Thais have very poor financial management skills

[tullynagardy]

Like my wife says about the credit cards: "They're great. All you need to do is sign a piece of paper, and they give you things."

Sounds like quite a catch lol

[Neeranam]

If their financial skills are so poor, how do they live here on 9,000 baht per month when most of us would starve to death on less than 5-10x that amount?

Speak for yourself.

Financial management is all about how much you spend, not how much you make.

It"s also about how much you have in ready cash.I have just spent 40k today for my daughters schooling.No problem I knew I had the money.I am not an economist,but I have always lived within my means.

What has this got to do with anything?

Is 40k for a kid's school a lot?

Presumably for a term. My Thai friend has 2 kids in Bkk Pattana and he talks in $s.

40k might pay their school bus.

I think the heading could apply to any country.

[TechnikaIII]

If their financial skills are so poor, how do they live here on 9,000 baht per month when most of us would starve to death on less than 5-10x that amount?

Because they are thrifty, and mostly skinny, whilst you obviously don't know how to manage your finances,

and you are more than likely overweight.

[OOLEEBER]

Most might be but not my wife. After 12 solid years I can say she is amazing with finances and probably better than me and although she is now mid 30's she has still not yet completed her basic school education. She just has a knack for running a household and the family budget through common sense and an excellent rounded perspective. It's not fair to stereotype a nations people but I accept that my wife may be in the minority.

[anon467367354]

you want credit? how much is up to you, and that's the problem.

No one does credit checks here are even ask if you can afford it.

[geovalin]

One more racist (in the meaning "according to race or nationality") post.

"students, low-income people, and farmers" are at risk everywhere. The point in Thailand is that they are numerous. That's it. I used to speak with 60 years old female university professors -Thai nationality-, well they are as serious and strict as Mormons and they manage their budgets as Swisses.

In the opposite, all of us know farangs who are managing their budgets as if it was small changes.

[chainarong]

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If their financial skills are so poor, how do they live here on 9,000 baht per month when most of us would starve to death on less than 5-10x that amount?

And they all have cars

[DrTuner]

All that education will do is tell the ones who haven't yet heard of the bliss of being in debt up to your eyeballs to go to the bank and try their luck. Gotta keep up with the Joneses.

[klauskunkel]

To deal with this problem, the Kenan Institute and the City Foundation have joined hands in a 3-year campaign to educate these groups of people, especially students.

A three-year-campaign, hmmm sounds about right using the trusted Thai teaching techniques of rote-learning, hitting with a ruler and no-questions-asked. Expecting a full turn around in three years time, thank you all for coming...

[tomyumchai]

my (ex) mates wife rang him from kalasin. apparently she had broken a filling or dental cap and needed it replacing, could he send £200? so he went out and sent her £200.

the very next day i was at his place when the phone rang, it was the wife from kalasin asking if she could have another £200?

"well what did you do with the last £200?" was my mates reply. me, i just wondered how many teeth does she have?

"i bought tv's", she answered.

"what do you mean, TV'S?", came his strained reply.

"oh, 1 for upstairs and 1 for downstairs. but my teeth still broken and have very big pain now".....

then theres the story of a new roof, the rainy season approaching and some handbags.........money management? errrrrrrr? nope.

[draftvader]

I have met enough expats here with hysterically poor financial management skills....and they don't have the excuse of a poor education!

[stevehaigh]

so you mean buying lottery tickets, playing cards and giving money to the Wat aren't good investment strategies? who knew.

[sirchai]

Mr. Piyabutr cited a recent survey by the Bank of Thailand and the Finance Ministry as showing that three groups of people most at risk in piling up on debt were students, low-income people, and farmers. Shockingly, they make up at least 70 percent of the Thai population..

And the of course biggest group that comes right after god, the Thai teachers, with the license to hit little kids with bamboo sticks have their own freaking banks in each province.

An interest rate of 1 % makes it pretty easy not to get killed by loan sharks, as they don't need them.

So 70% are very poor, 25% of teachers considered rich and the rest are hiso Lamborghini guys.

Oh, forgot the monks. They can't be in the 70 % group, as one "donated" 40 Million baht for the new hospital in Sisaket.

The Lear Jet guy ( I agree that all should at least have a helicopter) seems to be in Hawaii now, or Honolulu.

And the poor cops have to take bribes to afford Mia Nois, Whiskey and Go-Go. So sad. For the poor.

