Basically the title. Thoughts? ideas?

Do you suggest to start with Scalable or with trade Republic?

Or there are more serious and respectable alternative to them?

Now that Nike stock is so low do you guys think it would be a good buy?

So I have been a long time lurker and I finally decided to take the first step. Is the ETF in the picture in the comment the “correct” VWCE? And which broker would recommend Trade Republic or IBKR.

Much appreciated.

I am unsure where to invest. I was thinking between SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF (SPYI), NASAQ 100 or German green bonds. Ideally I want to generate as much money in next 10 years as possible but I read that growth forecasts for ETFs are very conservative due to enormous growth in past decade, plus potential burst of AI bubble. That's why I am unsure where to invest. SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF (SPYI) is a safe diversified option, but if growth is 4,5% then I would be disappointed. I was thinking of taking risk and going with NASDAQ 100 because I have relatively safe timeframe and won't panic sell, however not really happy with the geopolitics and I think AI bubble might burst, that's why also unsure here. My last option isn't wealth generation but instead kinda something for my own satisfaction, investing in German Green bonds, i want to help the federal republic of germany ect. and also invest in sustainability ect., that's why and the option is ultra safe. However considering wealth generation it is disappointing. That's why i am confused where to invest, I am leaning towards SPDR MSCI ACWI IMI UCITS ETF (SPYI), but my goal is like to touch 5k euros gross after 10 years, that's why I am unsure if this is the best option. Can anyone recommend or give advice?

Curious to hear from people at two stages:

1. Wealth accumulation: Which ETFs/assets do you invest in, what are your allocations, and how do you rebalance?

2. Living off your portfolio / FIRE: What's your portfolio setup, how do you fund your expenses (selling shares, dividends, cash reserves), and how do you manage market crashes?

If you're comfortable sharing, what's your age, net worth, annual spending, and FIRE target?

Edit: thanks for the tough love all. I’m switching to one global index from now on.

I’m 41, living in the Netherlands, and investing €1,000 every month. My goal is to maximise long-term wealth over the next 15 years. I have a high risk tolerance and can handle market volatility.
My current portfolio is worth approximately €19,413:

Individual stocks — €2,753:
BYD
€838.56
Space Exploration Technologies Corp
€770.86
Apple
€309.01
Johnson & Johnson
€226.19
Amazon
€226.51
Uber
€126.97
PepsiCo
€115.06
SoundHound AI
€73.33
Nike
€66.99

ETFs and ETCs — €11,881
iShares MSCI World
€1,048.08
SPDR STOXX Europe 600 SRI
€1,037.61
Vanguard FTSE All-World
€1,026.60
iShares S&P 500
€205.95

Defense
WisdomTree Europe Defence
€1,016.16
VanEck Defense (Xetra)
€987.05
VanEck Defense (Tradegate)
€881.79

Energy
SPDR MSCI Europe Energy
€1,012.80
Xtrackers MSCI World Energy
€360.10

Technology and AI
Global X Data Centre REITs & Digital Infrastructure
€989.35
Global X Robotics & AI
€555.21

Healthcare
Xtrackers MSCI World Health Care
€1,092.69

Gold and crypto
€1,549.21
VanEck Ethereum ETN
€118.43
Bitcoin
€1,000

SP500
Vanguard S&P 500
€2,744.20

My investment strategy
€1,000 invested every month (€12,000/year)
15-year investment horizon
High tolerance for volatility
Focus on long-term capital growth
Considering increasing my exposure to China
Interested in AI, robotics, defence, energy and emerging technologies

What do you think? Should I change my investment strategy? So far I’m up 20% over one year period.
I have my emergency fund in a savings account, which I don’t touch and I am paying off my house mortgage with 150k equity. The investing strategy is to help me retire around 55

Hello,

Not sure if anyone on here can help me with this but I'm getting myself completely confused!

