The End

[Sting23]

I think a "stipend" is just another scam for them to get money.  If a girl in America or any western country asked that, you would kick her to the curb instantly.

It should have sent signals to the OP that his lady was upset at getting "only" $400 a month.  She had her own job earning a decent amount for Russian standards.

[Maxx2]

The issue of a monthly "stipend". I went to Tver, Russia in 1999. I used an agency called Lifetime Partners. I met about a dozen and a half RW.......but was bowled over by "I".
"I" was beautiful, smart, funny......with lots of interests. She was great company and lots of fun. We liked each other. But the chemistry required to become a couple......is another thing. At the end of my 3 week visit I was approached by my interpreter suggesting that it was customary to provide a monthly "stipend" (allowance) to your RW.
It was agreed that $300 per month would be an appropriate amount. Flash forward five months to my second visit........and I began to learn things about Russian economics....at the "individual" level. The average RW made about (above board) $80 - $110 per month in Tver in 1999. You could purchase an (1950's constructed) apartment for $10,000 - $12,000. The apartment I rented .....which was totally gutted and renovated (beautiful job).....where many city officials lived....could be had for about $18,000. These are US dollars.


"I" and I eventually parted ways. Future RW's I met.....I did not give money to. Do you hand over an allowance to someone you are dating......back home? Of course not. I was not trying to rescue a poor little RW.......by handing out money. My wife had a good job. She was financially stable. She heard from some of her girl friends that many foreign guys were free and easy with their money....lots of gifts......trips etc. My wife said she would have been horrified if I started sending her cash. She said she would have thought that I did not believe her life-style was good enough. In Tver I was caught off-guard. My instincts said their tradition of a monthly stipend......just did not feel right.
Of caused I brought .....and bought modest gifts. But my wife bought us bus tickets to visit friends for a few days......and refused to let me re-imburse her.


Let me ask you......what did these poor little RW do........before Prince Charming.....with a bag of money came along. Many of the women I met had decent jobs, went on occaisional trips, paid their bills......hung-out with friends and relatives.....and had a pretty good life. As soon and I took money out of the equation......that left only a few gals who were looking for what I.......was looking for. Money would eventually take care of itself.


Capt B

Hello Capt!


You have much experience, as do I in this endeavor. I remember "I". I seen her in a video on another agency. She had an amazingly expressive face and a sense of humor about life and herself that made her unforgettable. It has been many years ago. Perhaps you have contacts in Tver that could find her for me? Send me a PM OK?


I am in Kiev now. Seen 10 women so far. I leave on Thursday for Batumi.

[Boethius]

My instincts said their tradition of a monthly stipend......just did not feel right.

Your instincts were correct, as this is not a Russian tradition.  After marriage is a different story.

[Trenchcoat]

I don't know your age ranges, but lviv and Ternopil are both big college towns
years ago when I lived in Ukraine you could buy an apartment in Lviv for $40,000 and spend about $20,000 in repairs and you would have an amazing apartment!
these apartment buildings had very high ceilings and were built in the Austro-Hungarian period.
Using this as a forward base of operations will allow you to mount visa-free campaigns for up to 6 months in length in Ukraine.
you can have a total seduction pad and pretty much do whatever you want with however many you want...

Man, why aren't you single guys doing this?

This sort of idea has crossed my mind Like I say from where I live I can get a quick cheap flight to Krakow. If Krakow is decent enough I could get something there, if Lviv is better then just get the train over the border. Fun is nice but I'm after a LTR so whatever fits in with a girl & my life, etc.

Also love the Austro-Hungarian Architecture out there

[Trenchcoat]

brat!

if you ever find yourself taking a Ukrainian village girl to the beach, pay attention to small details.  for example, in Ukraine a lot of women are so poor they can’t really afford to buy clothing, so they have a lot of “hand-me-downs” from parents or grandparents from the Soviet period, bathing suits are typical of this, they will be badly worn in places and with a few small holes here and there, a lot of buxom farm girls will have ill-fitting tops which creates a lot of “side-boobage”, be a gentleman and go to a more isolated part of the beach, and encourage her to remove her top, “that it’s OK for her to feel free” and most of the time they’ll remove their top...



after an early appraisal if you feel like she's going to be worth the investment, check your local airport for schedules to Istanbul, if she has a travel passport, you just need your passports to go there, visas for you both you get after you de-plane.  take her to a 5 star hotel ($120/night) and take her shopping for clothes and shoes ($4,000) at one of the new American style mega malls, where you can help her try on a new bathing suit in the dressing room, and eat at 5 star restaurants ($200/day)

she...will...be...putty...in...your...hands...
for you to mold into whatever shape you want...

