Basically the title :) I used to be quiet frugal and tracking expenses every month, but with increases in salary it seems like I've had major lifestyle inflation over the past few years. I don't feel like I have an outrageous lifestyle yet I recently computed my yearly expenses and I was quiet shocked! I'm in my thirties and no kids. It seems like I spend between 35-40k a year for everything. It doesn't even yet take into account the fact that I have a company card/fuel card paid for by company.

• rent 1200/m shared with gf
• hobbies / travel. I never go on expensive 5 star hotel trips, but do like frequent travel every 2 months or so (kitesurfing or hiking holidays mostly) and go on vacation about 35 days /year
• I have a motorcycle and realize maintenance can get expensive
• I cook a lot at home but do like going to restaurants 1-2 times per week. Feel like going out to eat has gotten very expensive nowadays

Even though I have a quiet comfortable lifestyle I don't feel like I leave in luxury either so I was horrified when seeing that number. For those of you not feeling like you're pinching every penny but still on your way to fire, wondering what is your spend rate?

Will help me set an objective for myself :)

Hey guys,

I’m looking for some advice on when (or if) to switch from one ETF to another to optimize my broker costs.

I’ve been consistently buying IWDA for a while now. Since I use Bolero, I’m noticing that IWDA's price rising enough that it’s making it harder to keep my purchases close to 1k to stay below the 5€ fee threshold. I usually buy every two months for around 1k (since 500 per month is even less efficient cost wise), but as prices go up, I’m often slightly over, bumping the fee up to 7.5€. Not a very huge deal, but in the long term, I’d like to keep my fees as low as possible.

I chose Bolero because I trust them, like the app, and not important, I am with KBC too. But I’m now wondering if it’s worth the hassle to switch ETF to maybe SWRD or even another broker like Saxo to keep costs down (SWRD is anyway only a "five year solution"). Trust is my priority, but of course, I’d like a bit more efficiency too as I'm not into donating free money to brokers :)

I wanted to try Degiro at some point, but decided not to as I'm not very much fan of security of it.

Apologies if this sounds like a rookie question. I’ve tried using calculators tell me what period is the best to purchase (weekly, monthly, ..) , but I feel like I’m still losing out on a bit of cash and returns here.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Recent poste ik een optie om iets te kopen en te verhuren om niet 100% mijn vermogen in de beurs te hebben, maar ook een spreiding naar vastgoed te creëren maar dit werd ten zeerste afgeraden door velen.

Bij deze een update/nieuwe vraag:

Mijn zus en ik hebben elks 25% (-38% vruchtgebruik) van het appartement waarin ik woon. Mijn vader de overige 50% (+38% vruchtgebruik op ons deel). Is het een idee om mijn zus uit te kopen?

Op die manier zou ik voor een veel kleinere som dan een aankoop van een huurwoning toch een groter deel van mijn vermogen in vastgoed hebben.

Context:

• ik woon in het appartement (met mijn vader)
• mijn zus woont hier niet
• nu heb ik al 25% (-38% vruchtgebruik)
• 38% vruchtgebruik van mijn vader zal ieder jaar dalen waardoor ik steeds iets meer van de waarde heb
• na de uitkoop van mijn zus haar deel zou ik bijna exact 50/50 zitten qua vermogenspreiding tussen ETFS en vastgoed
• ik ben niet meteen van plan hier weg te gaan
• zij zal verder ook niets erven buiten wat ze nu heeft, ik wel (het is mijn halfzus)

Waarom zou ik dit wel of niet doen? Zijn hier red flags of helemaal niet?

Hello guys!

I'm a Belgian tax resident and I want to open an account with Interactive Brokers.

Do you know where to get the data required to be reported to the NBB?

Thanks !

I’m currently investing in ETF’s for a over a year now. Current portfolio is just 100% SSAC, but I was wondering if it is better to also add another ETF to my portfolio to reduce ‘risk’. But then it would also reduce the amount earned as my monthly investment would be spread over 2 instead of 1. Any tips?

