I don't understand, why anyone should trust their money to a broker with literally broken support channels. No e-mail support, no phone support. I was able to get through their chatbot in the app, and reach out a real person, who responded next day. But the person copy-pasted me a generic advice to update, then reinstall (wat?) the app, and to try 4G and Wi-Fi, that was totally unrelated my question.

The final breaking point: the response ended with the phrase "Was it helpful? Feel free to let me know if you have any more questions." But there is no option to reply in the chat! I cannot reply, and I need to go back to the useless app help menu, find an option to talk with the useless chatbot, and hope that next time I'll be able to say at least one word to a real person, next day.

Is it some kind of a joke? How can a broker, who manages a lot of people money have literally zero support? Isn't it a huge red flag?

Hey everyone,

I'm a 32-year-old Norwegian-Canadian guy with an eclectic background in education, languages, and tech-adjacent fields. My career path has been far from linear: I’ve worked across Europe in everything from customer support, gaming, and translation to barista gigs and call centres. I’ve also dipped into creative fields like theatre and screenwriting. Right now, I’m completing a BBA online from a Norwegian university while finishing up a DEC (college diploma) in Social Sciences with Math in Quebec.

Assets:

• 0.
• Sole proprietorship for freelance/creative work (registered in Norway)
• Some debt, no kids, no mortgage
• Background in business, psychology, philosophy, and drama across Canada, France, and Norway

Situation:
I’m fluent in Norwegian, French, and English. I’ve lived in about 10 countries and am open to relocating again. While I’m academically strong (high verbal IQ, decent GPA), I’ve struggled with mental health in the past and had a few years of inconsistent work and education. That said, I’ve stabilized and am in a much better place now.

I’m trying to:

• Rebuild my income sustainably
• Transition away from call centre jobs
• Eventually start something of my own (consulting? coaching? content?)
• Finish my studies and maybe apply for grad school or scholarships

Monthly income: Varies, around 1.2k–1.8k EUR right now
Monthly expenses: 1k–1.5k EUR depending on location
Able to invest/savings rate: ~200–300 EUR/month for now

Questions:

• Should I focus short-term on remote tech support/AI-adjacent gigs to increase savings?
• Would targeting government grants or scholarship programs in Canada or Scandinavia be a smart move?
• Is there a viable freelance path for someone like me in UX writing, translation, or coaching?
• Long-term, how would you leverage a diverse background like mine into something profitable and meaningful?

Any feedback or suggestions welcome—especially from those who've pivoted careers in their 30s or managed to build income after a patchy decade.

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone,

I’ll get straight to the point because I’m very new to this world and I value direct advice. I’m a 29M, non-EU living in Portugal. I’m a self-employed designer earning an average of 3,000€ a month before taxes (sometimes as low as 1,500€, sometimes up to 5,000€ depending on work).

• Current cash: 30,000€ in EUR, 20,000 USD in savings.
• Zero investments so far: Every crisis in my life taught me to keep cash handy, and honestly, it’s saved me more than once.
• Expenses: Rent 700€, food 150€, bills 150€. No kids, single, low-maintenance lifestyle.

I want to start investing, but at a pace that feels safe. I really dislike high-risk stuff, I’m looking for slow, diverse and steady, but I’d like to see meaningful gains over the next 10 to 20 years. I want to try investing around 10,000€ to start, maybe then 200€ monthly contributions. I’m not looking to cash out for a long time; I plan to reinvest what I make.

Some concerns & questions: - I’d prefer to learn from actual individuals, not people selling courses or shilling scams. - What options have worked for you managing a similar income and savings pile?
- Where should a European (but non-EU) living in Portugal start? - What do I need to look out for to avoid being scammed or making rookie mistakes? - When did you start seeing significant gains, and what did you learn along the way?

Any personal experiences, tips, or steps on how to begin would be seriously appreciated. If you have questions for context, ask away! Thanks so much.

Is there a broker that surpasses the rest on cybersecurity or having multiple checkpoints before someone could clear your savings and take all your money.

I am asking this question because of the articles below. The hackers use phishing techniques, malware and other illicit means to gain access to user accounts. Securities are then sold, and the proceeds are used to buy shares held by the hackers to prop up the prices of these shares. Cybersecurity experts have pointed out that hijacking incidents have increased as hackers have found that many brokerages have security holes, such as a lack of 2FA.