Inflation is currently a problem in terms of being able to afford clothes over there apparently. After last girl I would hold off on offering to buy clothes big time though. If a girl gets started on this then she may try to go on & on with it and the relationship is essentially sunk, never again!

[krimster2]

Krakow is nice, the castle's a must
met a few nice girls there, a lot of Ukrainians used to go there to shop as well, maybe still do...
lviv is a great, it's Ukraine but it has its own character
the Poland to Ukraine train is the old/slow kind
on the way to Poland from Ukraine, Ukrainians are smuggling cigarettes so your luggage gets a bit more scrutinized at the border by the Poles
but you're a foreigner, so you'll be scrutinized less...
if you're ever in a situation where you have to smuggle something out of Ukraine, like cash or artwork, a train is the way to go and not the airport!

[DaveNY]

The issue of a monthly "stipend". I went to Tver, Russia in 1999. I used an agency called Lifetime Partners. I met about a dozen and a half RW.......but was bowled over by "I".
"I" was beautiful, smart, funny......with lots of interests. She was great company and lots of fun. We liked each other. But the chemistry required to become a couple......is another thing. At the end of my 3 week visit I was approached by my interpreter suggesting that it was customary to provide a monthly "stipend" (allowance) to your RW.
It was agreed that $300 per month would be an appropriate amount. Flash forward five months to my second visit........and I began to learn things about Russian economics....at the "individual" level. The average RW made about (above board) $80 - $110 per month in Tver in 1999. You could purchase an (1950's constructed) apartment for $10,000 - $12,000. The apartment I rented .....which was totally gutted and renovated (beautiful job).....where many city officials lived....could be had for about $18,000. These are US dollars.


"I" and I eventually parted ways. Future RW's I met.....I did not give money to. Do you hand over an allowance to someone you are dating......back home? Of course not. I was not trying to rescue a poor little RW.......by handing out money. My wife had a good job. She was financially stable. She heard from some of her girl friends that many foreign guys were free and easy with their money....lots of gifts......trips etc. My wife said she would have been horrified if I started sending her cash. She said she would have thought that I did not believe her life-style was good enough. In Tver I was caught off-guard. My instincts said their tradition of a monthly stipend......just did not feel right.
Of caused I brought .....and bought modest gifts. But my wife bought us bus tickets to visit friends for a few days......and refused to let me re-imburse her.


Let me ask you......what did these poor little RW do........before Prince Charming.....with a bag of money came along. Many of the women I met had decent jobs, went on occaisional trips, paid their bills......hung-out with friends and relatives.....and had a pretty good life. As soon and I took money out of the equation......that left only a few gals who were looking for what I.......was looking for. Money would eventually take care of itself.


Capt B

Never heard of a RW getting an allowance from her foreign b/f. I lived and worked in Moscow for 6 years and through my wife met RW who were dating foreigners, mostly Germans and Brits.

Sure the b/f would buy the RW gifts, clothes mostly, flowers and such and take them on vacations but a monthly allowance while dating? This is especially true if the b/f is not living in Russia. Never heard of it.

While married, that's a different story. I know of a number of marriages (at home and in Moscow) where the foreign wife, RW, Chinese wife and Filipino wife run the family finances and the husband is literally given pocket money for the pay period and if he needs more he had better have a good excuse for needing more money. The price of Starbucks coffee going up is not good enough for an extra $20.

[ML]

. . . where the foreign wife, RW, Chinese wife and Filipino wife run the family finances . . .

I have always managed the finances in my 2 marriages.
Of course, I am a finance man.

[DaveNY]

I have always managed the finances in my 2 marriages.
Of course, I am a finance man.

Same for us. My wife freely admits that she isn't too good with long term financial planning so I handle that. It wasn't something she was taught in Russia. No financial planning workshops in any of the jobs she had in Russia.

Is that even a thing in Russia or anywhere in the FSU? Do Russian jobs offer financial planning for retirement? Are there Russian versions of IRAs or 401 (k)? 

