Back to Home

Germany

Explore stories and insights from Germany.

Germany’s ‘Super-Erben’ Tax Debate: Why Your Family Home Isn’t the Target (But Someone’s €300M Empire Is)
Germany

Germany’s ‘Super-Erben’ Tax Debate: Why Your Family Home Isn’t the Target (But Someone’s €300M Empire Is)

The SPD wants to close inheritance tax loopholes that let ultra-wealthy families pass billions tax-free while ordinary Germans pay full freight. Here’s what the fight is really about.

Read Article →
Denkmalschutz: The Beautiful Trap That Eats Your Inheritance
Germany

Denkmalschutz: The Beautiful Trap That Eats Your Inheritance

Why your historic German property is worth less than you think, and the bureaucratic nightmare of selling a listed building

Read Article →
The German Income Threshold: When Your Salary Actually Buys Peace of Mind
Germany

The German Income Threshold: When Your Salary Actually Buys Peace of Mind

A data-informed exploration of the precise income levels where Germans experience tangible financial relief, based on real discussions and official statistics.

Read Article →
Why Do So Few Germans Invest? Breaking Down the Barriers
Germany

Why Do So Few Germans Invest? Breaking Down the Barriers

An exploration of the cultural, educational, and psychological factors preventing widespread investment participation in Germany, despite the proven long-term benefits of stock and ETF investing.

Read Article →
The 2026 Restaurant VAT Cut and the Trinkgeld Backlash: Should You Stop Tipping to Force Price Drops?
Germany

The 2026 Restaurant VAT Cut and the Trinkgeld Backlash: Should You Stop Tipping to Force Price Drops?

Germany’s hospitality VAT drops from 19% to 7% in 2026, but restaurants admit they won’t pass savings to customers. Now consumers are threatening to kill Trinkgeld culture to fight back.

Read Article →
The Damocles Sword of Income Loss: Why Germany’s Highest Earners Can’t Sleep at Night
Germany

The Damocles Sword of Income Loss: Why Germany’s Highest Earners Can’t Sleep at Night

Six-figure salaries and substantial savings don’t protect Germany’s tech elite from paralyzing job loss anxiety. Here’s why the anxiety is rational, and what to do about it.

Read Article →
Why Normalverdiener Stay Silent: The Invisible Majority in Germany’s Online Finance Discussions
Germany

Why Normalverdiener Stay Silent: The Invisible Majority in Germany’s Online Finance Discussions

An exploration of why Germany’s everyday workers, nurses, retail staff, caregivers, rarely share their financial reality online, creating a dangerous bubble of financial advice that ignores the majority.

Read Article →
Early Inheritance to Avoid Nursing Care Costs: The 100k EUR Income Trap
Germany

Early Inheritance to Avoid Nursing Care Costs: The 100k EUR Income Trap

The controversial practice of transferring parental assets early to avoid nursing care costs creates unexpected ethical and financial dilemmas, especially for higher-earning children who face potential decades of liability.

Read Article →
The Cash vs. Digital Payment War: Is Germany Losing Its Bargeld Culture?
Germany

The Cash vs. Digital Payment War: Is Germany Losing Its Bargeld Culture?

Analysis of the conflict between consumer rights groups demanding cash availability and industry resistance, particularly in gastronomy, against mandatory digital payment options, reflecting broader societal divides over financial inclusion and modernization.

Read Article →
Germany’s Housing Crisis: Why the EU’s Economic Engine Can’t Build Homes
Germany

Germany’s Housing Crisis: Why the EU’s Economic Engine Can’t Build Homes

Germany built just 251,900 apartments in 2024, its worst housing output in a decade. While rents soar and families squeeze into shrinking apartments, the construction industry is paralyzed by municipal sabotage, bureaucratic madness, and a political system that rewards inertia. Here’s why the Bauwesen is broken.

Read Article →
ZinsFix-Zertifikate: When Your Parents’ Volksbank Investment Becomes a Family Emergency
Germany

ZinsFix-Zertifikate: When Your Parents’ Volksbank Investment Becomes a Family Emergency

A deep dive into how complex structured products from German cooperative banks can quietly consume a third of retirement portfolios, and what to do when discovery comes too late.

Read Article →
Sparkassen’s Debt Push: Public Good or Profit Machine?
Germany

Sparkassen’s Debt Push: Public Good or Profit Machine?

Germany’s trusted local banks face scrutiny over aggressive consumer lending practices that contradict their public welfare mandate.

Read Article →
How Canadian Broker Transfer Bonuses Generate 1-2% Risk-Free Returns (And Why German Brokers Can’t Compete)
Germany

How Canadian Broker Transfer Bonuses Generate 1-2% Risk-Free Returns (And Why German Brokers Can’t Compete)

A German expat in Canada reveals how systematically switching brokers yields 1-2% annual risk-free returns, an investing hack that exposes fundamental differences between North American and German retail finance.

Read Article →
German Engineer’s FIRE Dream Meets Renoviation Reality: A 28-Year-Old’s €5,000 Wake-Up Call
Germany

German Engineer’s FIRE Dream Meets Renoviation Reality: A 28-Year-Old’s €5,000 Wake-Up Call

A deep dive into how rising renovation costs, dual-income dynamics, and policy shifts are reshaping financial independence timelines for Germany’s young engineers.

Read Article →