If you are traveling by public transportation or going shopping in Berlin, you would have to wear a medical mask. Simple everyday masks are now off limits. Medical masks include the popular blue OP masks or the more protective and expensive FFP2 masks. They are actually not meant for daily use, but for occupational safety, for example in healthcare. They can filter up to 94% of viruses like Corona if they are worn correctly (i.e, the mask has to be tight to the face all the time!). Moreover, social distancing should always be observed. It's important to note that wearing masks is also exhausting for healthy people after a while because of high respiratory resistance. FPP2 masks should be worn up to 75 minutes between 30 minutes breaks. So discuss with your doctor if an FFP2 mask is right for you! When you shop for an FPP2 mask, make sure it carries the European Standard symbol (CE) + 4 digits number as well as the print out of EN 149:2001+A1:2009. An FPP2 mask currently costs between €1 and €5. The price at your local pharmacy would typically be on the expensive side but drugstores like Rossmann, discount supermarkets like Lidl, Electronic stores like Saturn, or even Warehouse stores like Bauhaus now sell them at more affordable prices (in store and/or online). You can find good prices at online pharmacies like Aponeo as well. Just always compare prices! The FFP2 masks are designed as disposable masks. However, there are techniques to disinfect them and safely reuse them that are explained in the brochure below (in German) and simplified in English in the short video below. Those techniques are recommended in a study sponsored by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices in Germany. Study brochureCategoriesAll Family Finance Health SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives January 2021 Explore more articlesNew regulations and laws are coming into force at every turn of the year. From January 1, 2021, for example, many different rules will apply in the real estate sector, some of them with monetary benefits for many residents in Germany. New distribution of the brokerage commission (Maklerprovision) Whoever buys a single-family house or an apartment will in future only have to pay a maximum of half the brokerage fees (Maklerprovision). This regulation even applies from 23 December 2020 - a kind of early Christmas present! The aim of the measure is to prevent sellers from passing on the full brokerage commission to the buyer in future. If the seller and buyer commission a broker by mutual agreement, the costs for the broker will be shared automatically in future. Each side pays thus half of the commission. A brokerage contract will have to be done in writing. This is also possible in the form of an email. A verbal agreement as before is no longer sufficient. Applications for construction child benefit (Baukindergeld) extended The deadline for the construction child allowance (Baukindergeld) is extended by three months until March 31, 2021. Originally, the deadline was December 31, 2020. Residents in Germany can benefit from the Baukindergeld if between 1. 1.2018 and 31.3.2021 they:
With the Baukindergeld, the state promotes the construction or purchase of owner-occupied housing for families with children. Parents can receive 1,200€ per child per year for ten years. However, the aid is subject to certain conditions. Learn more here. Improved housing subsidy (Wohnungsbauprämie) On January 1, 2021, the housing construction premium (Wohnungsbauprämie) will rise: the subsidy itself as well as the income limits will be raised significantly from that date. That means that in the future, more residents would benefit from state aid. The maximal subsidy amount rises for singles from 512€ to 700€ per year. For couples the amount increases from 1024€ to 1400€. The income limits are also rising: Singles then have the right to the subsidy up to a taxable income of 35,000€, for married couples the limit is 70,000€. The currently valid values are 25,600€ and 51,200€ respectively. Source: focus.de CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives November 2020 Related articlesThe Bundestag has decided to increase the tax-free child allowances (Kinderfreibeitrag) and the monthly child benefit (Kindergeld) by €15 in the coming year. For the second time in this legislative period, parents will receive more Kindergeld: After a plus of €10 last summer, there will be another €15 more per month from next year. According to this law, from January 2021 onward:
The tax-free child allowance will also be increased accordingly from currently €7812 to €8388. Families with a low income will also receive significantly more child allowance from next year. As the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs announced, the maximum amount will be increased to €205 per month as of January 1, 2021. Parents with a low income, which is only slightly above the Hartz IV (welfare) level, will receive a child supplement (Kinderzuschlag). The benefit is in addition to Kindergeld. Depending on need, a maximum of €185 monthly per child is currently paid - according to ministry information, this is currently paid for around 888,000 children in Germany. All taxpayers will also be financially relieved in the coming year: The basic tax-free allowance, on which one does not have to pay taxes, is raised, from €9408 to €9696. The minimum annual income, of which the 42% top tax rate is required, rises from €57,052 to €57,919. A further increase in these income limits is planned for 2022. In addition, single parents will be allowed to deduct higher maintenance payments from taxes in the future. Source: tagesschau.de & ZDF.de CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related ArticlesHaving a child usually brings a lot of joy to the whole family. However, many parents, especially first timers, may have trouble adjusting to life post-baby. New moms may feel that they are not getting enough help/support from their partners. New fathers may become easily irritable or frustrated because of the new situation. Lack of sleep, constant stress, and the scarce of intimacy at home can put the relationship in danger. There are several ways to seek help though! While couple/marriage therapy can be useful, they are not covered by the public insurance and simply too expensive for most couples to pay out of pocket. The public insurance pays fully for individual therapy though but it’s not easy to find a therapist who speaks your native language. Therapy in English with some luck can be possible in Berlin. You can find therapists in Berlin who