Archive - Fight to FIRE

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Apartment progress: 15%

September 23, 2020

A couple of weeks have passed and the construction is making good progress. The foundation and base plate is placed. How do I know? As the project progress, I receive invoices for said construction. Last week Friday I received the invoice for the finalization of the foundation works.

Should you invest in a garage?

September 16, 2020

Garage boxes are known as a carefree real estate investment with a high return.

Personal and financial milestone progress!

September 3, 2020

I finally took a step forward in my personal milestone! It took way longer than expected but I will finally move forward this month. After this I still have other milestones to achieve but whether or not I'm going to make it remains to be seen.

My monthly Savings Rate report: August 2020

September 1, 2020

August was a bit more expensive than expected. Mainly because the summer sales got moved to this month. I tried my best not to fall for the tricks they try to apply every year and I think I succeeded very well. But even then, I did buy a few things I needed.

JAT: China’s FAANGs

August 25, 2020

the US has FANG (Facebook, Amazon, Netflix, and Google(Alphabet). China has JAT (JD.com, Alibaba, and Tencent). These Chinese Internet stocks are benefiting from an extra dynamic, got trashed just as well, and recover just as much.

6 reasons why you should(n’t) get a turnkey apartment

August 19, 2020

If you would have told me 2 years ago I was going to get a turnkey home, I'd have a good laugh and move on. In my mind, I had already worked out that I wanted my house to be build from scratch or at least heavily renovated to modern standards. Boy, was I wrong. I ended up getting one as my first property.

Money can’t buy happiness but saving helps

August 9, 2020

There is a famous saying that money cannot buy happiness. That may be true but having money sure can help in gaining happiness. If there is one thing that the corona pandemic has shown us, is that saving for a rainy day isn't such a bad idea. It can prevent a lot of unhappiness.

My monthly Savings Rate report: July 2020

August 3, 2020

If I had to describe July in one month it would be 'fun'. Bit of a weird thing to say during a pandemic, no? Thanks to a couple of trips and celebrating my wife's graduation from her Master (yeaaaah! well done!) we were able to forget the return of the coronavirus.

Cofinimmo vs Aedifica: Which Healthcare REITs is better?

July 30, 2020

The health care sector is at the center of the Corona pandemic. Especially in Belgium where during the first wave, elderly care centers got hit hard. Luckily, after a bit of delay, the situation stabilized and the worst was over. It also didn't impact the rental payments too much as both healthcare REITs Aedifica and Cofinimmo kept receiving rent. So, both healthcare REITs seem to be solid amidst this continuing chaos but are either one of them better than the other?

Buying a first home: pay attention to these costs

July 21, 2020

Having gone through the process of buying my own home I wanted to share all the costs that came with this crazy adventure. There are a lot of costs associated with getting your first home, whether it's a house or apartment. I was quite honestly a little surprised by all the paperwork and meetings that come with it. This overview should cover the majority of costs, both recurring and one-time for both the notary and the bank.

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q2 2020

July 15, 2020

Quarter two was just as much of a thrill ride as Q1 but in reverse. We went from a bear market to new highs in a matter of weeks instead of months or years. The question is though, is this move sustainable? For the moment the sharp recovery results in an excellent recovery of my portfolio across the board.

My monthly Savings Rate report: June 2020

July 9, 2020

After a live-changing May, June was a lot less crazy. That is not to say that nothing happened in June. I actually invested quite a bit in the site. These investments made my SR drop but thanks to my holiday pay, I was able to keep the damage to a minimum.

Paying too much taxes? My Belgian pay slip explained

July 7, 2020

In 2020 Belgium is still the country with the highest average income tax and tax…

Side hustling in Belgium: 6 jobs providing additional income

June 27, 2020

In recent years, the Belgian government made it easier to make an extra income through a side hustle. In 2015 it introduced a new form of unlimited untaxed income albeit with stringent measures: Flexi-jobs. Later, in 2018, it introduced another form of untaxed income with a limit of 6,340 EUR. It is this last form that the Constitutional Court has annulled. But what does this mean for people that want to still earn something extra?

