The FIRE Belgium Show

FIRE Belgium

Money is one of the greatest tools we have to build a life we love. Whether you're seeking financial freedom or security, or simply want to have more peace of mind when it comes to money, learning how to use it wisely is essential.

In this show you will to learn how to take control of your finances, start investing and put your money to work to serve you and others more effectively.

You will learn from world-class personal finance experts as well as from Sebastien’s experience in reaching financial independence at 33 and helping thousands of other make progress on their journey.

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S1 · E38
Friday · 17 min
ETF Investing Doesn't Need to Be Hard: The 5-Minute Monthly Routine for Investors in Belgium [038]
Check out the free investing workshop: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop/ If you’re putting off investing because you think it takes hours, this episode is for you. Once you set up a simple, passive system, maintaining your ETF portfolio can take less than five minutes per month. In this live demo, the whole process of doing my monthly transactions took under two minutes (1 min and 26 sec). In this video, you’ll see the exact steps, why they work, and the few things you need and don’t need to care about as a Belgian passive index ETF investor. Chapters 0:00 The Truth About Monthly Investing Time Commitments 1:51 Live Demonstration: Executing Your Monthly Trades 5:31 Breaking Down the Mechanics of Autopilot Investing 10:00 Defining Your Asset Allocation Strategy 14:15 Streamlining Your Path to Financial Independence 🎓 Interested in simple, practical investing, optimized for Belgian taxes? → Free Interactive Workshop: How to Build Wealth on Autopilot, evidence-based index ETF investing, optimized for Belgian taxes: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop/ 🧑🏽‍🤝‍🧑 Join the Belgium Financial Independence Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium
S1 · E37
August 11 · 1 hr 21 min
How I invest for my sons and nephews (template + demo, so you can too) [037]
Template: https://firebelgium.com/investing-for-kids-template-demo/ If you're saving money for your children, nieces or nephews, where you put that money can make a huge difference over 10 or 20 years. Leaving it in a savings account means letting it die to inflation and losing purchasing power. Investing via bank funds or insurance products means paying excessively high fees (entry and ongoing) and giving up on the majority of the returns! So what can you do instead? In this episode, I show you the simple system I use to invest for multiple children, and let them benefit from full market returns: One low-cost, globally diversified stock-market ETF + one simple spreadsheet to track each child's investment. No complicated investment products.No separate portfolio for every child.No unnecessary high fees. And I've made my Google Spreadsheet template available for you to copy and use for your own kids, nieces or nephews, right away. - Why I don't use traditional savings accounts for long-term investing for kids (disaster no. 1) - What's wrong with many of the investment products offered by Belgian banks (disaster no. 2) - How to invest for multiple children using a single portfolio - How to get broad stock-market exposure while keeping costs low - How I selected the ETF for this strategy - How to track each child's contributions and investment performance - How to turn investing into an educational tool for your children - What to think about before eventually giving the investment to the child - How to use the spreadsheet to create an annual investment statement for each child + EXACT STEP-BY-STEP DEMO for you to use the template and start investing for your kids, optimized for Belgian taxes. You can copy it to your own Google Drive and use it to track investments for up to 10 children. 👉 Get the template here: https://firebelgium.com/investing-for-kids-template-demo/ Watch the episode, get the full understanding of how to use the tool and get started. If you're going to invest for your kids for years or decades, keeping the strategy simple, diversified and low-cost matters enormously. In the case of my 7 year old son, investing in this way has made 60% more gains than going with a bank product, for a total of 2766 €. And I want to make sure your kids get the same benefits. This episode reflects my personal approach and is for educational purposes only. It is not individual investment, tax or legal advice. And if you’re new to index investing, then I recommend you watch the free interactive workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium
S1 · E36
July 28 · 1 hr 21 min
The 4% Rule Could Make You Retire Too Early (or Too Late) [036]
