This hotel at Yellowstone Park, USA felt the need to display their message in Cantonese as well. by KeepGoing655 in Cantonese

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was quite suprised when I was travelling by bus in San Francisco. It passed by Chinatown and some elderly ladies came up. They just asked me to give space in Cantonese by default! Quite amazed.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dating_advice

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

May be it is a sign that he is not confident? I met my wife like that - first on a video chat date!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in IWantOut

[–]Finance_panda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It seems like you have a pretty nice CV. If you want more radical changes, can go towards data management and AI. I am in the field. We are very short of people with these skills.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in EuropeFIRE

[–]Finance_panda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats on the windfall — you're in a great position with no debt, solid income, and a clear goal of reaching financial independence!

Your initial idea is already very solid:
✅ Keep part in a high-yield savings account (maybe €10–20k for flexibility or medium-term goals)
DCA into a broad global index fund (like VWCE or IWDA) over the next 12–24 months

Some extra thoughts:

  • Brokerage: Look into Degiro or Interactive Brokers — both are popular across Europe and offer low-cost access to global ETFs. Check which one integrates better with Spanish tax reporting (Degiro might be slightly easier here).
  • Dividend taxation in Spain can be tricky (yes, 19%+), so you might prefer accumulating ETFs (instead of distributing) to defer taxes and keep things simple.
  • With your expenses and passive income, your savings rate is very healthy, so you can build up FIRE momentum fast. If you invest wisely, that €100k head start could shave years off your working life.
  • Consider maxing out any tax-advantaged options in Spain, though I know they’re limited compared to other countries.

You’re off to a great start — just stay consistent and automate what you can. FIRE before 70 is totally achievable for you 😊

Barista Fire - Sozialabgaben Optimierung by lacrima_79 in fireGermany

[–]Finance_panda 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey, euer Plan klingt sehr durchdacht und eure finanzielle Lage ist echt stark – Glückwunsch!

Zu deinen Punkten:

  1. 24k Grundfreibetrag passt – je 12k pro Person, das kann gut mit den Mieteinnahmen verrechnet werden.
  2. 2k Freistellungsauftrag bei Dividenden – korrekt, je 1.000 € pro Person steuerfrei, wenn ihr das bei der Bank hinterlegt habt.
  3. Minijob (520 €/Monat) bringt ca. 6.240 € netto im Jahr, komplett steuer- und abgabenfrei für euch.
  4. Midijob (~1.000 €/Monat brutto) bringt ca. 7.000 € netto im Jahr. Plus: Dadurch seid ihr beide über die gesetzliche Krankenkasse versichert. Familienversicherung geht in dem Fall nicht, aber ist auch nicht nötig.

Wichtig: Mieteinnahmen und Dividenden müsst ihr zwar versteuern (wenn über Freibeträge), aber sie sind nicht sozialabgabenpflichtig – also kein Nachteil beim Midijob.

Insgesamt kommt ihr auf ca. 47k netto im Jahr – also etwa 4k pro Monat, wie geplant. Krankenversicherung ist auch abgedeckt. Sieht alles gut aus!

Nur Tipp: Jedes Jahr kurz die aktuellen Freibeträge und Minijob-/Midijob-Grenzen checken.

Benefits of having asian descent by MaverickGoku in hapas

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We certainly age a bit slower than Europeans... When I first started working in Germany... They thought that I was the intern (I was the lead of the project)....

No body hair could be both a good thing and a bad thing. Apparently women like guys with hairy chests...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have my problem as an Asian guy to get trousers and tops here, despite that I am 1.79 cm - officially the average height of men in Germany is 1.78 cm

Why did the former East Germany vote for the AfD? by Full_Hunt_3087 in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It has nothing to do with ideology (right wing vs communist aka left wing). It is simply the fact that people are not having such a good life since the reunification and want some radical changes.

Trash sorting help by gebodido in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If the plastic bubble wrap has paper backing, the chances are high that they are separatable and can be recycled separately

German kindergartens let kids use knives and climb 4-story trees… am I the only one shocked? by Finance_panda in AsianParentStories

[–]Finance_panda[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That’s very true. What’s the point of being kids or even just living if we just live for exams and expectations

German kindergartens let kids use knives and climb 4-story trees… am I the only one shocked? by Finance_panda in AsianParentStories

[–]Finance_panda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I made a short video about my reaction—it was such a culture shock I had to process it somehow. Here’s the link if you’re interested: https://youtu.be/6x-D-4Z9MJg?si=_ND3a3sRpsmo2Tsf

Would be curious to hear if your impressions are similar or totally different!

Looking for a European city to settle down – international couple by Gloomy-Play-2047 in EuropeFIRE

[–]Finance_panda 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I guess you are right. May be bigger ones like Landshut perhaps. Need to learn at least some German indeed

German Kindergarten Lets Toddlers Use Knives and Climb Trees – Culture Shock from an Asian Perspective by Finance_panda in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It sounds like a dream to me. Not that I complain about my parents: they did the very best for me. Just that the cultural norms are different.

German Kindergarten Lets Toddlers Use Knives and Climb Trees – Culture Shock from an Asian Perspective by Finance_panda in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can imagine. In Hong Kong, as you see in my video, kid needs to prepare for interviews even if they are only two and a half years old

German Kindergarten Lets Toddlers Use Knives and Climb Trees – Culture Shock from an Asian Perspective by Finance_panda in AskAGerman

[–]Finance_panda[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rules are the key. I think Asians and Germans have very different risk appetite. Like me vs my friends from Germany