Belgian REIT Cofinimmo is getting even better

June 19, 2020

My favorite individual stocks in my core-satellite portfolio are my Belgian REITs. Aedifica and Cofinimmo are solid companies that focus on a sector in real estate that is still growing: (health) care. Where Aedifica already has over 60% in care property, allowing it to reduce its withholding tax from 30% to 15%, Cofinimmo is now nearing that threshold.

TWR vs MWR: calculating the benefits of deposit and withdrawal

June 13, 2020

A small update on my portfolio. Increasing my portfolio by 15K has impacted the performance, but how much? I want to address that now. I'm going to check out two major metrics that help determine my portfolio performance: Time-Weighted Return or TWR and Money-Weighted Return aka MWR. How did this increase impact my portfolio?

My monthly Savings Rate report: May 2020

June 7, 2020

As eluded to last month, May was a life-changing month. I even received a little surprise windfall at the end thanks to my grandmother's inheritance. With all of the preparations done in April, May was relatively calm in terms of expenses. This further improved my Savings Rate and pushed it to an all-time high.

How PSD2 will make banking more beneficial for you

June 3, 2020

Isn't it frustrating to see how something like having your bank statements be automatically imported into your favorite banking app isn't possible because the banks aren't opening up? Well, Europe has you covered. With the new Payment Services Directive (Directive 2015/2366, 2015), usually shortened to PSD2.

Managing a small windfall: my grandmother’s inheritance

May 31, 2020

2nd May was a day I will never forget. I married the love of my life. Eventhough this was during the Coronavirus pandemic and we were in lockdown resulting in not having any witnesses, we were still able to make it our own and have a day that we will remember fondly. Unfortunately, a week prior, I experienced something I won't forget either, the passing of my grandmother. This was a sad moment but my heart skipped a beat on Friday seeing a small windfall on my account.

Should you invest in Gold alternatives? Checking out 3 alternative metals

May 25, 2020

Gold is well known as the safe haven in times of economic turmoil. But what about it's lesser know but more expensive and rare (metal) sibling palladium (not to be mistaken with platinum)? And what about white gold? Could these be an interesting alternative to gold, especially in these difficult and stressful times?

Marrying in Corona times: good for your wallet

May 17, 2020

You read that right, I'm a married man as of the 2nd of May! First things first, saving money was not the key reason we got married in this period ;). The major reason we wanted to get married was that we believe in it and want to share our lives. Cliché, I know.

YNAB vs nYNAB vs Excel: best budgeting tools compared

May 11, 2020

YNAB, short for You Need A Budget, stopped YNAB4 support on 31 October 2019. Being a user for +7 years I had to decide. pay nYNAB subscription or use Excel.

Face masks: the new gold

May 6, 2020

"Those silly people", is what people usually said when they saw pictures of people in China or Japan covering their faces with a (surgical) face mask when going out in public. Not anymore, or at least, they won't say it in public. COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, made it abundantly clear that such hygienic measures are essential. Not only to protect ourselves against others but also -especially in the case of face masks- others against us.

My monthly Savings Rate report: April 2020

May 3, 2020

April was the prelude to a life-changing May. Quite a few preparations were made in April for a big moment in May so it's only a given that some money was spent. Add to that the higher grocery expenses due to the corona measures and you can already guess that April wasn't a cheap month. Luckily I received my profit participation which prevented me from going negative.

Coronavirus impact on my new apartment

April 26, 2020

Because of lockdown and social distancing rules, many constructions sites have come to a halt. Just like my newly bought, yet to be completed apartment. I mailed my contractor to see what the impact will be for the Brussel’s apartment. I expect a half evasive answer saying they’ll do their utmost best to limit the impact but ”a small” delays might be possible.

5 thematic funds for the future

April 18, 2020

More and more thematic funds are being released on us: from agriculture to solar energy. It's won't help you keep a simple portfolio, but if you are interested in dabling in other areas than a region-based portfolio and don't mind doing some futurology -yes that's a thing- I'd like to go over a few interesting options.

