Questions tagged [germany]
to be used for any question within the geographical region of Germany
306
questions
70
votes
4
answers
14k
views
MasterCard won't disclose who leaked my credit card details
I was recently informed, by the payment processing agency of my bank, that an online shop was compromised and that as a precaution my MasterCard credit card was frozen and replaced. There was no ...
- 603
59
votes
5
answers
16k
views
Borrowing money in one country to pay off debt in another
I'm currently living in Germany and can borrow a substantial amount of money at almost no interest, effective 3.4%.
In my home country I have several mortgages, basically at the moment funding ...
- 693
53
votes
4
answers
16k
views
Random and anonymous `western union´money transfers into my account, is it a scam?
Two months ago I received a money transfer of around 200 € into my account from a company called Custom House Financial UK, which turns out to be an affiliate of Western Union (ie. they do money ...
- 451
46
votes
5
answers
12k
views
When to stop saving and start investing?
Since I started my first job after graduating a few years back, I always saved a certain percentage of my salary each month on an extra savings account my bank offers. At that time, and until recently,...
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44
votes
12
answers
14k
views
Should I buy a house now before prices rise even more?
We rent an apartment in Frankfurt, Germany and we are contractually bound to it for another 1.5 years. We are 33 and 35 years old and there will be children soon. We make around 110k € annually (...
- 475
42
votes
6
answers
13k
views
What do I need to watch out for when receiving a large sum of money as a gift in Germany?
I live in Germany.
If my father would want to give me a large sum of money - let's say 10,000€ - what would be the safest, least bureaucratic way to do this? I'm an apprentice and I still receive ...
- 522
27
votes
6
answers
11k
views
Umlaut Character in Account Holder Name (German Bank)
I sent a payment through international bank transfer to Germany. But, the account holder name has special characters like ö, ä, ü, and etc. In my case, it's ü.
Is there any other words that are ...
- 403
26
votes
9
answers
8k
views
In Germany, how can I maximize the impact of my charitable donations?
I have recently reached a point in my life where I want to start making regular donations to worthwhile charities, but I have no idea which charity is most "deserving" of my money.
I understand that ...
- 381
19
votes
6
answers
4k
views
Do insurance rates depend on credit scores?
When reading up on credit scores, I came across this article. It contains this paragraph:
A bad score can become a black mark that leads to missing out on the home you want (credit checks are a ...
- 912
17
votes
5
answers
7k
views
Is my investment safe if the broker/bank I'm using goes into insolvency?
I'm using Scalable Capital as my broker. Once I buy ETFs through them, if Scalable Capital (or the bank they are partnered with) goes into insolvency, is my investment safe? I'm wondering if I should ...
- 335
17
votes
8
answers
6k
views
I have an extra 1000€ per month, what should I do with it?
I've seen a few questions like this here, but they all seem to be adressed to Americans and their way of life. Let me explain:
I am 27, single, live in Germany and recently got my first job, which ...
anon
17
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Should I pay myself a dividend or a salary?
I'm considering starting my own limited liability company in Germany (GmbH). However, I myself live currently most of the time in Spain (more than 183 days per tax year, the other time is business ...
- 473
16
votes
9
answers
4k
views
Why is the mandated minimal liability car insurance coverage so high?
All over the world, you need car insurance that covers the damages you do to others. In Austria and Germany, this insurance has to cover at least 7 790 000 € of damages. Isn't it a bit high?
This ...
- 455
12
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Why is the price of hydrogen (H2) in Germany fixed at 9.50 EUR per kg?
In Germany there are only a few H2 gas stations.
Why do they all have the same price? Why is the free market disabled here?
Which law is responsible and why was it created?
- 147
12
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What is the advantage of a Sparbuch, and how does this work?
In Germany, there apparently exists such a thing as a Sparbuch (literally: Savings book, apparently comparable to a passbook in the USA), mentioned in this answer. According to a recent news article, ...
- 3,161
12
votes
1
answer
26k
views
What happens with an international transfer in a different currency than my own?
My customers are in Germany and I told them to pay the money for me using a bank transfer. I gave them the swift code and the IBAN and other information, but the problem is that I forgot to tell ...
- 223
11
votes
6
answers
3k
views
Negative p.a. rate for a 12-month loan
I ran across this offer (German) which basically promises me 1000 euros for free (or rather, they give me an additional 4 euros), and as far as the given offer shows, there are no further costs or ...