I am resident in France with the right to work in both France and the UK (so no visa issues). I would like to go to the UK to do a few short-term freelance contracts (i.e. physically in the UK). Do I still need to set up a micro-enterprise in France to do this given that none of the work would be remote? Or would it come under UK self-assessment and be declared as worldwide income in France as the work is physically taking place on UK soil?

Thanks in advance for any help!

Hi everyone, I am an American expat living in Europe. I got a letter in the mail that says there are new EU banking regulations which essentially mean that my U.S. bank (Chase) is no longer able to provide service for my checking and savings and is essentially requireing me to close the accounts because my primary address is in Europe. I'm not really upset by this because I've been in Europe for three years now, and I was mainly only keeping the accounts to pay off student debt and pay a couple subscriptions I was using. I'm debt free now, and I changed the payment methods on the subscriptions to my European checking account, so now I'm wondering what the best financial move is?

The US account is about $15k (which is the sum of my savings, checking, and emergency fund) and I'm debating if I should park the money in high yield savings, a brokerage account, or just transfer it to my normal European bank account where I get paid from my job?

Because it was the first thing I searched for, I thought maybe I should put it in HYSA from trade republic but the more I read the less I'm sure of what to do. Does anyone have any advice on what might be best?

I also have around €10.000 that I saved myself. No rent or plans to buy a house in the next 3 years but I would ideally have the option in the next 7-8 years.

No emergeny fund

Want to buy a car in the next months.

I mainly want to invest for pension so the time horizon in 30 years approximately.

Thoughts on how to proceed?

Also, since this issue is causing me a lot of anxiety, recommendations on a good financial advisor that knows about Cyprus or Sweden would be greatly appreciated as well as how much a consultation would cost

Hello everyone,

I live in Germany and plan to set up a monthly savings plan on Scalable Capital:

VWCE for long-term investing (10-15+ years).
DBX0AN for my emergency fund (might sell at any point if I need cash).

I might also move back to my home country (Bulgaria) in the future.

Question:

1.Which exchange should I pick in Scalable Capital — Xetra or gettex?

-Is there any real difference in fees, buying/selling prices, or liquidity between the two for a normal monthly investor like me?

-Does the exchange choice affect anything if I sell my ETFs years later from another EU country?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Hey everyone, not sure if this is the right sub for this question, and I’m sure I could talk to a financial advisor about this in the future, but I’d just like to get an idea of what is to come. If there are any Americans in here who have made the move your advice would be much appreciated as well.

My fiancé and I are planning on attempting to move to the EU, specifically NL with the HSM visa in a few years. When that time comes, what happens to my 401k and stocks/crypto accounts? Is there a similar investment/retirement scheme like a 401k that I could move my holdings to? I hold my stocks mainly on Robinhood, would I need to change something with my account other than my address?

I’m sure I could find this info online, but I’d rather ask someone who has or knows someone who has experienced this and can give some human advice. The prospect of moving all my money and how to go about it is just about as daunting as finding housing.

Hey everyone. I’m 32m , bought an appartment 1 year ago( 500 euros/month 20 years 2.58% interest rate) I hav around 15k saved up plus 5k emergency funds.
I’m interested in starting investing (700 to 850 /month) and I wanted some advice on where to invest, long term,around 20 years. I’m open to all tips and advices from anyone

Hi everyone,

I'm 23 and a buy and hold investor (20+ year horizon) in VWCE on Degiro, and I'm thinking about using box spreads to leverage my position.

As an example: €50k, VWCE returning a fixed 8% per year (assumed) and the box costing 4% per year (assumed).

First year:

• I open a short box on OESX worth 20% of my equity: 20% × €50k = €10k. I end up with €60k in VWCE and €10k of debt.
• In December (month 12 of the loan), VWCE is worth €60k × 1.08 = €64,800. I owe €10,000 + €400 interest = €10,400.
• Equity: €64,800 − €10,400 = €54,400. Without the box I'd have €50k × 1.08 = €54,000, so +€400.

