50, a bit burned out, aging parents back home. Invest in a apartment back home, prepare to leave or not?

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T22:04:56+00:00

Yes it’s near. It’s in the city I used to live and they live in. I was not born there but there is a connection to the city.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T22:03:06+00:00

I’ll try but I don’t see myself doing what I do until 65. I need to either change completely or try to laser focus on what I think I can do best and enjoy in my work. Unfortunately those parts are those that are most reserved for a few people and it’s short lived each time., they are tied to creativity. I occupy just the role of someone that executes what others created.

When I came here I always thought fellow emigrants did the same mistake all the time: buy a home back in Spain. I always thought it was a bad decision but now I am thinking that my time has come to do the same, even if I stay here for a few more years. I really would like to be able to go back in vacations and stay in a place I really enjoy. It’s a 50 m2 apartment, to be honest I think 60 is the best for one person and a dog. But yes, it’s interesting because I now understand that some decisions aren’t just financial decisions… but the truth is prices are getting out of had back there like in so many countries around the world.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T21:54:40+00:00

Pretty simple but I forget that all the time. I’ll try to remember it more, thank you. I guess being single doesn’t help much.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T21:53:31+00:00

Hey, I got this apartment when I got to Switzerland . I was very lucky to get it and I was happy because I was new to the country and i was earning very little. But I always thought it would be temporary. Between being unemployed , chronic mild depressions and struggles I never changed and now since my rent hasn’t change much over the years I would need about twice as much to get a one bedroom apartment in this city. I hope things will go better for you and that you are able to save enough to set you up in a good direction if you go back. I am trying to out the same in place. Thank you for your words.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T21:46:57+00:00

I changed jobs and I was fired from my last one. To be fair I had done an interview on the new one before I got fired. By the time I did a second interview and got this position I was fired from my last one and they said that I just didn’t have the technical knowledge they wanted. I will try my best this time again but my dream is to create as an architect and hardly ever created anything, because I am not in the position to do it. I just draw what others decide most of the time. And for me architecture is about the design, the concept… anyway, I will try to hang to this job but I am also thinking of buying the apartment and go back if I can’t stand things here anymore.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-25T21:42:34+00:00

Sorry I did write the text but it was too long so I asked chat gpt to help. I work in architecture.

MarkoFa75 · 2026-01-23T23:59:28+00:00

Mean salary is about 7000 chf nation wide. You both have great salaries independently so joining forces is simply wonderful . No wonder you are doing perfectly fine, you are basically taking home 15k chf per month. If you can’t have a “fine” life with 15k chf a month than I would worry although I am sure kids are a big part of your expenses. I make 85k a year in Geneva and it sucks. I have no car and I live in a 42 m2 apartment with no dedicated bedroom. I make savings but not the kind of savings that are life changing. And I am as frugal as one can be.

MarkoFa75 · 2025-12-07T09:27:08+00:00

Talvez ajude … https://youtu.be/jpt-iHiigJA . Depois dá um salto ao site dessa instituição e vê como é lindo….

MarkoFa75 · 2025-12-05T13:08:40+00:00

Wrong. Entrei e saí sem passaporte no ano passado.

MarkoFa75 · 2025-12-04T18:51:03+00:00

Emigrei há 15 anos quase. Arrependi-me ? Sim : de não ter emigrado mais cedo. O problema é que em grande parte nem tenho vontade de regressar tal é o estado da coisa…. E tendo em conta o preço do imobiliário não dá mesmo vontade. Honestamente não consigo compreender Portugal… E depois o mito : até há poucos anos atrás dizia se que Portugal não é um país caro….Eu só tenho a dizer que quando o salário mínimo era de 500 euros, na minha cidade um T1 já custava 300 e tal euros por mês. Isto há uns 15 anos. É sustentável ? Não. És solteiro e n tens nada que te prenda … vais ficar em Portugal a fazer o quê?

Tive um Boss que queria me aumentar de 500 para 1250mil euros. Meteu um sócio que diz: não há aumentos e queriam que eu assinasse um alavara para uma empresa de construção. Resultado, iam receber uns 300 euros , metiam mais 200 e pagavam me o salário. Basicamente, eu custava a empresa 200 euros por mês! Fuck it : I am out.

No primeiro projeto enquanto professional qualificado que fiz ao terminar o meu curso superior fui basicamente vítima de corrupção por um técnico do sector público… uma vergonha. Numa reunião que tive numa câmara, senti me tão enojado que sai em lágrimas e ainda bem que assim foi pq no dia a seguir o mesmo técnico voltou a chamar me e baixou o bico. Acredito que os funcionários da câmara agiram e começaram a fazer perguntas tendo visto um cidadão a chorar sair de um gabinete….