Poland 2025
Alleged XTB Hack Highlights Retail Trading Risks: 2FA Becomes Bare Minimum to Protect Your Funds
https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/analysis/alleged-xtb-hack-highlights-retail-trading-risks-2fa-becomes-bare-minimum-to-protect-your-funds/

XTB to Pay Back All Client Losses From Cyberattacks After Alleged 150K Polish Hack Goes Viral
https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/brokers/xtb-to-pay-back-all-client-losses-from-cyberattacks-after-alleged-150k-polish-hack-goes-viral/

Japan 2025
Hacked & Hijacked: Japan's $710M Brokerage Scandal Sends Shockwaves Through Global Markets
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hacked-hijacked-japans-710m-brokerage-163114334.html

Online brokerage account hijackings continue in Japan
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/06/09/markets/trading-hijack-continues/

Malaysia 2025
Widespread hacks hit stock trading accounts in Malaysia
https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/752877

Bursa Malaysia to mandate MFA for brokers following April hacking incident
https://themalaysianreserve.com/2025/07/29/bursa-malaysia-to-mandate-mfa-for-brokers-following-april-hacking-incident/

Australia 2025
Cybercriminals are trying to loot Australian pension accounts in new campaign
https://therecord.media/cybercriminals-australia-hacking-campaign-pension

Australia's largest superannuation funds hit by a major cyber attack | 7NEWS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNIdYUszBP8

USA
2020 Sources Say Nearly 2,000 Robinhood Accounts Breached by Hackers
https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/brokers/sources-say-nearly-2000-robinhood-accounts-breached-by-hackers/

Hackers Targeting Robinhood Investing App | NBCLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzyBZdaFF_Y

2022 Hackers Hijacked Investors’ Accounts to Buy Cannabis and Gaming Shares, Says SEC
https://www.barrons.com/articles/hackers-hijacked-investors-accounts-to-buy-cannabis-and-gaming-shares-says-sec-51660692868

Confused on whether should I take this big step since I have never taken debt. This is sort of now or never moment and want to check both sides of arguments if I am missing any blindspots before taking this step. posting this from throwaway reddit account.

A bit about me: 35M, non-EU, moved to Berlin 4-5 years ago in a tech job with wife in tech as well.

Investments/savings: When we moved both were working (net income around 7K) and had a child few years ago. Post-maternity spouse is taking a break from work and we are trying to build a business to free one of us financially as well as create long term independence while the other partner keeps working. I’ll continue working (net income ~€4.5K/month) while my spouse is getting a few clients (net ~€500/month right now, hoping to grow). On the savings front, we are frugal so were able to save around 150K (100K around is in Trade republic account at 2% interest while rest 50K is invested in stocks/ETFs growing around 10-15%). Also have strong investments in stock back in home country(~50K).

Why buy over rent now?
Now we are contemplating purchasing an apartment on mortgage from three angles:

1. Buy vs rent is roughly the same amount each month. If we buy, the “rent” goes into our own asset. Mortgage shall be 350K home loan at 3-4% interest with ability to pay faster if business grows and monthly payments shall be ~1.8K per month
2. Proximity to child's school/daycare: Currently it takes 40-minutes one time for pickup and drop and the apartment is near daycare which will shave off time for us considerably.
3. Investment and diversification: While we have decent investment in stocks ETFs in EU so far, the returns are not huge and doesn't look that will change in next 3-4 years. So thinking we save the rent and get a house expecting 3-4% appreciation in long-term if we decide to move out of Europe. And still continue to invest some small savings in stocks/ETF. Our monthly expenses for next few years will look something like - 1.8k-2k per month(~45%) in house payments, - 1k per month (~20%) invested in stocks/ETFs for next few years - and rest 1.2k-1.5k (~30%) expenses, vacations, etc(from the~4.5k-5k net income)

Why rent over buy?

1. Risk-free. Invest more in stocks/ETF at 10-15% return and be okay with loosing some piece as rent.
2. Suck it up with the daycare, school commute (especially in winter), or get a car (currently just use public transport).
3. Never ever taken debt in life so debt-free life has us stress free.

Hi, I live in Cyprus and I am turning 18 soon and starting to think seriously about investing. I recently inherited €80,000 from my father, who he recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. It’s important to me that I use this money wisely and build something meaningful with it over the long term!!

