Money Talk: Rahul, 36M, Friedrichshain
If you asked 10 people how to manage your money, you would get at least 10 different answers. Berlin is no different. Some people track every euro, others don’t really care. Some save aggressively, others prioritise experiences. With this new series we want to offer an insight on how Berliners handle their finances.
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Today’s guest is Rahul, a 36-year-old Marketing Lead who climbed from €30k in Leipzig to €65k in Berlin—once donating plasma between paychecks, now tracking every expense in spreadsheets and proudly hitting a €60k net worth in five years.
Personal snapshot
Age & gender:
36, male.
Relationship status:
In a relationship.
Kids? Pets?
No kids, 1 cat.
Where do you live and since when?
Friedrichshain, since mid 2021.
Describe your housing situation—own/rent, size, and monthly cost.
68m2 (2 rooms) €1,600 split 50:50 between me and my partner.
What did you study or train in?
Bachelor’s in Communication. Master’s in Business Management (Marketing and Strategy focus).
Income and work
Job title, annual salary and monthly net income:
Marketing Lead, €65k (40h) no bonus, ca. €3,300 net.
Additional monthly income (if any):
None.
Total household monthly net income:
ca. €5,500 net.
How did your salary evolve throughout your career?
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October 2017: Completed my Masters Degree and worked as an Account Manager for an early-stage startup in Leipzig for €30k.
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April 2019: Moved to Berlin for a marketing position in a Series A fintech startup. Salary increased to €45k.
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October 2020: Slight salary increment to €48k.
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May 2021: Switched jobs to a Senior marketing position with a company in the compliance industry. Salary increased to €60k.
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May 2021 - March 2025: In my time with the above company, salary increased to €65k, including a promotion to a lead position.
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April 2025 - Present: Moved back to the startup world with a Berlin-based startup. No salary increment, just big promises of career growth.
Do you negotiate salary? How do you prepare for it?
I’m not good at negotiating, and that’s clear based on how my salary has developed over the last 5 years.
In performance reviews and salary discussions, I’m good at highlighting the value I bring to a company and how it should be reflected in my compensation. Once I’m hit with the “we have limited salary increments this year”, though, I really don’t know how to proceed.
Remote, hybrid, or office?
Hybrid, 2 days a week in the office.
What was your best career move? Your worst?
Leaving India for Germany easily ranks as my best career (and life!) move.
Worst was my recent job switch. I was desperate to move on from my previous role and took the first opportunity that came my way without doing my proper due diligence.
If I could go back in time, I’d research the company culture on sites like Glassdoor to find out why people left the company. I’d also ask specific questions in the interview with the CEO regarding their vision for the company.
Daily life and spending
BVG monthly ticket, Deutschlandticket, bike, car, or something else?
I mostly bike around and don’t use public transport much. Me and my partner recently bought a used car as we plan on moving outside the ring and take more roadtrips.
Besides that, we spend roughly 30€ a month on the cat.
Do you cook regularly? How many times a week do you eat out?
We cook every day and probably eat out or order in once a week. I buy lunch when I go to the office.
What’s your threshold for an “expensive” restaurant meal (incl. drinks)?
€25 per person, including drinks.
Which subscriptions do you have? (Netflix, Spotify, gym, etc.)
Netflix and Prime.
Do you have a cleaner?
No.
What’s worth every cent you spend on it?
Travelling.
What do you spend on that you wish you could quit?
Tobacco.
Money mindset
How do you manage money: disciplined tracking, intuition, or something in between?
I was really bad with money management; it got to a point where I was donating plasma (while having a full-time job) to earn some extra cash to make it to the next paycheck. I had to change that, and the only way to do so was through education and disciplined tracking. It took me about 5-6 months to learn what to do and finally be in a position to save money each month. Now, I spend around 30 minutes a week tracking all expenses, and I do an annual spending review. All on spreadsheets.
Is there a tool or book, essay or anything similar about money, you would recommend?
To learn how to invest, I watched some YouTube videos by Aswath Damodaran on accounting and how to evaluate companies. I also read “One Up on Wall Street” by Peter Lynch.
Learning to budget was quicker. I started with one of the default Google Sheet templates and adapted it over time to suit my needs.
How comfortable do you feel about your financial situation right now?
In 2020, I set myself a 5 year goal of increasing my net worth from 0 to €50k (without any debt), which I’ve reached. I’m extremely proud of myself for achieving this, there’s a lot of comfort in that.
I’ve also learnt a lot: It gives me a clear idea of things I need to focus on, so I can continue having a comfortable life for many years to come.
I’m no longer eagerly waiting for my salary to be credited into my account, which is a measure of how comfortable I feel.
The numbers
Checking account balance (accessible today).
€12k.
Monthly savings amount.
Approx. €1,000/month (including what I put into investments).
Do you invest? (stocks, savings plans, other)
Monthly savings plan for ETF for €500. This has been ongoing since the start of 2022.
I transfer around €500 every 1-2 months to my broker account to invest in individual stocks.
Current split between stocks and ETFs is 50:50.
Private or public health insurance?
Public.
How many times per year do you leave Berlin/Germany?
3-4 times a year.
Your current net worth
€60k.
Financial setup
Bank(s)
DKB, for my salary. I’ve been with them for 3 years, and the reason I chose them was that I wanted a traditional German bank with a good interest rate on the Tagesgeld.
Broker (for investing)
Scalable Capital.
Insurance (and provider)
Liabilty Insurance: Adam Riese, which I found when comparing insurance on Check24.
Car: Allianz.
Tax (advisor or software)
I use Check24. I feel that not many people know about it, but it’s free, and it gives you some pretty good tips.
Looking forward
What’s your biggest financial goal right now?
It’s two-fold. The more immediate one is a new job with a decent pay raise. Then it’s sorting out our living situation. We’re overpaying on rent, and we don’t really have a need to live in such a central location. So moving outside the Ring for more space is a key goal for next year, with an eye on buying a place.
If you got a 20% raise tomorrow, what would change?
I financially support my parents, I send them money every 2-3 months. Getting a raise would ease the financial burden.
What money advice would you give your younger self?
Learn budgeting, investing, and basic accounting.
Want to share your story? Drop us an email or message. Your details will remain anonymous.
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