Blog
Northern Trust Funds vs ETFs: Full Comparison
The Northern Trust index funds are quite popular with Dutch investors. Due to their low costs, tax optimization, and availability at the local banks, many investors from the Netherlands prefer the Northern Trust (NT) funds over ETFs. In this post, I’ll compare the total cost of a portfolio of NT funds with the alternatives. Northern …
Introduction to Hardware Wallets (Cold Storage for Beginners)
If you’re reading this, you probably accumulated sufficient amount to start worrying about security. You also probably use an exchange to store your coins and understood that it defies the purpose of decentralization. Lastly, you most probably heard the phrase “not your keys, not your coins” but are uncertain what it actually means. Let’s start …
Market Order vs Limit Order โ Placing Orders Tutorial
Understanding the terms “market order” and “limit order” becomes crucial once you’re ready to make trades. If you’re a beginner, making your first buy order might terrify you. We’ve all been there. But it’s much simpler than it looks. This post is a n00b-friendly introduction to executing a buy order. Different Types of Orders When you click …
I Didn’t Get Lucky – The Opportunity in Bitcoin
I keep seeing people in investing communities that are vocal about the alleged risks of Bitcoin. And price speculation is perfectly fine when observing an asset purely as an investment. However, that’s far from Bitcoin’s value proposition. But it’s understandable. This is mostly done by bad stock pickers that consider $BTC gambling, think that dividends …
Capital Gains Taxes in All EU Countries (for ETF Investors)
If you’re an index investor, you might want to compare the treatment of profits across various countries. Whether you plan to live off of your portfolio or simply want to optimize while accumulating, understanding the tax framework is of utmost importance. In this post, I’ll do a detailed breakdown of how UCITS ETFs are taxed …
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (Book Notes)
“The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment” by Eckhart Tolle is a book that can have a life-changing impact for many. Especially for people that live with regret, worry, anxiety, or struggle with racing thoughts and overthinking. The whole spectrum, basically. Eckhart Tolle maps out the journey towards “enlightenment” and the primary obstacle …
5 Money Myths and Misconceptions
We all have misconceptions. A field that’s especially misunderstood by the average person is personal finance. People are prone to believe various myths about money and end up sad, poor, and frustrated as a consequence. This post is aimed to that segment of the general population – those who think that money is evil, that time …
Tales From the Last Cycle – Exit Crypto in Profit
I often talk about crypto cycles and their relevance for timing entries and exits. In this post, I will share my experience with the cycle of 2021. The goal is to show how volatile and life-changing (in both directions) this market can be. The interesting part is that I incorporated exactly the same strategy to …
My Wife’s Take on Motherhood and Daycare
A few days ago, my wife posted a sequence of Instagram stories on motherhood and dropping babies to daycare. Her phone blew up – it turned out to be quite a controversial topic. Needless to say, I found the content extremely valuable. And since my blog has a fatherhood category, this fits perfectly in it. …
P2P Lending Sucks! (3 Reasons I Avoid Peer-to-Peer Platforms)
P2P Lending (peer-to-peer lending) is quite popular with European investors. It represents a way of investing where private individuals can lend money in return for interest payments. A P2P platform matches those willing to lend with those willing to loan and facilitates this process. Due to the nature of my blog, I was contacted by …
Bitcoin Tax in All EU Countries (Capital Gains & Wealth Taxes)
If you’re a Bitcoin HODLer, this post might be not only relevant, but potentially life-changing for you. Whether you plan to live off of $BTC or simply want to optimize your taxes while stacking, understanding the tax treatment of this asset is of utmost importance. In this post, I’ll do a detailed breakdown of Bitcoin …
SGA Preterm Baby – 6 Months Progress
As we celebrate six months of pure love, laughter, and milestones reached, it’s time to reflect on the progress our baby has made. A reminder: our son was born one month prematurely and also he was SGA (small for gestational age). In this post, I want to share his progress and achievements of the first …
Replicating VWCE – Optimize for Cost and Performance
VWCE won the hearts of many European investors and became the go-to ETF for a one-fund portfolio. I can see the appeal of that. You buy a single ETF and you’re done – no need to rebalance, no need to worry about asset allocation, etc. However, there is another parameter that many investors seem to ignore: the …
Investing Expenses – Full Breakdown
Investing is associated with various types of expenses. Your goal as an investor is to keep these as low as possible. Below are a few examples of expenses you’d face as a stock market investor: TER (Total Expense Ratio) Entry and exit fees Broker/bank fees Transaction fees FX conversion costs Taxes Not all of these …
Dividend Leakage – Understanding the Hidden Cost
Dividend leakage is an expense that many investors accrue without even knowing. It’s a hidden cost related to investing in international ETFs/funds that’s not reported in their factsheet or prospectus. In this post, I’ll explain what is dividend leakage and how to calculate it yourself. I generally recommend against dividend investing, but if you’re already living off …