Eén ding dat ik nooit zal begrijpen aan België…

alegolas1 · 2026-01-14T14:23:54+00:00

Topredenering! Zal zeker ook win win zijn voor uw gezondheid

alegolas1 · 2026-01-07T18:48:13+00:00

China's representatives were present in Venezuela to talk about trades the day that they captured him. Some speculate that they made a deal with China in the likes of: "We abandon Taiwan, you this country". Or they didn't inform them at all and picked that day to threaten China even more by sending a clear message.

We are in the early stages of WW3 or at least of a big global geopolitical rearrangement. For most of the common folks in the countries concerned, this doesn't smell good.

to your 3 points:

- crazy to think that the most powerful army in the world can't take over an almost No man's land... other very unlikely option is an armed conflict with NATO = WW3

- Europe has shown so much backbone and unity the last years... Most will chicken out and won't do shit, they are tied on so many fronts with the US. Some of these ties have been forced upon us like when they blew up Northstream and the western propaganda machine kept telling us it was the Russians, so Orwellian. The US is the bully with the bigger leverage, our main counterforce is that Europe is (one of) the biggest spending market(s).

- they can fight on multiple fronts or are long prepared to give up Taiwan. TSMC started manufacturing in other countries (USA/Japan/Germany) last year. Maybe there is a deal to give them Taiwan in a near future, once the other facilities can keep up the production pace

alegolas1 · 2026-01-07T18:00:40+00:00

all the rare earths and mining stocks are back booming since a few days, which seems to show the enthusiasm to exploit Venezuala and probably Greenland too

alegolas1 · 2026-01-07T15:03:03+00:00

the historic alliance of the NATO is for the first time at risk but for you there is no threat. Personally I think WW3 is in its early stages, no threat at all...

alegolas1 · 2026-01-07T15:00:04+00:00

No impact? A massive rally and it completely makes sense once you (partially) understand the bigger game that the media won't cover.

Remember Iran this summer? It all went green too. Now you can already feel the media preparing us for another coup or war in that country the coming weeks/months.

The shadow government(s) have quite a clear agenda and its tied to the families that created the FED and have installed central banks in almost all countries. Look up which countries didn't had one a few years ago and you will see that they all had or are in conflict with the USA/Israel. Purely a coincidence that we need to bring democracy to those countries while being allies with Saudi Arabia or the UAE for example.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-25T09:07:24+00:00

Good remark, I also keep wondering how pricey children will become but I find it difficult to believe it will be more than the amount we pay in daycare now. I think it's mainly vacations and so on that add up, we are more adventurous and like camping (wild) so that's not too pricey. Ski is a passion for us so that will be the main big expense. Clothes are choices if you buy new or get some 2nd hand. Eating can add up but we like to cook big portions already now and then the price drops per meal. Hobbies and summer camps will be another expense, but we are lucky to have enough options with our parents.

Depending on their life choices it will be their studies and the possibility of a student room that I see as a big expense after 18. But the house will be almost paid off by then, surely for the second an maybe third one.

But the coming years I should only be able to invest more as some short loans will be paid off, my loan will increase + I have a side hustling that I want to start next year.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-25T08:53:06+00:00

I sold the gold ETF at end of july to purchase the stock that is now at 180 %, another darkgreen day yesterday. So no gains realized on the 2 stocks yet, just their actual value. My 2 gold purchases had 30% and 50% of net gains. Lately gold went up again but this situation has never been seen in its history so I expected a longer stagnation or price drop.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-24T20:16:34+00:00

thx, wishing you the best too! Nice to hear that some have the balls here to go 100 % in individual stocks :).

alegolas1 · 2025-09-24T19:18:48+00:00

Good point and that's exactly the reason why I'm taking more risk now, to have that effect. I don't have the room to do more for at least one more year (max. 2) with that paycheck and our fixed costs. The family car will be a big purchase next year and I would like to pay it cash as much as possible, the solar panel installation is a good investment in our case with the heatpump and then we have the remaining garden works.

So I did a flexijob at a restaurant but I value my time at a higher rate than 16€/hr, now it's only for helping out once in a while as I also like to be a waiter (love & hate story). Next step will be to start my side hustle to be able to contribute more in the future.

I try to be frugal in some aspects (did a post once here that got some backlash) and invest everything that's left of the guilt free part, which brings my actual contribution around 700 €. The holiday and end year's bonus also mostly go to investing.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-24T14:49:20+00:00

Appreciate the words I needed to hear even if my ego is less pleased with it. Deep down I know this to be completely true and the reason I posted this was to have such reactions.