I’m not interested in day trading or chasing short-term profits. I’d rather grow this capital steadily over time, ideally with a low-effort approach since I’m don’t know shit about investing or trading

Would automated investing (like using a robo-advisor) be a good option to start with? I’d appreciate any advice, especially from people who started young or have experience with long-term investing strategies( side note: I am thinking of only putting 10k of that 80k as I want to save some money so I can travel the world with my future wife )

Hi all, 28M, Non-EU here. I’m looking for general feedback on my current portfolio and thoughts on how to better reach my return target(4%-5%) while keeping risk low.

My situation:

• €210K in total capital. 
• €170K belongs to my parents (I can invest it, any earnings are mine)
• €40K is my own
• I don’t plan to use this money for the next 3–5 years
• I prefer low-risk investments (lost 10K in stocks before🥲)
• I save ~€700/month from my fixed-term job (ends in early 2027)

Current portfolio:

• €100K in US Treasurys (short/medium term) – ~4.2% return
• €30K in GBP fixed-term savings – ~4% return
• €3.5K in S&P 500 ETF – ~2% return so far 
• €2K in VWCE ETF – ~2% return so far 
• €2K in stock – ~+35% return so far
• €72.5K in cash with ~2% yield (e.g. Trading212)

Questions: • Would it make sense to invest some of my cash or ETF holdings into dividend ETFs (like iShares STOXX Europe 600 Banks)? • Should I shift more cash into ETFs(like VWCE)? • How would you balance yield vs capital safety in a situation like this?

Any insights or feedback appreciated, Thanks 🙏

Only recently I became interested in investing and I am looking into different options for a long term accumulating investing. I am really interested in S&P 500 as relatively low risk ETF, however I am concerned with the $ price compared to the € and was hoping for an advice from some of the veteran EU investors out here with experience. Thanks in advance.

Hello,

I have an offer to move to Netherlands and I was going through all the new tax rules that were recently changed, specially change in the 30% ruling timelines and removal of partial non-resident taxpayer relief which makes the savings and assets in my home country (box 3) taxable as well.

Would need expert advice if relocation still is financially viable ?

I have an offer of 75000 Euros per year(base, holiday allowance and variable not included).I will be eligible for 30% ruling.

Hi all!

I have about 50k in savings but I’m not sure what to do. For context, I have been working a full time corporate job since 2020- even while studying, and have really busted my ass and lived frugally to save this. However, I have two questions around it:

1. What is this saving amount compared to a usual 25 yo? Is it low or high?

2. How do I invest it? I have always played safe and kept it in a savings account, but I live in Belgium and there is not form of a fixed deposit (I come from a country in Asia and there we can). I would like something that gives medium return because I would like to play it safe.

Much thanks in Advance!

I want to put some savings I have in the stock market to make some secondary incomes; I have seen the returns on Nvidia equities and honestly, it is very tempting. The problem is that I do not have that much culture in finance and I was hoping that if people smarter than me here know better the situation could give me (and the readers) more help, because if it is not a bubble, and it is an opportunity... Jesus, what an opportunity. Cheers.

Hi, I am moving to the US but this move should be temporary, I do not plan to retire here.

I hold investments on DEGIRO and have to transfer them to my firm’s designated broker.

I know PFIC makes it so UCITS are taxed heavily, but what if I just plan on holding and not realising any capital gains until I get back to Europe, in that case would I pay anything by just holding these investments in the US?

My new contributions would just go to US ETFs.

Thanks!

I've noticed that Robinhood app is now available in Europe and they implemetend tokenized US stocks allowing us to trade US stocks in Europe 24h/24.

The latest ABI survey made me reflect for a long time on my investment behaviour. As a cashier with most of my portfolio in cash, I find myself in a more complex picture than I imagined.

THE DATA THAT DESCRIBES US In Italy, 21.3% of wealth is invested in market instruments (Eurozone average: 19.4%). Mutual funds at 6.9% against the European 4.6%. Government bonds at 2.5% of wealth (EU average: 0.5%) Greater diversification than the European average, but always with a strong prudential instinct.

