The savings account used to be the cornerstone of Belgian financial planning. But with interest rates below inflation, your money loses value sitting in the bank.
Hangmatbeleggen offers a better way forward. This passive investing approach helps you earn real returns without becoming a financial expert. We'll guide you through what it is, why it works, and how to start your own hangmatbeleggen journey today.
What is hangmatbeleggen?
Hangmatbeleggen is an investing method that mixes the simplicity of passive investing with the relaxed vibe of someone in a hammock. Yoran Brondsema and Tim Nijsmans' book, "De hangmatbelegger" made it popular (Yoran is also the co-founder of Curvo). It refers to a hands-off investment strategy where you put your money in broadly diversified ETFs or index funds and then essentially relax while your investments do the work.
The story of hangmatbeleggen
Yoran and Tim wrote "De hangmatbelegger" to fill a gap in the book landscape for investing in Belgium and the Netherlands. When Yoran was starting to invest, it was very hard to find information. He found plenty of American books on passive investing. They are great for learning the basic theory, but leave you hanging when you get to the details. After all, no American book will ever cover the Belgian transaction tax or which broker you should use. So to learn everything he needed to know to get started, Yoran had to collect pieces of information from various sources online.
Also, although Yoran had no problems reading in English, for many it is a barrier. People are busy, and time for reading is hard to find. It's an extra barrier if the reading is in English.
Yoran and Tim chose to take action. They wrote a practical guide on passive investing, in Dutch for investors in Belgium and the Netherlands. This became "De hangmatbelegger".
Why hangmatbeleggen is increasingly popular
Yoran and Tim were amazed by the success of "De hangmatbelegger". As of April 2025, it has sold over 30,000 copies. That's far more than the average investment book coming out of Belgium. Of course, they wrote it for a broad audience, which increased its appeal. But there are more important reasons why people are attracted to hangmatbeleggen.
We worry about our financial future
Due to changing demographics, our pension system is under threat. The number of workers needed to finance a growing number of retirees is shrinking. Young Belgians are especially worried. They fear the government may not keep its promise by the time they retire. Good investing is a way to keep your destiny into your own hands.
The savings account is not enough
Most savings accounts have an interest rate below inflation. Remember, inflation is what makes everything more expensive every year. This means that the money in your savings account loses purchasing power each year. Hangmatbeleggen helps you earn returns that beat inflation. This gives you a better shot at reaching your long-term financial goals compared to a savings account.
You can see the long-term impact of investing by comparing the historical performance of a typical ETF, the IWDA ETF, and a savings account. The difference in the long run is gigantic!
We don't trust our banks
The salesperson has replaced the financial advisor. We're not being advised on our finances. Instead, we're sold costly pension plans or active funds that do worse than a passive investor's portfolio.
It's the most accessible way of investing
Managing our investments ourselves is time-consuming and emotionally draining. However, the hangmatbeleggen approach tackles several challenges that complicate investing. You don’t have to spend hours looking up companies, reading financial news, or following market trends. Once your automatic investments are set up, you can use your time for things you actually enjoy. By taking a step back and adopting the hammock mindset, you avoid making emotional decisions during market ups and downs. Market crashes become less stressful because you're not constantly checking your portfolio.
How to start with hangmatbeleggen
The first step is to understand the basics of the hangmatbeleggen philosophy. You need to understand what an ETF or index fund is, why it's effective, and what returns you can expect in the long run. For that, you can read "De hangmatbelegger", or our guide on index investing.
When you're ready to make your first investment, you have two choices:
- Manage your investments yourself through a broker. A broker gives you access to the thousands of ETFs available. You are responsible for picking the right ones and manage your portfolio.
- Let an app like Curvo take care of your investments. You may not have the time to manage your portfolio yourself. In that case, Curvo can take care of all the complexities of hangmatbeleggen for you.
Manage your investments yourself through a broker
To get started with hangmatbeleggen when using a broker, there are a few steps:
- Build the right portfolio
- Choose a broker
- Buy the ETFs in your portfolio
- Repeat every month
- Ignore the news
Build the right portfolio
In investing, there is no one-size-fits-all portfolio. Each investor has different goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk. When building your portfolio of ETFs that will bring you success in the long run, simplicity is key. Fewer ETFs is better. It's also important to stick to your plan and not keep changing your portfolio. Our guide on building a diversified portfolio of ETFs can get you started.