6 cheap ways to keep busy at home

April 10, 2020

Being stuck inside for longer periods is never fun, whether it's because you have the flu, or because the rest of the world has it and you don't know who exactly so you are locked up for three weeks now, with no end in sight yet. To help with the boredom I've tried to do some new things, or at the very least pick something up that I wanted to do for a long time but never got to, for... reasons.

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q1 2020

April 4, 2020

The first quarter of 2020 was a thrill ride. Especially March turned out to be crazy. When you compare it to Q4, all my investments took a nosedive. From an all-time high for my personal portfolio to a new low.

My monthly Savings Rate report: March 2020

April 1, 2020

Well, this was an interesting month for obvious reasons. The Coronavirus really took a hold of the world this month after it caused a lockdown in China. It's not exaggerated to say the coronavirus has the world in its grip.

4 reasons why I’m a car owner in the city

March 26, 2020

Car ownership in a city?! Have I gone mad? Here are my 4 reasons for owning a car eventhough I live in the city with all the convenience that comes with it.

5 tips and suggestions to control the crisis and a recession

March 19, 2020

Until a couple of weeks ago, the markets stayed unphased by the ever-expanding coronacrisis. The markets got caught cold by the coronavirus in the meantime. Is a recession on its way? With steep a decline as we saw these past two weeks, is it time to go in a bit more and "buy the dip"?

Portfolio update: stock purchases using tax deduction

March 15, 2020

Thanks to a tax deduction on my newly bought apartment on plan, I received about…

How one tax deduction reduced my apartment cost by 17K

March 11, 2020

Something interesting happened about a week ago. As you might have read –on my twitter feed or on the blog– I signed the deed of the mortgage and apartment. As a result I'm official the owner the apartment and the land the building is build on; Partially when it comes to the land. What I hadn't mentioned was that I got a 16,575 EUR tax deduction!

Ethical investing: Does socially responsible investing pay off?

March 7, 2020

Recently the Belgian bank NewB got its banking license. This makes them the first bank focusing mainly on ethical banking. What started as an idea in the aftermath of the financial crisis to change banking forever, much as the crisis did, is now a bank with a license.

My monthly Savings Rate report: February 2020

March 3, 2020

This February update is finally a lighter one. The start is the end of my trip to my fiancee's home country. After this, things have remained relatively calm beside the occasional date night. We saw "Little Women" for example. Unfortunately, my Savings Rate still isn't above 50%.

Why I love (Belgian) REITs and you should too

February 28, 2020

2020 is now well underway and with the Coronavirus swooping across the globe infecting hundreds, the market is selling off all of the gains it made this year, and then some. The majority of stocks have gone quite a bit lower. However, thanks to their defensive nature, REITs were able to remain relatively steady.

Apartment progress: 5%

February 23, 2020

It has started! The first patches of dirt have been moved. Coinciding with the start of the construction I also signed the notary documents. A while ago I found a great mortgage deal that now got officialized at the notary.

How travel insurance saved me 1500 EUR

February 18, 2020

Last two weeks I was on a life-changing holiday. I visited my family-in-law and proposed…

My monthly Savings Rate report: January 2020

February 13, 2020

January update comes after a fun but tiring month. It started where December ended, in Istanbul. It then ended in yet another country: my girlfriend's home.

The satellites of my core-satellite investment strategy

February 5, 2020

John C. Bogle barely if ever bought any individual stocks. I’m going against this a bit by using a core-satellite strategy for my portfolio.

Upcoming holiday

January 23, 2020

I'm out of the office till the 9th. I'll be on a two week holiday to my girlfriend's home country to meet the family.

How I will increase my income by 500 EUR

January 19, 2020

I've been struggling with getting extra income for years. Initially, I expected my investments to cover my expenses, but this turned out to be a lot more difficult than expected, at least in the short term. What did I do: a flexi-job!

Milestones for 2020

January 15, 2020

2020 is upon us! As I did last year, I will try to aim for certain milestones on both a personal and financial level. I already went over my 2019 milestones, which let us be honest, was so-so. But if I can learn from this and do a better estimation this year then it was worth it to make them.

