without having a retirement check coming in. It seems like it’s always the ones who aren’t old enough to collect social security and who don’t have a retirement income who fail here. It’s also these people who cause issues for us who have actually retired here and are starting a new life. They come over here and throw money around like it’ll never run out and it gives an impression that us foreigners have endless amounts of money so we get charged the foreigner rate. One big example is the price for land nowadays which has skyrocketed because these guys come here and throw money at these girls who buy property and then leave their foreigner.

0:36 Wasn't Tony Soprano in the waste and recycling business?

How much for the stove? Candidly, this gentleman has been irreversibly inept by overstaying his visa. Take accountability for actions or face consequences. Sorry, but I have zero sympathy given this gentleman's lack of personal accountability.

This story doesn’t add up. He can give limited power of attorney to anyone to act on his behalf in the U.S. Either he is not telling the whole story or he is being disingenuous.

Thank you sir Mark for sharing 🙏🙏🙏

Godbless you sir.