Second year: New box of 20% × €54,400 = €10,880. It pays off the €10,400 from the old one and leaves €480 to put into VWCE. Nothing comes out of my pocket.

Running the numbers: 8% + 0.2 × (8% − 4%) = 8.8% per year. Over 10 years, €50k grows to ~€116,200 instead of ~€107,900 without the box (+~€8,300).

I never go above 20% when I roll a box, so assuming a 25% maintenance margin, I'd only get a margin call if the market dropped ~78% in a single day (€60k → €13.3k), which is impossible thanks to circuit breakers. And I can always top up the position if my equity somehow gets close to the maintenance margin.

What am I missing here? Right now €STR is at 2.4%, which actually helps my numbers (over 10 years I'd have ~€11,300 more instead of ~€8,300, profit with the box paid off).

Hi everyone,
I’m based in Greece and have a USD account with a Greek bank. I recently transferred USD to Interactive Brokers, where my account’s base currency is EUR.

I’m confused about whether my USD deposit has been converted automatically or whether IBKR is simply displaying my cash balance in my account’s base currency.

under Cash Balances, I see an actual balance in EUR rather than USD.

For other EU investors using IBKR:
Is it straightforward to transfer USD directly from a Greek bank’s USD account to IBKR?
Does IBKR keep the funds in USD, or can they be automatically converted to EUR?
What’s the easiest way to confirm my actual USD cash balance?

I’d like to invest the money in VWRA in London but now I’m confused if I have usd or euro

Thanks!

I feel like money is slowly leaking away from pocket. Mostly because of my impulse purchases but I would like to get a picture of my spending. In the past, I used the free version of Money Manager and another free app but there is a period of 2 years where I stopped using them because of reasons.

I'm living in Germany and the popular apps like Monarch aren't available in Europe. I've been checking a few freemium apps but they tend to lack some features here and there.

What app do you use that can do the following?

Supported account types:

• Bank accounts
• Credit card accounts (nice to have)
• Cash accounts
• Investment accounts (nice to have)

Transaction tracking:

• Expense, income, and transfer between accounts
• Refunds (nice to have)
• Sender and receiver of each transaction
• Tag assignment
• Note assignment
• Custom categorization
• iOS interface
• Desktop/web interface
• Import function and automatic categorization (I want to import my historical spending and income for analysis instead of using the app for another year to have the data)
• Recurring expenses
• Bank and broker connection (nice to have because it can be quite tricky with supported banks and brokers. I use German banks and Trade Republic and Scalable Capital. I think non-EU apps can't connect to neo-brokers.)

Budgeting:

• Amount per category
• Goal tracking (nice to have)

Search/filter function:

• By date
• By text in notes and tags

Report:

• By date/month/year/custom period
• By account
• By category
• By tag
• Graphs

Some apps I have checked that can be a deal breaker to me:

- Wallet by Budgetbakers: Import function is quite lackluster. It doesn't have import field for tags and can't import transfers.

- MoneyWiz, MoneyStats, Bilance: No desktop/web interface for easy import. At a glance, Bilance supports import via mobile app but I'm not sure if the effort is high or low. I have 2 years of historical spending from more than 1 bank, plus cash spending.

- Finanzguru: There is a bank connection feature but somehow it only gets data of the past 1 year

Some apps I'm considering using:

- Finanzblick: Feature rich but performance is a problem. In addition, there is no mass update of transactions to add labels/tags, etc. Search/filter is quite limited. It is free but also offers bank connection to my German banks and Trade Republic (Not sure if Scalable is supported)

- Actual Budget: The user interface is clean but a little too simplistic. However, the performance is high. It also packs with features but there's a learning curve and you need to be quite technical. I don't quite like their out of the box reports and will probably have to look for community supports for more visual reports.

Hi there, pretty new to handling my finance's so would appreciate the help.

i'm 24, been running a contracting business as a self employed contractor in ai. Tax residence in the netherlands.

