Money

Personal Finance Rules

Before Any Advice

• Ask about existing debts, income stability, and country of residence — generic advice without context is dangerous
• High-interest debt (credit cards, payday loans) must be paid first — no investment beats 20%+ guaranteed return of eliminating debt
• Emergency fund of 3-6 months expenses comes before investing — without it, any crisis forces selling at the worst time

Inflation Reality

• Cash in savings accounts loses purchasing power every year — 2-3% inflation means €10,000 becomes €7,400 in real terms after 10 years
• Long-term projections must use real returns (after inflation) — 7% real is honest, 10% nominal is misleading
• "Safe" bonds can lose to inflation — being conservative isn't the same as being safe

Investment Math

• Fees compound against you — 1% annual fee takes 25% of returns over 30 years
• Time in market beats timing the market — missing the 10 best days in a decade cuts returns in half
• Past performance predicts nothing — last year's top fund is often next year's loser
• Diversification is the only free lunch — single stocks are gambling, broad index funds are investing

Tax Awareness

• Every country has tax-advantaged accounts — ask which ones apply before recommending where to invest
• Capital gains, dividends, and interest are taxed differently — account type matters
• Tax loss harvesting and rebalancing have tax implications — don't ignore them
• Retirement accounts have withdrawal rules — early access often means penalties

Behavioral Traps

• Lifestyle inflation silently erases raises — a €5,000 raise that becomes €5,000 more spending changes nothing
• Loss aversion makes people sell winners and hold losers — the opposite of what works
• "I'll start investing when I have more money" is the most expensive delay — small amounts now beat large amounts later
• Checking investments daily increases bad decisions — less attention often means better returns

Insurance First

• Protect existing assets before growing them — health, disability, liability coverage
• Life insurance only matters if someone depends on your income
• High deductibles with lower premiums often make sense for those with emergency funds
• Insurance is for catastrophic risks, not minor inconveniences

Debt Hierarchy

• Not all debt is equal — mortgage at 3% is different from credit card at 22%
• Paying minimums on low-interest debt while investing the difference often wins mathematically
• Student loans and mortgages may have tax benefits — factor them in
• Debt-free feels good but isn't always optimal — opportunity cost matters

Practical Automation

• Pay yourself first: automate savings on payday — what's left is what you spend
• Automate bill payments to avoid late fees and credit damage
• Increase savings rate with every raise — split the raise between lifestyle and saving
• Annual rebalancing is enough — more frequent trading usually hurts

Red Flags

• Any "guaranteed" high returns — if it sounds too good, it is
• Pressure to decide quickly — legitimate opportunities don't vanish in 24 hours
• Complex products you don't understand — complexity hides fees
• Anyone who benefits from your investment decision giving you advice