The short answer

A good family financial planning service for South Africans in Thailand looks at your whole family, not one product. It works out what school and university will cost and how to fund them; makes sure life, health and income protection would hold the family together; puts wills, nominations and beneficiaries in place in every country; plans the currency of fees and savings so a weaker rand can't derail them; and keeps your retirement on track at the same time. It gives you a plan in writing, explains every cost, and reviews it at least once a year and after every big life change. JLIT's family planning is led by Lawrence — who has lived in Thailand for many years and has more than 30 years in international finance — and the first review is free.

What a family financial planning service is

A family financial planning service helps parents organise their money around their family's goals and risks. Instead of selling a single product, it starts with questions: Where will the children go to school, and then to university? What will that cost, and in which currency? What would happen if one of you died or couldn't work? Where will you retire, and will you have enough with no state pension abroad? Who inherits what, in which country, and how quickly?

From the answers, it builds a plan that connects the pieces — savings, investments, protection, wills, nominations, currency and retirement funds — and then helps put it in place and keep it up to date as the family grows.

What a good service should include

Education planning

A realistic cost for each child's schooling and university, with fee rises and the rand built in, and a funding plan: how much to save monthly, how to use any lump sums, which currency to save in and when to move money to cash as each stage approaches. A mid-range international school in Thailand can cost around ฿825,000 a year — about R404,000 — with rises of 6–10% a year at some schools. A South African university, for a citizen, can cost a fraction of studying abroad.

Protection

Life cover sized to the family's real needs, with beneficiaries named or in trust; health insurance for every family member, because medical aid doesn't cover you living abroad; and income or critical illness cover for the main earner. As JLIT doesn't sell insurance, a good service should also be clear about who arranges the policies — we take leads and introduce specialists.

Wills, nominations and beneficiaries

Wills in each country where you hold assets, guardians named for the children, trusts so young children's money doesn't end up in the Guardian's Fund, and every policy, retirement fund and account checked so the money reaches the right people quickly.

Currency

Fees in baht, university in rand or abroad, income perhaps in a third currency: a plan for moving money out of the rand within your allowances, converting at good rates and fixing costs where it helps.

Retirement

Making sure saving for the children doesn't quietly cost the parents their retirement — and planning both together, including what to do with retirement annuities and preservation funds left in South Africa.

Ongoing reviews

At least once a year, and after any major change — a new baby, a move, a new job, a divorce or a child starting university.

How JLIT's family financial planning works

JLIT's family financial planning is led by Lawrence Young, who has lived in Thailand for many years and has more than 30 years in international finance. He works with South African and Thai rules together, and with families who have money, children and plans across both countries.

1. Get in touch through the enquiry form on this page, by email at enquiries@ExpatFAA.com, WhatsApp on +66 95636 1829 or LINE (LAW007LU).
2. A free first conversation — by video call, phone or in person where possible — about your family, your plans and what worries you.
3. Your full picture — Lawrence gathers the details of your income, savings, retirement funds, property, policies, wills and the children's plans.
4. Clear findings — what's working, where the gaps are, and what you could gain, in plain English.
5. Your plan, in writing — if you'd like help, a written recommendation covering what to do, why, and every cost.
6. Putting it in place — Lawrence handles the paperwork with providers, introduces insurance specialists, and coordinates with South African and Thai lawyers and tax practitioners where needed.
7. Ongoing reviews — at least once a year, and whenever your family or the rules change.
8. Always reachable — by email, WhatsApp or LINE, in your time zone.

The first review is free and carries no obligation. Many families simply come away with a clearer picture and a list of things to sort out themselves — and that's fine.

The service at each stage of family life

Couples planning a family

Getting the foundations right: health insurance, wills in both countries — remembering that in South Africa marriage doesn't update an old will — emergency savings outside the rand, and an early start on long-term saving.

New parents

The biggest jump in protection needs most families ever face, plus guardians, trusts, registering the birth as a South African, and the chance to start an education plan from birth, when time does the most work. R5,000 a month from birth can grow to about R2.4 million by 18 at 8% a year, against R1.08 million paid in.

The school years

Paying fees efficiently — upfront discounts, good exchange rates, a fee reserve outside the rand — while keeping long-term savings and retirement on track, and keeping protection matched to the remaining fees.

University

Citizenship and entry, currency and timing: the Matriculation Board exemption for a South African university, moving money into cash ahead of each year, fixing exchange rates, and making sure children have their own health cover.

After the children leave

Reducing cover you no longer need, catching up on retirement saving, deciding what to do with South African retirement funds, and planning how you'll pass money on — including estate duty and executor's fees.

Who it's for

• Families moving from South Africa to Thailand who want protection, schooling and savings sorted before or soon after they arrive.
• Parents of young children who want to start saving for school and university early.
• Families with children at international school balancing fees today with savings for tomorrow.
• South African–Thai families with assets, wills and heirs in two countries.
• Blended families who need to provide fairly for a partner and children from different relationships.
• Grandparents in South Africa who want to help with education in a ring-fenced way.
• Families who may move again — or home — and need plans that travel with them.
• Anyone who has never had a joined-up plan and wants to know where they stand.