🎓 Free Interactive Workshop: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop 📊 Free Financial Independence Calculator: https://firebelgium.com/ficalculator The 4% rule is one of the most famous concepts in the world of financial independence.It is simple: build a portfolio worth 25 times your annual expenses, withdraw 4% per year, and you should be able to retire without running out of money. But the problem is that the 4% rule could make you retire too early… or too late. Too early, because you might underestimate the risks and misunderstand the assumptions behind the rule and believe you are financially independent when you’re not.For example I’ve seen people say: well the 4% rule works because on average the stock market returns 7 to 9% per year. So taking 4% is safe. This is, of course, completely wrong. But also too late, because you might be saving and investing for years longer than necessary because you are using a rule that does not fully match your situation as an investor living in Belgium. So what is the truth?Is the 4% rule still useful?How much money do you actually need to retire or supplement your pension in Belgium? And how should you adapt this famous rule to your own investment plan? In this episode, I am joined once again by Toon Cuypers. We are going to break down the research behind the 4% rule and show you how to adapt it to your own situation.Here is what you'll learn:- how much money you really need to achieve financial freedom,- why the 4% rule is only a starting point and not a complete retirement plan,- the hidden assumptions that can change your answer by hundreds of thousands of euros,- how Belgian investors should think about their portfolio, pension, and withdrawal strategy,- and how to build a simple, evidence-based plan that gives you confidence about your financial future. By the end of this episode, you will have a much clearer framework to calculate your own freedom number and build a realistic investment plan based on evidence — not just a simple rule of thumb. By the way, if you’re new to index investing and you would like to get my blueprint on how to build wealth on autopilot, using evidence-based investing optimized for Belgian taxes, make sure to watch the free workshop on the FIRE Belgium website. It’s the best way to start and it’s my gift to you. 🎓 Free Interactive Workshop: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop Also, towards the end of the episode, we use the Financial Independence Calculator, to help you estimate your time to FI, including Belgian taxes, such as the new tax on capital gains. You can find it here: 📊 FI Calculator (free): https://firebelgium.com/ficalculator Other important links: 📖 Beginner's Guide: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide 🌐 FIRE Belgium: https://firebelgium.com 👥 Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pn2Gu1kSM5xtOgH3osjU7 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-belgium-show/id1632972120 Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Coolhttps://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E35
July 14 · 44 min
Best Brokers in Belgium (2026 Comparison Table) [035]
=> Get the Broker Comparison Table here for free: firebelgium.com/brokers What are the best brokers for ETF investors in Belgium? What is the best broker for you? In this episode, we do a deep dive and compare 12 brokers, across 35 criteria so that you can select the best broker for your situation and your needs. I am joined by Toon Cuypers, financial coach at FIRE Belgium for this episode as he just spent 2 months updating the FIRE Belgium Comparison Table. And you can download it for free here: firebelgium.com/brokers. In this episode, you will learn about: The cheapest broker for Belgian investors, The most convenient brokers And the new automatic investments plans offered by the various brokers. If you’re looking to find the best broker to start investing with or to move your portfolio to, then this episode is for you. And if you’re new to index investing, then I recommend you watch the free interactive workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E34
June 10 · 16 min
When Will You Become Financially Independent? (Free Calculator for Belgium)
If you keep doing what you're doing today, when will you become financially independent? In 10 years? 25 years? Or never? Most people have no idea. But after watching this video, you will know your financial independence number and exactly how long it will take you to get there. Most financial independence calculators are wrong for investors living in Belgium, because they ignore Belgian-specific taxes and investment fees. This one doesn't. I built this tool based on evidence-based investing principles and my experience teaching over 500 professionals in Belgium how to start investing. What we cover: → How to calculate your financial independence number → How long it will take you to get there at your current savings rate → What you can do to get there faster → The real cost of investing with a robo advisor or bank funds vs index ETFs → What happens if you don't invest at all → How fees can cost you years, if not a decade ⏱️ Chapters 00:00 Introduction 00:14 When will you become financially independent? 01:44 Why most FI calculators are wrong for Belgium 03:38 What this calculator shows you 04:28 Robo advisors and bank funds vs index ETFs 05:36 The real impact of fees 05:54 The cost of not investing 06:28 About this tool 07:00 How to download the FI Calculator Free tools mentioned: 📊 FI Calculator (free): https://firebelgium.com/ficalculator 🎓 Free Workshop: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop 📖 Beginner's Guide: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide 🌐 FIRE Belgium: https://firebelgium.com 👥 Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium 🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pn2Gu1kSM5xtOgH3osjU7 🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-belgium-show/id1632972120 Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E33
