Meesman vs DEGIRO for Expats: Costs and Fit 2026

This comparison is for expats in the Netherlands who want to invest for the long term and are choosing between a fund manager (Meesman) and a broker (DEGIRO). All fees below come from the providers’ own pages, checked on 31 October 2026.

💡 Looking for a complete banking comparison? Read Best banking for expats in the Netherlands 2026, which covers ABN, ING, bunq, Wise, Revolut and five others by expat use case.

Quick answer: Meesman and DEGIRO work in different ways, so the comparison is less about “which is cheaper” and more about which model fits your situation.

At Meesman you pick one of four in-house index funds, set up a monthly contribution and Meesman does the buying once a week. You pay a yearly fund cost (0.4% on its world equity fund) plus 0.2% per purchase or sale. At DEGIRO you choose your own ETFs or shares and place each order yourself, paying per transaction (for example €1 handling for ETFs in the ETF Core Selection). Currency, connectivity or external product and spread costs may apply.

What Each Platform Is

Meesman

Meesman is a Dutch fund manager with a deliberately small range. On its website it currently lists four funds: Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal (world equities, large, mid and small caps, developed and emerging markets), Aandelen Verantwoorde Toekomst (world equities with extra climate-based exclusions), Obligaties Wereldwijd (bonds) and the Rentefonds (short-term bonds and deposits, positioned as a savings alternative).

You open an account online, choose a fund or a mix, and transfer money manually or by monthly direct debit. The funds are not listed on an exchange. Meesman processes purchases and sales once a week.

You can only invest in Meesman’s own funds.

DEGIRO

DEGIRO is a European online broker with, according to DEGIRO, more than 3 million investors (degiro.nl, October 2026). It is execution-only: it carries out your orders and does not give investment advice. Through DEGIRO you can trade a broad range of instruments, including shares, ETFs, bonds and funds, on more than 45 exchanges worldwide, according to DEGIRO.

DEGIRO offers four profile types: Basic, Active, Trader and Day Trader. According to DEGIRO’s profile document, the Custody option is not available to new clients.

The Key Difference

Meesman is a fund: you hand over money and the fund invests it according to a fixed index mix. DEGIRO is a broker: you decide what to buy, when and at what price.

Neither model is better in general. It comes down to how much you want to decide yourself and how you want to pay for it.

Fees

Meesman fees

Meesman publishes the following costs (meesman.nl, “Kosten”, checked 31 October 2026):

The fund costs are deducted inside the fund price, so you never see a separate invoice. On €10,000 in Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal the fund costs work out at about €40 a year.

DEGIRO fees

DEGIRO charges per order. These are the rates from DEGIRO’s Dutch fee schedule (Tarievenoverzicht at degiro.nl/tarieven, rates from 29 October 2026; checked 31 October 2026). If your account is held through another country’s DEGIRO website, check the fee schedule on that site:

The ETF Core Selection gives access to more than 1,000 ETFs, ETCs and ETNs on Tradegate for a €1 handling fee per transaction. Currency or external product and spread costs may apply.

Other cost items at DEGIRO:

• Exchange connectivity fee: 0.25% of your annual maximum account value, with a maximum of €2.50 per exchange per calendar year, settled monthly. It does not apply to Euronext Amsterdam, Euronext Brussels, OTC Tradias or the ETF Core Selection.
• Currency: AutoFX at 0.25%, built into the buy or sell price; a manual currency transaction costs €10 plus 0.25%.
• ETF ongoing charges: every ETF has its own yearly cost, set by the fund provider and deducted inside the fund. You pay this on top of DEGIRO’s fees. Check the ETF’s key information document for the figure.
• Deposits, withdrawals, inactivity, custody: no DEGIRO fee. Transaction fees and currency, connectivity or external product and spread costs may apply. Specific custody or external product fees may apply for certain instruments where offered. See DEGIRO’s Fee Schedule.

What this looks like for a monthly investor

A worked example: €200 a month (€2,400 a year), 12 purchases a year and an average invested balance of €5,000 during the year. The DEGIRO columns only use amounts from DEGIRO’s fee schedule. The ETF’s own ongoing charges are set by the fund provider and differ per product, so we do not estimate them; you find them in the ETF’s key information document.

The same calculation with €300 a month (€3,600 a year) and an average balance of €50,000:

What the tables show: Meesman’s costs scale with the size of your portfolio, DEGIRO’s order fees scale with the number of orders you place. To compare totals, add the ongoing charges of the ETF you would actually hold: every 0.1% of ongoing charges is €5 a year on €5,000 and €50 a year on €50,000.

Two things are not in these tables. Spreads and currency costs can apply at DEGIRO, depending on the product and venue. And Meesman states that its equity funds can reclaim most foreign dividend tax, which it expects to add roughly 0.4% to 0.5% a year compared with funds that cannot. That is Meesman’s own estimate, not a guarantee, but it is relevant when you compare total costs.

Fund Selection

Meesman

Four funds, as listed above. There are no individual shares, no sector funds and no products from other providers. Meesman says it stands for passive investing: holding shares worldwide, in proportion to their market value, for the long term.

