Telegraaf supplement financial growth: Smart investing with an escortservice

On May 22nd 2024, the well-known Dutch daily newspaper Telegraaf was published a supplement about financial growth. For this supplement, and then the section "smart investing", owner Marike of this high class escort service was interviewed. In the article she tells how, despite the limitations due to her choice of industry, she has still built up a healthy financial basis. You can view the article below and read an English translation of it.

'Buying a Rolex? I prefer to invest my money in bricks and mortar'

As the owner of an escortservice, Marike van der Velden quickly learned to stand on her own feet. She started saving, then invested in real estate. "I want to live well later, but I don't have to die with a big fat bank account."

The path that Marike has taken is fairly common: after studying Business Administration and a Master's in Entrepreneurship, she started her own company. The sector in which she went to work - the escort industry - was far from common. "I was young and wanted an adventure. In retrospect, I think that a little provocation is also in my nature.”

She was only 21, but she realised all too well that by running a high-end escort service she was reducing her chances on the job market. “When you are in this industry, you also know that not everyone wants to do business with you anymore. I consciously chose to be as transparent as possible and to put my company on the map. And to show that it is not a world with only luxury yachts and Arabian princes, that revolves around eroticism. Above all, it is about intimacy, on a social, emotional and intellectual level.”

A Rolex

The idea that the owner of the escort service would be making tons of money from the start is also not realistic. “The first few years I broke even with Society Service and paid myself an average salary. I bought out the partner I had started with and I was mainly busy building up. I mainly invested in my company. Of course, you could run to the store with your profit to buy a Rolex, but I preferred to invest money in improving the service.”

She also knew that she had to be smart with her money. “This sector is subject to laws and regulations. If they change, I could lose my company in one fell swoop. Because of that risk, it is very difficult to get a mortgage and you are quickly excluded by insurers and financial institutions. I also know that I cannot simply sell my company if I want to retire myself. There is no bank that tells a buyer: we will finance that purchase.”

Traditionally arranged

Saving, saving, saving, that is what Marike did to ensure that she could arrange everything as well as possible for later. “In the beginning, I saved everything. That way I was able to buy my first house in Rotterdam. Later I bought a second house, in Amsterdam. Investing in real estate became my back-up plan: if I want to stop working, I still have an income from renting out. That is why I bought several (holiday) homes.”

Since the tax rules have changed, she has been wondering what the right thing to do is now. “Rental income is now taxed much higher, which means that renting out my property does not immediately yield a return. The new rental laws also make it more difficult, so I am now considering what is sensible. Maybe a little less property and choose another smart investment?! On the other hand: the property has increased in value and the rules may change again at some point.”

She still has some time to think about it. “I am still young and I still enjoy my work very much, so I am not thinking about quitting for a long time. But I would like to have the idea that I could work less if I wanted to. Slightly shorter days and a little more freedom. That is why, in addition to investing, I have also continued to save and am building up a maximum pension. For someone with a non-traditional company, I have arranged my finances very traditionally.”

Going to the grave with zero

She dreams of living together with her partner. “We are not living together now, but in the future we want to buy a house together. And I already travel a lot, but I would like to travel a lot more. I also want to live well later, but I don't want to die with a fat bank account. I would rather spend everything, so I can go to the grave with nothing!"