June 1 · 16 min
From €1,300 to €5,000/Month: How David Is Retiring 14 Years Early [033]
He was earning €1,300/month in Italy. Rent alone was €600. Saving felt impossible.Then he got a phone call from Brussels, and everything changed.In this episode, Sébastien Aguilar shares the real case study of David: a 37-year-old expat IT consultant at the European Commission who went from €0 invested to €2,500/month in index ETFs, and is now on track for financial independence at 53.This is not theory. Real numbers. Real portfolio. Real plan.---📌 What we cover:→ How David went from €1300/month in Italy to €5,000/month net in Belgium→ Why earning more is not enough, and what actually changes everything→ His exact ETF portfolio→ Why he chose a 70% equity / 30% bond allocation→ His broker strategy: MeDirect + Bolero→ How the FI Calculator shows he reaches financial independence in under 16 years→ The mindset shift: "Wait, this is actually DOABLE."---⏱️ Chapters00:00 David's story: intro00:47 Growing up in Eastern Europe: civil engineering & the 2008 crisis02:02 Moving to Italy: €800/month, €600 rent, €0 savings02:57 The crypto experiment and zero wealth-building knowledge03:18 The phone call from Brussels: headhunted by the EU Commission04:03 Arriving in Belgium, realizing €280/day is "below poverty" locally04:43 Building income: from €280/day to €550/day net, €5,000/month household05:15 The wake-up call: family savings wiped out by inflation05:37 Discovering FIRE Belgium & the Index Investing Bootcamp05:59 David's portfolio: 70% equities / 30% bonds06:22 ETF selection06:59 Broker setup: Bolero + MeDirect strategy07:53 What financial independence means for David at 5308:35 FI Calculator walkthrough, reaching FI in under 16 years10:57 The "aha" moment: this is real, this is possible12:00 Key lessons from David's case study13:58 Free interactive workshop + how to get started15:10 Testimonial from Barbara15:56 Final thoughts & call to action---🔗 Resources mentioned:📊 FI Calculator: http://firebelgium.com/ficalculator🎓 Free Workshop: https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop📖 Beginner's Guide: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide🌐 FIRE Belgium: https://firebelgium.com👥 Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Pn2Gu1kSM5xtOgH3osjU7🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-belgium-show/id1632972120 ___Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Coolhttps://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E32
May 15 · 1 hr 19 min
What Happens If You Die in Belgium? (This Tax Mistake Costs Thousands) [032]
What actually happens to your money, your investments, and everything you’ve built… when you die in Belgium? For most people, the answer is simple: a large part of it disappears in taxes. 30%, 40% and up to 80% in some cases. Because of non-existent or poor estate and inheritance planning. My name is Sébastien Aguilar and I teach busy professionals living in Belgium how to build wealth on autopilot with evidence based passive investing, optimized for Belgian taxes. And in this episode, I want to help you keep more of the wealth you’re building when it passes on to the next generation. To help me do this I have invited Marc Quaghebeur, an expert in international tax and estate planning from the law firm Delsol Avocats. Marc works with entrepreneurs, expats and cross-border families in Belgium. He is the author of « Rest in Peace, A Guide to Wills and Inheritance Tax in Belgium ». In this episode, you’ll discover the key mistakes that can cost your family tens of thousands, how Belgian inheritance taxes really work, and the strategies that can bring that tax rate down dramatically. We’ll walk through what happens step by step, and the practical actions that you can take to protect what you’re building. Since the recording, I have started several things that could save my family hundreds of thousands of euros. And I am sure you’ll benefit as well. Full biography and contact details of Marc Quaghebeur: https://www.delsolavocats.com/Marc-QUAGHEBEUR And if you’re new to index investing, then I recommend you watch the free interactive workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E31
March 31 · 1 hr 38 min
Crypto Investing Without the Stress? | 10 Mistakes Passive Investors Must Avoid (Brecht Van Craen) [031]