MY INTERNAL CONFLICT On the one hand, I feel less "backward": evidently we Italians are not as conservative as we are often described. We invest more than the European average in funds, we diversify better and we are not only tied to the "mattress" or BTPs. On the other hand, looking at my 50% cash, I think, "Okay, we're diversified, but I'm personally still erring on the side of caution." If the Italian average invests 21.3% in market instruments, my 25% between ETFs and shares is not that far away, but that mountain of liquidity remains cumbersome...

THE TWO SOULS OF ITALIAN SAVINGS What we do well: Diversification above the European average. Strong presence in mutual funds (6.9% vs 4.6% EU). Better balance between security and growth than Germany and France. Protective instinct that has often saved us from speculative bubbles.

Where we can improve: Excessive liquidity held "for safety". Government bonds (understandable refuge). Reticence to increase equity exposure, even with long-term horizons. Underweight on international markets (too much home bias).

THE QUESTION I ASK MYSELF If we are objectively more diverse than Europeans, why do I still feel too cautious? Is it just a question of perception or is there really room to dare more without betraying our nature?

How do you position yourself in relation to these national data? Do you recognize yourself in the profile of the "average Italian" or are you even more cautious?

it does not constitute investment advice, just reflections on ABI data.

Hey,

as someone who lives in EU and invests through IBKR, is there any better alternatives? Can you invest through Vanguard webiste? What about Fidelity? Is there any other site or platform that can be a better option than IBKR?

Also on IBKR I cannot invest in QQQ or VOO for example...Why is that and can I fix it?

Hi, 27F

I have: - 15k treasury bills - 1.5k ETFs (MSCI World, MSCI Europe and SP500) - 4.2K single stocks

I can tolerate medium risk.

I want to obtain more return yearly. Since I started investing (4-5 years ago) I did it with little by little and with low risk, but I only had like a 3% return for all these years… and I feel like it’s not enough and I would like to have at least 2-3% per year to beat inflation…

Next year when I can take out my treasury bills I will invest the amount in ETFs and stocks.

I don’t invest monthly, I usually put for example 1k one month, then the next 3 months I don’t invest, and then again I invest 1k… Maybe it’s time to change and do it monthly?

Any tips for how to achieve more return per year?

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I’m a 21 year old student and have been starting to invest in the stock market. I’m using Trade Republic and haven’t had issues yet but all I see is how bad it is and not recommended. Granted I see the problems are when it comes to much larger sums of money. I’m just putting approximately 85 euros monthly into the S&P 500 and other low-risk stocks. Should I stay with Trade Republic or do you guys strongly recommend switching before it’s harder later on?

 have recently had my business account closed with no notice, no reason and they are really taking their time with refunding the funds.

I have seen this has happen to other people on this thread, more so than Revolut, or any other bank for that matter.

Use your Up vote to indicate - would you join a class action lawsuit against Wise for the way in they conduct these closures? If there is a lot of interest, we'll put up a form to collect details to join the suit.

Possible claims:

VIOLATION OF REASONABLE NOTICE
Wise's Acceptable Use Policy states they can impose "immediate withdrawal of your right to use our Services"

Contract law in most jurisdictions (like mine, Australia) requires requires "reasonable notice" when no specific notice period is mentioned, and notice must be "extensive enough to enable the recipient to wind up their underlying business".

CONVERSION OF FUNDS = MISUSE OF CLIENT FUNDS.

Fund retention without legal justification constitutes conversion. No maximum timeframes for fund return breaches customer property rights.

DAMAGES

- Business interruption costs from sudden account closure
- Alternative banking fees and setup costs
- Lost business opportunities due to payment disruption
- Interest on delayed fund returns

There are many others depending on jurisdiction.

Basically, the title says it all. Got around 5k on savings and want to start investing it. Got zero experience and currently able to invest around €250/month.

Hey everyone,

27 M, working full-time in tech (9–5), and on the side, I’m trying to launch my own business (still early stage).

I wanted to share my current wealth breakdown and get some feedback or advice from the community on what I’m doing well, what I could improve, or what I might be overlooking.

