You probably don't feel like reading a blog about pensions. I fully understand that your attention span regarding this subject is limited to that of a toddler who has to tidy up after playing. That was exactly my problem for eight years too. But since hindsight is always 20/20, I'm sharing my personal story. So that you, hopefully, become wiser sooner than I did.
When I started as a freelancer, pension was the last thing on my mind. Pension seemed like something for 'later' and as a starting freelancer, 'later' seemed very far away. But we are now more than eight years further on, and suddenly 'later' is very close. Fortunately, I have now arranged my pension, but if I could go back in time, my pension would have been one of the first things I sorted out.
In the first years of my entrepreneurship, I didn't really think about my pension. I was in my early thirties, and life after my working life seemed very far away. Besides, I didn't earn enough to be able to afford a pension, did I? I first had to be able to comfortably make ends meet, fill a savings account, have a stable income, and only then could I start thinking about a pension.
But yes, after a certain age, getting older suddenly goes very quickly. And by then, I had two children. Plus a divorce behind me and, holy shit, now I was forty and still hadn't arranged anything.
But it wasn't just the feeling that I had plenty of time and that I didn't earn enough that held me back…
Pension.
That is really one of those words where my thoughts spontaneously start to wander.
Funding ratio.
I haven't got a clue about that either.
Return?
Whatever.
Honestly, I also didn't really feel like delving into this subject. But still, the feeling kept nagging, and I kept thinking: I really need to figure out how that works, pension when you are a freelancer.
Some things in life you cannot explain. Just when I seriously intended to sort out my pension, Vive came across my path as a client. And what turned out? Pension is not as complicated as it seems. Through the interviews with Alex, Paul, Tom, and Ramses, I became hugely enthusiastic and confident about arranging my pension with Vive. And it was super easy. I was sent a form which I could sign digitally, and after downloading the app, I suddenly had a pension account. A piece of cake.
Before I started with Vive, I saved for my pension via an investment account. But an important reason for still opening an official pension account with Vive was the tax benefits. If you save yourself, either via an investment account or just via a savings account, you pay wealth tax above an accumulated capital of €57,684 (in 2025). Whereas the amounts that I invest via a pension account are exempt from this tax. Rather than giving the tax authorities my hard-earned and saved money, I invest it in my pension.
In addition, you may deduct the contribution to a pension account that falls within your annual allowance (yikes, another one of those pension words, fortunately, we have written a blog about that here) from your taxable income. Which means you pay less income tax, while simultaneously building up your pension for later. And reporting that to the tax authorities is all done nicely for you by Vive. So, there is no extra administration either. Extra contributions on top of your annual allowance unfortunately don't yield any more, a shame about the government.
What I learned from Alex is that the duration of accrual is more important than how much you contribute. So, even if you start now with €50 per month, you are ultimately better off than if you start five years later with €250 per month. And that is also immediately my most important advice for other freelancers. Just start now, even if you only contribute €50 per month.
That's how I started myself, with a monthly contribution of €50. The clear prognoses in the Vive app showed what this would yield by the time I retire. This insight was so motivating that I quickly doubled my contribution. In the app, you see your capital grow, which gives you an enormous amount of insight into your future AND it also makes investing for a pension fun.
And are you still not stable enough to contribute every month? Or does a customer not pay you on time one month? No problem, you can also choose not to contribute for a month. Or to contribute more for a month. The flexibility you have in this with Vive is simply very pleasant for a freelancer.
Looking back, I should have started pension investing much earlier. Luckily, it is super simple with Vive. I'll summarise all the tips for you again:
If all goes well, after reading my story, you are wiser than I was. So, what are you waiting for? Sort out your pension quickly! Your future self will thank you.