Crypto investing, Bitcoin strategy, passive investing — can you invest in crypto without stress?In this episode, we talk about how passive investors can approach Bitcoin and crypto without turning it into a full-time job.I’m joined by Brecht Van Craen, founder of Digital Currency Academy, and we break down a simpler, long-term approach to crypto investing.Crypto is often associated with hype, trading, and constant noise. But is there a more rational way to think about it?We discuss how crypto might fit into a passive portfolio, what most investors get wrong, and how to approach it without overcomplicating things.⸻What we discuss- What role crypto can play in a diversified portfolio- How much Bitcoin exposure might make sense- Whether to focus on Bitcoin or explore altcoins- Why active trading is often a mistake- How to deal with volatility and market cycles- The biggest risks behind crypto adoption⸻⏱️ Chapters00:00 Can you invest in crypto without stress?01:10 Why passive investors are curious about Bitcoin05:30 The biggest mistake crypto investors make12:40 Bitcoin vs altcoins20:15 How much crypto should you own32:10 Dealing with volatility45:20 Long-term strategy vs trading01:10:00 Risks and future of crypto01:30:00 Final thoughts⸻About the guestBrecht Van Craen is the founder of Digital Currency Academy.He’s helped thousands of people in Belgium understand crypto in a more structured, long-term way, without the hype.His approach focuses on simplicity, clear rules, and investor behavior rather than speculation.⸻Free workshopIf you’re new to index investing, I’d recommend starting with the free workshop.It explains a simple way to build long-term wealth through index funds, without overcomplicating things.https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop⸻ResourcesBeginner’s Guide to Index Investinghttps://bit.ly/FIREBGuideFIRE Belgiumhttps://firebelgium.comCommunityhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium⸻Listen to the showSpotifyhttps://open.spotify.com/show/0Pn2Gu1kSM5xtOgH3osjU7Apple Podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fire-belgium-show/id1632972120 _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E30
January 19 · 1 hr 44 min
How to Build Wealth in Belgium (Thomas Guenter’s Real Strategy) [030]
How Do You Actually Build Wealth in Belgium? Without Overcomplicating It or Leaving Money on the Table? This is the main question we discussed with Thomas Guenter, Founder and managing partner of Finhouse. We discussed the top principles of wealth creation and what it really takes to get to it. - What does it actually take to build serious wealth in Belgium today? - Is entrepreneurship the only path to wealth? Or can employees and freelancers get there too? - Which matters more for becoming wealthy: earning more or investing smarter? And how to do it? - Should you prioritise real estate or ETFs? AHow should you combine them for the highest long-term payoff? - When does diversification really add value? How much should you put in bonds, gold, crypto or private equity (if at all)? This conversation was fascinating, and Thomas does not shy away from giving real super-practical advice. We also discussed: - What does “having enough” actually mean? How do you combine wealth and happiness? - How to optimize the transfer of wealth between generations. - What are the first steps beginners should take today to build significant wealth over the next decade? - How does Private Equity and Venture Capital work? What are the pros and cons compared to a simple portfolio of ETFs? As you can see, we covered a lot of ground, which is why this episode is longer than usual. You will probably have to listen to it over multiple commute trips or workouts. But I promise, it’s well worth it. And just in case you didn’t know you can listen to it as an audio podcast as well. Thomas is a great guest for this topic because he is one of the young entrepreneurs in Belgium with the most experience in this field, both from his super-impressive personal journey and from the work he does with his community and clients. In 2024, Thomas was nominated for the Forbes Belgium 30 Under 30 list because of the positive impact that he has on the finances of thousands of people in Flanders. In 2025, he was nominated for the Forbes Europe 30 Under 30 list in the Finance category because of his efforts to democratize the access to private equity and venture capital through his own low-cost fund of funds, the Finhouse Global Fund. Thomas is the author of the best-selling book Personal Finance – with more than 20,000 copies sold in under a year – and reaches thousands of Belgians each month through his free educational videos about investing, real estate and wealth planning. Now, before we get started, I want to share an important disclaimer: As you will see in this conversation, I am not in favor of Private Equity or Venture Capital as an asset for individual investors. I explain why in the conversation and I stand by it. I think however that it is interesting to hear Thomas’ arguments on topic. What I am hoping for is that through his work, Thomas can help challenge the industry and make it better for us individual investors at some point. For now I keep my position of warning individual investors against it. So while we have some disagreements, you will see that it is in fact a very small part of the conversation. And it does not change the respect I have for the work Thomas does to support financial literacy in Belgium. The knowledge he shares in this episode is a testament to that. It’s real gold. And I want to thank Thomas for this once more. Thomas’ personal website: https://www.thomasguenter.be/ Finhouse website: https://finhouse.be/ Follow Thomas on: - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/guenterthomas - Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/guenter.thomas/ And if you’re new to index investing, then I recommend you watch the free interactive workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium →⁠ https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop⁠ --- Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E29
