Your money should work harder than you do. In Germany it usually just sits.
Good salary, careful saver, and a current account paying nothing while prices rise. That is the default for most people who arrive here. Investing in Germany is simpler and cheaper than it looks; the hard part is that nobody explains it in English.
Where the money quietly goes
None of these feel like losses. They are, every year.
Money asleep in a 0% account
Savings sitting still in a current account while inflation quietly eats 2 to 5% of them every single year. Even a boring, low-cost ETF plan changes that from day one.
Typically 2 to 3% a year of buying powerA pension left at the default
The statutory pension is built to replace a fraction of your income, not to fund a life. Without a second or third pillar, the gap is yours, and every year of waiting is compounding you cannot buy back.
Compounding you cannot buy backSubsidies left on the table
Employer pension top-ups, capital-forming payments, state allowances. Written for you, paid only if you ask. Most people never know to.
Often around €1,600 a yearIllustrative figures for a typical international household in Germany, not a calculation for you.
What our finance partner sorts with you
- Low-cost, long-term ETF investing, from €25 a month
- The three pension pillars, in English, and which one fits you
- Employer benefits and state allowances you are already entitled to
- A setup that keeps working if you leave Germany one day
Three steps. The first one is free and takes two minutes.
See where you stand
The free check or a short call. Income, plans, how long you think you stay. No documents needed.
Get a plan in writing
An English-speaking advisor from our finance partner shows what to invest, in what order, and why. Which pension pillar, which allowances, what to leave alone. Reasoning included, so you can question it.
Set it up, keep it flexible
Across around 250 vetted providers behind our finance partner, and built to travel with you rather than lock you to Germany.
Our finance partner
tecis
Investments, pensions and insurance are set up through the tecis platform, with around 250 vetted providers behind it. The advice comes from its licensed advisors, in English, with the reasoning in writing. We arrange the call and stay reachable while you work with them.
Free tools for this, no sign-up
Prefer to explore on your own first?
Good to know.
Can I keep my investments if I leave Germany?
Usually yes. ETF and fund portfolios can typically be kept and managed from abroad, and private pensions can be set up so payouts are not tied to Germany. Our finance partner sets things up with that in mind from the start.
Is investing taxed in Germany?
Gains and dividends are taxed, but every person has a yearly tax-free allowance on investment income (currently €1,000, €2,000 for couples). Set up properly with your broker, the first chunk of your returns stays untaxed automatically.
Do I need a German bank account to invest?
You need a securities account (Depot), which most German and several EU brokers open online in English. Our finance partner can show you one that stays usable if you move.
What does the advice cost?
Unlock Germany charges you no fee. Our partners pay us for introductions, and a partner may charge for its own services. The first call booked here is free, and if the right answer is a cheap ETF plan and no product, you hear exactly that.
See what your money could be doing.
About two minutes of questions, then a personal report: what is sorted, what is quietly costing you money, and what to fix first.