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Clear guides on investing, compound interest, mortgages and financial independence. Written to start from scratch.
Beginner
Saving for retirement: starting early changes everything
Why the public pension may not be enough, how time and compound interest do the work, how much to save and which vehicles exist in Spain (pension plan, index funds).
Investing basics to start from scratch
Simple and compound interest, inflation, risk and diversification explained without jargon. The gateway to understanding every other guide.
Fixed-term deposits and high-yield accounts: how they work
Differences between a deposit and a high-yield account, what the savings TAE is, liquidity, the deposit guarantee fund covering €100,000 and how interest is taxed.
Diversification and risk: don't put all your eggs in one basket
What risk and volatility are, the difference between systematic and specific risk, how diversification reduces the risk you can avoid and why your time horizon rules.
Dollar-cost averaging (DCA): averaging in to avoid guessing the market
What contributing a fixed amount regularly is, why it reduces the risk of mistiming, how it lowers your average purchase price and the difference from averaging down.
Inflation and purchasing power: the invisible tax
What inflation is, how it is measured with the INE's CPI, what purchasing power and real return are, and why keeping money idle slowly makes you poorer.
What compound interest is (and why it changes everything)
Compound interest means earning interest on your interest. We explain why it is so powerful with a step-by-step numerical example.
Simple interest: what it is and where it really shows up
Simple interest is always calculated on the initial capital. We explain the formula, where you find it (deposits, bond coupons, loans) and how it differs from compound interest.
Personal budgeting and the 50/30/20 rule
What a budget is, how to split your net salary into needs, wants and savings with the 50/30/20 rule, a full example and the emergency fund.
TAE vs TIN (and APY): how to actually compare a financial product
The TIN is the pure rate; the TAE includes fees and the compounding frequency. We explain both with examples and why the TAE is the figure you should compare between banks.
Revolving cards and expensive debt: why the low payment ruins you
What a revolving card is, why a high rate and paying 'a comfortable instalment' stretches the debt for years, what the Supreme Court says about usury and how to get out.
Intermediate
Early mortgage repayment: reduce the payment or the term?
What repaying early means, the big difference between reducing the payment and reducing the term, when each makes sense and why repaying early saves more.
Buying vs renting a home: the honest comparison
Beyond 'renting is throwing money away': opportunity cost, the hidden costs of buying, the cost of debt and how to really compare the two options.
Dividends: what they are, how they are taxed and the double-taxation trap
What a dividend is, the difference between dividend yield and price, how they are taxed in Spain (savings base, 19 % withholding) and why the tax-free minimum no longer exists.
Taxation of savings in Spain: the savings tax base, brackets and offsetting
The IRPF savings tax base: which income it covers, the 2026 brackets (19 % to 30 %), the 19 % withholding as a prepayment and how to offset losses against gains.
Index funds vs ETFs: the transfer and tax deferral in Spain
Both track an index and are cheap, but in Spain only mutual funds let you switch without paying tax. We explain what tax deferral is and why it changes your strategy.
How a mortgage works: the French system, nominal rate and APR
Why the payment is fixed but you pay mostly interest at first, the difference between the nominal rate (TIN) and the APR (TAE), and how the balance evolves.
Pension plans: the tax relief is not free money
What a pension plan is, the €1,500 contribution limit, how it reduces the general base (which varies by region) and why on withdrawal it is taxed as employment income: deferral, not a gift.
The 4 % rule and your FIRE number: living off your investments
What FIRE is, how the FIRE number works (25 times your expenses), where the 4 % safe withdrawal rate comes from and what its limits are.
Rental yield: gross, net and the holiday-let case
How to calculate the gross and net yield of a property, which costs to subtract, the taxation of rentals (and the 60 % reduction) and why a holiday let is not just more income.
ROI, return and CAGR: measuring how much you really make
What ROI is, why the same ROI can be good or bad depending on time, and how CAGR (annualized return) lets you compare investments of different durations.
Staking and crypto risks: what APY is and the fine print
What staking is, why a very high APY is not risk-free interest, the risks specific to crypto and how rewards are taxed in Spain (with its ambiguities).
Advanced
Asset allocation, glide path and rebalancing
The decision that drives your portfolio most isn't which fund you pick, but the split between equities and bonds. How to set it, how to change it with age (glide path) and how to rebalance without overpaying tax in Spain.
Coast FIRE and Barista FIRE: the in-between versions of financial freedom
It's not all-out work or quitting entirely. What Coast FIRE is (stop contributing and let compounding do the rest), Barista FIRE (part-time work) and the Spanish nuances of social-security contributions and pension.
Bonds, duration and the bond ladder: fixed income without rate shocks
Why a bond's price falls when rates rise, what duration is, the difference between a bond and a bond fund, and how a ladder of Spanish Treasury bills and bonds gives you predictable cash flow and a retirement buffer.
Dynamic withdrawal strategies: beyond the fixed 4 %
Bengen's method (constant 4 %) versus strategies that adapt to the market: Guyton-Klinger guardrails, spending floors and ceilings, and why flexibility lets you withdraw more without depleting the portfolio.
Advanced taxation of funds in Spain: transfers, FIFO and repurchase
How to squeeze the transfer tax deferral, why the FIFO rule decides how much you pay on partial sales, the repurchase rule (two months / one year) and how to offset losses against gains without slipping up.
Pension plan withdrawal: lump sum, income and the 40 % reduction
How you withdraw a pension plan and why the form (lump sum, income or mixed) radically changes what you pay. The 40 % reduction on pre-2007 contributions and how to plan a staggered withdrawal.
Sequence-of-returns risk: why the order matters when you retire
Two portfolios with the same average return can end in ruin or abundance depending on when the bad years hit. What sequence risk is and how to mitigate it: cash buffer, bond tent and flexibility.
SOCIMIs, REITs and real-estate crowdfunding: property investing without buying a flat
How to get real-estate exposure without the down payment, the mortgage or the tenants: what SOCIMIs (the Spanish REIT) are and their taxation, what real-estate crowdfunding is and its real risks (illiquidity, platform, no deposit guarantee).