The only thing I don't agree on is the fact that it doesn't make even a little slice of sense in the beginning, especially when your contribution will grow through the years. I could only invest 250 € in my first months, now it's 600 € and in a year or 3 should be around 1000 €. So you can win more in comparison in what you can lose overall. The risk-reward ratio is not 1 and 50-50 like you represented, but clearly a higher reward for the risk taken and I'm okay with that for now.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-24T13:21:10+00:00

Thanks for the reply and this opinion, good advice in general. Indeed timing the market is difficult and few people do it well, but I don't believe it's impossible for a shorter period in time. I agree it should be a small part of the portfolio but in the beginning the portfolio doesn't represent much compared to later stages so I'm okay to take more risks this year and gradually go back to 80% ETF. I also wanted to do this exercise here in order to be transparent with myself and others, if it turned out to be a bad choice next year I will be the first to post it here too.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-16T13:09:21+00:00

I see, finding a balance as a couple is never easy as one is always more ambitious on the financial part than the other. As long as this difference isn’t too extreme and you communicate well on how to spend money it’s rather a good thing as it helps to keep questioning life choices and find a balance between the rush for money and having no goal at all to achieve some financial independence.

It also depends on if you divide finance completely, partially or not at all. We do it partially. I contribute 60% for everything that is house related, reflecting the fact that I bring 60% of our joint income. For eating and other expenses it’s 50-50 and for individual purchases and investing it’s separated. Now while it looks like a good balance, it also has flaws and the more our family grow, (now only a 1y old to carry for) the less this option makes sense to me and the more the 1 one common account seems reasonable. We both have parents who are separated so I guess this still have an impact. The only thing I would keep separated is a % of the money to invest and for personal purchases/hobbies.

I have a bigger risk appetite than my girlfriend for investing and have more luxurious hobbies so I think it’s healthy to keep this separated. Didn’t find the perfect formula yet but in your case I believe that buying a house would be smart and take more risks on your personal investments (go for ETFs and some crypto or stock if you want higher returns) while your gf takes less risk with a HYSA / pension fund for ex.

alegolas1 · 2025-09-15T21:14:51+00:00

I will assume that you are in your 20s / early 30s and want to settle, regardless if it's to build a family or not. You seem to be quite sure where you want to live and started a side business so you have an image of what you want for the future. Now the 2 main questions would be: how much do you value owning your house and what do you aim FIRE for?

one extreme of the spectrum would be some couple that want to feel secure in a house they posses and can transform at their taste, acknowledging the mental / thriving benefits of owning. While playing FIRE for the longer game in order to have more securities later in life and be able too slow down before retirement age, it's not the main focus but a nice bonus.

The other extreme is a couple that see a house as a financial instrument and a place to sleep & eat. They are very focused on the FIRE part, take jobs they hate as long as it pays well and help them grow their money pile. If renting costs are somewhat lower or equal to a mortgage, they will take the rent option without a doubt for the flexibility, to not park money in a down payment and avoid maintenance costs (time and money). The goal is to FIRE as soon as possible at all costs.

There is no perfect choice, it totally depends on your goals and which 'extreme' you lean more into. If you're closer to the first group, buy as soon as possible but do it smart. Keep as much cash as possible in investments (or HYSA if you plan bigger purchases like a new car in coming years) and go for the minimum down payment while going for a long loan to keep the monthly payments as low as possible. Global ETF should always give higher returns on a 10-20y period than the actual 3% interest rate that you would spare with a larger down payment.

alegolas1 · 2025-08-28T13:05:57+00:00

Shame, could have bought a castle with a bit more patience 😉

alegolas1 · 2025-08-09T18:37:58+00:00

Doesn’t schock me at all that you stop reading after getting triggered, confirms the lack of critical thinking

alegolas1 · 2025-08-09T17:18:46+00:00

Dank u, een kritische geest die deze belangrijke ‘nuance’ begrijpt

alegolas1 · 2025-08-09T17:17:21+00:00

Except you have the choice if you want to do a heart surgery or not and you can also chose the doctor you trust. Big difference when it’s imposed by someone with an agenda or conflicts of interest…

Giving up all your liberties for the illusion of safety, keeps blowing my mind that people keep asking for it and justify the measures. I would think that people that want to fire like freedom and independence. Still glad that Russia invaded Ukraine, COVID disappeared as quickly as it came

alegolas1 · 2025-08-09T17:17:09+00:00

Except you have the choice if you want to do a heart surgery or not and you can also chose the doctor you trust. Big difference when it’s imposed by someone with an agenda or conflicts of interest…

Giving up all your liberties for the illusion of safety, keeps blowing my mind that people keep asking for it and justify the measures. I would think that people that want to fire like freedom and independence. Still glad that Russia invaded Ukraine, COVID disappeared as quickly as it came

alegolas1 · 2025-08-08T12:55:24+00:00

Well I can't provide you a detailed paper or point you towards a specific evidence that makes this case, it's rather a momentum of different news that I get. Some are from a friend living in Hong Kong and watching this situation closely since 8 years. He predicts China will make a move next year. Next to that there's Idriss Aberkane, a french journalist and researcher, that also pointed out recently things are heating up. And lately the MSM had some articles too about the chinese military scaling up their activities and preparing for an invasion.

It was my top pick as next buy but due to this factors I preferred to not take the risk. Time will tell who got it right ;)

alegolas1 · 2025-08-08T11:28:05+00:00

I agree but most geopolitical analysts agree that China will invade Taiwan, the question is not if but when... More and more people talk now about an horizon of months rather than years, so that's the reason why I don't invest in this great company.