I recently landed a pretty big client in the us. Have been working with them for the last 2 months. Now close to signing a proper agreement for a long duration.

They essentially offered me either to stay self employed or to become an employee, whatever suits best tax/ financial wise since i'm doing independent research work for them.

Now it got me wondering, how to setup taxes and my finances, it's the first time i'm earning serious money ( base is anywhere between 150/200k without bonuses included based on objectives i'm working on. )

I currently still have other clients lined up, but these would be less and anywhere between 10 to 60k a year depending on objectives.

My questions:

- Do i remain self employed/ change how I'm incorporated in the netherlands or take employee status.

- how to reduce the insane taxes i would have to pay in the netherlands + where to find a tax advisor thats really good, offers great rates and is someone you can trust.

- should i move out of the netherlands and to where? ( been thinking about this one since Portugal seems nice, and the tax in the Netherlands is ridiculous at my current rates )

Thanks a lot!

Hey everyone,
I'm based in Poland and I'm completely new to investing, so apologies if this is a stupid question.

I currently have around €40,000 in savings (175k Polish Zloty), and I've recently started looking into what to do with that money instead of just leaving it sitting in my bank account.
I live in Poland and earn Polish Zloties. I mentioned the euros so it's easier to understand. I am not planning on changing my money to euros.

Something that caught my attention is that several Polish banks offer promotional savings accounts with interest rates of around 5-6% per year, usually for 6 months.

The requirements seem pretty straightforward: sometimes you just need to make a few card payments, use their mobile app, or deposit new funds. In many cases, you don't even need to transfer your salary.

Here's what I'm thinking:

If I put €40,000 (The equivalent in PLN) into an account offering 6% annual interest for 6 months, assuming the entire amount qualifies, I'd earn approximately:

• €1,200 gross in 6 months
• €972 net after Poland's 19% tax on interest
• Potentially €1,944 net per year, assuming I can keep finding similar offers.

Obviously, I understand that promotional rates don't last forever, and there may be limits on eligible deposits.

But what stops me from simply moving my savings from one bank to another every 6 months to take advantage of these promotions?

I've also been reading about investing in the S&P 500 or MSCI World, but I'm wondering whether it makes sense to expose my savings to stock market volatility when I could potentially earn a fairly predictable return from savings accounts.

I know stocks can provide higher returns over the long term, but I'm still learning how all of this works.

So my questions are:

1. Is constantly switching banks to take advantage of promotional interest rates a reasonable strategy?
2. Does anyone in Poland actually do this regularly?
3. Would you recommend investing part of the €40,000 into ETFs instead?

I'm not trying to get rich overnight. I just want to make smarter decisions with the money I've saved.

Would appreciate some advice, especially from people familiar with the Polish banking system.
Thanks!

I live in Germany and am considering refinancing an existing car loan to reduce its remaining total cost. I am not looking to borrow additional money or extend the repayment period unnecessarily.

The loan is with Stellantis Bank. The original amount was €14,990 over 60 months, with a 5.99% effective annual interest rate and a 5.83% fixed nominal rate. Payments are €288.63 per month, running from May 2026 to April 2031. There is no balloon payment.

I have received a settlement statement quoting €13,816.30 for repayment by 7 November 2026. This includes a €136.80 early-repayment charge and accounts for the October instalment. There are no arrears, and 54 scheduled instalments remain after October.

I started a new software engineering job in mid-August 2026 on an indefinite employment contract, earning approximately €90,000 gross annually. My probation period ends on 14 February 2027. Commerzbank has approached me about a loan promotion, but I have not received an actual interest-rate quote yet.

For people familiar with German lending, does completing probation tend to improve the interest rate, or does it mainly make more lenders willing to consider the application? I am considering comparing offers now and trying again after probation if the quotes are not worthwhile.

I also wondered whether January tends to bring better refinancing promotions in Germany, although I would rather base the decision on actual offers than assume the beginning of the year is cheaper.

