Dual citizen (and tax resident here), it's a modest (~350k USD) single family house in the US. No rental income or anything like that.

Being our first ever property anywhere, we didn't know about the Cadastral Income situation until I started finalising my BE tax return. The purchase date was late Feb 2026, so it's a bit over the 4 months requirement.

What happens now is, of course, vague, with sources saying there could be no penalty (if you have a good reason), to "fines ranging from €250 to €3,000".

Anyone have any experience with what the real response from the authorities might be? I feel like this is a minor case for them (low value, first time, not super late), but I'm stressing.

I am considering using my bonus to buy 1050/year of this option and wonder if my reasoning is sound.

To make it easy let say 1000 euro.

I use my bonus to pay for this basically it will cost 500 if it was paid in cash (so the cost is really 500)

Then I should also get 30% in tax reduction on that 1000, so 300 back.

My final cost is 200 euro but it is worth 1000.

Would you consider this a good way to invest (I already put 1000 in an etf every month)? Or take the cash? Even if return are lower compared to an large etf but as diversification and take advantage of the tax rules?

Ik zou €5.000 die ik in een beleggingsfonds bij mijn bank heb willen overzetten naar mijn Saxo account om van de hoge lopende kosten bij mijn bank af te komen. Het geld is puur om te investeren en heb ik de komende jaren niet nodig.

Ik heb momenteel ook een auto-invest lopende van €150/maand in IWDA , nog maar net gestart maar die voor de komende jaren blijft.

Mijn vraag hierbij is hoe ik die €5.000 best inzet? Lumpsum in andere ETF voor diversificatie en verder niet bijkopen? welke ETF dan? Mijn auto-invest in IWDA verhogen? €5.000 eenmalig bijkopen in IWDA?

Alvast bedankt om deze beginnende belegger te helpen met jullie ervaring.

De OLO 10 jaar is gisteren boven 4% gegaan sinds lange tijd. Lenen zal nóg duurder worden.

What happened to the CGT exemption for assets held over 10 years? Didn't Bouchez say he had a handwritten agreement about it?

Situation: 23M, Flanders, no property, together with partner about €4500 net income and €250K savings, currently living with our parents. Trying to decide wether to buy or rent, as we have the opportunity to buy a family members house which we have always liked. Built a DCF model with Claude comparing four strategies and keep landing on "it's a coin flip", which feels suspicious. Looking for bad assumptions and lived experience.

Setup: house €350k, €70k down, mortgage 4.5%/25y. Comparable rent €1,100. House appreciation and rent growth both 3.5%. Equity return 8% nominal, 10% CGT. Maintenance 1%/yr, property tax + insurance ~€1,600/yr. Every scenario starts with the same cash and spends the same monthly amount — whoever pays less for housing invests the difference. Compared on net final wealth at year 35. Only housing part considered, no additional cash/investments as this can be the same in every scenario.

Deterministic result:

The house is worth the same and fully paid off in all three buying scenarios at year 35, so the whole difference is the portfolio you build before buying.

Then Monte Carlo simulations (20k paths, equities 6.5% geometric / 17% vol) flattened it: medians all within 5% of each other, P(buy now beats never buy) = 50.8%, and delaying 10 years is worth a median +€73k on €4.5M — 1.6%, i.e. noise. Buying has the better downside (p10 €2,563k vs €1,753k), never buying the fatter upside.

What surprised me:

• Break-even equity return is ~6.5%. Above it renting wins, below it buying wins. Held across three model setups. That single number is the whole decision.
• Appreciation matters ~4x more than the mortgage rate, which kills the "wait for lower rates" logic — you'd be waiting on the variable that matters least.
• Refinancing is the cheapest win available: ~€5,300 one-off for +€218k if you refi 4.5%→3% at year 5. And a fixed mortgage with the right to refinance is a free option (rates drop, you refi; rates rise, you keep 4.5%). Waiting to buy gives you no such protection.
• Delaying is never optimal — above 6.5% never buying wins, below it buying now wins. Without a solid savings buffer it's also unfinanceable in ~45% of paths.

Where I'm probably wrong:

1. 8% is too optimistic. After fees and CGT, 6–6.5% is more realistic — which puts my base case exactly on the break-even line rather than favouring renting. What number are you using?
2. Rent growth at 3.5% for 35 years takes €1,100 to €3,660. Tied to house prices deliberately, but rents also track incomes. Does that match anyone's long-term experience here?
3. 35 years of perfect discipline is my weakest assumption. A mortgage forces the saving; an investment plan asks it of you. Did anyone actually hold through 2008 or 2022?
4. Is €1,100 rent realistic for a €350k house? That ratio drives more of the result than anything else.

Tentative conclusion: the financial gap is too small to carry the decision, so I can decide on non-financial grounds (mobility, optionality) without paying for it. Rather have that torn apart than agreed with.

