So teilen wir unser Geld 💰(Finanzen bei deutschen Paaren) - PODCAST - Learn German Fast

Hello and welcome to a new podcast. Woohoo! I'm happy to be back. Woohoo! Thank you for always participating. Be sure to write us in the comments if you want to see us more often. Together. My name is Natalia. I'm your German teacher. And this is my husband, Tobias. Do you have an idea what we're talking about today? No, no idea. Lies! We've discussed a few topics, but I haven't said what we're going to talk about today. And today I want to talk to you, my darling, about money. Oha! That's a sensitive topic. Yes, it is. So I've prepared a few questions. Oh yes! Great, great! And I'm excited. I hope we won't argue today. We'll try. We'll try, yes. All of you who don't understand me or Tobias very well can download the entire script of our conversation for free now. You can find the link to the script in the info box below this video. And if you're just learning German and need even more support, if you want to learn together with a teacher, then you can find a teacher at Preply. Preply is a platform with thousands of qualified teachers. We've been working together for years. I trust Preply. I myself did Spanish lessons at Preply and I know that they have incredibly great qualified teachers who can help you learn German. With my code NATALIA50 you get a 50% discount on your first lesson. You can find the link to Preply in the info box below this video. If you don't know where and how to start, if you're not sure what the right way is to learn German, then you absolutely need a teacher who accompanies you, who supports you and helps you to be better every day. You can also practice your speaking with a teacher. You can speak German at least one hour a week, two or three times a week. If you have so much German lessons, then you'll get really good in no time. You'll make progress very quickly. Click on the link now, use my code, find a teacher with whom you're on the same wavelength and start today. It's already October. There are only two months left until the end of the year. In these two months you can easily reach the next German level. I believe in you. You just have to take the first step. Good luck! And we'll start now. Let's go. I would say we'll talk briefly about why the topic of finance and money is generally exciting in a relationship. What do you think? Well, it depends on how you grew up with it, whether you manage your finances as a couple or everyone for themselves. You have to clarify everything in the course of a relationship. Not immediately, but after a while you have to clarify how you handle it. Because money can always lead to stress. And in a relationship you don't want to have stress. I was just about to say that money is probably one of the most controversial points in families. General statistics, maybe. What is the average income in Germany? Maybe the... I don't know. But what do you think, what is the framework? I think the median is probably three, three and a half thousand euros. And I wrote down here, typical expenses of a German family are apartment, car, insurance, leisure time. Could you add anything else? That actually covers the whole life, right? With a car, I would not only take a car, but general means of transport. But the car is probably, if you have one, the biggest. And 30% to 40% also makes up the apartment. So that's why that's the biggest part. And what would you say, how often is money talked about in Germany? Very closed. Is that a taboo topic? Yes, there is a saying that says, you don't talk about money, you have it. I don't think that's a good saying. I think you should talk about money. Not with everyone. I don't have to tell anyone in the pedestrian zone what I earn or how much money I have or don't have. But I think in a relationship you should talk about money. Because in the 50s, maybe the man earned money and brought the money home. And the woman was at home taking care of the children and cooking. And the money was there. But today we have completely different models. Both partners earn money. And then you have to see how to best organize your life together. And then you should talk about it. And how was that in your family? How did you grow up? Was money talked about openly? Did you get financial education from your parents? Or was it a taboo topic anyway? You didn't talk about it. In my family, we always talked about it. If we were interested in something, we talked about it anyway. And it was the same with finances. But only if you were interested in it? Or did your parents actively teach you how to deal with money? Yes, that was part of the education. That you talk about it. How is it? That starts with the pocket money. How much pocket money do you get? What should you spend it on? What not? If the pocket money is all, what did you spend it on? Were these the things you needed? Of course, we also talked about it. And accordingly, we were also taught how to deal with money. And so on and so forth. So we talked a lot about it within the family. But in society, you don't necessarily talk about it. Unfortunately. That's very exciting. In my family, we almost never talked about money. I would say that it wasn't a taboo topic. But you just didn't talk about it. And yes, I would be interested how it was in your family. So please share your experiences in the comments. Write to us from which countries you come from. And yes, how it was in your families. Is money a taboo topic? Or not? Okay, we go to point 3. Our personal financial structure. So a little bit. I wanted to give an insight into our budget. Into our family. To become a little more open with you. I even wrote it down. Fixed costs, variable costs. Saving and investing. So fixed costs are clear. Rent, insurance. I need an Excel table. Yes, Tobias is our Excel guru. Variable, food, leisure, clothing. Saving, investing. Clear. What would you say? How do we share? So what system do we have for our budget and our finances? So we first calculated what we have in fixed costs per month. There is the rent, there are insurances, there are phone bills, and so on and so forth. Internet. And then we split it in half. Depending on whether you earn about the same or not, you should do that. I think you can keep it a bit variable. That's a good point. That's a good point for everyone who may not be sure how to split the costs. So in Germany you would say that most couples split it 50-50, right? Could be. We'll get to that later. But that's a good point. If one of the partners earns significantly more than the other, then it's worth at least talking about the fact that the fixed costs are also distributed