Tom van Hooijdonk (30), Commercial Advisor at Shell, lives and works in Qatar. His girlfriend lives in the Netherlands.  

If you could go back to your teenage years, what financial advice would you give yourself?
"Live a bit more sparingly and spend a little more intentionally."

If it comes to money, what sort of person are you?
"I work hard, not just to save, but in fact to live. I am also not particularly materialistic, but rather like the fun experiences and awesome holidays. I don't skimp on healthy living either. I would get unhappy if I didn't work out, so I gladly spend money on that. In addition, I have come to appreciate flexibility more and more. Here in Quatar, for example, I rent a car, which I can cancel monthly. I appreciate that kind of freedom!  

When did you think: wow, this is actually going quite well financially and why?
"The moment I started working at Shell, then moved to Qatar and got a promotion. The first time I saw my salary in my account, I thought: boy, what am I going to do with this!"

Pub crawler or Dagobert Duck?
"A bit of a mix, I think. I eat out several times a week. Much more than in the Netherlands. In Qatar, eating out is an important part of the culture and relatively cheap."

Which tip did you receive from family or friends that you are still grateful for?
"I am very grateful to my parents for never just letting me have things. They were always more than willing to advance, but then I had to pay it back. That taught me that when I want to do something I have to work for it."

If you have some money left over, then what?
"That goes into my savings account or I invest it in shares."

What are you currently saving up for?
"I don't save for anything specific, but I do think a certain percentage of my salary should go into my savings account each month: currently 20 to 30 percent. That is besides the money I invest."

How do you generate additional income?
"Investing. I do that quite a lot. I spread as much as possible and also try to pay attention to sustainability. I feel strongly that things need to change in the world and that big companies are responsible to do that. I like to invest in companies that I think are accountable."

Where do you do you get your financial information from?
"In newspapers like Het Financieele Dagblad and the Financial Times."

Retire early or soldier on till 68?
"I really enjoy my job and am very enterprising, I think I will still be working at 70. Maybe not full-time anymore, but quitting completely doesn't seem all that attractive to me. I already find three weeks' holiday difficult at times."

And now the inevitable question: are you a saver or spender?
"Spender. I just find living comfortably very important.

Dominique Elkhuizen (29), Change Manager at Shell, lives with her boyfriend in an apartment they bought in The Hague.

How do you keep track of what is coming in and going out each month?
"I roughly know what comes in, but don't keep track of how much money I spend. The bank has made some statements for me, but those didn't make me happy. I just play it by ear."

If you could go back to your teenage years, what financial advice would you give yourself?
"Get a good student job. Then you won't have to live just on your student loans during your student days and can borrow less so you won't have this huge debt later on."

When did you think: wow, this is actually going quite well financially and why?
"Beginning of the year. Last year, I changed jobs and made a big improvement salary-wise. In addition, I own shares. When I saw everything added up, I was really impressed. I thought ‘you are not even 30 yet and already have quite a significant amount in your name’."

Which tip did you receive from family or friends that you are still grateful for?
"My parents always said: don't spend money beyond your means."

Hold on to your purse strings or travelling the world?
“Travelling the world"

Pub crawler or Dagobert Duck?
"Particularly in summer, I like to have a drink or meal out, let's say: an outdoor cafe crawler."

What are you currently saving up for?
"A trip through Malaysia, together with my boyfriend."

Where do you do you get your financial information from?
"When we bought our house, we brought in a financial advisor and we are still in touch with them every few months. I also get inspiration from Instagram and Aaf Brandt Corstius' podcast 'You don't talk about money'."

Retire early or soldier on till 68?
"If at all possible, I would like to leave earlier. Around 60 seems like a pretty good age."

And now the inevitable question: are you a saver or spender?
"Spender, as I am confident that I am saving enough not to worry."

Paulien Beek (30), Process Engineer Gas & LNG at Shell, lives with her boyfriend in a rented property in Amsterdam.

If it comes to money, what sort of person are you?
"If I value something and am really happy with it, I don't mind spending my money on it. For example, on art, or a beautiful painting. But I am not eager to buy things I will probably have forgotten about tomorrow. If I don't feel like cooking, for example, I find it a waste to order something. I won't have something yummy in the cinema, if it's three times more expensive than in the supermarket. To me that's a matter of principle."

When did you think: wow, this is actually going quite well financially and why?
"When I was promoted a while back and moved up into a new salary scale, then the annual increase came on top of that. That was a considerable amount. Seeing all that money, I thought for a moment: this looks really really good."

"Hold on to your purse strings or travelling the world?
"It seems a lot of fun to go on a world trip. I definitely would like to spend money on that."

Pub crawler or Dagobert Duck?
"I think that, especially in summer, I go to an outdoor café twice a week on average, and besides that I might have lunch or dinner somewhere. Still a pub crawler, then."

