- 3/5/2024

"It's easier than I thought"

2 min

Rob has just graduated and is starting as an IT specialist at a communications agency. He wants to start saving immediately in order to buy a house within a few years. Rob also decides to set aside some money for his pension. This is his story.

Saving now for later

"I want to be financially secure later in life"

Rob is preparing well for the future:

"I got it from my parents: save as much as you can and buy your own home as soon as possible. When I was studying, I had student jobs for some extra pocket money or to travel. Now that I'm starting to work, I want to save for my own home. By the end of this year, I'll be moving in with a few friends. We'll rent for a year or three and then try to buy something." 

To buy a home, you need a lot of savings. So, Rob called the bank for advice. He learned that in addition to setting aside money for the purchase of a home, it's also a good idea to set aside a portion of his income for his pension through tax-advantaged savings. 

This convinced Rob to save money

"I had heard of pension savings, but I didn't know much about it," says Rob. "Through my job, some savings are being set aside for a supplementary pension through a group insurance plan." 

"25 euros is something I can easily spare each month"

Rob was quickly convinced: “I can start tax-advantaged savings from as little as 25 euros per month. When I live alone, I'll have a lot of expenses like gas, rent, water and electricity. But 25 euros is something I can spare. By simply eating out at a restaurant one less time, I've already got it covered! And if it doesn't work out, I can always skip a month's payment.'

Why it pays off to start as early as you can

Thousands of euros more saved

Rob: “My contact person at the bank calculated it with me: how much will I have saved by the time I'm 65 if I start now? 

Well, I could save a lot more if I start saving for my pension now - rather than waiting until I'm 40. That's also because of the returns I'll earn on the money I've saved. Since I can save so much more, I've decided to just go ahead and do it now.” 

Calculate your own pension

Do you know how much pension you'll receive after your career? Or how much you've already saved for your supplementary pension?
On mypension.be, you can find your pension calculations and career data. Read more about the pension gap and how to avoid falling into it.