Cash buffers that survive Thai holiday months
Liquidity planning for drawdowns has to respect school calendars, bonus timing, and the weeks when markets and offices both slow.
A cash buffer sized only to “three months of expenses” can fail if those months include tuition, travel, and a market week when selling feels forced.
We ask clients to map the next twelve months of known outflows beside the portfolio’s least liquid sleeves. The goal is not maximum cash; it is avoiding a sale at the bottom because a calendar item was invisible.
What belongs on the map
- School and insurance dates
- Planned property or renovation payments
- Bonus income that should not be pre-spent in the risk book
- Any lock-ups on private or structured holdings
Drawdown recovery planning often starts here: restore the buffer, then decide which risk to reintroduce. If you are already mid-decline, recovery planning may fit better than a general review.