Part 1

Why Invest?

Chapter 1

Introduction

Piggy bank and seedling — starting your investing journey

Investing is very simple, even if it looks complicated from the outside.

You don't need a bank, a financial advisor, or a lot of money to get started. All you need is your phone, a free account on an app like DEGIRO, and the discipline to follow a simple plan.

The plan

  1. Save up some emergency money first (so you never have to panic)
  2. Pick an ETF — a simple investment that spreads your money across hundreds of companies
  3. Put in a fixed amount — like €250 — every month
  4. Keep doing this for at least 5 years
A simple 4-step investing plan: save emergency money, pick an ETF, invest monthly, hold for at least 5 years

That's it. Seriously.

The longer you keep going, the more your money grows. 5 years is the minimum. 10 years is better. 20 years is where things get crazy.

But before we get into the how, let's start with the why. Because once you see what your money can do over time, you'll never want to leave it sitting in a savings account again.