Current situation: currently with spouse and 2 kids, we are living in a house which we pay ~1300 for the mortgage. I have 100k in the saving account and really don't want to see my saving amount perish with inflation. Our net income is 5k/month.

I was thinking of buying an apartment to rent out. The total budget is 270k, including all related cost and registration fee (12% for 2nd home). I am gonna use 100k in my saving + loan from bank. Of course, emergency fund is put aside in a safe place.

I found a really nice apartment in Berchem, Antwerpen with list price 230k. The building is a bit old (1969) but well maintained. The apartment itself has just been renovated with EPC ~100.

My concerns:

• Is buying an apartment as 2nd home to rent out sustainable in my case?
• Any problem if the building that old even well maintained.
• Is rate OK at this moment? I didn't contact any bank yet but I've heard I'd be around 3%
• Any other concerns that you might think of?

Your advise is greatly welcome.

TIA

Dear lovely American folks,

As an American living in Belgium (which I love a lot), I understand that I need to pay a 30% Belgian tax on U.S. dividends. I have a question regarding the form I downloaded from my U.S. brokerage.

A. 1099-DIV

1. Is item 1a (Total ordinary dividends) the total dividends I received? Does it include items 1b, 2a, 2b… up to 16?
2. And regarding item 7 (Foreign Tax Paid), should I subtract it??
3. If I understand correctly, my taxable amount should be (1a - 7) x 30%?

B. 1099-INT

1. Is item 1 the total interest I received, covering items 1 through 17?
2. If I understand correctly, my tax due on this should simply be item 1 x 30%?

Thanks a lot for anyone has experience, or any clarification.

Hoi! 25 jarige hier die al een aantal jaren belegt in ETF's.
Momenteel bestaat mijn portfolio enkel uit IWDA+EMIM. Ik wil echter graag wat andere zaken toevoegen naast enkel die ETF's. Dit voornamelijk uit interesse om bij te leren en te experimenteren, dus sowieso maar met een klein percentage van mijn portfolio.
Nu is mijn vraag: wat kan een interessante aanvulling zijn om mee te beginnen? Ik denk aan holdings, REIT, losse aandelen,...?
Tweede vraag: wat zijn goede bronnen om bij te leren daarover? bv. op basis waarvan kies je een holding/REIT/aandeel/... (boeken, podcasts, online courses,...)
Thanks!

Hi,

I'll preface by saying that I'm an absolute beginner and I'm exploring the landscape of investing.

I've heard that there are companies that offer shares of the company to employees at discounted prices, as an employee benefit. Are these ever worth it vs taking that money and investing it in one's (already existing) ETF portfolio? The strategies proposed on this subreddit seem to value ETF's for their diversification. I guess the answer depends on what company and discount we're talking about, but regardless, for an ETF investor I would guess getting some 'random' share isn't really worth it. Or am i wrong?

Heeft er iemand een positieve ervaring met loyalty programma’s van kredietkaarten? Heb momenteel een gratis kredietkaart van buy way waar ik niet over kan klagen, die ik redelijk veel gebruik. Maar aangezien ik de kredietkaart vaak gebruik vraag ik me af of het niet beter is om over te schakelen naar een eventueel betalende met een goed loyalty programma.

Ik beleg maandelijks in ETF's via de KBC. Door hier te lezen ben ik geïnteresseerd om het op de meest gunstige manier te doen uiteraard. Enig idee welk platform het beste is? 90% IWDA, 10%? Graag jullie inzichten, bedankt!

Ik ben begonnen met beleggen en vroeg mezelf af om de hoeveel jaar ik eens grondig zou moeten kijken of mijn strategie nog werkt.

Ik dacht aan 10 jaar ? Want ik ben nu 25 daartegen ben ik 35 en heb ik nog genoeg tijd om tot mijn pensioen opnieuw rendement op te bouwen.