accordingly. So let's say one earns a lot more because he works a lot more and the other is more at home. Then he or she takes care of the household. Nevertheless, the one who earns more can also appreciate that a bit and say, okay, I'll take over a larger part of the rent. Everyone has to know how they want to do it, but these are just ideas that are floating around out there. Okay, so we talked about the fixed costs. How do we split our variable costs? So food, leisure, clothes, gifts. Everyone has to pay for the clothes themselves. I pay for my clothes myself. No, in general, we have the variable costs rather ... Whoever goes shopping from us pays. We both have access to our accounts. Most of the time I go shopping, which means that 90% of the purchases are paid by me. That's not true. That's okay. No, but apart from that, leisure, I don't know, recently we went swimming, I paid for that not just once. So that's why ... So we don't have a book on the variable costs. It's just variable. Depending on who wants, who can, who pays. That's a bit more relaxed for us. And somehow it balances out. Somehow it always fits. Exactly. But I think it's very, very atypical. In most families this is absolutely not the case. Many lead a book or divide it differently so that yes is also fair. And I mean ... I think that's okay too. Everything is fine. Everyone just has to know how he or she wants to do it. Sorry, I forgot to save and invest. Please, go ahead. That's your job. You always have to be careful that you save a little and don't spend all the money. That means we actually need an affiliate link from a neobroker. It's interesting. Can you roughly say how you would divide your net income? Yes. 30% or similar rent. Or in other words, you have the rent, you have the variable costs and you should save at least 25 to 30% of the net income. That would be optimal. It doesn't always work. Not in every situation. Everyone has to be aware that you stay dynamic. But that should be a guideline, especially if you don't have children that you save at least 30% of the net income. And if I say I earn 3,000 euros net, then I should save about 900 euros a month. And how do I save that? Do I just leave it on my savings account? Everyone has to know how to save. No financial advice. What options do you have? You can either leave it on your account or look for a daily account. Or if you want to invest you can invest in stocks or loans or ETFs, which is very common nowadays. What would you say is the safest? Safety is relative. You have to know how much risk you want to take. Stocks are more risky than loans. In general, the financial market is more risky than on a savings account. Depending on the country you live in, a bank can be a little more insecure than in other countries or be safer. That's why you can invest in cryptocurrencies, which can also be relatively risky. You just have to find your own way if you don't want to lose money. A safer loan where you earn less money. And the longer you think, the more you can do your own podcast. If you really want to hear a podcast about saving and investing, then we can at least talk about it. Of course, we can't give you any advice, but we can give you some tips and options. You have to think about it yourself and think about what you are willing to lose and what you would like to do and win with your portfolio. And then you have to adjust accordingly. Let's get to the challenges. Do you have any challenges in our 10 years of relationship? Money-wise? When we didn't have any, it was exhausting. Yes, without money it's exhausting. And that was pretty long. I always want to save more than you. That's true. But I think it's also cultural. It's a bit cultural. I would like to travel, discover the world. Buy new things. Tobias would like to save. I like it when the depot grows. I like it when my wardrobe grows. Well, as you just said. I also save a bit. Yes, I know. Finally. I also like to spend money. It's nice. You shouldn't overspend. You have to enjoy life a bit. Exactly. With pockets. When you don't have time to go to the German course. When you are very busy because you work or have a small child, then you can completely flexibly in your own pace complete my German courses. In all my intensive courses you train all skills. Read, listen, write and speak. The courses are designed for 8 weeks. In 2 months you can reach the next level. The courses are built according to my interactive communicative method. With this method you have fun learning and you learn to communicate in German immediately. We don't read irrelevant, stupid texts. You don't just watch videos on the platform. These are complex coherent courses that take you step by step to the next level. The links to all intensive courses can be found under the video in the infobox and in the pinned comment. I look forward to welcoming you in one of my intensive courses. Stay tuned and stay busy. It goes on with the topic of finances. Okay, maybe one more question about the accounts. How do we do it? We do it normally with families you know. What? With the accounts and money distribution. How do we do it? Okay, I can take over the word. Everyone has his account and we transfer the fixed costs to one of the accounts and then they are debited. We also have joint credit cards. That's also an interesting thing because we like to collect points. That's why Tobias has a credit card that is linked to my account. I have his credit card and if mine doesn't work, I pay with his. And vice versa. Do you pay with mine sometimes? If mine works, help us. Good. Yes, of course. In our circle of friends people often have three accounts. A joint account and everyone has his. And a couple we know a very good and friendly couple of us has only one account. After they got married they cancelled their accounts their private accounts and opened one account a family account where all the money is transferred. The money from the wife and the husband so everything is in one pot. Yes. And everyone has to find his own way. But I think the three account model is quite good. Because you never know what will happen in life. You have the joint expenses and you can calculate it fairly. Depending on what you see as fair. And I mean we are not like no, this is my money, the rest. But you can also say if the other one needs some money you support each other. For that you are in a partnership. Exactly. We are mostly relaxed. And to the topic relaxed this is my next question. How do you communicate in a partnership, in a relationship about the money? And why is this open communication so important? Maybe we should invite a couple of coaches who can say