Master your life in Germany with a financial plan that actually travels with you.

I provide 100% neutral, fee-based advice tailored for expats. You’ll get a personalized portfolio, and my proprietary app to keep everything in English and under control.

Whether you stay for 2 years or 20, build your foundation on solid ground.

German Financial Survival & Growth Kit - designed for YOU

The Foundations App

Thanks to my proprietary financial planning app, you're always in control.

Your Portfolio

Diversified, low-cost, and portable. No 'black box' German insurance products.

Don't just follow recommendations - understand the 'why' behind.

Your pensions, existing investments, real estate and more - all integrated into one holistic plan.

Schedule a free call to find out how you too can get started:

About

I'm Hagai. I have been investing privately for over 20 years, in stocks, real estate, startup companies, and more.I made many mistakes (some of which you can read about here) and learned valuable (though expensive) lessons. All of this led me to develop a very simple and clear investment strategy - and from this, the FOUNDATIONS project was born.

Core Values

Transparent

I work for you, and for you only. I do not get any commissions or fees from banks, insurance companies or anyone else

Individual

Everybody's different, and there's no one-size fits all solution - my advice is always tailored to your needs, preferences and circumstances

No shortcuts

Building wealth is a long-term process which requires consistency and planning - I'm here to support you with exactly that

Long-term

Circumstances change, plans need to be updated your goals and dreams might change as well. I'm here to support you in the long-term

I will not try to sell you anything. I don't want to manage your money for you.

My only goal is to give you the knowledge and the confidence you need to get started, and support you on your own path to financial wellbeing

Frequently asked questions

What does "independent consultant" mean?

It means I work for you and get paid only by you, so my advice is 100% aligned with your best interest, and the strategy I recommend to you isn't influenced by commissions or compensation from any 3rd party.
I'm not affiliated with any bank, investment firm, insurance company etc.

How long does a consulting process take?

It's individual, but generally between 2 and 5 meetings. The duration varies significantly between different individuals. It depends on your circumstances, whether you have existing investments or private pensions, what other assets you have so on.

I have a company pension scheme (bAV) as part of my compensation, so my retirement is secured, right?

Unfortunately, not really. Having a company pension scheme is definitely better than only the standard pension, but in most cases those plans are sub-optimal, sometimes even not enough - it depends on the amounts that are deposited into the plan, in which products the money is invested, and what costs and fees are biting into your returns. If you have such a plan, I'll be happy to have a look and help highlight the pros and cons and suggest changes

I'm a high-earning employee, doesn't it mean my pension will be also high?

Sadly, that's not the case. The state pension scheme in Germany is quite old-fashioned, and even under the most optimistic scenarios, your future allowance will not be enough to maintain the standard of living you had prior to retiring. However, you can take a few simple actions now, to secure a much better financial future, through independent, long-term investments in low-costs ETFs

Why should I pay for financial consulting if I can get it for free?

It's been said many times before: "if you're not paying for it, you're the product".
In this case "free" might end up being very, very expensive. Why? because financial brokers (note - brokers, not independent consultants) get paid by banks, insurance companies and investments companies, who pay them hefty commissions for marketing their products. But those products are often not what's best for you! and some of them are very, very expensive, which means - less money for you in the long term

How can I tell if someone is really an independent consultant?

Easy - look for a "34h" permit. In the "impressum" or "imprint" section on their website you can always see the specific type of permit a person or a company holds. If it says "34h" - they're an independent consultant. Anything else, like 34f, 34d etc., means they're brokers - they broker and market investment products and get paid through commissions. It doesn't mean they're not professional or knowledgable, but they're interests are not necessarily aligned with yours.

Is there a minimum amount needed to start investing?

No. You could start with even just a small monthly investment, the most important thing is that you start. Time is your greatest friend when it comes to investing, so don't wait until "things stabilize", or until "you have more money" - it's much better to start as early as possible, and build from there.