accept public insurance here. It’s recommended to call/email several of them to increase your chances! Luckily, there is another possibility for parents in Berlin: Family Counseling (Elternberatung). They are totally FREE and available in many languages (English is the most common foreign language). Due to the Corona pandemic, counseling sessions are widely available now per phone or online as well. There are private (Freie Träger) and public (Kommunale Träger) counseling providers. They are BOTH free of charge. Unlike public providers, private ones don’t require you to live in their area (Bezirk) so you have more freedom to choose the one you like. You can also switch to another provider anytime if you don’t like the service. According to their web site: “Family problems from mild to severe can manifest themselves in the healthiest of families. They sometimes result in challenging interactions among family members. Counselling may help. Our counsellors understand what’s going on in family lives and can help you deal with the challenges of family dynamics. Counselling can support families on various issues such as:
Our Counselling Services primarily advise:
Children and young adults may seek and attend counselling on their own without their parents. We also provide advice, guidance and information to people concerned about the well-being of children and young adults, such as grandparents, professionals, caretakers and teachers.” CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related Articles17/10/2020 Age of NEW parents in GErmany rises!The average age of new parents is rising in Germany. German fathers are in the top midfield EU-wide. Two thirds of all men who became fathers of a child in 2019 were between 29 and 39 years old (66%); only 6% were older than 44 years. Among mothers, 65% were between 29 and 39 years old and 0.3% were older than 44 years. As reported by the Federal Statistical Office and the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) on the basis of a new study on paternity, the average age of fathers at the birth of a child has increased by 3.6 years since 1991 to 34.6 years. Also, the mothers of children born in 2019 were, at 31.5 years, on average 3.6 years older than the mothers of babies born in 1991 (27.9 years). Fathers of firstborns were on average 33.1 years old in 2019. For women who became mothers for the first time in 2019, the average age was 30.1 years.The parents of the second born were 2 years older: 35.2 and 32.2 years, respectively. For the third child the average age of the fathers was 36.6 years and that of the mothers 33.2 years. Youngest parents live in Saxony-Anhalt In a comparison of the federal states in 2019 in Saxony-Anhalt, fathers were the youngest at the birth of children at 34.0 years of age and mothers at 30.6 years. The average age at birth was highest in Hamburg: there the fathers were 35.4 and the mothers 32.4 years old. In 2019, an average of 1.45 children per father were born in Germany. Between 1991 and 2006, this so-called combined paternity rate fluctuated around the value of 1.20 children per father. Since 2007, it has risen continuously to 1.50 children per father in 2016, and then declined slightly until 2019. As in most economically highly developed countries, the paternity rate of men in Germany is lower than the total fertility rate of women, which was 1.54 children per mother in 2019. This is mainly due to the fact that the number of potential fathers is higher than the number of potential mothers. Paternity rate lower in the East than in the West While in the eastern states the paternity rate in 2019 was between 1.29 and 1.35 children per father, it was significantly higher in most western states, at 1.45 to 1.51 children per father. Only in Saarland was it somewhat lower at 1.39. By contrast, the birth rate for women in 2019 no longer shows an east-west contrast. The larger differences between the paternity rates of men and the birth rates of women in eastern Germany are due to the fact that in many parts of eastern Germany there are significantly more men than women. Age of new fathers in EU at birth between 32 and 36 years In terms of the average age of fathers at the birth of children, Germany belongs to the "older" midfield in the European Union. According to estimates for the year 2017, fathers in Italy, Greece and Spain were the oldest in the EU at around 36 years of age at the birth of their children (Germany 2017: 34.4 years). They were the youngest in Romania at around 32 years of age. In Lithuania, Poland and Bulgaria, the age of fathers at birth was also below 33 years. In terms of the paternity rate, Germany is in the upper midfield, similar to the combined birth rate of women (2017: 1.48 children per father). The lowest paternity rates of about 1.2 children per father in 2017 were recorded by the southern European countries Malta, Spain and Italy. The highest paternity rate was in France with just under 1.9 children per father. Source: fastflip.de CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related ARticlesWhen it comes to bribery and corruption, many think of South America or Africa. But even in Germany, lobbyists see problems - and little progress in the fight against them. Corruption and bribery are a problem for most countries worldwide. In Transparency International's Corruption Index, all countries scored an average of only 43 out of a possible 100 points. At the top of the ranking are Denmark and New Zealand. The European countries together score an average of 66 points. Germany scored the ninth place in the ranking, not because things have improved in Germany, but because others have gotten a little worse. Germany was previously at the eleventh place. Worldwide, more than two thirds of all countries only achieve a score below 50. According to Transparency's list, the highest levels of corruption are found in Syria, Southern Sudan and Somalia. Transparency chairman Hartmut Bäumer also sees room for improvement for Germany. It is noticeable, he said, that the Federal Republic has again deteriorated in terms of corruption in the economy. "There will certainly be major scandals, some of which have become well-known and are still playing a role, that are now being rekindled". The Cum-Ex scandal about illegal banking transactions, for example, or the diesel scandal. According to Transparency, a lobby register is necessary to track who has influenced when and where. The organization also calls for more transparent party financing. Too often donations are not disclosed and gaps in sponsorship are exploited. There is a statement by