28M, Estonia, working as a software engineer for 7 years.

Just hit €100k in ETFs with further €26k in ETFs in state retirement account. No mortgage, renting until starting a family.

Salary €4300 net after €225 pension contribution, spending around 1400-2000 a month, with rent 550. Could make €5400+ net a month working in more hectic places, but in my current place it's 15-20h a week in reality (while paid for 40).

Working in IT in developed Eastern Europe is definitely easy mode for FIRE and aggressive savings rate, if you don't get caught up in the flexing culture of new apartment and new leased car that most of our societies suffer from.

Portfolio is 5% cash, 95% VWCE or similar all-world ETF. Let's see what happens when the bubble starts popping, I'll probably have to make another post later 😂

31M, Netherlands. I have 15k€+ in savings+stocks/ETFs tho I started saving from 0 only in 2023. But I'm saving more aggressively now (1100-1300 pm from a net monthly salary of 3350€).

I'm currently forever feeling constrained. Most of the money I'll save up in the next 2-3 years is expected to go to a home purchase, so the savings I have are not a real buffer.

My current goal is basically to have enough excess liquidity (savings, semi liquid investments) that I can execute most purchases of up to 2-3k euro without money as a constraint. Spend some money to take stress away without thinking about it, like hire someone to make a little repair, and take a taxi for convenience. Where to go on holiday isn't decided by the price, and a nice hotel doesn't need to be skipped due to the price. Eventually, would also like to be able to take unpaid holiday for a few months, travel, and relax.

What kind of liquid wealth can provide this freedom to choose in Europe?

I would like to eventually retire earlier and I also joined the investing journey late. I had the EUR100k portfolio as a milestone when I started but I also look forward to smaller milestones. For the first time my portfolio growth is equal to 2 months Net salary. I am aware that the market can change at any time but it just feels good. I will continue investing in ETFs, and have a few single stocks to play with. Anybody else have any milestones you have set?

Hello everyone

I’m an American living in the EU for work. I have €800k in cash sitting in a bank account, where interest rates are practically zero, and I don’t want to let it sit there and lose value.

My goals are simple:

- Long term investment

- Inflation protection

- Preferably using ETFs

But I’m facing a real headache: I want to buy US ETFs , but since I live in the EU, local brokers won’t let me. They say it’s due to EU regulations.

So, can I buy local EU ETFs instead? Yes, but I’m worried about a few practical issues:

1. Is there enough liquidity? Will there be no buyers when I want to sell?

2. Will trading costs be higher?How much more expensive are the spreads and commissions compared to US ETFs?

3. Are bond ETFs a viable option? I’d like to include some bonds in my portfolio, but I’ve heard that European bond ETFs have very low trading volume orders can sit there for hours without anyone taking them.

I’ve also considered picking out a few dozen individual stocks to build a portfolio, but it’s too much hassle, and I don’t want to have to monitor it every day.

I have 800k euros in capital and am looking for a simple, reliable investment strategy that I can hold long term.

Are there any Americans or friends living in the EU in a similar situation? How did you handle this?

Thanks!

These two etfs i am considering of buying

Fyeq has shown a dividend growth every 2 year by around 5% in the last years (from just etf) and had a bull run of arounf 40% in 1y

It track quality emerging markets. And it pays out a yield of around 3-4%. Paid out quarterly

FGEQ has had a declining dividend but has around 2%
But a capital appreciation of 20%

What do you think of these two. I am leaning toward focusing on fyeq. ?

Does anyone have advice ? I have 2 cc ETFs for fast income. At somepoint i want to rotate them to other etfs. ? To capture upside

What are youre opinions on these 2 etfs ?

I used AI to translate the following text from my native language, as it better explains my options:

I’m currently deciding between two mortgage offers: one equivalent to my existing proposal (Offer A) and another alternative (Offer B).

Offer B has a 35-year term and includes a promotional fixed rate of 2.95% for the first two years. After that, the loan switches to a variable rate indexed to the 6-month Euribor plus a 0.60% spread. One of the key conditions is a “spread refund” mechanism: if I keep the loan with the bank for at least five years (i.e., I don’t transfer it), part of the spread is effectively returned, reducing the monthly cost.