Where to start

A free family review, introductions to insurance specialists, a better rate for fees and savings, and a hard-currency home for family money.

Where planning makes the biggest difference

Starting education savings early

Time is the most valuable ingredient. Saving R7,328 a month for 13 years at 8% a year builds a R2 million fund, with more than 40% coming from growth. Starting late means paying far more of the bill yourself.

Ask about school-fee planning, or compare schools in our international schools directory, covering 178 schools across Thailand.

Closing protection gaps

Many families have savings plans with no protection behind them — or life cover sized in rand for a South African bond, not baht school fees. Life policies with no beneficiary named pay into the estate, where they wait for an executor and attract fees of up to 3.5% plus VAT.

Getting wills right in two countries

Thai bank accounts are frozen on death until a Thai court appoints an administrator. A Thai will typically gets the family to that point in four to six months; relying on a South African will alone takes much longer.

Getting out of the rand in time

School fees are charged in baht, and the rand has weakened against the baht over the long run. Holding fee money in hard currency, and using a specialist FX provider rather than a bank, can save hundreds of thousands of rand over a child's education.

Charges

Over 18 years, one percentage point more in charges can turn R2.4 million into about R2.15 million. A good service will show you every cost and why it's worth paying.

Protection: the part most family plans miss

Families often put real effort into saving for school fees and very little into protecting the plan. Yet an education fund only works if someone keeps paying into it, and the school still sends its invoices if a parent dies, falls seriously ill or loses their job.

A family plan should answer three questions. If one of us died, would there be enough to clear debts, pay the remaining school and university fees and give the family an income — paid quickly, to a named beneficiary or trust? If one of us couldn't work for a year, how would the bills and the savings plan be paid? And if one of us needed hospital treatment tomorrow, is every family member covered in Thailand — now that medical aid no longer is?

JLIT doesn't sell insurance. We take leads and introduce you to specialists who arrange life, health, critical illness and income cover, and Lawrence makes sure the cover fits the rest of your plan. Our international life protection providers directory compares the main providers.

Balancing the children's future with your own

Many South African parents abroad put their children first — and quietly sacrifice their own retirement to do it. School fees take priority, retirement contributions stop, the two-pot savings component gets drawn on, and the gap only becomes clear when retirement is close and there's little time to fix it.

A good family plan treats both as goals. Children can win bursaries, take loans or study at a South African university at local fees; parents can't borrow for retirement, and no state pension follows them abroad. Often the best answer is a balance: a realistic education budget, steady retirement saving, and protection that covers both. Our guide to balancing education savings and retirement goals explains how.

Planning a family move from South Africa

The months around a move are when a family plan matters most — and when it's easiest to let things slip. A move switches off many protections the family relied on at home: medical aid doesn't cover you living abroad, group life and disability cover ends with the old job, and your will was written for life in South Africa.

A good service helps you plan the move in the right order. Before you go, that means international health cover from the day you arrive, life cover that works abroad and a review of every existing policy. Then come money and currency: moving savings, deposits and school fees within your allowances at a good rate, keeping South African accounts working as non-resident accounts, and ceasing tax residence properly. School costs need realistic budgets, including one-off registration fees, and a plan to fund them, and wills and guardians need updating for life in two countries. In the first year, you'll want a Thai will once you have Thai assets, and a full review once you've settled.

Our guide to family financial protection when relocating covers the move step by step.

South African–Thai families

Many South African families in Thailand include a Thai spouse or partner, and children with dual nationality. Their finances often need extra care, because the rules in each country can pull in different directions.

In Thailand, a married Thai spouse is a statutory heir and usually owns half of the marital property, while an unmarried partner isn't an heir at all. For estate duty, everything left to a spouse is deductible, even a non-resident spouse, but there's no capital gains tax roll-over to a spouse who isn't South African resident. Land is usually held in the Thai partner's name, and foreign heirs who inherit land must usually sell it within a set period. You'll need a Thai will for Thai assets and a South African will for South African assets, made so that neither revokes the other. Register your children's births as South Africans, so they can later study at a South African university at local fees, and make sure your retirement fund nominations name your spouse, keeping proof of dependency for the trustees.

Our guide to estate and beneficiary planning for South Africans abroad explains the rules in detail.

Currency planning for families

A South African family in Thailand can easily be earning in one currency, paying school fees in baht and saving for university in rand or another currency. Without a plan, exchange rates decide how much things really cost — and the rand bought more than ฿4 in 2011 against about ฿2.04 in October 2026.

A family plan usually matches each pot of money to the currency of the bill it will pay: baht for the next school terms, hard currency for later school years and study abroad, rand for a South African university. It also plans how and when to move money out of South Africa — each adult can send R2 million a year under the single discretionary allowance — and how to convert. A large payment — a year's fees upfront, a university deposit — can be fixed in advance with a forward contract. Using a specialist FX provider rather than a bank for these transfers is one of the simplest savings a family can make.

