The first six months of 2022 brought significant declines in the stock and bond markets. In this article, I’ll share details about the stock/bond market performance in the second quarter of 2022, the context of what caused the market declines, and what to expect from the market in the coming quarters. World Stocks The Simple […]
Happy New Year! 2020 is no more, and 2021 just started! This post analyzes how the markets performed last year and what you can learn from it. It focuses on aspects that are relevant to long-term index investors based in Europe. As I explained in my book, I don’t think it is healthy to frequently […]
An ETF may receive dividends or interests from its holdings (e.g., companies, bonds, etc.). Distributing ETFs distribute that income by paying out dividends to investors. Accumulating ETFs reinvest that income within the fund and don’t pay out dividends. It sounds simple but accumulating ETFs cause a lot of confusion. Many don’t understand how they work […]
I am excited to share that the 2nd edition of the Introduction to Investing book is now available. The first edition focused on how to start investing. Yet, I have observed that often the most challenging part is to keep investing. Our greed, fear, and impulses often lead us to do things that aren’t in […]
A few decisions have the most significant impact on being a successful index investor. Yet, many spend little time thinking about these crucial topics. Starting with investing requires making so many decisions that it is easy to get distracted by superficial things. These trivial things may lead you to think you are making progress, despite […]
The fantastic folks at the Financial Independence Europe podcast were kind enough to invite me for an interview. It was my first podcast interview, and I had a great time. Here are some of the topics we discussed: How to choose an ETF. The importance of learning how to make sound investment decisions. The tax […]
This guide mostly covers the details around investment taxes and brokerages available in Germany. I have written at length about the fundamentals of investing in index funds while living in Europe elsewhere, so I won’t repeat that in this post. I don’t know where to start with investing My “learn investing in 10 minutes a day” series […]
My rule of thumb is up to 0.5% of the transaction amount in a given year, which roughly annualizes to 0.025% p.a.. Was this information useful? I don’t think so. Because I didn’t provide any context. The actual numbers I use are not as important as how I came up with them. In order to […]
Choosing between accumulating or distributing funds is among the first choices investors in Europe make. The appropriate option may reduce your (tax) costs and increase your returns. This post explains how to understand which dividend distribution policy leads to lower taxes using examples of specific countries. My previous post on the topic explains that the choice boils […]
My book is (finally) available. I began writing this book in late 2019. It is crazy how, in light of COVID-19, it feels like a decade has passed since then. I’m thrilled about this milestone. And I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about the book. To celebrate the launch, I am running a temporary […]