Charlotte has been good with money since her first job at 16. Saving was never the problem. Knowing what to do with her savings was.
I had too much liquidity and I needed to do something with it. I started looking for investing opportunities, ETFs, stocks, but all the information I found was US or UK-centred. I couldn't find anything suitable for Europe.
She tried DEGIRO first. It didn't stick.
You can have the same ETF listed on different markets. Which one do I choose? Is it in euros? Is it in dollars? If you don't have the knowledge, it's difficult.
She needed something she could automate and stop thinking about. Charlotte has ADHD, and knows that without systems and routines, things fall apart. "I need to create structures around myself, otherwise my life collapses. I needed something I could set up and not have to think about."
That's how she found Curvo.
How Charlotte tested Curvo with €50 a month
Charlotte didn't go all in. Not even close.
I had never heard of this platform before. I was like, let me test this out with €50 a month because who knows, maybe they're thieves. If I lose €50 a month, I'll be just fine.
What changed her mind wasn't a single moment. It was a slow accumulation of trust: reading the documentation, understanding that her money is held by a regulated bank, and building a relationship with the team over time.
Seeing the different services, reading deeper into the documentation, the fact that you're working with an official bank, that you can't run away with my money. And building a relationship with you also helped.
As her salary grew, so did her contributions. From €50 to where she is today: €450–500 a month, plus lump sums whenever she receives a bonus. "I split my bonus in three: one third into Curvo, one third into savings, one third I allow myself to have fun with."
Has Charlotte ever withdrawn money from Curvo?
In four years, Charlotte has never withdrawn a single euro from Curvo. Not during the Trump crash. Not during job transitions. Not once.
Her approach is blunt: "Once that money has left my current account, that money no longer exists."
It's not just a mindset. She's engineered her life around it. Her savings account at the bank? She can't even see the balance. Her mother had the bank block the view when Charlotte was a teenager, and she's never fixed it on purpose. "Otherwise I would dip back in."
The closest she came to worry was during the market turbulence when Trump took office. "That's been my biggest dip. But I'm in it for the long run. And I liked the fact that you sent an email to say 'this is a dip, but don't panic.' That helped."
She keeps separate accounts for emergencies and fun money. Curvo is the long-term bucket, and the long-term bucket doesn't get touched.
Charlotte's advice for first-time investors
Charlotte doesn't overthink the pitch. Start small. Automate it. Stop worrying.
You can start with €50. If you can spend €50 on a dinner, you can spend €50 a month on doing something for your future self.
You might be wondering
Can you start investing with €50 a month?
Charlotte did exactly that. She started with €50 a month to test Curvo, and gradually increased to €450–500 as her salary grew. "If you can spend €50 on a dinner, you can spend €50 a month on doing something for your future self."
What happens to your Curvo investment during a market crash?
Charlotte lived through the market turbulence when Trump took office and never sold. "That's been my biggest dip. But I'm in it for the long run." She also appreciated that Curvo sent a reassuring email during the volatility.
Is Curvo good for beginners?
Charlotte tried DEGIRO before Curvo and found it overwhelming. "You can have the same ETF listed on different markets. Which one do I choose?" Curvo removed that complexity. She set it up once and hasn't had to think about it since.