Anyone living in France?

[FrenchMustache]

Hi everyone!

I'm new here and was wondering if there are any mustachians living in france that have some advice on how to best invest savings. Or really any financial advice that might be usefull for someone living in France. My french is fine but reading on this topic still is a bit challenging plus i have a hard time finding other sites that support furgal living and early ER.

Would be happy to hear from you!

[Random]

I do not live in France, but am interested in following the thread.  I would love to find a low cost way to spend 6-12 months in France with family sometime in the next few years.  A few bike camping trips in Provence and Burgundy whetted my appetite for more.

[FrenchMustache]

Hmm i guess there are not a lot of us living in France...

A good way to stay here for a while on the cheap is doing a pilgrimage. On the way there are places you can sleep and eat for free (or for give-what-you-can, they are called donnativos), or you can camp for free which is legal in France as long as you only stay one night at a certain place. I did the pelgrimage to Santiago de Compostella (started in France in Le puy en valley, took me 3 months) on foot a few years ago, it was very cheap and i met all sorts of people, old, young, families etc on the way. You can bike it too of course. :)

[alarswilson]

We're in Strasbourg; we've not had success finding easy investing advice, though we have not tried very hard. It's not a very common practice, just sort of hobby. The social safety net is great in many ways, but it does make "self insuring" impossible, and you have to live with the generalized inefficiencies. Since the state takes care of almost everything, people do not tend to save, and spend much of their paycheck on luxuries and vacations, and housing waiting for a full pension. But it's easy to live well on not much if you find the right place and don't drive. Rents are cheaper compared to buying than in the US.

I second the recommendation of a pilgrimage, or along the same lines, hiking one of the GR routes is great way to see the whole country on the cheap: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GR_footpath. They are almost universally equipped in season with huts or some sort of accommodation. You could also rent equipped apartments using the extensive system of gîtes (http://en.gites-de-france.com); many are underused out of season, and you might be able to arrange a very good deal. Be aware that staying longer than 90 days requires a visa, and proof of resources and health insurance.

I'd be happy to learn more about possible Mustachianism in France.

[HenryDavid]

I spend 3-4 months a year in rural France and will spend more soon.
I agree you can live well on less than in Canada, buying food locally, driving little, living in a smaller/less energy-consuming house, etc. A small garden feeds you for months at almost no cost!
Many retired people in France live on very little. Just do what they do: enjoy time with friends, garden, be outdoors, hunt for mushrooms, visit local fairs which take place constantly . . . Use the public library.

Banking costs are high-- I haven't found a no- fee French account. Is there one?
I keep my savings in Canadian investment funds and make periodic transfers.

For those visiting France, try renting apartments by the week and cooking.
Look for chambres d'hotes, which ar B and B type rooms. Great meals and good value.
A few phrases of French will go far. But zero French is rude!

[StockBeard]

On innvestment in France:
French Mustachians invest through the same boggleheads strategy that other mustachians around the world do: Vanguard index funds. You just have to find the places that sell them with cheap overhead.
A discussion in French I found a while ago: http://www.devenir-rentier.fr/viewtopic.php?id=1879.
Among other brokerage companies, they mention ishares, boursorama, and binck. The idea seems to be that pretty much any bank can let you access some of the vanguard index funds. Now, the "wrapper" you'll have around these funds can vary: life insurance, PEA (Plan Epargne en Actions a.k.a "Stock Savings Plan"), etc... I don't know much about these.

Note: I haven't lived in France for more than 10 years and wasn't thinking of investing money back then, so I cannot vouch for any of the things discussed in that thread.