Do you use a savings buffer or do you just go with the flow?
"I have both a short-term and a long-term savings account. I use the short-term account for holidays or if I ever need a new phone, the long-term account is for buying a house or renovations."

If you have some money left over, then what?
"That almost never happens as I put most of my money into my savings accounts at the beginning of the month. But if my boyfriend and I have money left in our joint savings account at the end of the month, we set it aside for a holiday or something new in the house, for example."

What are you currently saving up for?
"Currently I am not saving up for anything, but I do hope to buy a house one day."

How do you generate additional income?
"By investing, although I'm not very active in doing that."

Retire early or soldier on till 68?
"I don't think I would like to stop working earlier. I can also picture myself teaching chemistry one day. In the future, maybe I would like to combine my current work with teaching."

And now the inevitable question: are you a saver or spender?
"At the end of the day I think I'm a saver.  At home, my boyfriend is the spender and I like to save. If he sees a nice pair of shoes, he buys them. Then I'm the one to say: do you really need those?"

Coen de Mol van Otterloo (31), Commercial Implementation Manager at Shell, lives in an appartment in Amsterdam him and his wife bought.

If you could go back to your teenage years, what financial advice would you give yourself?
"Keep working, gain experience and also spend money on fun things, because you're only young once." 

If it comes to money, what sort of person are you?
"Actually I'm not all that interested in money, I simply don't care that much. I think it's really a bargaining chip for fun. I just want to be able to live the life I have now and don't necessarily have the drive to earn more. I would like to grow within the company I work for, but that is more out of ambition than wanting to earn a better salary. Apart from that, I do think twice before spending my money. I try not to spend it on trivial things."

When did you think: wow, this is actually going quite well financially and why?
"In corona time, because I couldn't spend my money. At that time I progressed in terms of salary as well. Since then, I can actually do whatever I fancy. That was a moment when I thought: I have my ducks in a row."

Pub crawler or Dagobert Duck?
"I don't really go out clubbing anymore, but I still grab a beer regularly. By the way, I like pub food much better than fine dining."

Do you use a savings buffer or do you just go with the flow?
"I save every month because I also want to put some money aside for any down times. I have several pots: one for shares, a personal savings account and also, together with my wife, two more savings accounts for different purposes."

If you have some money left over, then what?
"I always set that aside in a savings account."

What are you currently saving up for?
"The money I save now is for later, so that I can make sure any family I might have will grow up in a nice environment and, for example, will provide us with a comfortable home. So at the moment, I am mainly saving for the longer term."

How do you generate additional income?
"By investing and occasionally renting our house through Airbnb."

Retire early or soldier on till 68?
"If by then I am surrounded by friends who are also quitting earlier, I think I would like to do the same. But on the other hand: if I still feel great and find my job challenging, why stop? The alternative really has to be more exciting then."

And now the inevitable question: are you a saver or spender?
"Then I would see myself as a saver."     

Gijs Vermeij (29), Researcher Membrane Technology at Shell, bought a house with his - then girlfriend - in Amsterdam last year and got married last October.

If you could go back to your teenage years, what financial advice would you give yourself?
"Working more and building up less student debt. You can live perfectly well with that kind of debt, but if I had worked just a little harder, I would have had to borrow less."

If it comes to money, what sort of person are you?
"I handle my money carefully. I think about what to do with it and how to save and invest."

When did you think: wow, this is actually going quite well financially and why?
“When I got my first salary. That was really a moment where I realised: I am standing on my own two feet."

"Hold on to your purse strings or travelling the world?
“Travelling the world. I used to be more of a purse strings kind of person, but now I think: just do it. Now I am still young and can do all sorts of things, so I would rather just go for it now."

Pub crawler or Dagobert Duck?
"Back then I was a real pub crawler, but I'm getting on a bit. Now it's a little less, but I still really enjoy it."

Do you use a savings buffer or do you just go with the flow?
"I share a joint account with my wife and we have a fixed monthly transfer to our investment account. I also have a personal savings account."

Which tip did you receive from family or friends that you are still grateful for?
"I can still hear my father telling me: you can only spend your money once son."

If you have some money left over, then what?
"Then part of it goes directly into our investment account and the other half goes to eating out or, for example, a holiday."

What are you currently saving up for?
"For a long time, we have been saving up for our own home and wedding. At the moment, we don't have a specific goal in mind, but are just saving for the next thing that comes our way."

How do you generate additional income?
"A few months back, my wife and I started renting out our house through Airbnb. That will hopefully turn into a nice extra bit of income."

Where do you get your financial information from?
"I was taught a lot from home. My parents always did their best to make us aware of the meaning and value of money and how to make wise decisions. I also read Het Financieele Dagblad and sometimes check stock market prices."

Retire early or soldier on till 68?
"Soldiering on until I'm 68. I just want to continue working happily."

And now the inevitable question: are you a saver or spender?
"At the moment I'm really a spender, albeit a sensible one. I always keep in mind what is realistic and smart."

To the article in the magazine >>