Oct 6, 2025 · 2 hr 3 min
New tax on capital gains in Belgium: how will it work? With Pieter van der Velden [029]
On the 1st of January, a new tax will impact all investors in Belgium. But how does it work? What do we know about this tax right now? This is what we cover in this masterclass presentation with Pieter van der Velden, author of the white paper on this topic for Vermorgensgids. From what we know of the tax right now, it looks like we will all need to learn to deal with it even if we invest with Belgian brokers. Which is why this episode of the FIRE Belgium Show is so important. In this presentation, we cover: 1. Who will be subject to the new capital gains tax (CGT)? 2. What will be taxed? - the 4 categories of assets subject to CGT - the assets that are exempt 3. When will a taxable event be triggered? - what happens in case of gift or inheritance? - what happens if you move abroad? 4. How much CGT will I need to pay? - impact on historical gains (or losses) - what about transaction costs? and foreign currencies? - how does the FIFO principle work in practice? What are the exceptions? - how does the 10k exemption work in practice? And what about the 1k annual increments? 5. Practically, what does this mean for index investors? If you’re an index investor, or you’re curious about this new tax, then this episode is for you. If you’d like to work with Pieter directly, you can book a call with him here: Select a Date & Time - Calendly (and tell him you're coming from FIRE Belgium :-)) And if you’re new to index investing, then I recommend you watch the free interactive workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E28
Jul 21, 2025 · 23 min
How to Invest in ETFs in Belgium in 2026 (full guide) [028]
Most Belgians are leaving thousands of euros on the table every single year. Why? Because they’re still stuck in savings accounts or paying high fees on underperforming bank funds. In this episode, I’m showing you how to take control of your financial future by investing in global low-cost index ETFs, in a simple and effective way. It’s simple because all you really need is a couple of well selected index funds, and then you invest in them each month in just a few clicks, without the stress and work that trading and stock picking requires. It’s effective, because it’s based on decades of academic research that proves that this approach provides better returns than actively managed funds sold by banks, while costing less in fees and taxes. In fact, investing effectively is much simpler than what the industry wants you to believe. And this is the approach I have used to build my 1 million € portfolio and reach financial independence at 33. Which is why I am sharing the full process of how to invest in ETFs in Belgium in this episode/guide. I also include a concrete example of a popular optimized portfolio for illustration. That way you have everything you need to get started with index investing with just this episode. Here is what we cover: 00:00 Intro 01:27 Table of Content 02:03 What is an ETF 03:13 Why invest in ETFs (for investors in Belgium): 4 reasons 03:41 Index ETFs perform better than active strategies 04:53 Index ETFs are generally much cheaper 05:41 Index ETFs can be very tax efficient in Belgium 07:15 Index investing can be done in less than 1 minute per month 07:49 How to select an ETF 09:39 How to buy an ETF in Belgium 10:54 How much should I invest in ETFs 12:47 How often should I invest in ETFs 14:54 How to build your portfolio 18:33 Practical example of investing in a simple and effective ETF portfolio, optimized for Belgium 21:15 How to Build Wealth on Autopilot 22:30 How to get started faster and without the beginner’s mistake Don’t miss it! FULL ARTICLE (with additional details): https://firebelgium.com/etf-investing-guide-belgium/ --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E27
Jul 4, 2025 · 1 hr 36 min
How to optimize your pension as self-employed in Belgium? - with Karel Van den Eynde, Public Affairs Manager at Liantis [027]
How to optimize your pension as self-employed in Belgium? In this session from Money Week 2025, I speak with Karel Van den Eynde, Public Affairs Manager at Liantis. He specializes in advising entrepreneurs on optimizing their pension strategies, including government schemes and additional pension options such as the VAPZ/PLCI, POZ/CPTI and IPT/EIP. We dive deep into these pension products, breaking down the rules and constraints for each of them. We also discuss the optimal way to use the pension products, comparing their fiscal advantages, but also discussing their expected returns. And this is something important for me. Most tax and pension specialists in Belgium will advise products based on their fiscal advantages. But I think they’re wrong. Instead of looking at the tax deductions, we should compare our options for building our pension based on the expected returns, net of taxes. Because in the end, what matters is that we optimize how hard our savings are working for us, not how little taxes we’re paying. --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E26