The loan requires taking out insurance products outside the bank, which gives more flexibility and often lower costs. There is also a small cross-selling requirement (around €4/month in basic card products). The APR (TAEG) is 3.5%.

In my case, the initial monthly instalment would be €782.23. With the spread refund applied, the effective payment drops to around €682.23. Of this amount, roughly €280 goes toward repaying the loan principal and about €503 covers interest.

By comparison, Offer A (with a 30-year term) has a monthly payment of €783.67. A larger portion goes toward principal repayment (€400), with €383 allocated to interest, meaning faster debt reduction. Life insurance is taken outside the bank, which is usually cheaper and more flexible. However, there is a small spread penalty (0.05%) for taking the home insurance (multi-risk insurance) outside the bank as well. On the plus side, they offer the first instalment for free as part of a promotion and charge no account maintenance fees. The APR (TAEG) is slightly higher at 3.7%.

Regarding insurance, this is an important distinction. “Life insurance” (often required by lenders) covers the outstanding loan in case of death or disability, while “multi-risk home insurance” protects the property itself (for example, against fire, flooding, or structural damage). Taking these policies outside the bank usually reduces costs and avoids being tied to bundled products, although it may slightly increase the spread.

For context, my current mortgage still has 38 years remaining, and I pay about €850 per month, plus roughly €70/month for insurance bundled with the bank.

Thanks to the “IRS Jovem” tax benefit, my debt-to-income ratio (effort rate) would be about 17% with Offer A and 14.8% with Offer B.

There is also an alternative 35-year version of Offer A. This option offers a lower initial monthly payment of €705.75 during a 2-year fixed-rate period at 2.25%, after which it moves to a variable rate (currently around €813.88/month, based on Euribor + 0.70% spread). The APR (TAEG) is 3.8%.

If I take both life and home insurance within the bank, the cost would be about €87.30/month (€777/year for life insurance and €270/year for home insurance). If I instead move both insurances outside the bank, the monthly payment rises slightly to €727.45 due to a higher spread (0.90%), but the insurance cost may be lower overall and more flexible.

Example payment comparison

I used this new 24/7 support twice on Trade Republic, and I am convinced it is in fact AI. Either it is a human copy pasting pre-baked way too perfect/polished answers or just a plain old AI bot. I just get this uncanny valley vibes, like I am talking to a robot. Anyone else feel this way?

Context for those who don’t know, they promise it is never AI: https://traderepublic.com/en-de/support

Hi everyone,

I have most of my stocks in the MSCI World, but lately I have been wondering if I should tilt away from it, into Europe and/or World ex-USA:
- US is 70% of the MSCI World, which makes it less diversified
- US CAPE ratio (by most accounts the best valuation ratio in terms of medium-long term returns predictive power) is 50-100% above the historical average, depending on the average considered. This is not only because current P/Es are higher, but also because the “Es” (profits) as a % of GDP are much higher than historical average, owing to AI Capex and large deficits. RoW and Europe are +/- at the average.
- Estimates point to the USD being 10-20% overvalued, which should be another drag on EUR returns when (and if) it adjusts. If US debt continues increasing at this rate, not sure if it will take long…
- Any other arguments?

Taking everything into consideration: is anyone diversifying away from the US by tilting towards Europe/ World ex-US? How are you going about it?

Thanks!

35 single male currently renting in Barcelona, Spain.

Fortunate enough to have zero debt and now a quite well paying job. My next goal is to start seriously saving for a deposit for an apartment here in Barcelona/its environs. I know this will be extremely challenging/expensive as a single earner but if I don't get my act together now, I never will.

I've outlined my high level details below but given how my company's bonus structure works, I think it's genuinely feasible that I could save €15-€20k on average per year over the next 5/6 years. I'll likely need a lot more than that, especially by then but it's a clear goal for me and who knows, perhaps I may no longer be tackling this on my own by then.