Hello everyone,

Over the last few days I have been looking to open a new bank account with KBC (and I would also like to open the related Bolero account) and I have a quick question for you: is it really significant to select between the various options available based on my actual address? Because I can see they differentiate their offers according to weather one lives in Brussels, Wallonia or Flanders.

I ask this since at the moment I'm living in Wallonia (as an expat) but in a few months I might move back to Brussels, and I would not want to eventually change again my account just to have a couple of months.

Thank you in advance for your help and have a great day! :)

Hello,

I am daytrading as a side hustle next to my main job for 2 months now.
Starting to get good profits ( +- 10k currently) Started with 700 euro
Currently also doing the challange for a funded account with 200K, which I will get by the end of november.

But the question now is what about taxes
Do I just have to include this all in my personal tax declaration somehow?
Or is it advised to start a comm Venootschap to lower the taxes and so I can buy stuff and challenges as expenses?
Is this even possible to start a copmany for trading as a bijberoep?

Edit: I’m belgian Trading Forex and gold with leverege on foreign broker account VT Markets Prop firm for funded account 200k is FXIFY

Hello, does anybody know what bank in Belgium may open usd account? I have checked with bnp and they are not offering such service.

Does anyone have good ideas or experiences for making extra money? Not too many risks, but still something where you can earn a bit? Everything is welcome and up for discussion!

Hi everyone,

For anyone interested in getting an Amex card, they are currently running a promotion for newcomers.

For joining:

• Platinum: 150.000 points (approx 300 EUR)
• Gold: 60.000
• Green: 3.000

I can provide a referral link for anyone interested!

Onze trainers in de sportclub worden op dit moment betaald via vrijwilligerswerk. 1 trainer stijgt echter boven het maximumplafond met zijn uitkering. De volgende legale stap zou dan zijn om het via verenigingswerk te betalen maar daarvoor heb je een verzekering voor nodig, betaald de trainer belastingen en andere adminisatratieve bullshit. Daarom willen we hem (deels) in het zwart betalen. Echter komt er niet genoeg cash binnen via de buvette om dat maandelijks te kunnen betalen... Hoe anders kan je cash genereren? Kan je gewoon geld afhalen van de bank en zo betalen zondar dat dat argwaan trekt? Zijn er andere opties om de trainer te betalen?

Thanks! Hopelijk zit ik in de juiste subreddit

Ik wil dringend een sell limit plaatsen op een van mijn aandelen maar Belfius werkt al 24 uur niet en kan dus niet aan RE=BEL.

Als ik hun een mail stuur met dat ik deze order wil zetten maar dat gaat niet door hun service moeten zij dit dan achteraf recht zetten als ik door de storing mijn aandeel niet optijd kon verkopen?

My daughter has been getting a monthly allowance for the better part of a year now. She’s been saving up every cent of it. Litterally did not spent a cent, even though she has a debit card of her account.

Now, it’s not alot she has, about €300, but i would like her to feel how it feels to get a return on a investment. You know, spend money to earn money.

Best case it would be something where she can see a result in a reasonably short time, how tiny it may be. So a standard savings account is out of the question.

The ideas i have are mostly OK i think, however there are always some key drawbacks with each one of them, such as the age restriction of 18 or a minimum buy in of €500, etc.

Some of the ideas i have:

• etf
• p2p lending
• small startup (she’se done a lemonade stand already though, with succes)

For the age restriction i am aware i can just open an account in my name, and let her earned cash do it’s thing on it. The problem is that i have an account on all of the platforms i like for mysef.

You could say, in my wife’s name. True, but we have a second child which i would like to give the same possibillities when it’s time comes around in a year.

Do you guys have any other ideas, outside the box or not, to invest €300 for a 12yo with reasonably fast returns, how small they may be?

Thanks in advance for your insights!

Am I the only one to have severe issues with the Belfius app since monday? Also resolving to the webpage does not solve all the missing features, some stuff doesn't work either on the webpage.

Ironically in the midst of earnings, already missed a few opportunities.

Just checking bcs there is no info on the website, but if this is general it seems a pretty big deal.

