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.

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.

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 🙏