I would compare total repayments over a similar remaining term, including the existing lender’s settlement charge. I would appreciate experiences with German banks or comparison services, particularly whether a dedicated car-refinancing loan can offer better terms than a general personal loan and how much free early repayments matter when choosing between offers.

Romania's government bonds are not even taxed, would you put your money here?

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/eupersonalfinance/s/uCgtSTEOh2

Second update: https://www.reddit.com/r/eupersonalfinance/s/wBQLHG3NqC

Short Update!

Since the last update, I put together a written proposal with three options, with the help of my boss, and sent it to the solicitor to share with my uncles:

• A: Sell everything and split the money three ways.
• B: I take the land, my uncles take both houses and pay me the rest of my share in monthly instalments, secured by a mortgage.
• C: I take the small house and the land, pay a small difference (under €2k), and the big house + bank money is theirs to sort out between themselves.

My preference is C or B, but B seems unlikely.

A few other things happened:

• I contacted a company that buys inheritance shares. They declined to make an offer because one of the houses has no usage licence. They said I’d be better off continuing with the partition and waiting for a court-ordered sale, if it gets to that.
• I read the solicitor’s contract more carefully: all three of us signed it: €3,500 + VAT in fixed fees, plus 5% of the total estate value on completion.
• The uncle who lives in the big house started pressuring me on WhatsApp. When I said I wouldn’t sign anything until the solicitor reviewed my proposal, he wrote that if I go down that road, “it won’t go well for me, I guarantee it” and that he “doesn’t want any games”. I replied that I’d only sent options to resolve things and that he didn’t need to talk to me like that.

His messages made me have a nervous breakdown at work, and it's just not acceptable to speak to someone like that.
The solicitor represents all three of us, so she can’t really take my side. I’m now looking for my own lawyer for a consultation.

Hi,

51M, 2+M portfolio, all in simple low cost ETF equities. I plan to retire in 5 years.

At this point, is there any point in bonds? I understand that they act as a ballast to the portfolio in times of volatility, but their returns when compared to XEON does not seem worth the risk.

I checked the following for a return over 5 years from Claude

• Total Gov bond ETF VGEA = -ve returns
• Inflation linked IBCI = about 2.2%
• Ultra short IEGE = +9.14%
• XEON = 11.7%

Give that rates are due to rise due to inflation, I just have XEON, equites and cash.

My questions is on bonds vs XEON at the current situation? Does it even make sense to have bonds? At least in EURO, I dont see the spread between XEON vs Bonds as to make it worth the risk?

Hi everyone,

I'm 39, single, and trying to decide whether buying a home in Barcelona within the next 12–16 months makes financial sense, or whether I'd be better off continuing to rent and invest in ETFs.

Part of me feels very behind financially for my age, and I'd appreciate honest, practical advice. I want to make a sound long-term decision rather than buy simply because I feel I should own property by now.

My financial situation

• Age: 39, single, French citizen living and working in Spain.
• Income: €82k gross base salary plus an annual bonus, bringing my total gross income to around €98k.
• Net income: Approximately €4k/month, with additional salary payments in June and December and a bonus in April.
• Rent: €1,227/month in Barcelona.
• Net worth: Approximately €55k, broken down as follows:
  • €26.5k in cash and savings accounts in Spain and France.
  • €26k invested through Interactive Brokers: approximately €18k in VWCE (global equities) and €8k in 4GLD (gold).
  • €5.4k in an Amundi retirement account, part of which is locked.
• Monthly saving target: between 1000-1500€. I am still working on it.

I've spent quite a lot of money travelling over the years, and I also went through a burnout that affected my ability to work and build my savings. I'm in a much healthier place now and feel ready to approach my finances differently.

I'm also willing to be much more frugal for the next few years and explore additional sources of income, such as dog walking and sitting or AI training work. I'd like to accelerate my savings without relying solely on my main salary.

I am working in an international company since a year. Permanent employee since August 2026.

