About Wichai Trust
A place built on the idea that understanding comes before action
We exist to give people in midlife the knowledge and calm space to understand their finances — at their own pace, without pressure, and with full respect for where they are in life.
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How Wichai Trust came to be
Wichai Trust was founded in Bangkok after its founders noticed something that many people over forty quietly share: a feeling that money matters had grown complicated over the years, and that the right moment to sort things out had somehow never quite arrived. Life had been full — careers, families, responsibilities — and financial understanding had been deferred.
The name comes from a simple idea. "Wichai" — meaning trust and reliability in Thai — reflects what the founders wanted to build: a place where people could come with real questions and leave with real clarity. Not promises, not products, but understanding.
From the beginning, the approach has been to open things slowly. Each programme is structured like a well-ordered cabinet — topic by topic, drawer by drawer — so that nothing feels rushed, and each idea has room to settle before the next one opens.
Our Mission
What guides every session we run
Respect for the learner
We design every session around the reality that adults in midlife carry full lives. There is no assumption of prior knowledge, and no topic is treated as too basic to explain clearly.
Honesty about what we are
Wichai Trust is an education provider. We help people understand, not decide. Where a licensed professional is needed, we say so directly and help participants know what to look for.
Rooted in Thai reality
All content is built around the Thai financial system — local banks, Thai savings instruments, relevant regulations — so that what participants learn is directly useful in their own lives.
The People Behind Wichai Trust
Our team
Prayuth Wattana
Founding Director
Spent twenty years working in Thai banking before turning his attention to education. Prayuth writes most of the course materials and leads the ten-week programme personally.
Niran Rattanasuk
Course Facilitator
A trained adult educator with a background in community learning. Niran facilitates The First Drawer and Everything in Its Place, and has a talent for making the unfamiliar feel approachable.
Supaporn Charoenwong
Participant Support
Supaporn manages enrolments and follows up with participants between sessions. She is the first point of contact for anyone with questions about the programmes.
How We Work
Our standards and approach
Education-only model
Wichai Trust holds no financial product licences and sells no investment products. Our only interest is in helping participants understand.
Small group limit
We cap each group at twelve participants. This keeps sessions personal and gives everyone the opportunity to ask questions without feeling overlooked.
Written materials for every session
Every participant leaves each session with a printed summary or worksheet. The aim is that the learning continues at home, in your own time.
Privacy respected
Participants are never asked to share personal financial details in group sessions. Any one-to-one conversations are kept strictly confidential.
Curriculum reviewed regularly
Content is checked and updated each year to reflect changes in Thai regulations, banking products, and retirement frameworks.
Feedback after every cohort
We gather written feedback at the end of each programme and use it to improve the following one. Participants' experiences shape how we teach.
Our Expertise
Financial education built for the second half of working life
People who come to Wichai Trust are often at a point where they have steady income and some savings, but feel uncertain about whether those savings are well-organised, whether they are on a reasonable track for later years, or simply what their options look like. These are sensible concerns, and they deserve a sensible, unhurried response.
Our three programmes — The First Drawer, Everything in Its Place, and The Whole Cabinet Programme — move from foundational concepts to more detailed planning territory. Participants can enter at whichever level fits their starting point. Some work through all three over a period of months; others choose one and find it answers what they needed.
Bangkok's financial landscape has its own character. The range of savings accounts offered by Thai banks, the structure of the Social Security Fund, the role of provident funds and government bonds, the practical mechanics of life insurance in Thailand — these are the topics we address in the language they deserve: plain, honest, and locally grounded. We do not transpose material written for another market and call it relevant. Everything is written for people living and working in Thailand.
Wichai Trust operates from Watthana, close to Asok, and is easily reached by BTS. Sessions are held during the week and on Saturday mornings to accommodate working participants.
Take the next step
We are glad to answer your questions
There is no pressure to enrol. If you would like to talk about which programme might suit you, simply send us a message or call.
Get in Touch