1. Compare Your Bank Before Settling for It
Bank fees look small taken separately, but they add up: an account, a card, and related insurance can easily total several hundred euros a year. Yet most customers only compare banks once, often early in their working life, and never revisit the decision.
As of April 1, 2025, account-keeping fees already averaged €21.78 a year according to the Banque de France, up 6.39% year-on-year according to consumer group CLCV.
Online comparison tools exist to check in a few minutes whether a current offer still fits, such as ComparateurBanque.com, with free, automated account switching to the new bank.
2. Automate Your Savings
Saving "whatever's left" at the end of the month rarely holds up over time. Setting up an automatic transfer as soon as your salary arrives, even a small one, changes the mechanics: saving becomes a fixed expense like any other, rather than an intention postponed month after month.
3. Diversify Into New Assets: The Example of Music Rights
Putting a limited share of one's portfolio into alternative assets is becoming more common, provided the risks and time horizon are well understood. Music rights are one example: the global recorded music market reached $31.7 billion in 2025 according to the IFPI, marking an eleventh consecutive year of growth. Songs generate royalties through multiple revenue streams (streaming, radio, live shows, and synchronization), which explains why major institutional investors have shown growing interest in this asset class.
On Bolero, individuals can gain access from €100, through two formats: Song Shares, tied to a single track, and Catalog Shares, which spread exposure across a group of songs.
4. Review Subscriptions and Recurring Services Once a Year
Bank accounts, streaming, insurance, phone plans: these recurring costs are rarely reassessed once signed up for. Several consumer studies point to the same pattern, without agreeing on an exact figure: a share of the subscriptions households sign up for ends up underused, or forgotten altogether. An annual check-in is often enough to spot duplicates or offers that no longer compete with the market.
5. Track Your Overall Net Worth Regularly
Checking accounts, savings, investments: keeping an overall view, even a simplified one, makes it easier to spot which costs are weighing on the budget for no good reason, and which areas deserve more attention.
What to Take Away
None of these habits require a major one-off effort. Their value comes from repetition, year after year: cutting costs that serve no purpose, automating what should be automated, and gradually diversifying into new assets like music rights.
This article does not constitute investment advice; investing carries risk, and past performance does not guarantee future results.
