Beyond PiggyBanks

This is a bonus episode. It sits outside the series — but it is not optional.

Everything we have built together — the time, the compounding, the platform, the tax wrapper — can be undone in a single moment of misplaced trust. This episode is about making sure that never happens.

In 2024, investment fraud was the single most reported category of cyber crime in the United States. Nearly 48,000 complaints. $6.5 billion in losses. In Europe, Europol has identified investment fraud as one of the most prolific online crime threats on the continent. And in 2025, complaints about investment group scams increased by 300% in a single year.The people running these operations are not amateurs. They are organized, sophisticated, and growing.

In this episode, I walk through how these scams actually work — the mechanics, the psychology, and two real cases from the US and Europe that show exactly who gets targeted and how. Then I give you the red flags: guaranteed returns, urgency tactics, requests for secrecy, unverifiable platforms, deepfake celebrity endorsements, social media investment groups, and unusual payment methods.I also cover what to do if you think you have been targeted — and why reporting matters more than most people realise.The most sophisticated scams do not target the uninformed. They target the motivated. The people trying to do the right thing for their families. Being smart does not protect you. Knowing the red flags does.

Bonus Episode 1 — Investment Scams: The Red Flags

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-b0101.html

The engine is built. Now it needs a home.

Choosing a platform feels like a small administrative step. It is not. The platform you choose determines what instruments you can access, the fee structure that will quietly compound against or in favor of your returns for the next 20 years, and the regulatory protections covering your assets if something goes wrong.

In this episode, I give you the framework. I cover the legal structures protecting investors across the EU, Switzerland, the UK and the US. I walk through the five types of platform — and which fits a deliberate low-cost passive strategy. I break down every fee component most parents overlook when comparing options: transaction commissions, custody fees, inactivity fees, and currency conversion costs. And I share a five-step decision process you can apply to any platform, anywhere.

At the end, I tell you what I personally use — not as a recommendation, but as an example of how this framework plays out in practice.

I'm Jorge and I'm here because your child deserves the advantage we never had. We are done hoping for the best. We are building it. Subscribe to Beyond PiggyBanks on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. The clock is ticking.

Episode 12 — The Platform

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0112.html

The recipe is built. But every portfolio exists inside a tax environment — and that environment can quietly take a meaningful portion of everything you have built, or barely touch it at all.

In this episode, I give you the map. Four questions every parent needs to answer for their own country: How are capital gains and income taxed? Does your country have a tax wrapper for children or long-term investing? Should you choose accumulating or distributing funds given your tax situation? And what reporting obligations apply to foreign holdings?

I also cover tax loss harvesting — what it is, when it is worth considering, and when it is irrelevant.

Tax rules vary by country and change over time. This episode does not give you the local roads — it gives you the map so you know exactly what to look for and what questions to bring to a local advisor.

Beyond PiggyBanks is a podcast helping parents build long-term wealth for their children through simple, practical strategies. No jargon. No products. Just the knowledge you need to give your child the financial advantage we never had.

Episode 11 — The Tax Layer

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0111.html

Nine episodes of preparation. Today, everything comes together.

In this episode, I walk through how to actually build a portfolio for your child — turning the theory into real percentages, real allocations, and a real engine. Before you can build, you need to answer three questions: What is your objective? How long do you have? What is your risk tolerance? Everything follows from there.

I walk through two real examples. A five-year-old with a 15-year engine handover goal, and a thirteen-year-old with a seven-year target amount goal. Same ingredients, different proportions, different recipes — and I explain exactly why each choice was made.

I also cover how often to review, how the allocation shifts gradually as your child grows, and what the whole system actually looks like in practice once it is running.

The allies are in place. The dangers are named. The ingredients are understood. The vehicle is chosen. Now we build.

Beyond PiggyBanks is a podcast helping parents build long-term wealth for their children through simple, practical strategies. No jargon. No products. Just the knowledge you need to give your child the financial advantage we never had.

Episode 10 — Building the Portfolio: The Recipe

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0110.html

Your basket grew 8%. The market went up. And you still lost money.