DEGIRO

DEGIRO has a broad range of instruments available. Through the ETF Core Selection alone you have access to more than 1,000 ETFs, ETCs and ETNs on Tradegate.

More choice also means more decisions: which index, which provider, accumulating or distributing, which listing. DEGIRO does not make those choices for you.

Tax Considerations for Expats in the Netherlands

Both Meesman funds and ETFs held at DEGIRO fall under box 3, the Dutch tax on savings and investments. Under the current system the Belastingdienst taxes an assumed return on the value of your assets on 1 January. Following rulings by the Hoge Raad, the Belastingdienst taxes your actual return instead if that is lower than the assumed return.

For 2026 the Belastingdienst lists a tax-free allowance of €59,357 per person, an assumed return of 6.00% on investments and a box 3 rate of 36% (Belastingdienst, “Berekening box 3-inkomen 2026”, checked 28 October 2026). How a Meesman fund or an ETF affects your box 3 bill depends on its value on 1 January, not on the provider.

The practical differences are in reporting and dividends:

• Meesman provides an annual overview (Jaaroverzicht) in MijnMeesman, under documents.
• DEGIRO provides a fiscal annual statement (jaaropgave), which it says is not an official document sent to the Belastingdienst but can be used for your tax return. You can also download a portfolio overview for a date you choose, showing your open positions at the last closing price.
• Dividend tax: Meesman says its equity funds can reclaim most of the dividend tax withheld abroad. For ETFs, dividend tax can also be withheld inside the fund; check the fund’s documents.

Pension accounts at both providers

Meesman offers a pension account (Pensioenrekening) for people aged 18 or over who live and pay tax only in the EU, the UK, Switzerland or Norway, have a bank account with a Dutch bank and have jaarruimte available. Contributions give tax relief, the account is blocked until retirement, and at retirement the balance must be used to buy periodic payments (meesman.nl, checked 31 October 2026). Meesman’s documents are not consistent on residence and the bank account. The Reglement Meesman Pensioenrekening (version 15 September 2026) allows residence in the EU, the UK, Norway or Switzerland, but asks for a Dutch BSN and accepts a bank account in one of those countries. Meesman’s account-opening page, by contrast, says you must live and pay tax only in the Netherlands for the pension account. Check this with Meesman before you apply.

DEGIRO also offers a pension account in the Netherlands, the DEGIRO Pensioenrekening. It is a separate account next to a regular DEGIRO investment account, with its own username. According to DEGIRO (degiro.nl/pensioenrekening and its pension FAQ, checked 31 October 2026):

• you choose your own investments in shares, bonds, investment funds and ETFs; short selling, debit money, leveraged products, derivatives, securities lending and crypto are not available on the pension account;
• you can deposit up to your jaarruimte plus reserveringsruimte, which you calculate on the Belastingdienst website; contributions within that room are deductible in box 1, and the value of the pension investments does not count in box 3;
• the money is meant for your pension, so the account is blocked for withdrawals before retirement; if you withdraw early, you lose the tax benefits, the value is taxed in box 1 and the Belastingdienst charges a penalty (revisierente);
• at retirement the balance is used to buy a right to periodic payments from another provider, at the latest by the end of the fifth year after you reach your AOW age, and you pay income tax (box 1) on those payments;
• tax rules can change between now and your retirement, which can make the tax benefits less favourable, and inflation and changing interest rates can also affect the investments;
• the costs differ from the regular account: a Minimum Activity Fee of 0.20% a year, charged monthly. You pay commission and handling fees if they take you above 0.20% of your portfolio value. The connectivity fee is €1 per exchange per month (maximum €5 a month), and it is not charged for Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels.

Investing involves risk of loss. This is not investment advice. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Please consult a tax adviser.

Ease of Use

Meesman

There are few decisions to make once your account is set up: you choose a fund, set a contribution and wait for the weekly processing. No order types, no exchange hours, no bid and ask prices.

Meesman’s website and the fund documents listed on it are in Dutch.

DEGIRO

You place orders yourself and choose between order types such as market and limit orders.

If you have never bought an ETF before, expect to learn a few things first: how order types work, when exchanges are open and what a spread is. DEGIRO publishes educational material, including webinars and lessons on order types: in Dutch at degiro.nl/leren-beleggen, and in English in the Investor’s academy at degiro.ie/knowledge. Educational resources are not investment advice, and DEGIRO is execution-only.

According to DEGIRO, the app shows your positions with your daily and total profit and loss.

Customer Service

Meesman: support by phone (+31 70 363 73 00, Monday to Friday 9:00 to 17:00), by email and through a contact form; Meesman says messages are answered within 1 working day (meesman.nl, checked 31 October 2026).

DEGIRO: phone support on weekdays from 08:00 to 22:00 and email 24/7; DEGIRO asks you to email rather than call unless your question is urgent (DEGIRO website, checked 31 October 2026).

For complex questions about tax, inheritance or emigration, neither provider gives personal advice. That is the job of a tax adviser.

