Stocks are for the rich.

This prejudice persists.

But it's wrong.

Not everyone can afford the luxury watch, the Porsche SUV or the Louis Vuitton bag.

But stocks really have been for everyone for years now.

Porsche shares currently cost around 100 euros.

Who does not want to afford Lufthansa flights: The share is already available for 10 euros.

And neo-brokers like Trade Republic have made saving shares much more popular among the 14- to 39-year-old generation.

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Daniel Mohr

Editor in Business.

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The figures from the stock institute show that more and more young people are starting to save on the stock exchange.

But the overall shareholder quota in Germany, at around 18 percent, shows a huge gap to 100 percent - among the younger, the older and the middle-aged too.

There is still a lot of potential.

The state is working on plans for improvement, the FDP wants a share pension, the Greens are bringing a citizen's pension into play.

In the future financing law there are ideas for better incentives for shares, the fund association BVI and the stock institute have proposals.

Don't wait forever

But there is no reason to wait for implementation.

In case of doubt, this lasts until the end of the day.

There are already free depots at direct banks such as DKB, Flatex, Consors, ING or Comdirect.

And with neo-brokers like Trade Republic.

Opening a custody account is quick and easy.

That can't be an excuse not to start stock saving.

Another objection is occasionally: It's not worth it anyway, with the little money I have.

Not correct.

Savings plans on equity index funds (ETFs) are available from many banks for amounts starting at one euro.

But let's take 25 euros a month as an example, invested in a Dax index fund for 30 years with the usual return for this period of 8 percent.

Results in - short drum roll - 35,200 euros.

And at 50 euros a month – drum roll a little longer – 70,400 euros.

And whoever manages to do this for ten more years: 161,000 euros.

Now the world of stocks shouldn't be painted more beautifully than it is: Currently, withholding tax of 25 percent plus solidarity surcharge and any church tax are due on the income.

This is exactly what politics is working on, because so far short-term gambling in shares has been taxed just like decades of saving, while gold and bitcoin are tax-exempt.

There can be improvements here.

Second point: The 8 percent return isn't set in stone.

Since 1970, however, German shares in a savings plan over 30 years have brought in at least 6.3 percent on average per year, in the best case it was even 12.5 percent on average.

Individual years have brought losses.

Years could pass before they were caught up.

Savings plans in stocks therefore do not offer guaranteed returns.

But the savings in the savings account fare little better.

Unlike stocks, they are vulnerable to inflation, while the companies in which a shareholder holds an interest benefit from rising prices in the form of higher sales and often higher profits.

Share savings plan as a supplement

In addition, not all of the saver's belongings should be put into the ETF savings plan.

It should be an addition: to the pension, a provision for study and education of the children or grandchildren.

It is easier to save when there is a goal: protection for times with lower income and higher living costs, for example in old age with illness and care.

Or build up a buffer in order to be able to retire earlier.

Or just knowing that you have something in hand for emergencies.