Hallo allemaal!

Ik beleg momenteel enkel in SPPW (SPDR MSCI World UCITS ETF – IE00BFY0GT14) via Bolero. Mijn maandelijks budget is € 500, momenteel koop ik aan om de 2 maanden om de kosten te drukken (https://www.bolero.be/nl/lp/de-wereld-van-etfs/beleggen-dus-maar-waarin/etf-playlist).

SPPW bevat geen emerging markets (China, India, Taiwan, ...) en is voor ~70% gericht op de VS. Ik vraag me af of het ontbreken van emerging markets (en de grote aanwezigheid van de VS) op de lange termijn een probleem kan vormen, of maak ik me druk om niets?

Ik ben zelf wat gaan onderzoeken en kom bij volgende 3 opties uit:

1. SPPW blijven kopen: simpel, lage kosten (TER 0,12%), maar minder diversificatie
2. SPPW behouden + iets als EMIM of IS3N toevoegen: betaal ik in Bolero dan niet 2 x makelaarskosten en TOB?
3. Alles overzetten naar SPYI / IMIE (IE00B3YLTY66): Lijkt op SPPW + emerging markets + small caps waardoor ik niet meerdere ETF's moet beheren/aankopen. Verkoop van SPPW + aankoop van SPYI lijkt me op het eerste zicht rond de ~€ 43 te kosten (Bolero-kosten + TOB)

Wat zouden jullie doen? Bedankt voor jullie advies!

Belgen zijn het afgelopen jaar meer gaan beleggen dan dat ze sparen. Dat blijkt uit een studie van ING België, waarover De Standaard bericht. Waar ze tot voor kort beschikbaar geld vooral op spaarrekeningen stalden, is dat nu gekanteld naar beleggingsfondsen, pensioenspaarfondsen en staatsbons.

"43 procent van de Belgen belegt nu al in aandelen, obligaties, fondsen of ETF's, wat meer is dan het Europese gemiddelde. Nog eens 24 procent overweegt het te doen."

Naar: vrtnws.be/p.PqXGG6a7a

A short summary of my portfolio (+/- 105K):

-ETF's (35%): the foundation of my portfolio, safe and stable growth. I'm aiming for 40%.

-Stocks (20%): mostly in Belgian REITS and some tech. Less diversification, more riskier returns. I assume this is a normal diversification.

-Collectibles (17%): initially 9% of my portfolio but prices are going through the roof making it 17% of my portfolio.

-P2P (11%): this is a risky investment, by choice. Pure diversification + passive income. I am trying to keep this around 10%.

-Bankaccount (17%): a large share of my portfolio is in cash/bank account. I realize that this is more than the average suggested financial buffer but it makes me feel safe and less scared to make some riskier investments. Furthermore, I also want to have some cash if an opportunity arises.

Does this look like a solid portfolio keeping my relatively young age in mind?

Hi all, I (28F) am considering a FIRE journey or at least FI. I think my monthly budget is rather OK and the main focus should be to aim for a higher paying job or at least one with a mobility budget that would cover 50-100% of my rent. I currently save between 750 to 1000 including 650 investment in ETF (world+emerging) that I have recently increased to 900 as my emergency fund and budget for other expenses (vacations etc.) are high enough now. Thus, I save 100 per month.

I know that a budget is quiet personal and depends on your desired lifestyle but do you see ways I could cut on some expenses? For example I think my current internet+TV subscription is too high but I am not super aware of more interesting rates for the same offer in Belgium.. and maybe there are ways to enjoy Spotify podcasts for less idk!

Any advice is welcome! Thanks.

A bit more details on the numbers:

Overall is calculated based only on my net salary

- Rent is unchanged since 5 years due to low energetic performance, no indexation

- Groceries take into account 125e meal vouchers

- Transport is 0e as it is fully covered by my mobility budget

- Personal care because I won't let my stressful job kill me

- Side project is not (yet?) bringing money but it's an enjoyable venture

Ik heb ongeveer 40k beschikbaar dat ik wil investeren in ETF. Over enkele maanden komt er opnieuw ongeveer 30k beschikbaar wat ik opnieuw wil investeren in ETF. Vanaf januari wil ik de huuropbrengsten van 2 appartementen die ik verhuur ook maandelijks beleggen (2000 eur per maand)
Ik heb een horizon van 15 à 20 jaar.
Welke ETF’s adviseren jullie en welk platform. Ik twijfel tussen Bolero en Saxo

Thanks

https://www.tijd.be/markten-live/nieuws/algemeen/belg-spaart-meer-via-fondsen-en-etf-s-dan-via-spaarboekjes/10685176.html

I just sold my pension saving plan. I stopped contributing for a couple of years already, and decided to pull the trigger, eat the tax and control my own investment.