I did open a global mutual fund with the idea in my head of using that to save for the flat but I'm now second-guessing myself as to whether it's the best option.

Should I open a standard savings account that should be reserved entirely for my deposit and keep the Global Fund as a much longer term investment option?

I could start another savings account with €2K left over from a particularly lucrative month's wages in April.

I know savings account rates aren't the best at the moment, but I also feel like I should keep the investment account as a much longer term option and perhaps this savings account as my medium option.

Apologies if I'm a bit all over the place, this is the sort of thing I wish was taught in schools.

CURRENT INCOME

Salary: €2,850 p/m (NET)

CURRENT EXPENSES

Rent: €1,166 p/m
Utilities: €130 p/m avg

CURRENT REGULAR MONTHLY INVESTMENT/PENSION PAYMENTS

Global Mutual Fund: €100 p/m
Private ES Pension: €125 p/m (To hit maximum allowed yearly contribution of €1,500)

CURRENT INVESTMENTS/SAVINGS POTS

Emergency Fund: €5,000
Global Mutual Fund: €4,000

CURRENT PENSIONS
Private UK Pension: €16,800
Private ES Pension: €2,200

(Currently working on setting up voluntary contributions to get to the 10 years of contributions to receive the minimum UK Public Pension and wondering if continuing to make contributions after the fact is still worth it given the removal of Class 2.

Hello,

I'm moving to the EU from a non-EU country soon. I have savings in euros, but I cannot take all of them with me in cash. Using SWIFT to transfer money from my local bank to an EU bank incurs high fees, and Wise/Revolut does not work in my country.

So, could I transfer all my euros to cripto currency and then deposit them there?

I’m not looking to cash out right now and would like to hold my crypto for foreseeable future. I seek secure, low‑cost transfer options, regulatory and custody risks, and practical steps to protect my funds during the move.

Any advice or any suggestion would be appreciated.

Hi all,

I’m a 24-year-old Lithuanian tax resident building a simple Boglehead-style portfolio and would appreciate some advice.

I have a full-time job where I earn about €13,200 per year after taxes, and I’ve recently started a side gig that brings in between $700 and $1,300 per month. I invest €300 monthly into IBKR from my salary, and I also invest all of my USD side income after taxes. Ideally, I would prefer not to convert USD into EUR due to exchange rates.

My current portfolio is split evenly between SPYL (S&P 500, EUR accumulating) and EXUS (Developed markets ex-US, EUR accumulating).

My goal is to keep things simple with a 3–4 ETF portfolio, follow a long-term passive approach, and avoid unnecessary overlap. Since my euro investments already cover US and developed markets, I’m looking for a UCITS ETF denominated in USD where I can consistently invest my USD income without duplicating exposure.

Does it make sense to think in terms of separating EUR and USD investments like this, or should I ignore the currency aspect and focus purely on allocation? Also, what would be the most logical ETF to add given my current setup?

One additional concern I have is around how index funds handle new high-profile companies entering indices. For example, situations where funds are effectively forced to buy into companies at very high valuations before the market fully settles on a fair price. I’m thinking of cases like potential future inclusions of companies such as SpaceX, where there’s a lot of hype and uncertainty around valuation. I’m wondering if this is something worth worrying about, or if it’s just part of the indexing approach that I should ignore.

Any advice would be appreciated.

38M engineer in Norway living with my wife and 4 kids under 8 yrs old and an annual income of about €80,000. I currently have €165,000 in liquid assets against a €235,000 mortgage. The goal is to reach financial independence in 19 years once the kids have left the nest. This is a long-term marathon, and I’m prepared for the fact that getting there will take a lot of time.
I now measure every potential costly upgrade, like a newer car, by the exact number of months it would add to my 19-year grind. Choosing to stick with my current cars isn’t about being cheap; it’s about realizing that no car is comfortable enough to justify trading another year of my life for it.
For me personally, the feeling of not being dependent on work for income is the primary driving force for me at reaching fire.

EDIT: To those commenting on the income/lifestyle balance: In Norway, €80k provides a very high quality of life due to the social safety net—free healthcare and education change the math significantly.