Jun 20, 2025 · 1 hr 43 min
Everything you need to know about Pillar 2 Pension Funds in Belgium - with Ann Verlinden, CEO of PensioPlus [026]
Do you know where your pension money is going? It’s your money, you should know! In this episode, I speak to Ann Verlinden, CEO of PensioPlus, the Belgian Association of Pension Institution. It’s a recording from Belgium Money Week 2025. This was a fascinating conversation, where I learned a ton! In this episode, you will learn about pension funds, what they are and how they work. How they are very different from life insurance products and how well they’ve performed in the past few decades. I asked Ann about the cost of pension funds, their performance and whether or not it’s possible to have index funds in them. And I was in fact quite surprised by her responses! We also talk about what you can do to make sure you get the best pension products through your employer. So if you’re interested in optimizing your pension income, this is a great episode, which complements really well the other replays from Belgium Money Week 2025. --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E25
Jun 13, 2025 · 1 hr 26 min
How BAD are Belgian Pensions, compared to other EU pensions? - with Sébastien Commain, BETTER Finance [025]
Will you afford to retire? How good (bad?) is the Belgian Pension System, compared to other systems in Europe? This is the second talk of Belgium Money Week 2025, where I interview Sébastien Commain, co-author of the report “Will You Afford to Retire". Every year, BETTER Finance, The European Federation of Investors and Financial Services Users publishes the report "Will You Afford to Retire". It’s a detailed analysis of private retirement savings plans in the various EU Member States including Belgium. The report highlights the charges, taxation, returns and other key parameters of pension savings to determine whether (or not) they are really helping to achieve pension adequacy for individual, citizen contributors. The report stands out as the sole publication that calculates real net returns, and tackles the question of purchasing power for retirees. In this talk you will learn about the challenges faced by our system, with a special focus on pension products of Pillars 2 and 3. You will learn about their net returns and why they are so low. You will also learn about one striking example of a pension product in Europe that delivers very high returns and completely dwarfs the performance of all other examples in Europe. And finally, you will learn about what you as an individual saver and investor can do to invest better and better prepare for your pension. --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E24
Jun 6, 2025 · 1 hr 43 min
What is wrong with the Belgian pension system? Is it broken? - with Pierre Devolder, Emeritus Professor UCL [024]
What is wrong with the Belgian pension system? Is it broken? With rising life-expectancy, shrinking working force, budget deficit and erosion of trust in the pension system, it’s time to raise the alarm. This is what we do in this episode with Pierre Devolder. Pierre is an emeritus professor of mathematical finance and actuarial science at the Catholic University of Louvain (UCL). He has published 6 books and a lot of papers in various academic journals on pensions. He was member of the official Belgian “Conseil Académique des Pensions”. In this episode, which is a recording of the first talk of Belgium Money Week 2025, Pierre explains in plain language the pension system and demystifies its challenges. We cover the 3 main obstacles faced by Pillar 1 of our pension system and for each of them he provides practical solutions. Pierre also explains what the current government is doing, how it’s going in the right direction but also why it will not be enough. At the end, you’ll also hear Pierre’s opinion of my pension investing approach, including its drawbacks. If you’re worried about your pension (as most people should be), or simply curious about its challenges and how to fix them, then his episode is for you. --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E23
May 29, 2025 · 1 hr 13 min
Best Brokers in Belgium 2025 [023]
