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// hi, I’m Markus Behmann
I write about money, freedom and what the state does with both.
German founder of VEONIO and Nerdy.Money, at home somewhere between Malta, Estonia and Dubai. I build with AI every day, I’m a Hayek fan, and every number here comes with a source.
- 18 articles
- 8 free calculators
- no ads, no sales call
// fresh from the keyboard
The latest. Numbers first, then my opinion.
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Your home is their hostage. How Europe turned property into a bad deal, and where owning still pays
Transfer taxes, rent caps, eviction bans, climate rules, levies: how Europe made property a bad deal, where owning still pays, and a calculator for 21 cities.
Uphill money: why the EU budget makes poorer households pay for richer ones
Households in Germany, Austria and Finland pay for richer ones in Malta and Cyprus. Where EU money comes from, what leaks, and a fairer key.
Compound interest is eating France, and the euro has bricked up the exit
France owes 119% of GDP and the interest bill is snowballing. The maths, why Frankfurt won’t help and what it means for your savings and your home.Own your future: why I don’t outsource mine to the state
Hayek, state budgets from Berlin to Rome and why I plan my money as if the state won’t show up. Safety net yes, financial planner no.// what I write about
Five topics. One question: who decides about your money?
Every topic has its own page: the articles to read first, and the calculators that go with them.
0x01 // investing
Own the world. Pay almost nothing for it.
latest Your parents vs you. Why the young are cooked on housing, and who did the cooking
9 articles
0x02 // freedom
Freedom is a number. Find yours.
latest Uphill money: why the EU budget makes poorer households pay for richer ones
5 articles
0x03 // pension
Your pension has a bug. Patch it yourself.
latest Your pension has a bug – and it’s the same bug all over Europe
1 article
0x04 // build
Saving has a floor. Income has no ceiling.
latest Why earning more beats saving more
2 articles
0x05 // ai & tech
Robots are great at spreadsheets. Terrible at prophecy.
latest AI and your money: great intern, terrible oracle
1 article
0x06 // across topics
Property, the state and your taxes.
No page of their own. They turn up in every topic anyway.
Property 3The state & taxes 8
// free · no sign-up · runs in your browser
Don’t trust me. Do the maths.
Three of my calculators, right here on the page. Your numbers stay in your browser.
When does work become a choice?
Three numbers, one minute. Your savings rate decides it, not your boss and not a ministry. The full version also counts what you’ve already invested and a pension, and draws the chart.
the articleHow much until you’re financially free? The 4% rule, tested for EuropeReadYour parents vs you: what did a home cost then?
Your parents bought in
%
Deposit only, without buying costs. Saving time ignores interest and pay rises, for both of you.
%
Set to the typical rate in that country. Try the 1% of 2021.
All countries over time
Your country in teal, your parents’ decade and today in yellow. Tap a grey line to switch to that country.
| Country | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | now |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 7.8 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 6.6 | 7.6 |
| 🇫🇷 France | – | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 6.4 | 4.3 | 5.0 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 4.8 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | – | 2.6 | 3.4 | 5.9 | 4.7 | 6.4 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | – | 2.9 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 5.1 | 4.8 |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | – | – | – | 4.7 | 5.6 | 6.2 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 3.3 | 3.6 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.8 |
Years of income: price of a typical home divided by a typical annual income, scaled back in time with official price and income series; definitions differ by country (see the article’s method note), so compare the trend within a country more than the level between countries. Payment: annuity on the typical loan share and term of that year, as a share of the same income; “after 10 years” keeps the payment and lets income grow as it actually did. Real price: OECD real house price index, 2015 = 100. A dash means no reliable figure.
Did your parents really have it easier?
Pick your country and the decade your parents bought in. Then see how many years of income a home cost them, and how many it costs you.
the articleYour parents vs you. Why the young are cooked on housing, and who did the cookingReadWhat will the state really pay you?
Age, salary, what you need. Then flip from what is promised to what the budget can afford. A promise can be changed with one vote, your own money can’t.
the articleYour pension has a bug – and it’s the same bug all over EuropeRead// more to play with
$ buy --or-rentBuy or rent?Month by month, for your city. With the rate shock and the costs the brochure leaves out.In the article $ eu --fair-keyA fairer EU budget keySplit the bill your way: by income, by typical wealth, by debt. Then see who pays what.In the article
$ compound --monthly 300
Compound interest
What a boring monthly savings plan turns into. Before and after inflation.
Open
$ fees --compare
Fund fees
What 1.5% a year costs you over 30 years. Sit down first.
Open
// whoami
Why I write all this.
I build companies and software, and I like money questions you can settle with a spreadsheet instead of a talk show. VEONIO and Nerdy.Money are mine. Retirement isn’t on my list. I like working too much.
Friedrich Hayek had a name for the big mistake of our time: the pretence of knowledge. The belief that some central office can plan what millions of very different people need. The state as a safety net? Fine by me. The state as your financial planner? Yeah, no. So I write down what I find out, with sources, and you make your own call.
// house rules
- 01Maths over opinions.
If a claim can’t survive a calculator, it doesn’t make it onto this site.
- 02Costs are the only sure thing.
Returns are a maybe. Fees are a promise. Cut the promise.
- 03Boring wins.
One global fund and a standing order beat most clever ideas. Sorry.
- 04Income is a lever.
You can’t save what you don’t earn. So go build something.
- 05No gurus. Me included.
Every number here has a source. Don’t trust me. Check it, then make your own call.