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Banking, taxes, insurance, and pensions in Germany explained for internationals — practical steps, real numbers, no jargon.
The English-language guide for internationals to Hausratversicherung (home contents insurance) in Germany: what it covers, what it costs, how to compare providers and when a renter actually needs it.
7 articles
The English-language guide to private and supplementary retirement saving in Germany for internationals — the 2027 Altersvorsorgedepot reform, Riester, Rürup (Basisrente), betriebliche Altersvorsorge, private pension insurance, and ETF vs subsidised pensions.
10 articles
The English-language guide to buying a home in Germany as an international — closing costs, property transfer tax by state, getting a Baufinanzierung mortgage, the notary-to-Grundbuch process, renting vs buying, and the home insurance you need.
10 articles
100% and 110% Vollfinanzierung let you skip the deposit, but at a real cost: +0.70pp to +1.2pp on the rate. What that means in euros, what lenders require, and the expat-specific qualifying bar nobody's German-language guide covers.
Every Baufinanzierungsrechner computes the same annuity: loan x (Sollzins + Tilgung) / 12. See it worked on a EUR 320,000 loan, compare bank, broker and portal calculators, and learn what the result leaves out.
Every Riester calculator online gives you a number with no formula behind it. Here's the actual Grundzulage + Kinderzulage + 4%-Eigenbeitrag math, worked by hand for a single earner and a two-child family.
Riester Rente payouts are taxed in full as income, not tax-free. See worked euro examples for the lifelong annuity and the 30% lump-sum option, sourced to current German tax rules.
Cancelling a Riester Rente counts as schädliche Verwendung and triggers repayment of Zulagen, tax benefits, and taxed growth. See the worked euro cost against three penalty-free alternatives.
Kfz-Versicherung premiums are up ~10% for 2026. Here's the Nov 30 deadline, the Sonderkündigungsrecht, and how to switch without losing your SF-Klasse.
Germany's 2027 pension reform replaces Riester with the Altersvorsorgedepot, letting savers hold ETFs with an optional (not mandatory) capital guarantee. A worked subsidy table shows a parent of two paying €1,800/year receives €1,140 back in state top-ups.
You started a plain ETF Sparplan - then Riester got scrapped for a state-subsidised ETF pension from 2027. Are you missing free government money? A worked 30-year break-even across a plain ETF Sparplan, Riester, and the new Altersvorsorgedepot shows exactly who each route suits.
A worked, original cost table shows what Hausratversicherung actually costs for 60/90/120 m² German flats, built from the 650 €/m² Versicherungssumme rule and real published Tarifzone rates — showing why an identical policy can cost 2–4x more depending only on postcode.
Betriebliche Altersvorsorge lets you convert salary into a workplace pension tax-free up to €8,112 in 2026, with a mandatory 15% employer top-up. The catch: full income tax and full statutory health and long-term-care contributions apply when the Betriebsrente pays out later.
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