Who We Are
A small team with a patient approach to financial learning
Tawan Trust was founded in Phuket with one purpose: to make financial understanding accessible, calm, and genuinely useful for people navigating midlife.
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How Tawan Trust began
Tawan Trust grew out of a simple observation: many capable, thoughtful people in their forties and fifties reach a point in life where they feel they should understand their finances better — but are unsure where to begin. The financial services industry often moves too quickly, uses too much jargon, and assumes a level of familiarity that most people simply do not have.
Our founders spent several years working alongside community groups in Phuket, listening to what people actually wanted: calm explanations, small groups, and a pace that suited real life. In 2021 they opened Tawan Trust at a modest premises on Thanon Thalang — a location chosen for its quiet familiarity, close to the everyday rhythms of Talat Yai.
The name "Tawan" — which references the sun, particularly at the steady, reassuring hour of morning — reflects what we try to bring to each session: something dependable, gentle, and clear. We are not trying to be a fast school. We are trying to be a steady one.
Our Mission
What we are here to do
Our mission is to help people in their forties and beyond develop a working understanding of their finances — one that is grounded in their actual lives, not in a textbook scenario. We focus specifically on Thai banking, savings structures, and the financial decisions that matter most during midlife and the years approaching retirement.
We do not offer financial advice. We do not sell financial products. What we offer is structured, clear, honest education — and we always encourage our participants to consult a licensed professional before making any significant financial decision. That distinction matters to us.
The People
Who you will meet at Tawan Trust
Nattawut Kanchanawat
Co-Founder & Lead Educator
Spent over fifteen years in Thai banking before stepping away to focus on financial literacy. Nattawut leads the Wading In and Finding Your Depth programmes with an unhurried, conversational style.
Pimchanok Lertsri
Co-Founder & Programme Director
Pimchanok designed the curriculum for The Far Horizon Programme and oversees how all three programmes are structured and reviewed. She brings a background in adult education to every session she leads.
Surapong Wichit
Materials & Support Coordinator
Surapong prepares all printed guides, worksheets, and planning folders, and handles day-to-day enquiries. He ensures that every participant has what they need before a session begins.
How We Work
Standards we hold ourselves to
These are not marketing statements. They are the practical commitments that shape how we design and deliver every programme.
No conflicts of interest
We do not receive referral fees, commissions, or any payment from financial product providers. Our income comes solely from programme fees, keeping our teaching independent and honest.
Participant confidentiality
Personal information shared during sessions or in writing stays within our team. We do not share participant details with third parties for any commercial purpose.
Curriculum reviewed annually
We review our programme content each year to reflect changes in Thai financial regulations, banking products, and retirement-related legislation. What we teach stays current.
Group size limits
Each session is capped to ensure a comfortable, conversational environment. No participant is ever lost in a crowd or unable to ask a question at a pace that suits them.
Clear, written materials
Every programme includes printed or digital materials written in plain English. We avoid dense financial language and always explain terms the first time we use them.
Referral to licensed professionals
Whenever a topic moves toward personal decision-making, we pause and remind participants to speak with a licensed financial adviser. We teach; we do not advise on individual circumstances.
About Our Approach
Financial education shaped for midlife in Thailand
Many people reach their forties having managed their day-to-day finances reasonably well — paying bills, maintaining a bank account, perhaps setting a little aside — without ever sitting down to think seriously about what the next twenty or thirty years might look like. That gap between getting by and planning ahead is precisely where Tawan Trust operates.
Our three programmes — Wading In, Finding Your Depth, and The Far Horizon Programme — are designed as a gradual path. A participant might spend a few months with us across two or three programmes, building understanding steadily rather than trying to absorb everything at once. That suits the way most people actually learn in adulthood, particularly when topics feel new or unfamiliar.
We are based in Phuket and primarily serve residents of the island and surrounding areas. Our sessions draw on Thai banking structures, the specifics of Thai savings accounts and fixed deposits, and the healthcare and pension considerations relevant to life in Thailand. We believe that financial education should be grounded in the place where people actually live — not in generic international examples.
Tawan Trust is not a financial services firm. We hold no licence to advise on investments, insurance, or personal financial planning. We are educators. The distinction shapes everything about how we teach: our language, our materials, and the care we take in pointing participants toward qualified professionals when questions move beyond what a classroom can responsibly answer.
Interested?
Have a question about who we are or how we work?
We are always happy to have a brief conversation — no obligation, no pressure. Just a straightforward exchange so you can decide whether a programme feels right for you.
Send Us a Message