World Class Standard Country Thailand.-

[brit1984]

most thai people (like most people in the world in 2014) will borrow as much as they can

the only way to control this is through regulation of financial institutions that provide credit

to expect the media (which mostly exists to promote consumerism) to help is just plain silly

[sirchai]

I have met enough expats here with hysterically poor financial management skills....and they don't have the excuse of a poor education!

Some of them do had a poor education. Would all foreigners here be well educated, the laws might be a little bit more enjoyable.

Edited May 1, 2014 by sirchai

[Som wat]

In other news.

The sky is blue and the Sun is hot.

[MaxYakov]

my (ex) mates wife rang him from kalasin. apparently she had broken a filling or dental cap and needed it replacing, could he send £200? so he went out and sent her £200.

the very next day i was at his place when the phone rang, it was the wife from kalasin asking if she could have another £200?

"well what did you do with the last £200?" was my mates reply. me, i just wondered how many teeth does she have?

"i bought tv's", she answered.

"what do you mean, TV'S?", came his strained reply.

"oh, 1 for upstairs and 1 for downstairs. but my teeth still broken and have very big pain now".....

then theres the story of a new roof, the rainy season approaching and some handbags.........money management? errrrrrrr? nope.

Farang management.

[draftvader]

I have met enough expats here with hysterically poor financial management skills....and they don't have the excuse of a poor education!

Some of them do had a poor education. Would all foreigners here be well educated, the laws might be a little but more enjoyable.

We have to generalise a touch. I know plenty of excellently educated Thais but they are a true minority whereas government funded education in Europe is, on average, very good and attended by most....the rest attend the same private schools as the aforementioned Thais. Naturally not everybody was listening and there are plenty of idiots from the West.....

My point was that they had the option to listen to a decent education whereas a lot of Thai kids have the option of listening to a poor teacher teaching outdated theories with no relevance.

[tetleythedog]

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If their financial skills are so poor, how do they live here on 9,000 baht per month when most of us would starve to death on less than 5-10x that amount?

That's easy......................one or more of the family either find a Farang (one BBQ bound truck,24 people eat, Farang pays) or send their daughter/katoey to Pattaya !

[soalbundy]

So,just for the record,what are they good at ?

[draftvader]

So,just for the record,what are they good at ?

Being polite. Not questioning others ways of living. Smiling. Keeping their judgements to themselves.

[jimbeam1]

So do most people in the West...

Yep, just max themselves on as many credit cards as possible.

jb1

[geoman1976]

okay...I am usually very fair in my responses and I argue on behalf of the Thais as much as against them. Facts are facts and this is one of them. the only think i would change is remove the word "financial" and you have it pegged. I am a PMP ( certified project manager) and have a lot of success and experience in management. I can tell you I have never encountered such a frustrating place to work in these regards.

[geoman1976]

So,just for the record,what are they good at ?

Being polite. Not questioning others ways of living. Smiling. Keeping their judgements to themselves.

huh? not questioning others' ways of leaving and keeping their opinions to themselves? You are either a Thai in denial or do not speak any Thai at all. Khun ting tong mai?

I have lived all over the world and have never seen such a judgemental, opinionated, and openly racist society.

Edited May 1, 2014 by geoman1976

[Jim walker]

My Thai wife manages her finance very well she just tells me bank is low transfer me some more money quickly Thank you.

[robert888d]

Thais on the whole earn such little money it's a wonder they are able to live on it and I quite understand many of them getting into debt.

There are those however who sqander their money on gambling, whisky, cigarettes and sex just like many Westerners here!

[tullynagardy]

aren't u the fuckin guy who said a while back 'I've never bin there'............what kind of a troll post is this........WHAT'S UR FUCKIN POINT?????

ban me if u want to i give a rats ass.............this forum sucks big time because of u....money grubbing cocksucker...........( if i hit the hed on the nail u can

always e-mail me............ass-hole)

You sound lovely, would you like to meet for dinner?

[robert888d]

My Thai wife manages her finance very well she just tells me bank is low transfer me some more money quickly Thank you.

Another fish well and truly hooked.

[Torkmada]

No they don't, they have enhanced corruption skills

[Muhendis]

"Mr. Piyabutr cited a recent survey by the Bank of Thailand and the Finance Ministry as showing that three groups of people most at risk in piling up on debt were students, low-income people, and farmers."

Correction

Mr. Piyabutr cited a recent survey by the Bank of Thailand and the Finance Ministry as showing that four groups of people most at risk in piling up on debt were students, low-income people, farmers and politicians.