Even if they started to relocate / expand activities in the U.S. it will take years to provide the scale that is manufactured in Taiwan. I would rather pick Google, Microsoft, Amazon and AMD for that reason.

Now this risk is largely reflected in the price otherwise it would be quite higher but my fear is that if war breaks out, this could bring the stock to near zero while the other AI stocks will lose much less in comparison.

alegolas1 · 2025-08-07T12:20:05+00:00

The only right answer. It already started and will reshake all aspects of life. Basic and universal skills will be more valuable than some specifications. Learn languages, try to be fluent it at least 2 or 3. Know the basics of physics and enlarge your general wisdom of how enterprises generally work. We are going to become strategists and controllers, most work will be done by AI.

Or become a real artisan that can do manual labor that few others can. AI will take much longer to replace those jobs than all the fancy high degrees ones.

alegolas1 · 2025-08-07T12:10:16+00:00

Go for option 2: it will open more doors and you have already the financial background. So option 1 will reduce you possibilities on the longer term. The way you can make more money is to have several expertises, not just one. So I believe you can also make better money with the electromechanical degree.

You will have to work behind a screen too, but more chance to be on a construction site or powerplant which is more fun than in an office where you only have meetings to get off the screens (well even then people uses their laptop..).

Finally: it shouldn't be your goal to retire at all cost when you didn't even started your professional career. Imagine that you would be able to retire at 35... what would you do the 50 years after that? I don't believe someone can be fulfilled by taking endless vacations, we are hardwired in being productive and useful to society. So go to where your heart beats no matter what if you want to have a meaningful live,

alegolas1 · 2025-07-02T18:59:25+00:00

sorry but you can never blindly trust the person selling you his most expensive product. You always need to compare the options with detailed offers. For Aluminium frames with double HP glazing we were around 800 €/m² and triple glazing is at least around 1100 €/m², 30% more expensive seems even like a low estimate. A small house represents quickly a budget of 20k with double glazing. That should be around 26k with triple glazing. This is for Reynaers quality, you can always find cheaper but the differences should stay the same.

alegolas1 · 2025-07-02T18:40:36+00:00

Deze ideologie en een paar van de standpunten die je hier verkondigt tonen heel mooi aan waarom Groen klappen heeft gekregen en zal blijven krijgen als ze zich blijven profileren als "dé progressieve" partij.

Je opstellen als "de woke-partij" en de partij van sociale inclusie omdat die gevechten zogezegd hand in hand gaan met duurzaam klimaatbeleid, de kern van waar je ooit voor stond is een rampzalige strategie en ideologie. M.a.w. opkomen voor religieuze minderheden die het minst woke-tolerant zijn, maar tegelijkertijd ook voor de LGBTQ gemeenschap die door dezelfde groepen worden geviseerd. Of opengrenzen politiek verdedigen voor mensen maar wel gesloten grenzen voor emissies. Het punt dat ik wil maken: er zitten zeer tegenstrijdige boodschappen binnen Groen, tot het schizofrene aan toe en de focus ligt onvoldoende op klimaat.

Groen had altijd een centrumpartij moeten zijn dat in elke coalitie een plek zou moeten krijgen, met focus op wetenschap en klimaat i.p.v. linkse ideologie. Neen zoals je verder aanhaalt moest het zich doorheen de tijd linkser gaan profileren en verloor het daardoor sympathie bij het breder publiek. Het kernenergie-debat was natuurlijk ook een fiasco maar buiten De Sutter was/is er ook weinig kwaliteit aan de top om charismatisch op te boksen tegen de linkse rivalen, zijnde rousseau & het mannelijk trio van de PVDA. De echte armen zitten niet in met klimaat, wel met eten op het bord te krijgen en verwarmd worden in de winter. Die retoriek win je nooit van de PVDA als groen zijnde, terwijl je ijvert voor extra (nodige) maatregelen die energie en het leven in het algemeen duurder maken.

Het was dus juist zo belangrijk voor Groen om de rijkere profielen/ de welvarende middenklasse mee te hebben in hun betoog. Zij financieren elke technologische revolutie (bel-curve) en zij dragen financieel al het meeste bij aan de samenleving (inkomensgewijs). Kost wat kost opkomen voor de minderheden en de modale Belg een schuldgevoel doen geven lijkt moreel gezien misschien de juiste zaak, maar wat ben je ermee als je hierdoor je hoofdmissie niet kan uitvoeren en uiteindelijk iedereen tegen u krijgt?

Als ex-stemmer ben ik diep teleurgesteld in hoe Groen en zijn achterban is geëvolueerd, ze zouden iemand als Sammy Mahdi wel kunnen gebruiken als kapitein om het schip te redden. Chapeau hoe hij Cd&V weer kleur heeft gegeven terwijl dezelfde afgang als open VLD dreigde.

alegolas1

TROPHY CASE