What are the best brokers for investors in Belgium? Which ones are the cheapest? Which ones are the safest? Which ones handle all Belgian taxes? Which ones are the easiest to use? In this episode, we analyse and compare the 12 main brokers used by investors in Belgium, so that you can pick the best one. We cover the following brokers: Bolero, Degiro, Keytrade, Saxo, Re=Bel, Mexem, MeDirect, ING Self Invest, Lynx, Trade Republic, Bux and Interactive Brokers. Over the past 13 years investing in the stock market, I’ve changed brokers several times. And because I have a portfolio of index funds of over 1 million euros, it’s important for me to pick the best one. I have also helped thousands of investors (from very beginners to advanced) select their brokers. To do so, I’ve developed a comprehensive research and comparison framework, which we explain in this episode. For this 2025 version, Toon and I have spent 3 months reviewing all brokers information, emailing them and calling them to fill the gaps. It’s a ton of work. Huge thanks to Toon for doing the heavy lifting for this 2025 update. The FIRE Belgium Broker Comparison Table used to be for the participants of the Index Investing Online Course only, but I’m making it available for free so that everyone can benefit from the research. I also hope this will help brokers improve their services over time. If you find this helpful, please subscribe, hit the like button and share the episode (or this email) with a friend. They’ll thank you later. To get the full value of this episode, make sure to download the full FIRE Belgium Broker Comparison Table for free on the FIRE Belgium website: http://firebelgium.com/brokers What’s next? Brokers are an important part of index investing. But it's only one part of the system you need to setup. You also need to understand taxes, pick the right ETFs, determine your asset allocation build your personal investment plan, and then figure out all the practical stuff. It can feel overwhelming. And to help you I invite you to watch the Free Workshop on the FIRE Belgium website: How to Build Wealth on Autopilot: Evidence-based Investing, optimized for Belgian taxes. In the workshop you will learn: How to invest to get better results than banks and professional fund managers – while doing 0.1% of the work and paying 10 times less. Proven by 50 years of academic research. How to minimize Belgian investment taxes and optimize returns How to invest well with 100 euros (you don’t need much to get started!) in less than 5 minutes a month How to get started with index investing in Belgium in just a few weeks – my practical roadmap to learn everything you need to know and start investing with confidence. Watch the workshop on demand at http://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop And if you want quick responses to your questions, Toon (who is the special guest on this episode) and myself are also available for 1-on-1 consultation calls. You will find those details on http://firebelgium.com/1on1 --- Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E22
Jul 9, 2024 · 1 hr 44 min
How to level up at work and earn more? [022]
How to level up at work? Do you feel like you’re not fully using your potential at work? Or that you are not recognized and rewarded for the work you do? Have you ever wondered how to fast-track your career, climb the professional ladder, and earn more? Wherever you are in your career, there are ways for you to level up at work. This is what we discuss in this episode with Judith Escalier. Judith is a Certified Executive Coach and Leadership Training Coach at Creciendo. She has coached hundreds of people in Belgium across all levels, and provides training for professionals in many industries, including Fortune 500 companies. She specializes in helping people perform better in all areas of their life, unleash their full potential, and reach their personal and professional goals. Here are the key topics we discuss in this episode: What are the keys to leveling up at work and make more money What are the 6 ways for you to create more value for yourself and your employer How can you enhance your executive presence and leadership skills How important are gravitas, communication and body language? How mindset can help you overcome barriers and position yourself for success? Why is adopting T-shape skills crucial for career growth and creating a unique value proposition? Judith provides so much value in the episode! I wish I knew about all this at the beginning of my career. At the end we take questions from the audience and Judith’s responses are so helpful! How to work with Judith: https://creciendo.be/ Connect with Judith on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithescalier Connect with Sébastien on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebastienaguilar/ --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E21
Jun 10, 2024 · 1 hr 35 min
How to make more money as a freelancer [021]