Ik heb ooit van een advocaat gehoord dat bedrijven die in de trends of op Kanaal Z komen meestal met een probleem zitten. Uit eigen beperkte ervaring lijkt dit wel juist. Is dat voor jullie ook iets waar jullie naar kijken?

Hi all,

I keep a spreadsheet where I fill in my monthly net income to keep an overview of my “real”average monthly net income. This includes my bonuses, 13th month, … but excludes meal vouchers, ecocheques, and group insurance contributions from my employer.

Should I add my tax refunds (and eventual additional tax payments) to this overview?

How are you guys keeping track of your income?

Mijn vraag gaat over het beleggen in bitcoin vanuit de vennootschap. Ik heb van de boekhouder verstaan dat de winsten pas gerealiseerd worden (en dus belast) bij verkoop.

Stel dat de koers sterk stijgt en ik zou verkopen om later terug in te stappen bij een daling, maar geen belastbare winst wil realiseren. Is het dan volgens Belgische vennootschapsbelasting wetgeving voldoende om de verkoop te doen naar een stablecoin? Iemand die hier specifiek al ervaring mee heeft?

I live in Belgium but work full-time in the Netherlands.

Pension building works different in NL than it does in BE.

I am able to put a large chunk of my gross salary each month in a pension fund, which then invests it for me in stocks and bonds until I reach my pension age.

So the amount I put in there (currently 1300 euro each month) only costs me 650 euro nett salary, I would pay 50% tax on it if I wanted that money to be paid out as salary.

So even though the investments done by that pension fund are probably not as good and more costly than putting this money in an ETF, it seems to me the 50% I would lose by getting that money as salary is not worth it, and I will never make up for that in the long run by investing it all in ETF...

Am I correct in that? Or do I miss something here?

Btw I have about 25 years to go till I reach the current pension age in NL

Hi all,

I have a question regarding the calculation of social contribution I will have to do in the year 2025.

Quick sketch of my current occupation:

- student with statuut "student-zelfstandige" who has the exemption of BTW for people who earn less than €25000 a year

-graduating june/august 2025 and will start working in september 2025.

- make around 4-5K a year in this statuut as a private tutor

Problem I have come to:

I read online that when I will start working in september 2025, my earnings of the whole year will count for the calculation of my social contributions for the year 2025. Is this true as I am exempted of BTW and I also don't pay any social contribuiton right know ?And would it be advantageous for me to keep on doing this side hustle in the year 2025 or rather keep tutoring in the "deeleconomie" statuut?

Thanks in advance for your answers

Kind regards

Hello All,

I'm trying to understand how the 13th month pay works in Belgium after giving a resignation letter.

I found a lot of contradictory information online.

It appears that if you are being dismissed by the company (fired), they have to pay you pro-rata, however a lot of websites emphasize that in case of voluntary departure they don't have to pay you at all.

Other sources say that if your yearly salary is divided by 13,9 month (13th month + double holiday pay), they have to pay you that amount pro rata cause you worked for it and it's contractual.

Some sources say that if you are still in employment on the date where they give out the money it will be paid to you but if you have already finished it will not.

Anyways, does anyone know what's going on? If I quit now, will I still receive something mid-December or do I have to get comfy with the idea to forgo it?

Thank you

Hey,

Ik ben al een tijdje opzoek om mijn ideale beleggers portfolio samen te stellen en te kijken wat ik aangenaam vind om te doen.

Ik ga maandelijks 100-200 euro in IWDA steken En zoek om 1 malige grote bedragen te storten zoals 5000 euro ik wacht aan VWCE. Is dit een goeie hiervoor? Ik dacht over de wereld verspreid leek me wel oke en gelegen in Europa dus taxe gewijs ook wel een goeie. Wat denken jullie ?

Welke broker kan ik gebruiken voor stocks met leverage te kopen of options te doen in België?

https://preview.redd.it/6i7yfy8lcoxd1.png?width=732&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff8bd6f5a8a6e8393e4ff0ce0ee013daed79370a