
Pay Off Your Mortgage or Invest? The Math Is Only Half the Story
Paying down a mortgage saves interest, but a repayment charge can absorb years of the advantage over savings. Compare the full cost before tying up your cash.

A payout makes unused leave look like spare cash. But selling a day off can be easier than buying the same time back.

Paying down a mortgage saves interest, but a repayment charge can absorb years of the advantage over savings. Compare the full cost before tying up your cash.

A company may support a good job without generating much profit beyond it. Pricing the founder’s work reveals the difference, with a look at the Dutch DGA salary rule.

Inflation can reduce the real value of a fixed debt while leaving less cash for the next payment. The missing link is income, timing and the loan contract.

A bond can keep paying the same interest while losing market value. See how price, yield and repayment fit together, and what to check before buying.

A Dutch income tax penalty needs its own review. Check the filing timeline, gather evidence and understand how to object before the six-week deadline expires.

Bijtelling adds a car benefit to Dutch taxable income. Work through the 2026 rates, used-car values and private mileage rules before estimating the tax cost.

Your Dutch filing deadline starts with your invitation letter. Check extensions, filing without an invitation and the separate five-year window for earlier refunds.

Options and futures can protect an existing position or create a new risk. Understand the contract, exposure and deadline before focusing on possible returns.

A business trip does not make a foreign traffic fine tax-deductible. Follow the payment through your Dutch bookkeeping and tax return without correcting it twice.
01
Rules, returns and what they mean for your money.
02
The financial choices behind a place to call home.
03
Buffers, everyday spending and money for later.
04
Returns, risk and the decisions behind them.
05
Income after work and choices you can make today.
06
Bookkeeping, cash flow and the cost of running a business.
People & perspectives
Tax adviser Farshad Bashir helps readers understand Dutch tax and everyday money decisions. Explore his background and the subjects he writes about.
Also read Geldmens, our Dutch sister site.