[krimster2]

"Is that even a thing in Russia or anywhere in the FSU? Do Russian jobs offer financial planning for retirement? Are there Russian versions of IRAs or 401 (k)?  "

average Russians who were fortunate enough to have had savings accounts, simply saw their savings disappear in a bank over and over again.
stock market is completely "crooked"
only "safe" asset is real estate, but even that can be stolen from you
this is why rich Russians take their money abroad, for the "security" being outside of Russia provides
everyone else in Russia has to take it on the chin
so people aren't real big on saving there, and most probably don't have anything to save anyway...

[Sting23]

Same for us. My wife freely admits that she isn't too good with long term financial planning so I handle that. It wasn't something she was taught in Russia. No financial planning workshops in any of the jobs she had in Russia.

Is that even a thing in Russia or anywhere in the FSU? Do Russian jobs offer financial planning for retirement? Are there Russian versions of IRAs or 401 (k)?

Pretty much all of the Russian women I talked to knew little to nothing about finance and investing.  Even simple things like index investing, dividends, they havn't a clue.
I asked one friend if she ever tried to buy stocks like Google, Apple, Facebook (FANG)... and she looked at me with a bewildered face.

They don't got E-trade or direct online brokerages for the average joe.  Don't know about 401(k) or RRSP (Canadian version) but pretty sure very few people plan ahead.  What they pay to pensioners is miniscule. 

[Sting23]

I know of a number of marriages (at home and in Moscow) where the foreign wife, RW, Chinese wife and Filipino wife run the family finances and the husband is literally given pocket money for the pay period and if he needs more he had better have a good excuse for needing more money. The price of Starbucks coffee going up is not good enough for an extra $20.

I haven't heard this at all.  Probably cause I'm from a business background and many of my guy friends work in finance/business.  No guy I know asks for money from the wife!
I would have thought in Russian and Asian cultures the man takes on the traditional role and manages the money, not the women. 

[Boethius]

While married, that's a different story. I know of a number of marriages (at home and in Moscow) where the . . .  RW run the family finances and the husband is literally given pocket money for the pay period and if he needs more he had better have a good excuse for needing more money. The price of Starbucks coffee going up is not good enough for an extra $20.

Historically, that was the case in Russia, and Ukraine.  Husbands turned the money over to their wives to manage family expenses.  Of course, for most of that time, most couples did not have substantial savings.  Women controlling family finances exclusively has changed, to a degree, since the collapse of the Soviet Union.  Why, I don't know, as this existed from pre Soviet times.

[Sting23]

as krimster said many rich Russians store their money outside of Russia.  Read the Panama Papers and how Putin is supposedly the richest man in the world.

Cyprus was a big haven for Russians, until their banks collasped.  one of my former private Russian clients was a VERY wealthy man, close to billionaire status.
He and his family all had EU passports and kept his money in offshore accounts.  I worked at one of his residences in a very well known tax free haven in Europe.  Man the stories I could tell of their lifestyle.

[CaptB]

Yes.....this monthly "stipend" was concocted by the agency interpreters and RW. In 1999 I was a complete newbie. I was out $300 x 5 months ($1,500). I am someone who usually learns from his mistakes. In hind-sight.........in the greater scheme of things.......$1,500 was a cheap learning experience. I spent three weeks in Russia my first trip.
There are guys here on the forum who have spent more than $5,000......and haven't even left their home country yet.


Capt B

[Sting23]

Yes.....this monthly "stipend" was concocted by the agency interpreters and RW. In 1999 I was a complete newbie. I was out $300 x 5 months ($1,500). I am someone who usually learns from his mistakes. In hind-sight.........in the greater scheme of things.......$1,500 was a cheap learning experience. I spent three weeks in Russia my first trip.
There are guys here on the forum who have spent more than $5,000......and haven't even left their home country yet.


Capt B

How the heck do spend $5000 and not even leave the country?!  Pay me that much and I'll personally take you to Moscow myself and introduce you to my single friends.

[DaveNY]

Yes.....this monthly "stipend" was concocted by the agency interpreters and RW. In 1999 I was a complete newbie. I was out $300 x 5 months ($1,500). I am someone who usually learns from his mistakes. In hind-sight.........in the greater scheme of things.......$1,500 was a cheap learning experience. I spent three weeks in Russia my first trip.
There are guys here on the forum who have spent more than $5,000......and haven't even left their home country yet.


Capt B

When men ask me for advice on meeting foreign women I tell them to visit the country first before going on a dating site. Get a passport, you'd be surprised how many Americans have never been outside the US. Not even to Canada or Mexico.

