WirtschaftsWoche: Mr. Draxler, when did you first deal with the subject of investing?
Julian Draxler: I would say at the age of 18, 19 – with the beginning of my career. Since then, being responsible with the money I earn has always played a role for me. I was always aware that the money comes in quickly, but can also be gone very quickly.
Did you notice when you were a child that your parents were dealing with the subject of investing? In what environment did you grow up?
I would say that in terms of income I grew up in an average German family. My mother was a bakery clerk and my father was a foreman at the BP oil company. Investing was not a big issue. We had a savings account, as was customary at the time.
According to the “Bild” newspaper, you earn 583,000 euros a month. How much of it do you invest?
Don’t put too much faith in this source. But of course I’m fortunate in a good situation as far as my salary is concerned. I invest about 70 percent of my money regularly and keep 30 percent for living expenses or put it aside for other things in case I want to treat myself. I’ve been doing it this way for many years.
To person
Professional footballer Julian Draxler is under contract with Paris Saint-Germain and is on loan at Benfica Lisbon. The 29-year-old comes from Gladbeck (North Rhine-Westphalia) and made his professional debut at FC Schalke 04. He became world champion with the German national team in Brazil in 2014. Draxler is now also a Unicef ambassador and start-up investor.
How does your portfolio look like? Which asset classes and values are included?
That’s broad. I have real estate, stocks and bonds. I’m generally not that willing to take risks. It’s not about doubling my money, it’s about working against inflation and maybe getting a percent or two out. In this area, I am in close contact with two private banks, with whom I have been doing very well for years.
So everything is well-behaved, no escapades?
Sometimes I look for one or the other watch that I like visually and that could perhaps increase in value in the next few years. But other than that, I’m actually more of a classic type of person. Apart from the fact that I’m just starting to invest in start-ups.
What would you never put in the depot?
To be honest, I haven’t dared to try cryptocurrencies yet because I don’t understand enough about them. I don’t like doing something with a queasy gut feeling. Surely a lot of people are now saying: “How can you not invest there?” But at least as of this writing, I’m not a believer in crypto.
How would you describe your investment strategy in one sentence?
I can even describe them in one word: conservative. I’m not looking to achieve an insane amount of return and take on much more risk to do so. There are people who promise you 15 or 20 percent. I am far from jumping on such trains. I want to know what is happening with my money and how I can counteract developments such as inflation so that I can keep and possibly even increase what I have been fortunate enough to save in my career.
Also read: In seven steps to the right investment
You have the help of professionals when investing. What decisions do you make yourself?
The final decision-making power must always lie with me, I don’t want to give it up. But I’m not a super expert when it comes to investing. That’s why, after a long period of getting to know each other, I trusted two banks to invest and manage my money. But it’s not like I send the money to them and then have nothing more to do with it. I follow very closely what is being bought and sold and the strategy behind it. I enjoy that too. At the same time, I try my luck on online platforms to earn some money and to gain my own experiences. If I’m wrong, I can cope with it and at best I’ve learned something from it.
By online platforms you probably mean Neobroker?
Exactly. This is also a topic that we like to talk about in the family, for example in Whatsapp groups. That’s just fun for us, you make new experiences together. Trading a bit yourself with neo-brokers is now also en vogue for many people.
What exactly do you enjoy about it?
I just find it exciting. Investing has a lot to do with tactics – when you consider where one stock or another could go. There is a certain satisfaction when a plan works. And investing is a distraction from the day-to-day business of football. To combine both – the fun and the provision for my further life – is of course great.
They are also Unicef Ambassadors. Do you apply ethical criteria to your investments?
Admittedly, this is sometimes a bit difficult with equity funds because you don’t have as much insight into certain structures as you should. So I can’t say 100 percent that all the stocks I invest in are completely clean. Nevertheless, I always make sure not to invest in shares in companies where, for example, sustainability or fair working conditions play no role at all.
You recently said that you “do not yet know the contents of the start-up world that well”. Why do you still want to invest in start-ups?
I’ve talked a lot about the topic with other players who are already active in this world and find it super exciting. You’re really taking a risk – For example, you have to convince with a product, find your way first, deal with constant resistance, forge alliances, find partners. The possibilities are so diverse that I’m sure I’ll have fun with them – even if, unlike with my other investments, I obviously have to take more risks. In the long term, however, I don’t just want to invest my money and let it work for me. What also appeals to me now is that I can have a say in start-ups and work on something. I am particularly interested in companies that are in a very early phase – even though I know that the risk is of course even higher there. In the long term, however, I would like to have new experiences and also learn from them if something goes wrong.