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q4 2019

January 12, 2020

The last quarter of 2019 continued where Q3 stopped, on a high note. The amazing experiences continued and the market kept performing stellar and kept making new highs.

Looking ahead: 2020 personal finance

January 8, 2020

My second financial look ahead, this time for the year 2020, has the same idea as the last one. I want to share my expectations for this year and use this as the Kickstarter to create my targets or milestones.

My monthly Savings Rate report: December 2019

January 5, 2020

Apologies for the late update. I was enjoying the transition from old to new in a different country 😉 (more on that on that later). December was a busy and expensive month.

Happy 2020!

January 1, 2020

Best wishes to all of my readers. May all your financial and personal goals be…

2019 Milestones evaluation

December 26, 2019

I realized, as the year comes to a close, that I barely mentioned anything about…

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2019

I hope that everyones holiday period is going well? May your pockets be filled with lots…

These are my top stock performers of 2019

December 22, 2019

We are in the last two weeks of 2019, i.e., the perfect time to not…

Cryptocurrency: an introduction

December 12, 2019

Cryptocurrencies have fallen out of grace with the mainstream, but they are far from dead. Here is an introduction to the world cryptocurrency. No bias or hype, in the eleventh year since it's creation.

Why I choose a core-satellite strategy

December 8, 2019

On my portfolio page I mention that I follow a core-satellite strategy. I want to…

24 Best European Dividend Stocks and Dividend Aristocrats to Look for in 2020

December 3, 2019

While dividends are susceptible to taxes in most countries, including Belgium -at a whopping 30%-…

My monthly Savings Rate report: November 2019

November 30, 2019

The last month of the year is upon us. With the winter holidays approaching fast…

How to make your own sushi at home and save money

November 24, 2019

Last weekend me and my girlfriend tried to make sushi ourselves for the first time.…

What it means to move out: a 2 month review

November 17, 2019

2 months, that's how long it's been since I moved out of the comfort of…

My mortgage: an interesting experience

November 10, 2019

Unavoidable in the search for my place in the search for the best mortgage. Trying…

My monthly Savings Rate report: October 2019

November 1, 2019

With this series I want to highlight my monthly effort to reach the highest possible…

Newest notes from around the world – how central banks device new ways to make counterfeiting onerous

October 30, 2019

The practice of counterfeiting notes is as old as the production of the notes themselves.…

Splitting the bill: a divisive dinner experience

October 27, 2019

Bill splitting, it can be a source of annoyance to me for what otherwise is…

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q3 2019

October 18, 2019

What a quarter! The third quarter of 2019 finished almost two weeks ago now. I’m…

My cafeteria plan: like a kid in a candy store

October 6, 2019

Autumn has arrived! Not only is this the period where college and university kids start…

The big move and moving around

September 24, 2019

What a crazy week it was! I moved into my own place together with my…

You are richer than you think

September 12, 2019

I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that we earn a lot more today than we…

6 ways Brexit impacts your wallet

September 8, 2019

The Brexit is like a bad soap that is unfolding in real-time. The press has…

Wrong Payment!? This is the Guide how you can get your Money Back

September 3, 2019

This popped in my head a few weeks ago when transferring my deposit of 5% for my apartment in Brussels. Say that at the end of a busy day, you make a wrong payment or pay to a wrong account, can you get the money back?

Goodbye Bloglovin’, hello MailerLite!

August 28, 2019

After a long time, I finally decided on a mailing platform for my newsletter: Mailerlite!…

Decoding International Stock Market Investments

August 27, 2019

With the disclaimer out of the way, it's time to make room for a guest…

Apartment here, apartment there

August 23, 2019

It’s been a tumultuous two weeks. As you know I’ve been searching for my first home. I started…

Cheques: a belgian solution to a belgian problem

August 11, 2019

Meal, sport- and culture, eco, gift and training vouchers are the types of vouchers or…

How much I spend during my first time in Italy

August 4, 2019

In my previous post I talked about how I spend my time in Italy. It…

How I spend my first time in Italy

July 29, 2019

As I posted earlier, I was on a holiday to Italy this past week. This…

Small break in Italy

July 22, 2019

You may or may not have noticed that I haven't posted anything in over a…

Ultra low Long-term interest rates: what this means

July 10, 2019

You've probably heard this word a few times in the news already, especially in lieu…