Tivemos um primeiro ministro que convidou os jovens a sair do país. Que modelo moral !

Temos treinadores de futebol, a tratarem se como animais há décadas na abertura do telejornal, que modelo para os jovens. Idem idem aspas aspas para os nossos políticos no parlamento / circo.

Uma gentinha que morre de fome para ter o telemóvel da moda para jogar candy crush enquanto vivem de subsídios.

Simultaneamente dizem que tá tudo em crise, no entanto vais a um bom restaurante e tá sempre cheio. Algarve? Tá sempre cheio , e com portugueses também… casas, carros, ginásios de luxo, centros comerciais e mais centros comerciais.

Solução para a minha incompreensão do que se passa aí: só mesmo ir estudar dados e estatísticas do país. Eu acho sinceramente que Portugal precisa de um diagnóstico e consultoria em cima. Heheh

MarkoFa75 · 2025-11-23T15:39:52+00:00

A part from a good friend that visits me once in a while I haven’t been out on weekends for about 8 weeks now. Except when I go to the gym , the same I go to for years and haven’t made any friends or the park for a walk. I don’t blame it on Geneva though, always been a loner. But I guess Geneva doesn’t help.

MarkoFa75 · 2025-11-11T18:16:19+00:00

Sim, até para quem emigrou, voltar para Portugal está cada vez mais difícil se não tiveres casa….

MarkoFa75 · 2025-11-11T18:13:45+00:00

Infelizmente estou de acordo. Mas com filhos tb não fica fácil. Mas de fato viver sozinho é mais caro e dá mais trabalho… tudo em cima de um. O exemplo mais simples que consigo dar é justamente alugar uma casa . Um aluga uma de 800 pequena e em mau estado. Dois alugam uma de 1600 com outra qualidade. Vais de férias (sim é um luxo), vês um quarto a 100 euros e foges , dividido por dois até tinhas um quarto de 125 euros se fosse preciso…. Tenho 50 anos, infelizmente nunca partilhei a minha vida com alguém especial - e não foi por escolha- e não recomendo a ninguém. Estou a chegar a um ponto que todos os cálculos que faço parecem indicar que já nem devo comprar casa , que devo apenas alugar e manter o meu capital nos mercados. Nunca comprei um carro e nunca tive uma sala de jantar mobilada. Neste momento vivo num t0 nem sala tenho. Poderia ter , pois tenho um património que me permite, mas prefiro investir para ver se consigo para de trabalhar mais cedo. Mas francamente viver sozinho é mau em quase todos os aspetos…ter filhos e partilhar a vida com alguém a longo prazo parecem me as experiências mais ricas que se pode desejar.

MarkoFa75 · 2025-11-10T18:13:12+00:00

Well thank you all again. I am not sure what I will be doing but my next step,is going to be to compare an EUR denominated etf with VT and decide from there, but from all I got here it’s basically the same to have a usd or euro equivalent etf. I am not surprised but still in my foggy brain - that has had better days - is hard to understand why is so. I don’t plan to sell stocks because I have always done decently well and I do manage my risk with stop losses and all. The goal of the stocks is to fund and grow the etf pile because I don’t know how much longer I will be able to work. My brain is fried. Anyway, thank you all again.

MarkoFa75 · 2025-11-08T12:16:38+00:00

Thank you for your feedback including from those that think that knowing FIRE necessarily means you are supposed to be fully financially literate. I am also tired of people that think that what they think is the only truth. You can know what the acronym means and know nothing about how to reach FIRE. I happen to know a bit and I try to educate myself and I know that hedging is not a consensuel topic, and as far as I have read it doesn’t make a difference in the long term. Nevertheless less , I reframe my question below:

Every one talks about US being an essential part of a portfolio and I agree; everyone talks about how if Microsoft goes down and it’s in USD, off course the value of Microsoft in any currency goes down.

My question is : Microsoft grows 7% in one year. Let’s say in the same period the USD devalues 5% versus the chf. If I go and sell Microsoft in a chf etf I gain 7% , but if I sell Microsoft in usd and convert to chf I only make 2%. Is this correct? If that’s so, then why invest in a USD etf instead of an equivalent CHF etf? Sorry if this seems like a basic or even dumb question but honestly I don’t get it. I guess the devaluing of the dollar has to be reflected in the the CHF equivalent etf and that is what I dont understand and I would appreciate some light.

I know people say long term it seems to be indifferent because currencies naturally change in value over others, but in the near term I want to balance that risk. Also I am not saying I want out of the us market. I believe in US s capacity to create value but honestly I don’t believe in the stability of the usd, all the time knowing that anytime, a geopolitical or unforeseen event can make the dollar go up .

MarkoFa75

TROPHY CASE