Carina (31) already invested over €17,500 and wants to be financially independent by age 40
A few months back, the life of Carina Diehl (31) looked very different. Back then, she was not living with her boyfriend in a condo and was still at her old job. Life moves fast for Carina, because when she is 40, she wants to be financially independent. How that dream began and where she stands today, you can read here.
- 31 years
- Cohabiting
- Purchase house
- Retired at 40
- Passion for dogs (training)
Living together, that’s how you do it
‘My boyfriend and I were not living together before we bought this house. I had an apartment for sale in Hoofddorp and he had a house to rent in Delft. I was already looking for a new house and took him with me during viewings, with the idea that he would get an idea of how viewings go, should he ever want to buy a house. But soon we felt that we wanted a house together. It was financially more advantageous. On my own I could buy a house, but not as big as where we are now. Had I done so, I would have had an interest-only mortgage. And I was taught by my parents not to accumulate debt, so that wouldn’t have been an option for me. It surprised me what a big role finance plays when you start living together. For example, I think it’s important to have a large buffer, preferably twenty thousand euros, but my boyfriend is less strict about that. We do have discussions about that. Not that I have a big buffer now, a lot of money goes into renovating our house.’
Make a plan
‘I had wanted to start investing for a long time, but I couldn’t see the forest for the trees. A long time back I met Puck on Instagram and one thing led to another. I like that at Elfin all the information is in one place and that I can ask questions in the community. My family and friends are not really concerned with money, but fortunately I can chat endlessly about money with all the Elfin members. One of the first things I learned at Elfin was to create a financial plan. What are your goals and what do you need to do to achieve them? Out of my plan came the need to invest €800 a month if I wanted to retire at 40. That amount is not feasible for me, so I adjusted it down to €300. Now I invest less and plan to work only two days after age 40 and devote the rest of the week to my dream, sheltering and retraining pit bulls, staffords and other dogs. If you have a financial plan, then you can start doing very targeted things. Should I start investing? Is my buffer already sufficient? When you have these things clear, the barrier to entry is lower. And in the long run, you immediately see what knobs you need to turn to achieve your financial goal.
Do you also want to start working step by step on your personal financial plan? You do that with help from Elfin! Fill out some questions here and get instant free access to your to-do’s to become financially independent like Carina.
Investing, investing, investing
‘I have been experimenting a lot in terms of investing. I got excited about things like crypto and bots, but that quickly turned into a fiasco. Take it from me: if something sounds too good to be true, it is. I have become more cautious about investing, don’t put my money anywhere anymore. I now invest passively in equity funds through ASN, because ASN is a sustainable bank. And I invest for extra retirement at Brand New Day. By now I have invested a total of €17,500, which I am quite proud of. So my long-term goal is to work less and chase my passion for dogs. That includes my dream house, where I have enough space to accommodate the dogs. Of course, that house comes with a price tag. As soon as our current house is completely fixed up, I’m going to rethink my financial plan. What do I need to do in the next nine years to make my dream come true? I don’t mind if it takes longer than nine years, when I’ll be forty, but at least I’ll know where I stand. And just that, gives peace of mind.
