Our Story
Education Without Agenda,
Guidance Without Pressure
Baan Thrift was built on a straightforward conviction: adults navigating significant life transitions deserve financial education that serves them — not the institutions around them.
Back to HomeOur History
How Baan Thrift Came to Be
Baan Thrift was founded in 2018 by a group of financial educators and retired professionals who had spent decades watching the same pattern repeat itself: adults in their 40s and 50s, often highly capable in their own fields, feeling overwhelmed when it came to insurance policies, retirement budgets, or investment terminology.
Rather than accepting this as inevitable, the founders opened a modest space on Thapae Road in Chiang Mai — a city they already called home — and began offering small group workshops. The focus was on clarity. Each session was designed to leave participants feeling more confident than when they arrived, with practical tools they could actually use.
Over the years, demand grew not through advertising campaigns but through quiet word-of-mouth. Participants recommended the programs to siblings, colleagues, and neighbours facing similar crossroads. The approach stayed consistent: small groups, no sales pressure, honest information, and materials worth keeping.
Today, Baan Thrift offers three structured programs — from focused workshops on budgeting through life transitions to a comprehensive three-month individual journey. Each one reflects the same founding principle: that financial clarity is a form of personal dignity, and every adult deserves access to it.
Our Mission
To provide clear, honest financial education for adults navigating life's significant transitions — without sales pressure, product promotion, or misleading simplifications.
Our Vision
A Thailand where every adult entering their 40s and beyond has access to the financial knowledge they need to make decisions that align with their own values and circumstances.
Our Values
Honesty over reassurance. Clarity over comprehensiveness. Patience over efficiency. We believe the best financial education is the kind that takes its time.
Our People
The Educators Behind Baan Thrift
Each member of our team has a background in financial services, adult education, or both — and a shared belief that good teaching changes lives.
Nattaya Krongthong
Lead Educator & Co-Founder
Former bank branch manager with 19 years in personal finance. Specialises in retirement transition planning and insurance literacy for expats and Thai nationals alike.
Somchai Laopetch
Program Design & Co-Founder
Brings a background in adult education and curriculum development. Designed the modular session structure that allows participants to progress at their own pace.
Priya Wongsakul
Wellness Program Educator
Certified financial educator with a focus on holistic planning. Leads the Comprehensive Financial Wellness Program and individual participant journeys.
Our Standards
How We Maintain Quality
The standards we hold ourselves to go beyond content accuracy — they shape how every session is designed, delivered, and followed up.
Educator Qualifications
All program facilitators hold relevant qualifications in finance, adult education, or both, and participate in annual professional development.
Material Accuracy
All workbooks and worksheets are reviewed annually to reflect current Thai financial regulations, insurance frameworks, and tax considerations.
Privacy & Confidentiality
Personal financial details shared during individual sessions remain strictly confidential. We do not share participant data with any third parties.
Participant Feedback
Every program concludes with a structured feedback session. We use participant input to shape the next iteration of each program.
Independence
Baan Thrift holds no referral arrangements, partnerships with financial institutions, or commission structures. Our income comes solely from program fees.
Group Size Limits
We maintain a maximum of eight participants per group session as a formal policy — not a guideline. When sessions fill, we open a new cohort rather than expand.
Our Approach
Financial Education as a Personal Matter
At Baan Thrift, we operate from a conviction that financial knowledge belongs to the individual — not to the institutions that profit from confusion. This means our programs are built around the questions adults in Chiang Mai and across northern Thailand actually bring to us: How do I know if my insurance policy is right for me? What should my budget look like now that my circumstances have changed? Where do I start with understanding what I own and what I owe?
These questions deserve careful, unhurried answers. We deliver them in small groups or, for those who prefer it, through one-on-one individual programs. The café-style setting on Thapae Road isn't accidental — it signals the tone we aim to maintain throughout every session: conversational, patient, and entirely free from pressure.
Northern Thailand, and Chiang Mai in particular, has a distinctive character: a mix of long-term Thai residents, working professionals, retirees, and expatriates who have made this city home. Baan Thrift serves all of these communities. Our programs are delivered in English, with Thai-language sessions available, and our understanding of the local financial landscape — from PromptPay to Thai life insurance regulation — reflects years of working within it.
We don't position ourselves as advisors. We are educators. That distinction matters. An advisor makes recommendations. An educator builds capacity. When participants leave Baan Thrift, they leave with the understanding to evaluate options for themselves — which is, we believe, the most valuable thing financial education can offer.
Come and Meet Us
We're easy to find on Thapae Road. If you'd like to talk through which program might suit you, we're happy to have that conversation in person or by phone.
Get in Touch