- 119
11
votes
8
answers
8k
views
Is it better to take highest mortgage you can afford?
My partner and I are looking to buy at the moment. I won't get into all the details but we live in Germany, have a budget in mind and have talked with a few brokers and providers.
Our idea for the ...
- 111
11
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Should the bank cover money lost due to an unsuccessful transfer?
Recently I have transferred money from Deutsche Bank, Germany to Standard chartered Bank, India. My transaction was not successful due to an Indian Government policy change for demonetization. The ...
- 219
10
votes
1
answer
6k
views
How to pay taxes for ETFs in Germany?
When I invest in ETFs and I generate profit, do I have to pay taxes for the distribution or the appreciation of value of my ETF positions? If yes, how to pay these taxes and where? Is this ...
- 139
10
votes
7
answers
7k
views
Bank account in Germany for non-residents?
I'm an EU citizen currently working in Germany. I have a bank account there, but when my contract ends, I'll probably migrate to other country, but it's likely I'd return there after some time.
I ...
- 446
9
votes
6
answers
72k
views
How do I calculate net monthly salary (after taxes) in Germany?
If I were to say that my yearly, gross salary was 50,000 euros, then what would be my monthly net after-tax income?
For example, this calculator looks OK to me: http://calculatenetsalary.com/...
- 191
9
votes
4
answers
4k
views
Ways to invest my saved money in Germany in a halal way?
I will be graduating soon from university with a masters degree in computer science. I will get a good salary when I start working and I will save about 1000 euros each month. However I'm looking for ...
- 221
8
votes
2
answers
42k
views
German stock exchange, ETR vs FRA
I am looking at the BMW stock for instance in google finance.
Presented are two tickers:
ETR:BMW
https://www.google.com/finance?q=ETR%3ABMW&ei=uNGuU-CSGeP3wAPw-IC4Cg
and
FRA:BMW
https://www....
- 223
8
votes
3
answers
505
views
Are there any more or less tax-efficient assets in Germany?
Is there anything (legal, non-obscure, serious, etc.) a private, personal, non-expert investor can or should be careful about to improve on the amount of taxes paid? I mean actual financial ...
- 827
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Invest in Vanguard Index Funds (from Germany)
I am planning to invest in Vanguard Index Funds while living/working in Germany, but only interested in specific ones (see below). But I cannot seem to find them via brokers that I usually do my ...
- 183
7
votes
2
answers
9k
views
Credit rating in Germany
A multitude of questions address the issue of credit ratings and FICO scores in the US and other countries. I am however specifically asking how credit scores (SCHUFA) work in Germany. From various ...
- 365
7
votes
1
answer
4k
views
How important is the beneficiary field in a bank transfer in the Euro zone?
When doing a bank transfer in Germany (and probably by now other countries that have Euro with IBAN and BIC) you have to give a beneficiary. In German, that is either called Kontoinhaber or ...
- 223
7
votes
2
answers
304
views
Stock markets and dividends: When exactly does one need to own shares to be entitled to the dividend? [duplicate]
I have a more or less formal question regarding dividends.
If a company pays an (annual) dividend of - say - 5%, this is voted for/against on the annual general meeting. Now, the dividend is paid ...
- 115
7
votes
2
answers
334
views
What's the easiest legal way to receive small amounts of money in Germany?
I'm currently running a rather small online service with about 100-200 active users. In the past I paid all expenses, mainly the servers, myself.
Now that the service reached this number of users, I ...
- 171
7
votes
2
answers
411
views
What are the costs of being an unsuccessful freelancer for a year?
I'm trying to get a rough idea what being an unsuccessful freelancer in IT for a year would cost. Unsuccessful means not being able to bill a single hour for the year and therefore having no income.
...
- 173
6
votes
6
answers
609
views
If I carry a lot of money from Germany to Spain, what can go wrong?
Currently I have a bank account at Deutsche Bank with approximately 30k€ I have collected working and saving money. I want to move all this money to my Spanish bank account. I have already phoned them ...
- 165
6
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Can IRS levy a bank account in Germany?
Does anyone know if the IRS can levy my bank account in Germany? I bank with Commerzbank. From what I have read, if the bank has a branch in the USA
(Commerzbank only has one) they can seize your ...
user55650
6
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Net salary in Germany for programmers
I got an offers as a freelancer to work from Germany (the company is not German but I will live in Germany when I'll work for them).