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q2 2019

June 30, 2019

The second quarter of 2019 is coming to a close. It's been an interesting ride.…

Hotel room investments aren’t all-inclusive

June 29, 2019

On my journey towards my home, I'm doing more searching online and one of those…

Infographic: 2018 in review

June 18, 2019

I've brewing on this ever since December 2018. It needed another 2 months before I…

Frugal with a twist

June 16, 2019

Just like most people trying to achieve FIRE, I encounter the occasional jab regarding my…

Should I buy or rent my first home?

June 10, 2019

This was the first thing I asked myself. While most [Belgians] believe buying your own…

Why I don’t fly on a budget

June 4, 2019

June is here and the summer holidays are right around the corner, well, for most…

May dividends galore

June 1, 2019

May 2019 was the month of the Belgian and European elections, it was also the…

Should I sell in May and go away?

May 25, 2019

The adage ‘Sell in May and go away, but buyback (or come back) by St…

The good, the bad and the ugly of trade wars

May 14, 2019

I can already see you thinking "what the hell does a trade war have to…

First financial milestone of 2019 reached!

May 2, 2019

April has just come to pass. It’s the month where Spring is in full swing…

The Belgian tax return is coming

April 28, 2019

It's that time of the year again. Time to fill in my tax return and…

FIRE isn’t for everyone: a long climb out of poverty

April 24, 2019

Did you know that it can take you, on average, 4.5 generations before you go…

Starting my journey towards my own home

April 21, 2019

I turn 29 in four months which implicates my thirties are right around the corner.…

The uncommon sense of investing

April 14, 2019

Occasionally, I go out for drinks with some friends from my martial arts club. Sometimes…

Save money: 4 safety checks to shop safer online

April 4, 2019

There’s not much that is not for sale on the internet, but unfortunately, sometimes something…

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q1 2019

March 31, 2019

A new quarter is over. It's almost the exact opposite of Q4 2018. All of…

Clear explanation on mutual funds by Two Cents

March 27, 2019

Again? Yep, sorry. Julia and Philip just do such an amazing job that I can't…

Forgive me for I have sinned

March 21, 2019

Ok, that is probably a tad bit overdramatic. Though it is correct. I didn’t follow my…

Featured on ING(.be)

March 17, 2019

I just got featured on ING(.be) [NL][FR]! They did a small interview with me a…

Snowboarding in the Austrian Alps

March 7, 2019

You might have noticed that I haven't posted anything new in about two weeks. The…

Two cents show on retirement

February 21, 2019

Julia and Philip, The hosts of the PBS Digital Studios show, Two Cents just released a…

MiFID II explained: How EU is trying to protect its investors

February 17, 2019

The who, what, why of MiFID, Market in Financial Instruments Directive. Rules aiming to increases transparency in the European Union's financial market.

My top 4 investment mistakes (so far) and 4 more mistakes investors make

February 7, 2019

I screwed up, more than once. Ever since I'm allowed to hold an investment or…

What type of investor are you?

February 3, 2019

At the beginning of every year, I receive a letter to evaluate my portfolio and based on a questionnaire the type of investor I am. Curious about your type?

Book review: “The marvelous simplicity of index investing” by Jacques Wintermans

January 27, 2019

Thanks to a three week Christmas holiday I finally had the time to do some…

Sales aren’t always deals: 5 tips

January 23, 2019

Iin Belgium the shopping season is in full swing with the January sales month reaching…

Portfolio update: new savings account & stock purchases

January 20, 2019

We are only the second week of January and I can already give a major…

Remembering John Bogle: father of index investing

January 17, 2019

John C. “Jack” Bogle has just passed away at age 89 [1]. I write this post…

Poll of the month: Did you stick to your investment plan in this bear market?

January 16, 2019

The current bear market is the perfect time to see how everyone is sticking to…

“And that’s our Two Cents!”

