ZZP (€150k revenue) & Partner (€100k) — Optimizing Box 3 + Lijfrente
Hi everyone,
Writing in English as it’s more comfortable for me. I am looking for a sanity check on my long-term investing and pension strategy as a zzper.
Financial Profile
My Situation: 33M, Freelancer (ZZP), projected 2026 revenue: €150k (excl. VAT). Minimal pension built up so far.
Partner Situation: €100k salary as an employee. Good pension built so far.
Housing: Co-own an affordable primary residence (50/50 split), 28 years remaining on the mortgage.
We don't have kids yet, but would like some in the next few years.
Current Portfolio: €0 in stocks/index funds. Starting completely from scratch. Partner has no stocks either. We had a lot of expenses on the home and other shit. Both have some cash in savings still.
For my taxable portfolio (Box 3), I want to establish a simple, automated monthly investment plan for the next 10–20 years. My initial thought is to buy VWCE monthly via DEGIRO, accepting the Box 3 tax burden in exchange for immediate liquidity. However, I need a sanity check on how significant the dividend leakage of an Irish-domiciled fund like VWCE actually is compared to a Dutch-domiciled Northern Trust lineup (World + EM + SC) through a major bank like ING. Given the heavy Box 3 tax environment, is the simplicity of a one-fund broker setup worth the performance drag from leakage and platform fee differences?
In parallel, I want to utilize my jaarruimte and reserveringsruimte to lower my current top-bracket income tax bill and build a retirement safety net through a tax-deferred pension (lijfrenterekening). I am considering opening a pension account on DEGIRO to buy VWCE there as well, but I am unsure if dividend leakage impacts a locked pension account the exact same way it does a standard Box 3 account.
Additionally, I would appreciate feedback on whether DEGIRO is a genuinely efficient vehicle for a pension account, or if dedicated Dutch providers like Brand New Day or Meesman are structurally superior for this purpose. Or any other feedback to be honest on balancing pension contributions with a simple degiro ETF portfolio.
Thanks a lot!