Our guide to education cost inflation and currency risk explains the numbers.

Planning yourself or using a service

Some families plan their own finances successfully, especially when life is simple: one country, one currency, a straightforward job. For South African families abroad, the extra layers — the rand, exchange control, tax and inheritance rules in two countries, protection that must work abroad, retirement funds left at home, schools charging in baht — make mistakes more likely and more expensive.

If you plan yourself, use our guides to cover each piece: school fees, education savings solutions, life insurance and beneficiaries. If you'd like someone to check your thinking, the first review with Lawrence is free.

What your written plan should contain

A written plan should start with a summary of where you are now — income, savings, retirement funds, property, policies and wills — and set out your goals, from schools and university to retirement and your home. It should cost each goal, with fee rises and the rand built in, and show how each will be funded, from monthly savings, lump sums and existing assets. It should describe your protection — what you have, what you need and the gaps — and the wills, nominations and beneficiaries that need updating, in which country. Every recommendation and every cost should be there, with the reasons for each, along with when the plan will be reviewed and what would trigger an earlier review.

How to judge any family planning service

Whoever you're considering — including us — ask who you'll actually deal with and how long they've worked with South African families in Thailand, and whether they understand both sides: South African and Thai rules on tax, inheritance, retirement funds and exchange control. Ask how they're paid — fees, commission or both — and how much, in writing, and whether you'll get a written plan with the reasons for each recommendation and every cost. Find out where your money will be held; it should be with well-known providers, in your name. Ask whether they'll tell you what you don't need and when doing nothing is best, how often they'll review your plan and how you can reach them. And ask yourself whether you approached them, or whether they cold-called you.

A good service welcomes these questions. Our guide to investment scams and due diligence explains the checks.

Red flags to walk away from

Be wary of cold calls or social media messages offering “school fee plans” you didn't ask for, and of offers to “unlock” retirement funds early to pay school fees. One product sold for every problem — a savings plan sold as life cover, or the reverse — is a warning sign, as is pressure to sign a long contract quickly or a “today only” offer. So are guaranteed high returns or exotic investments, and vague charges, including the line that “the provider pays me, so it's free”.

What to have ready for your first review

You don't need everything to start — a conversation is enough — but a few things help Lawrence give you useful findings sooner: your children's ages, current schools and any plans for future schools or universities; recent statements for savings plans, investments, retirement funds and bank accounts; and policy documents for life, health, critical illness and income cover. Bring any wills, in any country, along with nomination forms and trust documents, details of employer benefits — health, life cover, retirement fund and school fee support — and a rough monthly budget in baht and in rand.

Three real-world examples

These are illustrations, not real clients.

Werner and Ploy — a South African–Thai family in Bangkok

With a three-year-old and a baby, they had a South African will made years before their marriage and no life cover beyond Werner's employer scheme. Their plan included new South African and Thai wills naming guardians, personal life cover in dollars with a trust for the children, an education plan in dollars, a tax-free savings account for each child for a possible South African university, and the births registered as South African.

The Mokoenas — two children at international school

Fees were being paid from rand income at the bank's rate, and retirement saving had stopped. Their plan restarted retirement saving at a manageable level, moved a year's fees into a hard-currency account, used a year-upfront discount, and set up forward contracts for each school year.

Johan and Sue — grandparents helping out

Wanting to help with their grandchildren's school fees from George, they moved a lump sum offshore within their allowances into a trust for the grandchildren's education, keeping control over how it's used and staying within the yearly donations tax exemption for their regular gifts.

Your checklist for choosing a service

Look for a whole-family approach rather than one product, and check that the adviser understands South African and Thai rules together. Ask how they're paid, in writing, and expect a written plan with every cost explained. Make sure protection is included, and who arranges it, and that wills and nominations are covered in every country. Agree how often you'll review, and never sign under pressure.

Getting in touch

The easiest way to start is the enquiry form on this page — choose education, add a line about your family, and Lawrence will come back to you. You can also email enquiries@ExpatFAA.com, message on WhatsApp at +66 95636 1829 or on LINE at LAW007LU. Whether you're planning a move with your family or have lived in Thailand for years, the first review is free.

When you share documents, keep them safe: send statements through secure channels, never share passwords or one-time PINs with anyone, and use a private, protected connection on hotel, café and condo Wi-Fi.

How we wrote this profile

This profile describes what a family financial planning service for South African families in Thailand should include and how JLIT's service with Lawrence works. Figures are carried from our South African education, protection, retirement and estate guides and their sources: Thailand Starter Kit (August 2026) on school fees; SARS on tax-free investments; ThaiLawOnline (October 2026) on Thai estates; and our university guide. Growth figures are illustrations at 8% a year after charges, not guarantees. Checked 23 October 2026. JLIT takes leads for insurance and introduces specialists; it does not sell insurance. This profile is general information, not personal financial advice.