The past couple of months have been an absolute real estate whirlwind for Carlos and me. Together, we bought a new apartment, I sold my studio, and right now, we are in the middle of selling Carlos’s current apartment. To say that dealing with property in the Netherlands is overwhelming is an understatement. It’s easy to get stuck in analysis-paralysis, wondering which path will serve your future best. If you own a home or a rental property and have been struggling with t

Did you also get bombarded with ads about the upcoming IPO of SpaceX? Over the weekend I got several messages from platforms like DeGiro, Trade Republic and Trading 212 about the hot new thing: buying shares at the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of SpaceX. Normally I ignore most financial news, especially when it comes to stocks of individual companies. It’s distracting noise to me. But this one caught my attention... and I immediately felt uneasy. Why? Because it re

How often do you ask yourself “can I afford it” when buying something? And how do you answer it? Do you run the numbers? Or go by gut feeling? And if it’s a joint purchase to be made with your partner, do you discuss it and take the decision together? Or just do it, and deal with the consequences later? Lately this question of “can I afford it” has been on my mind a lot, both because I often hear it in coaching sessions with my clients, and because Carlos and I are in t