How do you become financially free if you are employed? Well, by just getting started. Lisanne’s (30) investment portfolio now stands like a house. And speaking of houses, she has since made her first real estate investment. How she works on her financial freedom alongside her job can be read here.
- 30 (almost 31)
- Single
- Payroll
- Side hustle: Expatkids
- Member of Elfin since 2021
Financially free and employed
‘I still work 40 hours a week in paid employment, yet I already feel a little bit financially free. I have a buffer so I don’t have to worry about unforeseen expenses, and my fixed salary is high enough that I can make the choices I want. That’s also what financial freedom means to me: that I can go wherever I want. Sports, travel, explore the world. I am a teacher and I am interested in how school systems work in other countries. My dream is to set up my own school one day.’
Invest, invest, invest
‘Being financially free for me also means that I no longer have to work every day because I have sufficient passive income streams. For that, I am well on my way, even if I say so myself. My most recent investment is two garage boxes, the second of which will be completed soon. A lot of time goes into learning about real estate investments and researching cases, but then it pays off. I currently have €26,000 invested in real estate from which I get gross €240 and net €150 per month in passive income. Once both garage boxes are completed soon, I want to invest another €700 per month in shares. Meanwhile, I have €12,000 invested in my investment portfolio. I invest passively in gold and silver every month and actively buy bitcoin and the stocks and ETFs I already have in my portfolio. I look for new stocks or ETFs once every three months.
Just do it
‘I can imagine all those numbers dizzying you – it was the same for me at first. I first thought in shortages, that money was not for me. But then I started reading more about it, books, blogs, and took Elfin’s Starting to Invest course. It’s important that you make a plan and start executing it, and don’t get distracted by all sorts of other possibilities along the way. I still find that difficult, though. I currently have a side hustle, Expatkids, where I inform expat parents about the Dutch school system through an online training. I think it would be great to also help them find the right school and even housing. But also a next real estate investment seems interesting to me and the other day I heard Lieke talking about an affiliate websites. But it is better to focus on one thing, otherwise it will take twice as long. So that’s what I’m doing right now.’
There is a tool for everything
‘The biggest insight I’ve gained recently is that with money, you make money. It pays not only to invest, but to invest in a knowledgeable financial advisor or join a community, like Elfin. And seek out like-minded people. Help each other, support each other and don’t give up when things get too much or too complicated for a while. For example, I wanted to calculate how much passive income I need so I don’t have to work anymore. Well, they just have a tool for that at Elfin. You see, money is not difficult.
This or that?
In the world of finance and investing, there is no such thing as 1 truth. Choices you make are personal. We asked Lisanne about her preferences.
Save or invest? Investing.
Sale or full price? Sale.
Active or passive investing? Passive.
Investing in Chanel or in stocks? Shares
Side hustle or focus on more salary? Side hustle.
Do you also want to start discovering step by step what investing can do for you? 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 Lisanne.