January 9, 2019

Meet Julia Lorenz-Olson and Philip Olson. The two lovely people presenting the PBS Digital Studios…

7 important lessons from Index Investing

January 9, 2019

The marvelous simplicity of Index investing by J. Wintermans (of which a book review will follow…

9 dividend-paying stocks I’ll buy in 2019

January 7, 2019

Dividend-paying stocks? As a Belgian? Am I going mad, paying 30% to get cash instead…

Milestones for 2019

January 4, 2019

2019 has finally arrived. And with a new year come new financial and personal targets.…

Happy 2019!

January 1, 2019

Even though I only started in September 2018, those last months of 2018 were very…

Quarterly Portfolio Report – Q4 2018

December 30, 2018

This past quarter just shows how fast things can change. In my first report, I…

Poor Flanders: Living below the poverty line

December 28, 2018

When I grow up I want to be able to go on a holiday It's…

Looking ahead: 2019 personal finance

December 23, 2018

This financial look ahead for 2019 idea originally comes from a post on Reddit by user u/firetheboss_eu.…

Memorable reads of the week 10

December 17, 2018

Another two weeks flew by in a jiffy. Now we are really getting close to…

4 books to read during Christmas vacation

December 16, 2018

As I will not reach my book milestone this year, I figured I could at…

How size of ETFs (doesn’t) matter

December 9, 2018

In my article about PRIIPs, I briefly mentioned that the European alternatives to the now unavailable…

Book review: “How you get rich and stay rich” by Erica Verdegaal

December 8, 2018

It's been long overdue, my first book review. I originally planned to get this out…

Memorable reads of the week 9

December 3, 2018

Apologies for being late with my weekly memorable reads. It was a busy week far…

How to Buy US ETF in Europe with PRIIPs ETF Regulation?

November 28, 2018

Most retail investors that trade on their own already noticed starting 2018. As a European, it’s not possible to buy US-based Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) anymore. If you were trying to find out how to get these US-based ETFs in Europe, I hate to burst your bubble, but there is no straight forward for this after a new ETF regulation in Europe (no, options aren’t straightforward). The major culprit? PRIIPs.

Memorable reads of the week 8

November 18, 2018

I skipped last week due to the lack of articles that interested me and were…

My preferred brokers (degiro vs lynx) as a small retail investor

November 18, 2018

When trying to reach FIRE you can’t get around brokers. I’m no different. I have…

First (personal) milestone unlocked!

November 11, 2018

I figured this earned it's own post since I am quite happy about it and…

Cafeteria plan: improving wants & needs for your convencience

November 11, 2018

A cafeteria plan is an excellent way to streamline fringe benefits, also called employee benefits.…

Memorable reads of the week 7

November 4, 2018

It was a quiet week. At least, in regard to the articles I found memorable. That…

A thrilling transfer to my actively managed portfolio

October 29, 2018

A cold breeze is passing through and Halloween is right around the corner. Yep, it's October.…

Memorable reads of the week 6

October 28, 2018

Quite a few important events have unfolded this week. While still more than a week…

There is a disturbance in the market

October 25, 2018

October is shaping up to be one for the bears. This month seems to resemble…

Memorable reads of the week 5

October 21, 2018

Another week has gone by in a flash. Luckily I have this series to help…

Save money by spending money using rewards credit cards

October 18, 2018

Every month I get a satisfying overview of my credit cards. Satisfying? Yep! Every euro…

Memorable reads of the week 4

October 14, 2018

Another week has gone by in a flash. Luckily I have this series to help…

How I achieve a +80% Savings Rate and is it the Key to Financial Independence?

October 12, 2018

In an earlier post, I showed how I calculate my savings rate and how you…

Memorable reads of the week 3

October 7, 2018

Another week has gone by in a flash. Luckily I have this series to help…

The Most Important FIRE Ratio: FIRE Savings Rate

October 7, 2018

Savings Rate (SR), it's probably one, if not the, most important concept you must understand when you try to reach Financial Independence and Retire Early. It's also the perfect place to start if you are wondering how to get into FIRE. Let us see what this "fire ratio" actually is.