Maintenance, usufructuary rights and the handling of shares in a crisis: BRIGITTE financial expert Helma Sick answers questions from her practice.
Right of usufruct
How can I stay in my house despite the sale?
I only have a small pension, but I own a house in which I live. I want to sell it because I urgently need money, but I would like to stay in there because I love the house. Is there such a thing?
You can agree on usufructuary rights when selling the property. This ensures that you remain the so-called beneficial owner of the property until the end of your life. Should you ever move out, for example to a retirement home or a nursing home, the house can be rented out and you will receive the rent. You will receive the sales proceeds in one sum. However, this is lower than the selling price on the free market, because the buyer cannot use the property himself. Therefore – to put it very simply – the rent that you will "wipe" in the coming years will be deducted from it.
Maintenance obligation
What does my ex-husband have to pay for an exchange model?
Our son (12 years) has lived with me since the separation from my ex-husband. Now we have decided to practice an alternating model, because our son wants it. My ex-husband is of the opinion that he will then no longer have to pay child support, even though he earns significantly more than me. Is that correct?
Our lawyer says: In the case of an exchange model, there is actually no classic maintenance obligation according to the Düsseldorf table. However, if your ex-husband earns significantly more than she does, he'll have to pay you compensation for your son's living expenses. The best thing to do here is to have a legal maintenance calculation made to determine the amount.
Equity funds
Prefer to sell in the crisis?
I am very concerned about my stock funds. They have lost a lot of value due to the Corona crisis. So I am considering selling the funds and investing the money in a safe way. Is that advisable?
I can only warn against that. Because in this way you will realize the loss that you currently only have on paper. Economic crises have existed since people started trading. Now there is the corona virus, which has triggered global uncertainty. But the rapidly falling prices are not due to a weakening economy, but rather from fear or even panic on the part of investors. A fund manager who has been in business for 35 years once said: "Every crisis is a test for everyone, always different and definitely not easy. But all crises had one thing in common: it was always wrong to sell." So keep your funds. The turning point will definitely come, but unfortunately nobody knows when.
Occupational disability insurance
What is the difference to a disability insurance?
I have two offers, one for disability insurance (BU) and one for disability insurance (EU). The EU costs a lot less. Why?
The BU pays you a monthly pension if you are no longer able to work in your last occupation due to an illness that must be proven by a doctor. The cheaper EU, on the other hand, only covers the "worst case" scenario. It only takes effect if you are no longer able to work at all because of illness.
BRIGITTE WOMAN financial expert Helma Sick runs the company "Frau und Geld" in Munich with Renate Fritz and is a successful book author.
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