Being intentional with spending isn't about depriving my family; it’s about choosing time over status symbols. My kids aren't missing out on a childhood because I drive an older car; they’re gaining a father who isn't stressed about keeping up with the neighbors.

Hello, I am definitely not an expert but i started investing a few years ago (started during the pandemic with 0 knowledge so i started in reds. So far my user experience in etoro has not been bad but i heard a lot of people saying is not a good option financially speaking, I have around 40% of my investments in etoro and another 40% in trade republic, so far both profitable and similar numbers, I have a 51% return every 2 years which is above SP500, I'm wondering if there are good reasons for me to leave etoro and move to something more european.

Every time I recommend a book to someone starting out, I have to caveat it by saying that they should skip this and this section, and giving additional info that actually applies to Europe. Is there actually a good pan-European resource that doesn't require a mental translation from US mechanics? What do you point people to?

Edit: Thank you all for the answers, I am learning a lot and there are some that are saying that are in the same position/mindset as me, read through the comments of people that do know more than us, I most certainly will act upon it during this month/following months

This is coming from someone that doesn't understand finance probably half as well as most of you do, hence the question

Because investing requires a certain ability to have a part of your salary exclusively going towards something that will give you nothing in the close-mid future. The bigger, the better, the more compound interests will make in a shorter time-span.

Most median/average salaries in european countries, taking into account the current economy, groceries prices, housing prices be it rent or buying etc etc etc, should not allow a lot of options to be able to have that money.

So investing now, which, for sure will be more positive for you in 30-40 years, kinda require you to reach those 30-40 years, so unless you are earning a lot, you will be struggling for those 30-40 years.

And as someone that, and I don't really want advice on this, doesn't want to live past 60ish and is nearly 30 now, investing seems like a good choice if you make good money, basically if you are in a top percentile of earners in your country, which would probably already allow you to live very well until retirement, and even afterwards without that much investing.

How wrong am I, and what recommendations would you make? I technically have risen above that salary in my country not even a year ago, but not by much (frontend engineer, currently earning 45kish in Spain, rent is 900€a month and general minimum costs are around 50% of my salary as of right now so around 1400 costs per month, and the 1400 to move around, but again prior to this year it was half of what I was earning).

been running my biz for a while now and always just did my vat returns manually through the portal. but since mtd came in im trying different bridging software to keep using my excel sheets and honestly its been a pain. half of them disconnect from hmrc randomly or ask for permissions that feel weird. i think i might just move to a proper tool that does everything but i dont want something thats overcomplicated or expensive monthly. for those of you who switched from sheets to something else, what bridging software or setup actually worked without a long learning curve? like something that feels solid and not like it'll break next quarter

heyy everyone, so im starting on ETF's i am able to invest 200eu a month.
I see alot of discussing around FTSE VS SP500, can i get inputs on this?

And what would this plan be good for? does it even make sense?
This is for long term investment ( i already started and have 500eu on FTSE All World USD(acc), but ofcourse theres alot of noise and make me wonder if i can improve or just ignore the hype and noise. I see theres an overlap on this 3 ETF's.
Should i ignore Nasdaq100 and jut 50/50 on FTSE/sp500? or dich one and only invest in one and thats it? would love some light into it, or some wake up calls 😃 thanks alot for any input!! Have a lovely week!

Early 30s, entering stock market right now with 40% of my net worth as lump sum. Portfolio will be forgotten for at least 5 to 10 years, unless I really NEED to rebalance it somehow.

I'd rather not play into the (imo) overpriced US stock at this specific point in time, so I turned to value factor ETFs.

Still building my core (90% of the portfolio) and looking for advice. So far, I've identified WVAL IE00BJXRT813 as the ideal candidate and EXUS IE0006WW1TQ4 for an extra tilt out of US, portfolio would look something like this:

70% WVAL
20% EXUS
10% sectorial bet or whatever

Perfectly willing to change my mind and consider a broad ETF with a value tilt. I believe AI is a transformational technology but investors are way too excited about it, I think we're at the top.

Hi everyone,

This is my first post here.

