At the Thairath Money Campus Tour 2026 Season 3 event, two financial experts were invited. Paul Patrapol and Coach Noom The Money Coach joined a conversation with students from King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi about their journeys. Becoming "gurus" was not as smooth as many might think. Both faced turning points that led them onto their financial paths and shared insights for recent graduates aiming to follow their success without major hardship.
Coach Noom began his working life as an engineer in 1997 during the Asian financial crisis, which caused his family to face bankruptcy and his father to become ill. As the eldest son, he tried to solve problems but made mistakes from the start due to a lack of understanding of the differences between business and personal finances. He used credit cards and personal loans with high interest rates to support the family, accumulating over 1 million baht in debt and facing debt collection himself.
A crucial turning point came when he had to sell his house to repay debts, managing to sell it for 2.2 million baht. This not only cleared the million-baht mortgage but also left him with an extra 1 million baht as a reserve to manage the family’s larger debt of over 18 million baht. This experience revealed many financial lessons he had yet to learn and led him to seek financial knowledge from various sources, including the book "Rich Dad Poor Dad."
Paul, despite his image as a successful actor and DJ, had financial struggles from childhood due to family debt that led to their land being repossessed. This made him realize the importance of money between ages 10 and 15. He began working to help his family and set a goal to retire by age 45, calculating from age 20 that he would need 300 million baht to do so.
To achieve his early retirement goal, Paul didn’t rely solely on acting income but started a stock portfolio at age 20. However, due to limited knowledge and trusting brokers’ advice blindly, his investments stayed in the red for a long time. Eventually, he learned and adjusted his investment strategies, achieving success today.
For students about to graduate or recently graduated, both experts emphasize that the first 10 years are the most critical in life. Planning is not just about money but about life as a whole. Thairath Money compiled these five points from the two gurus for young people who still have "energy," "time," and "goals" and want financial freedom on their terms.
Coach Noom seriously warns, “Don’t believe that life gets easier as you age,” because responsibilities increase with age. The biggest trap in the first 10 years is rushing into debt, especially consumer debt like credit cards or cash cards with exorbitant interest. Starting life burdened by debt makes progress very difficult. So, initially, “avoid unnecessary debt.”
Paul explains that when capital is small, a 10% investment return might seem minor (earning only a thousand baht on a hundred thousand). But the highest return at this stage is “skills and abilities.” Coach Noom stresses that if you reach 30 and don’t know what you excel at, that’s a big problem. Use this time to experiment, immerse yourself deeply to create opportunities for higher income, because your skills are assets no one can take away.
Being good at earning money doesn’t mean you’re wealthy “if your bucket has holes.” Coach Noom observes that financially stable people he has consulted generally save about 20% of their income. Though 10% is often considered sufficient, starting out by saving 20% builds a buffer and reserve capital for more secure growth later.
Paul shared striking calculations showing that saving 1,000 baht monthly for 40 years with an 8% annual return can grow to 3 million baht at retirement. He noted that young people have the advantage of “time,” which is key to “compound interest.” The earlier you start, the less capital you need. Most importantly, “Better to start suffering when you have little money than face hardship when you have a lot.”
Before investing, don’t just follow advice blindly. Invest only in what you truly understand. Paul shared a simple stock selection principle: you should be able to close your eyes and picture whether the company will still exist in 5–10 years and whether it has a “moat” or competitive advantage that is hard for others to copy. Coach Noom added that buying stocks is like dating — easy to break up — but running a business is like marriage — hard to end. So choose your arena wisely according to your style and knowledge.
Before concluding, both gurus left this message:“Wealth may be a matter of life’s timing, but stability is about discipline and preparation,”Coach Noom said. Paul added,“Luck might bring sudden money, but knowledge and time are the two things that can turn thousands into lasting wealth.”
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