How to Invest €10,000: A Finance Expert's Perspective

Dr. Niklas Richter · 2026-02-08

After our conversation with Thomas Guenter, one question kept coming up again and again from listeners. People were asking, "Can you share that part where he explains what he'd do with €10,000 separately?" So I went straight to the source. I asked Thomas Guenter, founder of Finhouse, the question everyone wanted answered: How would you handle €10,000 in capital today? Now, let me be clear right up front—this isn't investment advice. But it is something valuable: it's how someone who works with money day in and day out actually thinks about investing. When you spend your life in finance, you develop a certain perspective, and that's what Thomas shares here. ### Why Your Context Matters More Than The Amount Here's something that might surprise you. According to Thomas, the actual amount—whether it's €10,000 or €100,000—isn't the most important thing. What really matters is your personal context. Are you investing for retirement that's thirty years away? Or are you saving for a house you want to buy in three years? Your time horizon changes everything. So does your risk tolerance, your current financial situation, and your goals. The number is just a number until you place it within the story of your life. Thomas puts it this way: "People get fixated on the amount, but they forget to ask themselves why they're investing in the first place." That's the real starting point. ### Risk, Time, and Discipline: The Three Pillars When Thomas looks at any investment, he's considering three key elements: risk, time, and discipline. They're interconnected, like three legs of a stool—remove one, and everything becomes unstable. Risk isn't something to avoid completely; it's something to understand and manage. Time is your greatest ally or your worst enemy, depending on how you use it. And discipline? That's what keeps you on track when emotions try to pull you off course. - Risk: Not about avoiding losses, but about understanding what you can stomach - Time: The magic ingredient that turns small, regular investments into significant wealth - Discipline: The daily practice that separates successful investors from the rest ### The Rendement Trap Here's where many people go wrong, according to Thomas. They become obsessed with rendement—that's return, for those not familiar with the Dutch term. They chase the highest possible returns without considering what they're sacrificing to get there. High returns usually come with high risk or high complexity. Sometimes both. And when you're focused solely on that percentage, you might miss the bigger picture. You might take on more risk than you can handle, or invest in things you don't truly understand. Thomas observes that the most successful investors he knows aren't the ones chasing the hottest trends. They're the ones who understand their own strategy and stick to it, even when it feels boring. ### What NOT to Do With €10,000 Today This might be the most valuable part of Thomas's perspective. He's very clear about what he wouldn't do with €10,000 right now. He wouldn't put it all into a single stock, no matter how promising it seems. He wouldn't chase cryptocurrency trends without understanding the technology behind them. And he definitely wouldn't invest in anything that promises "guaranteed" high returns with no risk—that's usually a red flag. Instead, he'd focus on building a solid foundation first. Emergency funds, manageable debt levels, and clear goals would come before any aggressive investment strategy. Remember, this perspective comes from someone who lives and breathes finance every day. It's not about telling you exactly where to put your money—it's about sharing how a professional thinks through these decisions. The principles matter more than the specific recommendations, because principles can guide you through market ups and downs, through economic changes, and through your own evolving financial life. Take what resonates with you, leave what doesn't, and always remember that your financial journey is exactly that—yours. The tools and perspectives others share are just that: tools. How you use them is up to you.