Since I'll be a freelancer in need to give them an hourly rate for ...
- 181
6
votes
2
answers
3k
views
What happens if you don't pay your credit card debt in Germany?
Thanks to COVID-19 I've lost my job, and I spent my money right and left very stupidly, and now I am in credit card debt of €3000.
The bank blocked my account due to nonpayment for 3 months, and today ...
- 63
6
votes
3
answers
8k
views
Where/Who do I have to notice the family status (after marriage) change to in Germany?
I live in Germany, and I have recently gotten married.
Since this change affects my income taxes - I need to notify Finanzamt (tax office). Do I do it by some letter or by coming in and filling in ...
- 190
6
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Italy BTP vs. German Bund spread. Care to explain?
I hear a lot of chatting about BTP/Bund spread recently. I am not familiar with this concept. Could you explain what it is and what it means, in layman's terms?
- 243
6
votes
5
answers
10k
views
Investment options for a 26 year old living in Germany
This question might seem quite broad, but my intention is just to get some basic understanding of the investment options available in Germany considering the fact that I am new to the world of ...
- 61
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to prepare to purchase a house? (Germany)
I'm in my late twenties and want to prepare for my future life. I've no debts and a small amount in savings, but I'm going to need some for my marriage this summer. Now I want to prepare for our ...
- 203
6
votes
1
answer
260
views
In Germany: can i live in a Betriebstaette to circumvent payment of the Rundfrunkbeitrag
While for a flat a person has to pay 17 sth. € per month, while for a Betriebstätte with one person working a company only has to pay 5.99 €.
As the company doesn't have to pay anything at all if the ...
- 163
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
How to reclaim the value-added tax when buying something on eBay?
I want to buy a digital graphics pad/touchscreen on eBay for technical drawings.
Because the article's seller is based in Germany, and I live in Switzerland, and because the article is worth more ...
- 655
6
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Loan to buy a real estate in Germany
Today I have a question about home-loans: I started saving money to raise a small capital in order to submit a request for a loan and since I am totally new to this topic (and some language barriers ...
- 171
6
votes
1
answer
291
views
What kind of insurance do I need for my little house in a garden?
There is a small house located in my orchard in Germany. The orchard contains mostly fruit trees and is situated in a landscape protection area. The house has two stories and is built of stone, but it ...
- 205
6
votes
2
answers
355
views
In which country do I pay capital gain taxes, as a German with a US Internship?
This year, I did an internship in the US, and during that time I bought some stocks. Now I am back in Germany, and got dividend payments on these stocks, and also want to sell some of them soon. ...
- 183
5
votes
3
answers
521
views
Job offer Purchasing manager
Been talking with a lady from Germany that wants me to be a purchasing manager. Here is the info I got
This work-at-home position is responsible for generation of purchase orders using Company's ...
5
votes
3
answers
3k
views
I still have my German bank account, but I'm not residing within the EU anymore. Can I use it to receive EU income?
I lived in Germany for 2 years (up until earlier this year) and used my Comdirect bank account to receive my salary while I was working there. Fast-forward and I leave my job and return to my home ...
- 159
5
votes
3
answers
415
views
When would it be better to pay my public transport ticket at once vs. in 12 monthly installments?
I live in Germany and I use public transport to go to work. I have a yearly public transport ticket which costs 1000€. The transport association offers me the choice of paying 1000€ in one transfer ...
- 161
5
votes
3
answers
12k
views
Tax class change in Germany?
I moved 2 months ago to Germany from Dubai for a new job. I am placed in tax class 1 (steuerklasse 1). I am married but because my wife was waiting for her long stay visa (she is non eu passport ...
- 51
5
votes
4
answers
564
views
Does it make sense to invest in real-estate if you do not have any heir to your investments?
We are an expat couple (< 30 years old) currently living in Germany. We are wondering about the long term benefits of investing in real estate when we do not have a plan to have children of our own ...
- 211
5
votes
2
answers
271
views
How can I practically buy bonds?
A moderately low risk of investment is a government bond. If I understand correctly, I spend €1000 on a 5-year bond at a yield of 1%, then in 5 years I get back 1000*(1.01)**5=€1051.01, unless the ...
- 3,161