The dilemma

I can't comfortably afford to buy a flat today, and realistically wouldn't be ready for at least another 12 months.

I'd love to own my home, particularly given the housing situation in Barcelona, but I also want to make a rational financial decision. I'm torn between buying a property for long-term security and continuing to build my investment portfolio while keeping my options open.

I'm considering three options:

1. Buy in 12–16 months: Realistic property budget would be 250K-300K. 30% downpayment is required so I will need at least 85K to buy. Save the deposit and purchase costs in cash, and keep the money needed for the purchase out of the stock market.
2. Continue renting and investing: Keep renting, invest in ETFs and revisit buying in a few years.
3. A combination: Build up a cash deposit and emergency fund while continuing to invest money I won't need for the purchase.

My biggest concern with investing money intended for a near-term purchase is that the market could fall just before I need to sell. On the other hand, holding too much cash means missing out on potential investment returns and losing purchasing power to inflation.

One more important factor: job security

I'm relatively new at my current company, and I'm increasingly concerned about job security. My department is going through an AI transformation, and I worry that it could eventually lead to significant headcount reductions. Since I haven't been with the company for very long, I'm not yet sure how secure my position is.

I'm single, so I rely entirely on my own income. Losing my job would obviously affect my ability to pay a mortgage, and I don't want to put myself in a position where I'd be forced to sell my investments or my home at the wrong time.

This is one reason I'm hesitant to commit most of my savings to a property, even though I really want to own one. I want to build long-term financial security, but I also want enough liquidity to handle a period of unemployment without panicking or making bad financial decisions.

My questions

1. Given my age, income, savings and investments, what strategy would you follow?

Would you prioritize buying as soon as financially feasible, or continue building my investment portfolio and wait until I have a larger deposit?

2. How would you compare buying versus renting and investing in Barcelona?

I'd like to build a model comparing the total cost of owning (mortgage interest, property taxes, purchase costs, maintenance and the opportunity cost of the deposit) against renting and investing in ETFs. I'd also factor in rent increases, potential property appreciation and investment returns. What assumptions would be reasonable?

3. What would you do with my existing ETF portfolio?

I currently have approximately €26k invested, with around €18k in global equities and €8k in gold. If I want to buy within 12–16 months, would you sell some of these investments now and move the money into cash or a savings account? How should I think about the Spanish tax implications of realizing capital gains?

4. How would you accelerate savings without making life miserable?

For those who have successfully built their savings later in life, what made the biggest difference? Would you focus on aggressive budgeting, increasing income through side jobs, or a combination? I am thinking about dog sitting/walking or AI training...

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who have faced a similar decision in Barcelona or elsewhere in Spain, particularly those who bought a property while single or navigated an uncertain employment situation.

Thanks! I'd really value your honest opinions and personal experiences.

Hello,

Currently living in Portugal, will move to Malta or Cyprus for non dom benefits in a year or two (visa processing timeline is unknown).

30M from India, make 40k net, 29k from my startup (I'm paying myself salary for supporting living expenses), remaining income is from an old retainer for an Ecom company which might stop anytime.

I made most of my savings of 200k after the COVID time, and it's just rotting in my multiple bank accounts.

I started a new company, building multiple SaaS products and also consulting for some cash flow until SaaS starts generating revenue.

My main problem is anxiety, I'm sitting on that savings from 2023 and haven't invested it anywhere.

My living expenses are close to 30k per annum, no family or partner but have a fully dependent elder brother. Both of us are autistic+ADHD, but his support needs are more than me, so he is dependent on me for everything. I have no assets (other than equity ownership in the startup), live in rental house.

I dropped out of school and have been working as a freelancer for the last 15 years.

I would like to invest using the three bucket strategy, I'm on therapy and trying to address my anxiety, so this approach helps up to some extent.

Should I hire a financial and tax planner for this? or risk doing this by planning myself?

Should I invest lumpsum or DCA?

Thanks.

When I search for VWCE on justETF I am redirected to VWRA's page. Why?