You have probably been inundated with newspaper articles about your savings in recent weeks and months — online and offline. Apparently Belgians are sitting on an enormous pile of savings, amounting to a cool 275 billion euros. What is more, interest on savings account is low and is predicted to remain that way in the future — or even get lower. 

Very often, people don’t know what to do with their reserves, so they simply leave their savings in the bank. That makes it almost impossible to earn a yield on them — certainly at the current rate of inflation, which is almost 1.9%.

At the Upgrade Academy, we aim to share our knowledge with our stakeholders. So we thought it would be useful to organise a webinar on savings and give you insight into alternative savings and investment formulas.

First aid for investing

Our CFO, Jean-Marie Vanderstichele, took the microphone and presented “First Aid for Investing”. Below we outline the most important tips he gave. 

There is a recommended order to do things:

1. Savings account: some of your savings need to stay in your savings account as a buffer against unexpected expenses, e.g. on your house or car, or personal setbacks such as illness or unemployment. General advice: 3 to 6 months’ net pay.
2. Pension and long-term savings account: pensions and long-term savings accounts are tax-saving options that can lead to reduced taxes.
3. Investments: a wide range of alternatives to traditional savings products such as shares, bonds, investment funds, art, property etc. 

If you want to invest, Jean-Marie has five important recommendations for you. Investing: 

1. Is something you only do with money you can do without for a relatively long period;
2. Works best if you spread your savings across a range of investment products;
3. Is done by deciding for yourself when to buy and/or sell;
4. Requires a knowledge of what you are investing in and understanding the risks;
5. Needs patience. ?

Find out more at www.wikifin.be and www.fsma.be

Find the ideal investment formula

Jean-Marie also spoke in more detail about the different forms of investment and compared them to each other.

Investing in Upgrade Estate – i.e. in Upkot or an Upliving project – mainly stands out from other investment products due to its low risk, low initial costs and, as existing investors have said, because it is hassle-free (no administration or follow-up). What is more, you can count on an annual cash yield from these projects with no extra costs or taxes being charged.

In addition, Upgrade Estate sets itself apart from other market players through the following strengths:

1. Complete management of the projects
2. Environmental sustainability
3. Added value to society
4. An astute, innovative spirit
5. Customer-centricity, with a customer-friendly culture
6. Youthful architecture with a unique interior experience.

Make a no-obligation appointment to find out more about our investment options.