I’m struggling with how to treat my apartment in my calculations. On paper, my Net Worth looks great, but if I exclude my primary residence, I’m barely halfway to my FIRE number
Earning around €50k gross in the Netherlands and after taxes and living costs I’m able to invest roughly €1.2k a month, mostly into broad ETFs. I’m trying to figure out if this is actually enough to hit FIRE before 50 or if I’m being a bit too optimistic with that timeline
I’m based in the Netherlands and want to invest in a simple, low-cost index fund that’s tax efficient for Dutch tax rules. Most advice I find online is all about US ETFs, but I want to avoid dividend withholding issues and leakage that can hit returns when investing through foreign funds. Does anyone here invest in something that works well for Dutch residents specifically? Preferably broad global exposure without tax drag, and with low fees. What do you use and why?
Most FIRE content online is very US-focused, with things like 401(k)s, Roth IRAs and all kinds of tax-advantaged accounts doing a lot of heavy lifting. In the Netherlands it feels like a completely different game, with Box 3 taxes, limited deductions, and pensions that are nice but not really flexible for early retirement. Sometimes it feels like taxes alone add several extra years to the journey. I’d love to hear from people actually pursuing FIRE here how you structure your investments and whether you feel the Dutch tax system fundamentally slows things down compared to what you see in US-based FIRE stories.