that. That would be so cool. I would really like to invite someone. Open communication is always important. No matter if it is about finances or something else. Because if you live a common life you have to adapt to each other. You are so wise. I know. That was not an irony. Very good. I am happy. But you have to talk about it. Talk about it openly. And both sides have to accept that the other one can have a different opinion. If you want to live together you have to develop common opinions. Even if you have a different opinion you can convince each other or the other person. And see how it fits for both of you. So that both of you are happy. It is a long way. Yes. Especially the way of communication. I think it is not enough to talk about it only once. There are probably years of conversations that you have to lead. You have to understand each other. Do you have any typical misunderstandings that can occur in a relationship when you talk about money? For example fairness. What do I feel as fair? Because fairness is completely subjective. Who pays for what? What do I expect? What do you expect? And that is a big topic. And apart from that if you have a common account and one person buys gifts for the other and there is something funny on it as a receipt it can also lead to misunderstandings because you gave money to another woman even though you ordered something on the internet. Okay, that is too much. Do you have any tips on how to start or lead these uncomfortable conversations about money? What strategies could you use to have the conversation? It is important. It is difficult. I am very direct. I would just say we have to talk about how to manage money. I think it is a collective thing. If you don't talk about it this unfairness gathers in the head of one of the partners. I always pay for the groceries. I always pay for this. It is your own fault. If you think it is unfair you have to say I think we should talk about it. And then you can think which point of view could the other person have and then say do you see it this way? And if the person says yes you can say I see it this way. How can we talk about it? When is the right time to talk about it? When you think about it. Okay, good. I'll take it. I wanted to discuss another point. Money relationships in intercultural couples like with us. I'll explain the situation how it was with us in the beginning. I come from Ukraine and our society is very masculine. That means the man earns money the woman also earns money. But my money is my money your money is our money. It makes a lot of sense. And with these expectations I came into this relationship. Write in the comments if you know it. I am of a different opinion. Of course. It took some time years until I got rid of it. I can understand the man. Why should his money be our money and my money be my money? It's unfair. It's up to the viewer. That's right. At the moment I think it's fair to distribute the budget. At the moment. Maybe it will change. But I used to think the man has to pay for everything and I spend my money for my stuff. Or I don't spend it. And then the evil Tobias came and said we can share the fixed costs. But I think we were very flexible. If one of us didn't earn money the other took everything. And when we both earned money we shared it. That's a good point. There were different situations in our relationship. And since we both work full time it's clear and fixed. I think in multicultural couples it's the most important to talk about expectations. I think in multicultural couples it's important to talk about it. But it's important for everyone. Because there are differences We talked a lot about money and other families didn't. And if you don't talk about money there are no ideas for models. So it's important to talk about it. Right. Okay. I want to give you some practical tips. Hopefully, Tobias. Some practical tips on this topic finance, budget, planning. How do you keep an overview of the expenses? You can share what we do to get the feeling for the money and the income. You can start with an Excel table. I'm still not used to Excel. You can say how much do I earn per month? What's my net income? How much do I save? Then you can decide what you spend money on. Rent, car, travel expenses, and so on. That's fixed. You know that. You can put that into the Excel table depending on how you want to structure it. The next level is to include all expenses in the Excel table. Or you can use an app for that, a bookkeeping app. I don't remember the name. There are so many apps. You can google cost management or expense management app. You can enter what you earn, when you get money, or if you have IT people or programmers, you can create a link to an Excel sheet or an app. That's too complicated. To keep it simple, you can download this app and enter the income and expenses in the app. Then you can see how much is left at the end of the month. If you spend too much or too little. Or too little. But be careful! We also include savings. We include all investments so that we can see where all the money is. Then you have a nice view Savings, food, apartment, rent, insurance. You can see how much you spend every month. And also over time. What will be more, what will be less. I think that's the best and the easiest tip. You can start with that. I'm also looking forward to your stories and suggestions. How do you do it now? Do you do it at all or not? It took me a long time to finally do it. Yes. But it is so important. Financing is one of the most important topics in our life. Because if you spend too much money, you will never be relaxed. Then you always have the feeling that you have no money, that you can't afford anything. But most of the time, these are just little things that you have to change. Money is not the purpose, but the means to live. Yes, but a very, very important means. Okay, let's sum it up. I hope it wasn't too long. Open communication, that's the key in every relationship. In life, not just in a relationship. Exactly. Regular budget checks and bookkeeping, that's important. And... You always have to know how the situation is. Yes. In communication, again about cultural differences and expectations of each other. Let us know how you do it in your partnerships, in your relationships or want to do it in the future. And let us know what topics we should talk about if you... Or if you have questions. If Tobias comes more often, what topics should we discuss? What interests you? And yes, we wish you a wonderful day. We'll see each other next Sunday on my YouTube channel. And depending on the comments, we'll see each other again soon. Stay tuned and stay busy. Bye!