Episode CF03 – Reaching FI In High-Cost Countries | Tobias
Hello from FI Europe for another Community Friday. Today Mathias talks with a member of our community, his name is Tobias and he calls itself a lazy investor. He’s an Austrian who lived in Germany and now lives in Switzerland, so we talk about how he works towards FI in these high costs countries and how the pension systems works there. We also talk about his favourite investment strategies. Enjoy!
We also talk about:
- The value of Masters
- Digital accelerators
- Tax regimes
- Life hacks in Switzerland
- Cooperative flats
- Looking for job in Switzerland
Don’t forget to subscribe our podcast on Itunes, Android or Spotify. Direct download here.
Moving towards FI in high cost countries
Tobias is 30 and currently living in Switzerland with her girlfriend and three cats. They have set their goal to reach FI and move to Australia at some point in the future, as they see it as the perfect balance of laid back lifestyle and organization for them: they’re about halfway there. His income comes mainly from his job, and over the years he has tried a number of investing strategies and has recently settled on peer to peer lending. He currently works for a telco company, and having a high income he’s able save almost 60% with some hacks.
Pension systems across Europe
In Switzerland the pension system consists of three different pillars. One is the government pension for people without jobs or people with a disability; the second pillar is the occupational pension with a mechanism and amount that varies depending on the employer; and the third pillar is private pension, that in Switzerland can be deducted from taxes to some extent. Tobias compares it with other pension systems in Germany and other countries.
P2P lending and crypto mechanisms
Tobias has recently started to use p2p platforms to invest and explains how they work. Basically with p2p lending you cover expenses for big companies allowing them to shift payment dates and getting rewarded for it. He assesses risk by looking at which companies to choose and is getting a profit between 10 and 20 percent. He shares some insights about cryptocurrencies as well.
Let us know what you think about the Interview in the comments or our Facebook Group!