Over the past two years I've heard the same phrase from completely different people: “I feel like I'm working harder than before, but the money feels like it's worth less.” And I think that many Romanians have started to feel this more and more in their daily life. You go to the supermarket, walk out with a few bags and feel like you're paying a lot more than just a few years ago.
It's not just a feeling. It is perhaps the simplest way to understand what inflation really means. And from here begins the change that is being talked about more and more: Romanians give up simple saving and actively look for solutions through which their money can generate long-term returns.
I think this is one of the most important financial transformations we see today in Romania. For a long time, the classic model was simple: you work, you earn, you put something away, and you consider the savings in the bank to be your financial security. It was a mentality built in a time when bank interest had a different value and the economic rhythm was different.
Today, however, many people are beginning to realize that just because you have money in your account doesn't automatically mean that that money holds value. If inflation is higher than the interest you get on your savings, your purchasing power basically goes down every year. In other words, the amount in the account may remain the same, but what you can buy with it becomes less and less.
This reality has led many to ask a question they previously avoided: “Is there a better option for my money?” This is where the interest in investing begins. Not because people want to get rich quick. On the contrary. I think that most Romanians who start investing today are motivated by fear rather than greed. The fear of instability, the fear of depending exclusively on the salary, the fear of working for decades without building a real capital.
I find it very relevant what Morgan Housel says in the book “The Psychology of Money”: “Financial independence is not about buying more things. It's about gaining control over your time.” I think that's exactly what more and more people are starting to look for: more control and less financial vulnerability.
Interestingly, many start investing without large sums. This is where I think there is one of the biggest misunderstandings about investing in general. Many people still have the impression that the stock market is reserved for the rich or those who have tens of thousands of euros available.
In reality, modern investments work very differently. Today, many investors choose to start with small amounts, invested constantly – 100, 200 or 500 lei per month. Not for spectacular overnight results, but for a long-term built process.
Platforms like XTB have contributed to this change through easier access to ETFs and international shares, but also through solutions like Automated Investment Plans, where people can start investing even from around 75 lei. For many beginning investors, this is the first step where money is no longer just saved, but begins to actively work towards their future goals.
The biggest change happening today is not just about the stock market or investment apps, but the way people are starting to relate to money. If a few years ago most financial discussions were about “how to save”, today more and more people ask themselves another question: “how can I make my savings grow?”.
This change in mentality explains why more and more Romanians are starting to invest. Not for luxury or quick promises, but for more stability and peace of mind in the long run. For many, investing is no longer a form of speculation, but a way of trying to reduce their exclusive dependence on salary and gradually build capital that will work with them in the future.
Warning of risks
XTB SA allows the automatic, recurring placement of purchase orders for Financial Instruments or Fractional Shares in accordance with the created Investment Plan. Investment decisions, such as fund allocation, position frequency and value, and order placement, are yours alone. Investments are risky. Invest responsibly.