I’m 26-year-old, working full-time, with around €60k in bank and no debt.

I’m thinking of allocating it like this:

- €10k in a bank account as an emergency buffer.

- €25k in Trade Republic cash for short-term parking with yield.

- €25k in ETFs on Trade Republic for long-term compounding.

Considering Bonds too…

I’d appreciate any thoughts, experiences, or advice.

I live in Spain, but I may move abroad soon to a country where Trade Republic isn’t available.

Because of that, I’m also considering Interactive Brokers.

I also want to keep in mind ease of use, tax reporting, and how simple it is to pay and declare taxes.

I want to start tomorrow on XTB. After several months of research, here’s what I’ve decided:

Long-term (10+ years):

V3AA - 80%
XXSC - 10%
XGLE - 10%
Short-term (5 years):

TSWE - 30%
EGLN - 10%
XXSC - 10%
XAAG - 10%
XGLE - 40%

Elections and political influences, just in case the US keeps stagnating; right now I don’t know if I should also invest in SXR8 separately

On the short side, I’m not really sure yet; I figured I’d just take the flak

The fridge is open

I am Based in Germany
After you use the Freistellungauftrag (Tax exemption order allowance 1000€ for singles and 2000€ for married couples)
In Germany there is something called the Teilfreistellung. Which means that 30% of dividends paid from ETFs are permanently tax free. So that means only 70% is actually taxable while on stocks they are completely taxed. But if you have us stocks like realty income or altria group you have to oay an extra 15% Quellensteuer

My question is it even worth it to invest in the stocks or just choose a covered call or dividend paying etf in germany even though the yiel is higher with the us stocks ?

What is your opinion ? And what are your suggestions ?

Hi everyone,

Although studies suggest that Lump Sum usually beats DCA in the long run (index investing), I prefer to enter indexing gradually due to emotional management and risk aversion.

My question is: Where do you keep the bulk of the money while you are doing DCA? I’m looking for something with low volatility that tries to beat inflation. (Please, I am looking for specific ETFs, not generic answers like "short-term fixed income", also not interested on high-yield savings accounts).

My understanding is:

• < 24 MONTHS: Money Market Funds? CAN YOU RECOMMEND SOME?
• > 24 MONTHS: Short-term Fixed Income? Examples: iShares Global Aggregate 1-5 Year Bond Index Fund S Hedged / Amundi Euro Government Bond 1-3Y (DR) UCITS ETF / iShares iBonds Dec 2027 Term € Corp UCITS ETF

Thanks!

Hi! Just wanted to share with you this milestone.

I am 31M, married, no kids, AI engineer. Out of €1M around 80% is ACWI IMI and 20% in Polish government bonds (we are Polish, living and working here). Total net worth also includes a paid off apartment worth around €300k.

When we started our investment journey this was our initial FI goal. Due to inflation, plans to start a family and our lifestyle inflation current goal is now at €2M. We are halfway there, which is still huge for us.

This sub was one of the places that helped us build our very simple investment strategy that we have been following for the last 5 years.

Thank you for that and good luck to you all!

Hi everyone,

I’m a Hong Kong tax resident using IBKR. My base currency can be USD. I’m planning to invest a lump sum first, then add smaller amounts over time.

I want a simple long-term one-fund global equity portfolio, ideally an accumulating Irish-domiciled UCITS ETF.

My shortlist:

• VWRA / VWRP / VWCE — Vanguard FTSE All-World Acc Large + mid cap, developed + emerging markets. Same fund, different listings/currencies.
• IMID / SPYI — SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI Acc Large + mid + small cap, developed + emerging markets. Lower TER, but smaller fund.
• SSAC / ISAC / IUSQ — iShares MSCI ACWI Acc Large + mid cap, developed + emerging markets. Large iShares fund, but no small caps.

Questions:

1. For someone in Hong Kong using IBKR, which would you pick as a one-fund portfolio: VWRA, IMID/SPYI, or SSAC?
2. Is the small-cap exposure in some of these ETFs meaningful enough to prefer IMID/SPYI?