That is currency risk — and it is one of the most underestimated forces in long-term investing. Not because it is complicated. Because it is invisible.

In this episode I explain the difference between transaction currency and base currency, why the same basket can produce very different results for investors in different countries, and what two tools are available to manage the risk.

Including hedged ETFs — what they are, how they work, and whether the cost is always worth it.

Plus — why the US dollar is almost unavoidable in a globally diversified portfolio, and what that means for you.

The ingredients are known. The basket is understood. The currency question has been addressed.

I'm Jorge. I'm here because your child deserves the advantage we never had.

Episode 09 — The Currency Question

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0109.html

You know the ingredients. Now you need a way to carry them home.

In this episode I explain what an ETF actually is — the pre-arranged basket that makes diversified investing simple, accessible, and low cost. I cover the difference between index-tracking and actively managed ETFs, and why the universe of available baskets is bigger than most people realize.

If you thought of it — there is probably a basket for it.

I also walk through the five things that matter when evaluating any ETF: TER, liquidity, assets under management, accumulating versus distributing, and base currency. Each one explained simply, with no jargon.

And I explain why past performance is one of the most misused pieces of information in investing — and what it can actually tell you.

The ingredients are known. The basket is ready.

I'm Jorge. I'm here because your child deserves the advantage we never had.

Episode 08 — The Toolkit: ETFs Explained

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0108.html

Before you can build a portfolio, you need to understand what you are building it with.

In this episode, I walk through the five core asset classes — equities, fixed income, real estate, commodities, and alternatives — explaining what each one does, what role it plays in a long-term portfolio, and what level of risk it carries. I also clarify what an index actually is, and why that distinction matters before you start choosing funds.

Think of it like understanding nutrition before you plan a diet. You are not going to cook every meal from scratch. But knowing what each ingredient does, and how much of each your child's portfolio needs, is what allows you to make good choices.

The recipe is coming. But first — the ingredients.

Beyond PiggyBanks is a podcast helping parents build long-term wealth for their children through simple, practical strategies. No jargon. No products. Just the knowledge you need to give your child the financial advantage we never had.

Episode 07 — The Ingredients: Assets, Indexes & Risk

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0107.html

The most important investment decision you will make — and it is not which stock to buy.

In this episode we explain the difference between passive and active investing, why eighty percent of professional fund managers fail to beat the market over ten years, and what that means for your child's portfolio.

We tell the story of Warren Buffett's million dollar bet against the hedge fund industry — and what happened over the next ten years.

We introduce the S&P 500, explain what an index fund actually is, and make the case for why passive investing is the foundation of the engine we are building.

The choice is clear. The evidence is overwhelming. And it shapes everything that comes next.

Episode 06 — Passive vs Active Investing

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0106.html

Two silent forces are quietly working against your child's financial future every single day — and most parents never see them coming.

In this episode, we go deeper on inflation — what it is, what causes it, and what it does to money that sits still over time. We revisit the piggy bank problem from Episode 1 and show exactly how much purchasing power disappears over 18 years.

Then we turn to fees. Management fees, broker fees, advisory fees, custody fees. Each one seems small. But stack them together over 18 years and the damage is significant — in real numbers, real euros, real opportunities lost.

We run a real example: €5,000 to start, €100 a month, 18 years, 7% average return. The difference between low fees and high fees? €12,000. Gone. Not to the market. To fees.

By the end of this episode, you will understand why the first investment decision you make — what you invest in, where, and how it is managed — is the most critical decision of the entire system.

Episode 05 — Dangers: Inflation & Fees

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0105.html

Markets fall. Emotions spike. And in that moment, one instinctive decision can quietly undo years of careful planning.

This is Episode 04 of Beyond PiggyBanks — where we reveal the real danger threatening your child's financial future. Not complexity. Not bad luck. Human behaviour itself.

Panic selling, performance chasing, and cognitive biases — and the simple defences that keep your plan on track.

Episode 04 — Dangers: Human Behaviour

Show notes and full episode summary: https://www.beyondpiggybanks.com/episodes/episode-s0104.html