Could freelancing be the key to your financial freedom? Are you currently an employee thinking about becoming a freelancer? Or Have you recently started as a freelancer and are looking to level up? Compared to traditional employment and its many constraints, freelancing offers a flexible approach to work with the potential to make more money. But how do you start? How do you avoid beginner’s mistakes? What are the challenges that you could face and how to overcome them? And what are the strategies to increase your income, grow as a freelancer and scale your business beyond your dreams? That is what we’re discussing in this episode with 2 rockstar freelancers: Jenny and Jeff. Jenny Björklöf escaped the golden cage a few years ago and started as a marketing freelancer. Today she is the Community Leader of Freelancers in Belgium (https://freelancersinbelgium.be/), a thriving community of more than 13 500 freelancers. In this conversation she shares both her personal experience and what she has learned from her incredible community. Connect with Jenny: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennybjorklof/ Jean-François Bodart (we call him Jeff) is a Business Development Specialist and Sales Trainer (https://www.bizdev.be/). With over a decade of freelancing experience and with deep knowledge about all things sales and business development, he’s the perfect guide to help you navigate your freelance journey (to-be). Connect with Jean-François: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeanfrancoisbodart/ In first part of the episode we discuss mostly with Jenny about what it takes to become a successful freelancer And in the second part we talk with Jeff about how to grow, develop, scale your freelancing activity and your income! We talk about the various ways we can disconnect ourselves from exchanging time for money, create more value for our clients and for ourselves. We cover at least 4 or 5 different paths to scale. Fascinating! --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E20
May 22, 2024 · 1 hr 44 min
How Joris Van Briel got 60% annual return on his first real estate investment [020]
Are you looking to invest in Real Estate in Belgium? You’re exploring the potential for a first real estate investment, or you’re already made one or more investments. But you’re wondering what it takes to be successful with real estate? How to find good deals? What are the strategies that improve investment returns? What are the key elements to pay special attention to when you invest for the first time? That is what we discuss in this episode with Joris Van Briel. Joris is part of the FIRE community and a real estate investor in Belgium. He’s 32 and owns 4 units in Antwerp and is looking to invest in Brussels. He started at 26 and with a combination of luck, good financing, smart strategies (also known as house hacking), and a lot of hard work, he got a return on investment of 60% in the first year!!! I didn’t know this when we started the conversation. But I gradually discovered his journey and achievements. And while there was some luck involved, we also uncovered many important strategies that you can replicate to improve your investment returns. As I am not a real estate investor myself, I certainly learned a ton from this conversation, so a big thank you to Joris. If you want to connect and learn more about Joris, check out his website (https://arphenion.com/) and his YouTube channel “The Money Network” (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMQr3k4PCAIrhybceVKDenQ) --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial
S1 · E19
May 3, 2024 · 1 hr 31 min
Investing for Business Owners - with Tim Nijsmans [019]
Are you a business owner looking to optimize your investments? Your business is making money and you’re paying yourself, but you still have money in the company. Should you open a pension plan? take it out and invest as an individual, or invest as a company? How can you take money effectively out of your company? How can you optimize your investments as a company owner? What investment or saving plan or strategy provides the best returns? How can you optimize the Belgian pension and investing products such as IPT/EIP, VAPZ/PLCI, POZ/CPTI, DBI/RDT funds, etc. What are the tax implications of all these options? And how do they impact your investment performance? That is what we explore in this incredible episode with Tim Nijsmans. Tim is a fee-only financial advisor specializing in index investing. He is a former asset manager at private bank Dierickx Leys and former fund manager of the DBI fund of Dierickx Leys aimed at companies. You can find him at https://www.vermogensgids.be/ He is also a FIRE Belgium consultant and you can book a call with him on firebelgium.com/1on1 In this episode we discuss 9 different strategies to invest your money as a company owner. Tim then presents a specific case study and shows us the huge differences in results depending on the chosen strategy. And the differences are huge! The best strategy gives almost double the performance compared to some other ones. This can make a huge difference in your personal finances. If you’re a business owner looking to grow your wealth, this episode is for you. --- ►► Free Workshop on Index Investing for Beginners in Belgium: create passive income from the stock market, without paying high fees to banks or advisors, taking unnecessary risks or spending all day analyzing the markets. Free Workshop → https://firebelgium.com/investingworkshop --- Download the FIRE Belgium Beginner's Guide to Index Investing: https://bit.ly/FIREBGuide Learn about Financial Independence in Belgium: https://firebelgium.com Subscribe to the newsletter: https://firebelgium.com/#Subscribe Join the community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FIREBelgium _ Music: Tobu, Wholm & Blume - Cool https://www.youtube.com/tobuofficial

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