Planning

What is net worth and how to calculate yours

June 26, 2026

Your current account balance tells you how much money you have right now. Your net worth tells you how much you’re worth financially. Those are two very different numbers, and the second one is far more useful for making decisions.

You might have 5,000 euros in the bank and an 80,000-euro mortgage, a car loan, and two credit cards with outstanding balances. Your balance looks reasonable; your net worth is probably negative. Or you might have almost nothing in your current account because all your savings are in an investment fund and a Treasury bill. Your balance looks worrying; your net worth is actually solid.

personal finance net worth assets liabilities planning

From 80 to 400 euros a month: how to prepare your finances for when the tarifa plana ends

May 26, 2026

When you registered as an autónomo (self-employed worker), the tarifa plana (the reduced flat-rate Social Security contribution for new freelancers) was probably the best news in the whole process. Eighty euros a month for your Social Security contribution. Nothing. A huge relief in the first few months, when income is still on its way and every euro counts.

The problem is what comes afterwards. Because the tarifa plana ends. And when it ends, it doesn’t go up a little: it multiplies by four or five all at once. And it coincides precisely with the moment when many autónomos start to have real income, so the blow gets mixed up with the first sizeable quarterly IVA (VAT) and IRPF (personal income tax) payments.

self-employed flat rate self-employed contribution cash flow planning

Emergency fund: how much do you need and how to calculate it based on your real expenses

April 25, 2026

The emergency fund is one of the most repeated concepts in any personal finance conversation. And for good reason: it’s the first real step toward financial stability, the cushion that turns an unexpected event into an inconvenience rather than a crisis.

The problem is that most explanations out there about emergency funds are too generic. “Save three to six months of expenses” is reasonable advice, but not very helpful if you don’t know exactly how much you spend or what to include in that calculation.

personal finance savings emergency fund planning