Common questions, honestly answered.

Eduard Strekert has been a financial advisor for Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG (DVAG) since 2013. His office is located in Lüdenscheid at Knapper Str. 24. He advises private clients, families, self-employed professionals and business owners in the Märkischer Kreis region and surrounding area on retirement planning, wealth building, home financing and protection.

The consultation itself is free of charge for you. I am compensated through commissions from the product partners that DVAG works with. So you take no financial risk when you get advice for the first time.

No. I am a tied agent of Deutsche Vermögensberatung AG (DVAG). That means: I broker exclusively products from DVAG's product partners. This tie is transparent and clearly defined by law. The advantage: I know the product range in depth and can combine solutions precisely for you.

DVAG's long-standing product partners include Generali Deutschland, AachenMünchener, Deutsche Bausparkasse Badenia, DWS, Allianz Global Investors and ADVOCARD. This lets me cover insurance, investment funds, Bausparen (combined savings-and-home-loan contracts) and legal expenses cover from a single source.

My office is in Lüdenscheid, Knapper Str. 24. I advise clients in person on site, on request at the client's home or at the office – and for several years now also fully digitally via video consultation. Geographic focus: the Märkischer Kreis region, Schwerte, Dortmund and Iserlohn.

Yes. You can receive the entire consultation digitally via video – including document exchange and electronic signature. This is especially practical for working clients and for customers outside the Märkischer Kreis region.

The main areas are: retirement planning (statutory, occupational, private), wealth building with fund savings, home and construction financing, occupational disability insurance, private health insurance (PKV) and family protection. For business owners, also occupational pensions and company protection.

In the initial consultation (60 to 90 minutes) we record your current financial situation: income, expenses, existing contracts, goals for the next 5 to 30 years. In the second appointment I present you a structured financial plan with clear recommendations. You decide what gets implemented – no pressure, no rush.

For anyone who wants to build their finances in a structured way. Whether you are at the start of your working life, planning a family, buying a property or preparing for retirement – a clear financial plan pays off at every stage of life. DVAG advice is explicitly not limited to the wealthy.

No. I advise exclusively on fund products and do not broker individual stocks or cryptocurrencies. Funds offer the advantage of broad diversification and are professionally managed – which fits DVAG's long-term wealth-building logic.

All data is processed in accordance with the GDPR and DVAG's strict requirements. DVAG is BaFin-regulated and subject to regular audits. Your data does not leave Germany and is used exclusively for your consultation.

You can reach me by phone at 02351 8739712 (office) or on mobile at 0179 4811951. By email at [email protected]. My office is staffed Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. – appointments outside business hours are possible by arrangement.

Currently, the Google Business Profile of Eduard Strekert DVAG has a rating of 5,0 stars. Further reviews can be found on WhoFinance and Trustlocal.

The occupational pension (bAV) is retirement provision through your employer: part of your gross salary flows into a pension contract via salary conversion, and your employer must contribute to it. In doing so, you save taxes and social security contributions. For employees this is a simple return component; for business owners in the Märkischer Kreis region it is a strong instrument for employee retention. I review with you whether and to what extent the bAV is worthwhile in your situation.

The Altersvorsorgedepot (state-subsidised retirement savings account) starts on January 1, 2027 and was passed in 2026 by the Bundestag and Bundesrat. It replaces the Riester-Rente and is a state-subsidised account with which you build wealth for retirement – with return opportunities through funds instead of a fixed mini interest rate. The allowance will in future be based on your contribution and will be higher than the old rigid Riester subsidy. As soon as all details are finalised, I will calculate for you whether a switch or a new contract makes sense.

The pension gap is the difference between your last net income and your later statutory pension – for many, 40 to 50 percent is missing. A first overview is provided by my free pension-gap calculator on this website. I will calculate the exact figure for your situation, including inflation and existing contracts, in the free initial consultation using a concrete example case.

The honest answer: there is no single best investment. What matters is what fits your goal, your time horizon and your need for security. For long-term building, broadly diversified investment funds are suitable; for a short-term reserve, Tagesgeld (an instant-access savings account). I deliberately do not broker individual stocks or cryptocurrencies – the mix and staying the course are what count, not one secret tip.

That is exactly what I am happy to explain clearly: an actively managed investment fund is steered by a fund manager, while an ETF simply tracks an index. Both have different opportunities, costs and risks and suit different goals. I show you the differences neutrally, and together we find the solution that fits you. Implementation is done through a broadly diversified fund savings plan, starting from small monthly amounts. Individual stocks or crypto are deliberately not my focus.

Both have their place. Tagesgeld is your emergency reserve, available at any time – but the interest is often below inflation, so in real terms you lose a little purchasing power. Fund saving is intended for long-term building and offers return opportunities. Rule of thumb: three to six net monthly salaries as a reserve in Tagesgeld, and invest anything beyond that for the long term.

For the self-employed, freelancers and high-earning employees – such as many of my clients in medicine and IT – private health insurance can be more attractive than statutory cover: more benefits, with premiums based on entry age and health rather than income. But it is a long-term decision that needs to be examined carefully. I compare GKV (statutory) and PKV honestly with you – including how premiums develop in old age.

The contribution assessment ceiling (Beitragsbemessungsgrenze) is the limit up to which contributions to health, long-term care, pension and unemployment insurance are calculated. It rises again in 2026 – which means higher maximum contributions in the statutory system for high earners. This is exactly what makes the question of private health insurance interesting again for many. I calculate your specific additional burden and the alternatives for you.

Your ability to work is your greatest asset – everything else arises from it. The statutory reduced earning capacity pension only applies to a limited extent and is usually not enough to live on. Private occupational disability insurance protects your income if you can no longer practice your profession for health reasons. The younger and healthier you are when you take it out, the lower the premium.

Mortgage rates change practically daily, so I cannot seriously give you a fixed figure here. More important than the perfect timing is that the financing permanently fits your budget and your life planning. I compare the terms of several financing partners for you and work through various scenarios – from the fixed-interest period to the repayment.

As a financial advisor, I am not allowed to take on a tax return or classic tax consulting – that is the job of your tax advisor. What I do do: take the tax framework of your provision into account so that you use legal advantages – for example with the occupational pension or the subsidised Altersvorsorgedepot. If necessary, I work together with your tax advisor for this.