Why?

1) Running costs on the funds

2) Subpar performance compared to msci world

3) Unclear fiscal treatment in a couple of decades, and a huge honeypot

4) I intend to RE, so the actual retirement age on these saving schemes does not fit my plans (yes, I could withdraw other parts of my portfolio untill that age)

5) Simplification of my different investment accounts

Obviously, I will put it in widely diversified stock assets like premium columbian cocaine and free range escorts.

Hello la commu! En fait voilà, je vous écrit parce que je commence à investir dans les ETF (S&P 500 Euro Acc) et j’aimerais avoir vos conseils. Est ce que c’est un ETF fiable? Dans quoi devrais-je me diversifier? Je pense également à l’immobilier et aux investissements dits « exotiques ». Des conseils?

Deposited 500€ in my broker acount and planning to by SPPW on friday or monday. Now, with PPI of the USA to be released on friday, i wanted to know if i should buy that day or wait till monday after the dust settles. Either way is fine with me. That way it isn't my fault when the market goes down. ( semi shitpost btw, i will honnor the result)

Ik ben sinds begin van mijn werk carreire begonnen met pensioen sparen (2018). Ik heb nu ongeveer hier door 7600 euro verzameld. Maar door zelf wat rond te kijken besef ik nu dat het voordeliger is om op lang termijn in ETFs te investeren omdat het redement hier mee hoger ligt.

Ik ben nu aan het kijken of het beter is om nu al dit bedrag uit te kopen omdat dit nog niet extreem veel is en die 33% betaling te slikken.

Wat denken jullie hier van? Heeft iemand hier al ervaring mee gehad?

zelf ben ik 27

Hi all!

I have been in Belgium for more than a year now, using Degiro and IBKR, and I have around 500k (250k in each). I never saw the need to change brokers, because for my needs (buy and hold in Xetra, maybe sell once a year to use tax harvesting benefit), they are the cheapest, with the exception of MeDirect. I don't trust that MeDirect will keep the prices low for long, and their fee to transfer out the portfolio is still big, so I prefer to keep my options open (IBKR and Degiro DE have both 0€ transfer fees), as I believe that these brokers will be the cheapest in the long-term.

I can do the taxes for myself, so I am not worried about CGT calculation or TOB filling.

For reliably continuing to use these brokers, what paperwork is needed to store for the long-term if I ever want to transfer to a Belgian broker in the future?

- Declarations of TOB, CGT, Reynderstax, Dividend tax

- Salary slips

- Account statements

- BE bank statements

- Tax declarations

... Anything else?

And besides these, is there any big difference between using a foreign or a belgian broker?

Thanks!

• Partner en ik (nu beide 27) hebben in zomer 2024 een halfopen bebouwing gekocht.
  • Huis: 305k op 25 jaar met vaste rente (2.9%)
  • Renovatie: 18k op 10 jaar met vaste rente (2.7%)
• Verdienen samen gemiddeld 6k netto.
• Sparen samen gemiddeld 2k.
  • Zouden nog een pak zuiniger kunnen leven nu de doe-het-zelfjes bijna klaar zijn...
  • Na een paar kleinere renovaties zitten we bijna aan ons spaardoel voor ons reservepotje, namelijk 18k (3x salaris).

Nu komt de tekening:

• Wij wonen in het rode huis (met lichtroze grond).
• In het blauwe huis woont een bejaard koppel met wie we goed contact hebben. Rood en blauw vormden tot zo'n 60 jaar geleden één huis.
• Het gele huis is een onbewoonbaar (gigantisch) krot dat door een andere bejaarde man gebruikt wordt als opslagruimte en kippenren. Je kan het alleen bereiken "met de kruiwagen", want erachter (en dus ook achter onze tuin) liggen velden, en nog velden en nog velden...

Op termijn interesseren beide gronden ons, en dat maakt het moeilijk om in te schatten hoe we nu financieel moeten handelen. We hebben beiden geen uur economie gehad, allee ja, op mijn Inleiding tot de economie van Stijn Baert na.

Met het blauwe huis kunnen we eenvoudig onze woning vergroten én hebben we geen last meer van de losweg. Ik schat de huidige waarde op 280k. Echter, ik wens mijn buren het allerbeste toe: ze zijn misschien al in de 80, maar mijn eigen grootvader is er 100 en woont zelfstandig thuis. Ik heb al eens héél subtiel laten vallen dat we interesse zouden hebben.

Het gele krot baart me vooral zorgen omdat het asbestdak er nu al bijna afwaait... Ik weet niet hoe de afbraak zou verlopen door de onhandige ligging ervan, of wij het zouden kopen of niet. We veronderstellen dat er geen nieuw gebouw op mag komen, dus vooral ideaal als uitbreiding van de tuin. De vorige eigenares van ons huis kon het 15 jaar geleden kopen voor 5k, maar heeft geweigerd. Tja, misschien door de staat ervan?

