New City, New Life

Smart Money Strategies for University Life

The essential financial workshop for T&T students preparing to study abroad (and their parents preparing to send them).

What You’ll Learn Could Save You Thousands

We created this essential seminar to give Trinbago students (and their parents) the practical financial strategies they need to THRIVE as an international student.

From smart budgeting strategies and templates, to managing cards, transfers, and unexpected costs, this seminar is specifically tailored to helping upcoming university goers and their families master financial life outside of the Caribbean. You will leave with tools, confidence and a head start on true financial independence.

Avoid Costly Student Mistakes

At the seminar, we'll help students spot red flags early, avoid financial traps, and stay in control.

Common real-life scenarios we’ll cover:

▶︎ Using your debit card for every online purchase, and losing money each time from hidden FX conversion and processing fees.

▶︎ Downloading a student discount app — that’s actually harvesting your personal and banking data.

▶︎ You say yes to every outing your first month abroad — and blow your budget trying to make new friends.

▶︎ Ignoring your bank statements because of school deadlines — and miss fraudulent charges or auto-renewals draining your account.

Own Your Financial Story Abroad

We'll also help you build the habits to make smart decisions that support the life you actually want, not the life everyone else is living.

Practical habits we'll outline are:

▶︎ Planning your spending around real priorities, like staying active, eating well, or travelling occasionally, without running out of money.

▶︎ Decide what matters most to you and budgeting with intention so you’re not just reacting to invites, impulse buys, or peer pressure.

▶︎ Tracking your spending and spotting waste.

▶︎ Building a routine that includes saving or investing, so you’re not left with nothing at the end of your degree.

Protect Yourself Abroad

This seminar will show students how to budget for the unexpected and stay prepared when things go wrong.

Common real-life scenarios we’ll cover:

▶︎ Your debit card is frozen while shopping — what’s your Plan B when no one can send money instantly?

▶︎ You run out of money mid-month — do you skip meals, stop socialising, or risk unsafe transport?

▶︎ Your phone is stolen overseas — do you have the means to replace it immediately?

▶︎ Your assigned accommodation turns out unsafe or unbearable — can you afford to move to a better, more expensive place on short notice?

Turn a Milestone Into a Financial Master Move

Sending your child abroad is more than a milestone — it’s a strategic opening. This moment creates access to tools, jurisdictions, and financial structures that can strengthen your family’s position for years to come. Whether you’re already investing or just beginning to think long-term, this seminar will help you understand how to turn short-term costs into lasting advantage.

Strategies we’ll explore include:

▶︎ Establishing a financial footprint abroad

Use your child’s overseas residency to gain access to international banking, multicurrency accounts, and financial systems that create long-term flexibility for your family’s capital.

▶︎ Converting rent into ownership

Explore the potential of acquiring real estate near your child’s university — serving as housing during their degree and transitioning into a long-term rental income or capital growth asset.

▶︎ Seeding long-term international investment vehicles

Start or expand foreign-based portfolios that grow in USD, GBP, or CAD — enabling you to diversify outside the Trinidadian financial system and build resilience into your family’s wealth.

▶︎ Laying the groundwork for multigenerational planning

Use this moment to set up structures that support future tuition, mobility, or succession — from education funds to compliant, tax-efficient wealth transfer tools across borders.

Meet Your Host

We are Firstline Securities Limited, an independent financial services firm based in Trinidad & Tobago. For 20 years, we’ve helped families across the region — including in the French, Dutch, and OECS territories — create, grow, and retain wealth.

We’ve walked alongside many of our clients as they plan for their children to study abroad — and, in some cases, build lives overseas. What we’ve learned is simple but powerful: when these moments are planned as carefully as the school-to-university journey, they can become life-changing wealth opportunities.

We believe in creating a society of families with deep, resilient, multigenerational wealth. This seminar is our way of helping you take full advantage of the opportunities this transition offers — and to help your child move from book smarts to growth smarts, with real-world financial training that protects and empowers them as they step into adulthood.

Event Details

Date: Sunday 13th July, 2025
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Crew’s Inn, Chaguaramas
Price: $100 per Student & Parent(s)

What’s Included:

Firstline Financial Toolkit: Budgeting templates, financial planning worksheets, and exclusive guides
Refreshments: Light snacks and beverages are provided during the session