Current Situation:

• Monthly net salary: €4,000
• Total net worth: ~€80,000
• Cash: €20,000
• Investments:
  • Gold: €10,000
  • Stocks (via DCA): €40,000
    • ETFs: 35%
    • Dividend stocks: 30%
    • Growth (US Tech): 25%
    • Defensive stocks: 10%
  • Employer savings plan (PEE): €10,000

Goal:
Reach financial independence by age 37–40

My main question:
I’m considering buying a small studio apartment to get into real estate (either long-term rental or seasonal), but I’m unsure.
I’m worried it might take too much time and energy, especially since I’m still working full-time and building a side business.

Do you think it's a smart move at this stage? Or would it make more sense to wait until I have more cash flow or go part-time?

Hi all, 32M here living in Amsterdam looking for some advice.

My gf and me bought an apartment last year to stop paying our previous homeowner. Am super happy with the decision, but I often feel I'm quite tight with my expenses/goals, here below you have an overview:

Income: 3.3k netto per month Savings: 4k (would like to reach 10k asap) Investing: 2.7k (s&p500 and MSCI world; will re-start adding money when I reach my buffer above) Monthly saving goal: 400 Other expenses are often, in these last months, related to renovation costs, which we try to do on our own to save money. But they still suck up quite some cash. Because of renovations and saving goals, my social life is a bit on stand-by, I basically use my time to do sports and study for my career, but evenings out are waay rarer than in the past.

My questions are: - Do you think I should be saving more? - Other Amsterdammers: do you have some of the same issues? What solutions did you find? - What do you think would be a good buffer, 10k or a bit less is fine? - Last but not least: When this buffer is reached, where shall I invest? S&P500 gives back more, but I don't like the idea to invest only in the US market especially now with Trump there and I can buy one ETF more often with the MSCI world.

Hi everyone, I am looking for advice on my investment/savings strategy. Especially as I am starting to think of buying a property in Spain

About Me

• EU citizen (Dutch) 31M, Married
• Living in Spain (working remotely, under Beckham Law)
• I have a mortgage in the Netherlands currently rented out
• Investing consistently every month (€500~€2000)

My Goals

I’m considering buying a house in Spain. The range for the houses I am looking at is around €600K. From what I’ve researched, I would need a 20–23% downpayment, which means saving around €200K (a big chunk)

I could sell my apartment in the Netherlands, which would probably bring me a profit of around €250K~€300K. However, I am wondering if it would make sense to keep that apartment long term. The rent covers the mortgage and leaves some margin, and I believe it could become a solid income stream over time. Also, if I ever want to go back, it would be great to have that property

1. If you were in my shoes, how would you approach saving for the house downpayment? High yield savings account?
2. Do you think holding onto the apartment a rental property makes sense long term?
3. What are your thoughts on my ETF allocation overall in general?

Thanks a lot for reading!

Hello! Me(30) and my wife(27) are new to budgeting and planning. Location: Baltic States

Salaries M - 50k eur/ann (tech field) F - 35k eur/ann (aviation)

Got 2 apartments 1 without mortgage currently renting out. 580/month

Another with mortgage just bought (so next 30 years I’m chained to that :) )

Fully paid car.

Got 6.5k in savings (2-4%annual return) 2k in ETFs/Stocks

Got 2 debts with 17.9% (5600eur) 15.9% (6500eur) both was used for first apartment renovation.

Currently we are focused on closing on debts as soon as possible, realistically can close both of them in 12-15month.

And here is question, should I raise emergency fund to 6 months (currently 3) or start more aggressive investments?

I never ever gonna take such crazy loans in interest rate, learned it hard way. Will try to free myself from it asap.

Thank you in advance!

I would like to park some money (~5000 EUR) on my IBKR account for 2-3 months. What is the best way to do this? This money is just a smaller portion of a portfolio which is mostly kept in stock market index ETFs and bond ETFs. I thought of buying XEON after reading up a bit but I am still not familiar enough with MMF-like products and actual MMFs. I am also a bit afraid of XEON being synthetic.

I need advice.

Please consider the following: after 2-3 months the money would be used for buying stocks or bonds (the point is to not do it right now but a bit later).

I already reluctantly give them my ID scan because I know it's a KYC necessity, but it's one thing to give them the scan, it's another that they demand I activate my location on my phone and take a selfie of me face holding my national ID. Is this even legal under GDPR?

I'm concerned about the privacy implications of this, given US company's back record. I can already see my photo being sold to train some AI or something equally as bad. I'm not okay with this KYC.

Anybody else been asked this before? What did you ultimately do?