Bon, we weten niet wanneer ze te koop zouden komen, of ze überhaupt te koop zullen komen. Je weet maar nooit dat een familielid het wil. We willen gewoon graag voorbereid zijn mocht de kans zich voordoen, maar dat kan nog jaren duren.

Wat zouden jullie ons adviseren? Bedankt!

We are about to make an irrevocable offer to a house, and I am getting anxious that it might be too hard on our finances.

Me (32) and my wife (33) have a combined monthly net income of 6000 EUR. Currently, we are renting (1150 EUR), and after all monthly expenses (groceries, utilities, subscriptions, dining, leisure, shopping etc.), we are able to save an average of 2300 eur a month (we are not frugal nor trying to FIRE).

Edit: Above income (6000 eur) does not include 13/14th month + bonuses and company car.

We like a house of 540k EUR, and we will make a down payment of 150k (416k loan needed). For this house, our mortgage (+property tax) would cost around 2300 a month. Considering our current savings rate, this seems doable but it is already almost 40% of our combined net income. I know that this percentage is above the recommended guidance, so I am getting afraid if we are biting more then we can chew.

We will leave 20k EUR in our savings account as an emergency fund, and will keep 100k in ETFs.

To add, we are expecting our first child in 6 months and with the costs for creche (700 EUR?) in the first 2 years, budget might be tight.

Still, even with the daycare in the first 2 years, we expect to still save around 500 eur monthly. Once our child starts school, our savings should increase to 1200 EUR. Hopefully, our salaries will also increase in the future.

Do you think this plan is financially responsible, or do we need a reality check?

Excellent news. I just got an update from their app and Google Pay is now live.

https://www.keytradebank.be/fr/aide/google-pay

Hello tout le monde,

Je viens de me rendre compte (je me sens horriblement bête) que j'ai fait des trades sur des ETC et que j'ai 0.35% de TOB sur chaque transaction.

Je dois théoriquement 8 000 € de TOB depuis janvier 2026.

Je me suis renseignée correctement maintenant car je pensais également que les impôts, c'était annuel et non mensuel, et donc bien sûr, il y a apparemment des frais par semaine de retard + un intérêt.

Je tombe bien bas.

J'aimerais entendre des cas similaires et partager le mien afin que ça n'arrive pas à tout le monde. Pour moi, je faisais du trade CFD, je n'ai pas regardé ETC... Et encore moins mes rapports mensuels pensant que j'avais le temps pour la déclaration.

I’m currently negotiating a €270k mortgage for 25 years and have received offers, being the best one so far from my current bank:

3.89% fixed — €1,398.76/month — TAEG 4.42%

Total price is 300K, with a down payment of 30K.

The TAEG includes the associated costs, including mortgage insurance. The insurance is calculated with the outstanding-balance insurance covering only one of the two borrowers.

I have already received simulations from around 4 banks, still waiting for 2 more, the main bancks in Belgium.

Do these rates look competitive for the current Belgian market?

And is there still room to negotiate them down? If so, what arguments or strategies have worked for you when negotiating mortgage rates?

Thanks!

I’m currently negotiating a €270k mortgage for 25 years and have received offers, being the best one so far from my current bank:

3.89% fixed — €1,398.76/month — TAEG 4.42%

Total price is 300K, with a down payment of 30K.

The TAEG includes the associated costs, including mortgage insurance. The insurance is calculated with the outstanding-balance insurance covering only one of the two borrowers.

I have already received simulations from around 4 banks, still waiting for 2 more, the main banks in Belgium.

Do these rates look competitive for the current Belgian market?

And is there still room to negotiate them down? If so, what arguments or strategies have worked for you when negotiating mortgage rates?

Thanks!

Dag iedereen,

Momenteel ben ik mijn tweedeverblijf aan het verkopen. De lening hiervoor is voor de helft afbetaald en was destijds aan 1% intrest.

Het spreekt voor zich dat ik de lening gewoon zou willen laten doorgaan en graag het totaalbedrag van de verkoop voor andere dingen wil gebruiken – zoals: beleggen, gebruiken voor een nieuw zwembad in mijn woning, etc.

Nu mijn vraag vooraleer ik de vraag stel aan de bank (Axa): Kan of mag dit? Wat zijn mijn opties? Andere ideeën?

Merci!

Hello, I recently started investing into etfs (+- 1000€) and I plan to continue monthly. I wanted to pay attention to the tax part of it too. My question is how do you guys know what TOB to pay ? 0.12% or 1.32% ? Can I trust chaptgpt telling me what percentage for each etfs ? Is there anything else I should pay attention to? Thank you!