u/Fire-Freelancer-BE

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some feedback from other business owners with a management company (besloten vennootschap)

I have a management company generating roughly €150k revenue per year, and I'm fairly confident I can maintain that level in the coming years. About four years ago, when I started, I put all my insurance and pension products with a single broker because it was the easiest option at the time.

Recently, a different broker challenged my current setup and suggested some alternatives, which got me thinking.

My current situation:

• VAPZ/VIPZ: about €250/month
• Guaranteed income insurance: about €100/month which provides around 1500 net per month (after taxes and end of year payments)

The new proposal is:

• Maximize IPT contributions instead, around €450/month
• Replace guaranteed income insurance with a turnover/revenue insurance that would cover roughly €11,000/month of company revenue if I become unable to work, costing around €300/month

On paper, the IPT + turnover insurance combination seems more logical to me.

If I were to become seriously ill, the turnover insurance would allow my company to continue operating, keep paying my salary, maintain my company car and other benefits, and generally avoid having the company collapse due to a long absence. The IPT also appears more attractive from a pension-building perspective.

At the same time, I'm also an active private investor and have generally seen much stronger returns from investing on the market.

What confuses me is that when I talk to other entrepreneurs, most seem to have a combination of VAPZ and IPT and gauranteed income. That makes me wonder whether I'm overlooking something important.

The proposed switch would cost me roughly €4,500 extra per year. However, if it genuinely provides better protection and a significantly higher pension outcome, it may be worth it.

For those of you running a management company:

• Do you combine VAPZ/VIPZ or just go for IPT?
• Do you have guaranteed income insurance or turnover insurance?
• If you had to choose today, how would you structure it?

Curious to hear how others approach this.

Hey everyone,

With the recent rise in semiconductor stocks, I’ve reached a point where I’d personally consider myself “CoastFIRE”. I currently have over €400k invested, and I plan to keep investing over the coming years.

On top of that, I’m self-employed through a management company, with a stable income and the ability to distribute dividends each year that I can continue investing. I was also fortunate enough to build my house at a relatively young age, and honestly, I can see myself living there for the rest of my life. My mortgage will also be fully paid off within the next 10 years, which gives me even more peace of mind regarding long-term living costs.

Because of that, I feel like a large part of my financial foundation is already covered.

I’ll also likely inherit a meaningful amount of assets and real estate in the future, but personally I already see that more as something I’d rather pass down earlier to my own children instead of fully using it myself. That’s also one of the reasons why I’m thinking more and more about long-term family wealth planning rather than purely personal wealth accumulation.

At this point, I feel like I’m already CoastFIRE, and by around 40 I’ll probably be able to reach LeanFIRE if I want to.

What I’m really looking for now is guidance from someone experienced in this space. Most of my knowledge today comes from reading online, Reddit, YouTube, books, and financial communities, but I’d like to sit down with someone who can help me think more strategically and holistically.

Some of the things I’d like advice on:

• Optimising my management company further through pension structures, insurance, and protection against health-related risks
• Understanding how early retirement would practically work in Belgium: for example, stopping work at 40 while still paying myself a salary/dividend from my company and investment portfolio
• The balance between private investments, company assets, and fiscal optimisation
• International tax considerations: I don’t currently see myself leaving Belgium because my children, family, and social life are here, but I do wonder whether there are legal structures or international strategies worth exploring long term
• The increasing Belgian tax pressure and how people prepare for that proactively
• Where the line is in Belgium between “goede huisvader” investing and speculative investing from a tax perspective
• How to transition from “building wealth” to “protecting wealth” from my 40s onward
• How to structure generational wealth for my children (and eventually grandchildren)

I’ve already spoken with my accountant and insurance broker, but I often feel they mainly focus on their own domain rather than looking at the full picture holistically.

I’m curious if people here have worked with advisors/family offices/planners that specifically help entrepreneurs in this stage of life, especially in Belgium.

Would love to hear experiences, recommendations, or things you wish you had done earlier.