Participant Stories
In Their Own Words
We have asked a small number of participants to share their experience in honest, practical terms. These are their accounts.
← Back to HomeWhat Participants Say
Honest Accounts from Our Learners
These are not summaries of satisfaction scores. They are words from real people about what they found useful — and occasionally what they found surprising.
Wanphen Phromthong
Chiang Mai · Steady Ground
I have been aware that I should be doing something with my savings for years, but I had no idea where to start. Steady Ground gave me a structure that actually felt possible. The part about fixed deposits and SSF funds was explained so plainly that I wished I had known this ten years ago. The pace was exactly right — I never felt lost.
May 2025
Somchai Kanchana
Lamphun · The Quiet Long View
The Quiet Long View was a ten-week investment of time, and I am glad I made it. The sessions on Thai social security were the most useful for me — I have been paying into it for twenty years and never really understood what I was building up. I would have appreciated a little more time on healthcare costs, but overall the course delivered what it described.
April 2025
Janet Lim
Chiang Mai (expat) · Stillness with Numbers
I came to this course convinced I was too far behind to ever catch up. The three sessions of Stillness with Numbers changed that. I am now keeping a simple monthly budget — something I have never managed before. The group was warm and nobody made anyone feel judged. That matters a lot when the topic feels personal.
May 2025
Pensri Tansukhon
Chiang Rai · Steady Ground
I drove from Chiang Rai for this and it was completely worth the journey. What I appreciated most was that Prasert never made anyone feel that their question was too small. I asked something I was embarrassed about in the first session and he answered it as if it was the most natural thing. The notebook they gave us is still on my desk.
May 2025
Andrew Mc Rae
Chiang Mai (expat) · The Quiet Long View
As a long-term resident without Thai pension contributions, I was wondering whether this course would be relevant to me. It turned out that the sessions on private savings vehicles and healthcare planning were directly applicable. The instructors were honest that some topics don't apply equally to everyone, which I respected. Solid and genuinely useful material.
April 2025
Niphawan Bunnak
Chiang Mai · Stillness with Numbers
My sister recommended Ratana Path after she finished the Steady Ground course. I started with Stillness with Numbers to get my bearings first, and I am very glad I did. Three sessions sounds brief, but the content was well chosen — exactly the right things to understand first. I have since enrolled in Steady Ground and am finding it builds naturally.
May 2025
Detailed Accounts
Stories in More Depth
With permission, we have asked a few participants to describe their experience in more detail.
The Starting Point
Malee, 54, had a savings account but no structure around how she used it. She spent what was left after monthly costs rather than allocating money intentionally. She had heard about pension funds but felt the topic was too complicated to approach without help.
The Course Taken
Malee joined Steady Ground after a pre-course call with Prasert. Over six weeks, she worked through a personal saving routine, learned about Thai government savings bonds, and began mapping her expected costs for the next five years.
What Changed
By the end of the course, Malee had set up a dedicated savings account separate from her daily account and had begun contributing a fixed amount each month. She described feeling, for the first time, that she was making a decision rather than just watching money pass through.
"Before this course, saving felt like something I intended to do but never quite managed. Now I have a simple system and I understand why it works."
The Starting Point
Robert, 62, retired early from work in Singapore and moved to Chiang Mai. He had savings and a reasonable income but felt uncertain about whether his money would last, particularly given healthcare costs he could not easily estimate.
The Course Taken
Robert completed The Quiet Long View over ten weeks, attending in person for the first part and joining online sessions later. The healthcare and estate-thinking sections were most relevant to his situation. Nattaya guided him through how to frame questions he could bring to a licensed adviser.
What Changed
Robert left the course with a clearer personal planning folder and, crucially, with better questions than he had arrived with. He subsequently met with a financial adviser and described the meeting as far more productive than any previous interaction of that kind.
"I did not leave knowing all the answers — but I left knowing how to ask the right questions. That turned out to be the more valuable thing."
Get in Touch
Reach Ratana Path
Phone
+66 53 218 7649Address
58/2 Charoen Prathet Road
Chang Khlan, Muang, Chiang Mai 50100
Office Hours
Mon – Fri: 9:00 – 17:00
Saturday: 9:00 – 13:00
At a Glance
Our Record in Numbers
8+
Years in Chiang Mai
420+
Courses completed
4.7
Average rating out of 5
94%
Report improved money confidence
Professional Standing
Memberships and Recognition
Northern Thailand Community Education Recognition — 2023
Acknowledged for adult financial literacy work in the region.
Thailand Financial Education Network — Member since 2019
Contributing to national standards for consumer financial education.
Chiang Mai Adult Learning Forum — Featured, May 2025
Selected programme for the 2025 forum on later-life learning.
Your Turn
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