Choose a broker
To buy your first ETF, you need to open an account with a broker. A broker is a service that gives you access to the stock exchanges in Europe where you can buy and sell ETFs. There are many brokers available, which gives us options but also makes it harder to choose. Use our comparison of best brokers to make a selection.
Buy the ETFs in your portfolio
Once your brokerage account is open, you can buy your first ETF. This is the step where you're getting acquainted with the interface of your broker. Some target traders so they have a very confusing interface for beginners.
Repeat every month
Saving a part of your monthly income and investing it in your ETF portfolio is one of the best financial habits to adopt. This method is known as dollar-cost averaging. It helps you balance the ups and downs of the stock market.
Ignore the news
The investor's greatest enemy is his own psychology. Selling when markets are low and buying when they're high are some of the worst investment mistakes. Staying glued to the news can make you more prone to quick and emotional choices. Don't panic. To invest successfully, focus on the long term. Stay steady during short-term ups and downs.
Hangmatbeleggen without hassle with Curvo
While it's accessible, there are several steps to take when hangmatbeleggen through a broker. In fact, Yoran wrote a whole book about hangmatbeleggen!
When we told our friends about hangmatbeleggen, they saw the power of it and wanted to start. But they didn't have the time to learn all the intricacies of managing their own investments through a broker. That's why we built Curvo: to solve all the complexities of hangmatbeleggen.
Curvo is rooted in hangmatbeleggen
Our underlying philosophy is hangmatbeleggen. After all, Curvo co-founder Yoran wrote "De hangmatbelegger"! We believe that index investing through ETFs and index funds is the best way for most people to invest for their future.
How Curvo simplifies hangmatbeleggen
Diversified portfolio built for you
We know it can be tough to build the right portfolio. So, creating an account begins with a questionnaire about your investment goals and risk appetite. We'll then match you with the best portfolio of index funds that matches your goals and risk tolerance. Each portfolio is globally diversified and invests in over 7,500 companies.
Built for monthly investing
You can set up a monthly savings plan. Your chosen amount will be automatically taken from your bank account and invested in your portfolio at the start of each month. This way, it's easy to adopt the best saving habits. Also, Curvo does not charge any transaction fees (although a management fee is due). Lastly, it supports fractional shares, meaning all your money is invested. So Curvo is ideal for monthly investing.
No learning curve
Our goal is to solve all the complexities of index investing through a broker. This means you don't have to worry about:
- Understanding the tax system. The portfolios are already tax-optimised.
- Choosing a broker. There are many options available and it can be hard to pick the one that you feel most comfortable with.
- Rebalancing. We make sure that your portfolio is kept in balance.
- Calculating and executing your orders every month. It's all set up for you.
- Keeping discipline. We help you stay the course!
Find out how Curvo works.
Tools and resources for hangmatbeleggers
We published many resources and tools that will improve your understanding of investing:
- The book "De hangmatbelegger" is the obvious one.
- If you prefer to read online, our guide on index investing is a great starting point.
- We develop Backtest, a free backtesting tool through which you can analyse the historical performance of hundreds of ETFs and indexes.
- Our pension saving simulator lets you simulate how much your pension saving will amount to when you retire, and compare your plan against others in the market.
- Our 7-day email course on ETF investing can help you get started. You receive one email, every day, for 7 days.
Conclusion
Hangmatbeleggen offers you a refreshingly simple approach to investing. By focusing on broadly diversified ETFs or index funds, you can build wealth over time without constant monitoring or stress. Whether you're worried about your pension, frustrated with low savings account returns, or simply looking for a more hands-off way to grow your money, this investment philosophy provides a practical solution.
Ready to start your hangmatbeleggen journey? You can either dive into managing your own portfolio through a broker or use an app like Curvo that handles all the complexities for you. Whichever path you choose, remember that the key to success lies in consistency, patience, and keeping a long-term perspective. Why not explore our other resources or take our 7-day email course to learn more about how this approach could work for your financial future?