a commission of the Council of Europe on this, says Bäumer: "It has been clearly stated that, especially in Germany, better rules for lobbying, more extensive disclosure obligations in the case of conflicts of interest and better enforcement of existing disclosure obligations and rules must be guaranteed or established." Source: tagesschau.de Archives October 2020 CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Disover More articles1/10/2020 TOP FREE CREDIT CARDS IN GERMANY!Germans are not huge fans of credit cards but the Corona crisis has changed this a bit! Out of safety concerns, paying contactless with cards is getting more and more popular. In Germany, some banks call debit cards for some reason credit cards! Unlike debit cards, credit cards have typically a limited amount that you can spend monthly and pay back at the end of the month. There are many types of cards in the market but two cards stand out of the crowd. Amazon credit card If you shop at Amazon, then it makes sense to get its Visa credit card as it gives you extra points every time you shop at Amazon more than elsewhere. It's free for the first year but if you are also a prime member, then it's free forever and you earn even more points. In any case, there is a free initial credit to get you started with shopping ;-) You can learn more and apply for one here. Payback American Express Card This card has the advantage of being free forever! You also earn extra payback points when using the card. It has also an extended return protection for products purchased with the card. American express is not widely accepted in Germany like Visa or Mastercard though! You can learn more and apply for one here. CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Discover more articles24/9/2020 Deadline Extended for BauKindergeldDue to the Corona crisis, families now have three months longer to submit a building permit or a purchase contract to the building child benefit (Baukindergeld) in order to receive the state subsidy. 260,000 families have already applied for the grant. The federal government has just extended the deadline for the Baukindergeld by three months. It’s now valid until the end of March 2021 instead of 31.12.2020. This means that anyone who obtains a building permit or buys a property by March 31, 2021 can apply for the benefit. The main reason for such extension is the Corona pandemic, which has partially delayed the granting of building permits and the signing of purchase contracts. The application for funding can be submitted until the end of 2023 (As long as the funds are still available). This period remains unchanged. Around 260,500 families have already applied for subsidies for their own little nest by the end of August 2020. Since September 18, 2018, families have been eligible for the state subsidy for building a house or buying a real estate. Each child receives 12,000€, paid out in ten annual installments of 1200€ each. A total of 9.9 billion euros is available for the benefit. Learn more details here. Source: FAZ CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related Articles22/9/2020 How to pay less for simply the best!Almost everyone wants to buy the best products in the market. Finding the best is not easy though! You have to do some research prior to every purchase. However, some testing agencies in Germany decided years ago to help customers make informed decisions before buying a product or a service. The good news is: according to their investigation reports, the best products are not necessarily the most expensive. So, you get to save money as well ;-) There are 2 main rating agencies in Germany. The oldest and most respected is Stiftung Warentest. It is a consumer organisation and foundation involved in investigating and comparing goods and services in an unbiased way. It was founded on 4 December 1964 by the Federal Republic of Germany as an independent foundation under civil law. It is based in Berlin. Stiftung Warentest is self-financing, selling its own magazines test and Finanztest (annual circulation around hundreds of thousands copies), books and special magazine issues, and also investigation results as paid-for content on its own website. The foundation also receives a subsidy from the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. This is a compensation for the fact that it does not carry any advertisements in its publications because this could compromise its independence. The classification of the evaluation results is based on the marking system used in German schools. This results in the following categories for the overall verdicts on the quality of goods and services:
The second agency is Ökotest is a consumer magazine that belongs to the media holding company of the political party SPD. It has been published monthly by the publishing house of the same name since April 1985. It’s based in Frankfurt. Unlike stiftung warentest, it doesn’t use exact numbers in its ratings verdicts. Many merchants advertise heavily any products rated highly by the agencies. They often print the rating seal directly on the product label or near the price tag. Wise shoppers should always look out for those seals and also follow the news for new ratings reports that are made publicly available for FREE, occasionally. Follow us on facebook to get updates on such reports ;-) Also, check out the video below for our handpicked recommendations of products rated highly by those agencies. CategoriesAll Family SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related ArticlesThe Federal Cabinet has just approved a reform to the parental benefits (Elterngeld) in Germany. The changes affect parents with high incomes, parents who work part-time while receiving parental benefits and parents of children born too early. The new regulations are to come into force in 2021. The Bundestag and Bundesrat still have to agree though!
The cabinet also initiated an extension of the short-time work allowance (Kurzarbeit) in the Corona crisis. In the future, up to 24 months of salary compensation will be paid instead of the previous 12 months. Normally, Kurzarbeit workers receive only 60% of their last net salary, while parents with children receive 67%. These salaries will increase in two stages as the period of time increases. The maximum rate of 80% or, with children, 87% is due for all those who are on Kurzarbeit work for 7 months or longer. You can find here more details about Parental Benefits (Elterngeld & Elterngeldplus). Source: tagesschau.de CategoriesAll Family Finance SELF DEVELOPMENT SHOPPING Archives October 2020 Related Articles |