When Sam moved with his wife and three children from Brazil to Belgium five years ago, he brought a hard-won lesson with him: starting too late costs you years of compounding you can never get back.
Until my mid-thirties, I wasn't very organised about money. I know it's a little late, but better late than never.
His own catch-up attempt didn't go smoothly. Caught up in a Brazilian bull market, Sam tried day trading.
I lost a lot of money. Everyone says you eventually make money on day trading. I never did.
He gave up active trading and discovered passive index investing instead. By the time he landed in Belgium, he had a clear philosophy and a clear goal for his kids.
How Sam invests for his three children on Curvo
Sam's three teenagers each have two investment accounts.
The first, they manage themselves. It's small on purpose: enough to teach them how markets move and what passive investing feels like in practice.
The second, Sam manages on their behalf. The kids aren't allowed to touch it.
My idea, if they ask me, is that the second account is their retirement. It's really there for 30, 40, even 50 years.
To fund those long-term accounts, Sam routes half of his Belgian child benefit payments straight into Curvo every month. "Half of it goes to Curvo," he says. The rest covers everyday family expenses.
How long did it take Sam to trust Curvo?
Sam didn't pick Curvo on a whim. He spent a year reading every article on the Curvo website before opening his first account.
I read all the articles before starting investing. That's how I came to trust Curvo.
When he finally signed up, he went in cautiously.
I started the first year with a very low investment, really to understand the company. The fact that the money sits with the bank behind Curvo gave me additional confidence.
After his own account performed well, opening accounts for the kids was the obvious next step. "Bank funds here in Belgium are really worthless. It doesn't make sense to leave money sitting there."
How does Curvo compare to DEGIRO and active trading?
Sam isn't a one-platform investor. For nearly five years, he's run three portfolios in parallel to test which approach actually delivers:
- Curvo: long-term, hands-off, index-based.
- A self-managed ETF portfolio on DEGIRO: same passive philosophy, more manual work.
- A swing-trading account: picking individual markets and timing entries.
The returns are very close to each other. But when I weigh all the characteristics together, Curvo wins, because I can just forget about it.
Sam's advice for parents who want to invest for their kids
Sam talks about Curvo with friends and other parents often. His pitch is straightforward: a balanced, long-term portfolio that lets you stop watching the market.
In the long term, beating an index is really difficult. Just when I think I'm really nailing it, some Trump comes in and I lose a lot of money.
His advice for parents on the fence about investing for their children?
You can trust it. Go for it.
And to a younger version of himself? "If I'd had that mindset earlier, I would have been much better off."
You might be wondering
Can you invest for your children on Curvo?
Yes. Sam has set up Curvo accounts for all three of his teenagers. Each child has two accounts: one they manage themselves to learn about investing, and one Sam manages as their long-term retirement fund.
Is it worth investing child benefits?
Sam routes half of his Belgian child benefit payments into Curvo every month. "Half of it goes to Curvo." His reasoning: bank savings accounts in Belgium offer almost nothing, and starting early gives his children decades of compounding.
How do you teach kids about investing?
Sam gives each child a small account they manage themselves, so they can see how markets move and experience passive investing firsthand. The larger accounts are managed by Sam and off-limits. "My idea is that the second account is their retirement. It's really there for 30, 40, even 50 years."