Take a vacation to Russia (or China, Philippines, etc). See if you like the country. Chat with the RW at McDonald's or a bar or in the park, etc. If you can afford to stay in the country for months, get a job teaching English or get a visa and take language lessons. In the end this is probably cheaper than paying for correspondence on a site like AFA and will probably lead to far more dates with real foreign women. 

[LAman]

When men ask me for advice on meeting foreign women I tell them to visit the country first before going on a dating site. Get a passport, you'd be surprised how many Americans have never been outside the US. Not even to Canada or Mexico.

 

Why would anyone want to leave the greatest country in the world???? Everything else is like going downhill!!

[BillyB]

How the heck do spend $5000 and not even leave the country?!  Pay me that much and I'll personally take you to Moscow myself and introduce you to my single friends.

Some guys have come to the forum admitting they spent thousands on chat and video chat. Girls working at agencies know how to keep guys on the hook.

[Sting23]

Some guys have come to the forum admitting they spent thousands on chat and video chat. Girls working at agencies know how to keep guys on the hook.

Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook are all free these days.  Google translate does a half decent job.  I don't know how much they charge but even spending a grand or 2 is crazy.

Good business for these agencies! 

[BillyB]

Skype, Whatsapp, Facebook are all free these days.  Google translate does a half decent job.  I don't know how much they charge but even spending a grand or 2 is crazy.

Good business for these agencies!

Agencies don't allow for exchange of private contact info. Some agencies charge a huge fee if you want a girl's contact info and if she agrees to it. Most girls won't agree to pass out their contact info because it doesn't pay to communicate outside the agency and they don't like most of the men communicating with them. Some girls, if they're single and actually likes a guy will pass on their private contact info through the agency messaging/video system.


Some guys fall in love with a photo at the pay to play agencies and have to chase certain women no matter the costs. The girl(s) they're in love with gives them a little attention and they're hook. Next thing you know, he's got a big bill to pay.

[Sting23]

Agencies don't allow for exchange of private contact info. Some agencies charge a huge fee if you want a girl's contact info and if she agrees to it. Most girls won't agree to pass out their contact info because it doesn't pay to communicate outside the agency and they don't like most of the men communicating with them. Some girls, if they're single and actually likes a guy will pass on their private contact info through the agency messaging/video system.


Some guys fall in love with a photo at the pay to play agencies and have to chase certain women no matter the costs. The girl(s) they're in love with gives them a little attention and they're hook. Next thing you know, he's got a big bill to pay.

Yeah agencies basically suck you in and force you to use their site to communicate.  Quite clever in a way but I guess there's enough guys who fall for it.
And the pay per letter thing is absolute highway robbery.  It's a heck of a business idea I'll say that.

[msmob]

as krimster said many rich Russians store their money outside of Russia.  Read the Panama Papers and how Putin is supposedly the richest man in the world.

Cyprus was a big haven for Russians, until their banks collasped.  one of my former private Russian clients was a VERY wealthy man, close to billionaire status.
He and his family all had EU passports and kept his money in offshore accounts.  I worked at one of his residences in a very well known tax free haven in Europe.  Man the stories I could tell of their lifestyle.

Goodness, you just mentioned another place I know LOTS about and I beg to differ 're Cyprus not being a place FSU folks' money resides.

Despite the haircuts and bank closures, Cyprus is doing v.nicely from the money you suggest is going

When were you last in Cyprus or Russia?

My other half is in CY, now..helping a friend sell a villa...to RUSSIANS...

[Brianinaz]

Krimster
You wrote
"please don’t take my comments in a negative way, but you should understand that Russian women are not gentle creatures, they are savage and beautiful ...

if you can handle it...

however, if you have any emotional vulnerability, a Russian woman will spot it immediately and if she needs to will hammer it to pieces until it(you!) breaks...

In Russia, no one relies on the kindness of strangers (ever!)
and there’s a reason for that..."

I check in here about once every six months or so and rarely post but that one kind of got me. I don't know you list "looking 1-2 years" and "trips none (yet). I'm just curious how in the world you felt qualified to make those statements? Geez!

[krimster2]

i read it in a book!!

actually, never bothered 2 fill in my 2nd account here properly

my bona fides?

6 mo sabbatical in kyiv in 1996 was my 1st trip
too many visits to count
lived there 3 yr w/ wife and children
had several RW gfs before wife