Which Fits Which Situation

This is not a recommendation: which option fits depends on your own knowledge, goals and circumstances. Investing involves risk of loss. This is not investment advice.

Meesman’s model fits situations where:

• you want a small, fixed range of funds and prefer not to place orders yourself;
• weekly processing of purchases and sales is fine for you;
• a percentage-based fund cost is acceptable to you, and you read Dutch reasonably well.

What DEGIRO’s model involves:

• you choose your own ETFs or shares and place orders yourself;
• a broad range of instruments available, on many exchanges (connectivity and currency costs may apply outside Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels);
• you pay per transaction instead of a percentage of your portfolio.

Both providers offer a Dutch pension account with tax relief on contributions, each with its own rules and costs; see the tax section above.

You can also combine the two, for example a fund at Meesman and a broker account at DEGIRO.

What to Consider Before Choosing Funds or ETFs

This section explains the questions to answer before you choose. It is educational and does not tell you what to buy. This is not investment advice.

• Time horizon. When will you need the money? A house purchase in three years is a different situation from saving for retirement.
• Buffer. Is your emergency money arranged separately? Investments can fall in value just when you need cash.
• Risk. How would you react to a sharp fall? Equity funds and ETFs can lose a lot of value in a bad year; Meesman’s world equity fund, for example, returned −14.2% in 2022 (meesman.nl).
• Number of positions. One broad fund means one line to follow. Several ETFs give more control but also more decisions and more orders.
• Costs. Compare the fund or ETF’s ongoing charges, transaction costs per order and any currency costs.
• Accumulating or distributing. Do you want dividends reinvested inside the fund or paid out to your account?
• Your likely next country. If you may leave the Netherlands, read the section on leaving below.

Leaving the Netherlands

The answer differs per provider.

Meesman when you leave

Meesman’s investment account is open to people who live and pay tax only in the EU, the UK, Switzerland or Norway and who have a bank account with an EU bank (meesman.nl, checked 31 October 2026). If you move within that area, the conditions do not in themselves require you to close the account. If you move outside it, you no longer meet the conditions; contact Meesman about what that means for your holdings. For the Pensioenrekening, the Reglement Meesman Pensioenrekening says you can keep the account if you move to another country in the EU, the UK, Norway or Switzerland and still meet the opening conditions, which include a Dutch BSN. If you move outside that area, the account must be closed: you can transfer the value to another provider, and if Meesman receives no transfer request within three months, it sells the investments and withholds wage tax (loonbelasting), possibly plus revisierente. Closing a Pensioenrekening costs €39 plus transaction costs.

DEGIRO when you leave

If you move, update your address and tax information in your DEGIRO profile; DEGIRO asks you to report a change in your tax obligations within 30 days. If you want to move your holdings to another broker, DEGIRO charges €20 per line plus external costs for an outgoing portfolio transfer.

In both cases, selling or transferring can have tax consequences in your old and new country of residence; see the tax section above.

Box 3: What It Means in Numbers

A simplified 2026 example for a single person with €80,000 in investments and no other assets or debts in box 3, using the Belastingdienst figures above:

• assumed return: €80,000 × 6.00% = €4,800;
• taxable base: €80,000 − €59,357 tax-free allowance = €20,643;
• box 3 income: €4,800 × (€20,643 ÷ €80,000) = €1,239;
• tax: 36% × €1,239 = about €446.

The calculation is the same whether the €80,000 sits in a Meesman fund or in ETFs at DEGIRO. If your actual return over 2026 turns out lower than the assumed return, the Belastingdienst taxes the lower actual return instead. The Belastingdienst has worked examples with savings and investments combined on its box 3 pages.

If your total assets (savings plus investments, minus debts above the threshold) stay below the tax-free allowance, you pay no box 3 tax. Tax treatment depends on your individual circumstances and may change. Please consult a tax adviser.

The eToro Option

If you are also looking at crypto or social trading, read our eToro Review for Expats Netherlands 2026. eToro works differently from both Meesman and DEGIRO: according to eToro, all clients hold funds in a USD account and eligible clients can also have a local-currency account such as EUR, with its own fee structure.

Funding From Abroad

If you fund your investment account from a foreign bank account, compare the currency conversion before you transfer. Your bank may add a margin to the exchange rate. A service such as Wise → shows the rate and fee upfront, so you can compare it with your bank’s quote.

Internal Resources

• Best ETF Platforms Netherlands for Expats 2026
• eToro Review for Expats Netherlands 2026
• Crypto Tax Netherlands: Expat Guide
• Life Insurance for Expats in Netherlands 2026
• Retiring in the Netherlands: Expat Guide
• Side Hustle and Passive Income Netherlands 2026
• DEGIRO Review for Expats Netherlands 2026
• Dutch Utilities Explained for Expats 2026

Costs Over Time: Two Cost Scenarios

The examples below compare costs only. They do not assume any return: the portfolio values are fixed amounts for the calculation, not a forecast. The DEGIRO figures again use only DEGIRO’s order fees; add the ongoing charges of the ETF you would hold.

Scenario 1: monthly contributions, €30,000 average balance

€250 a month (12 purchases, €3,000 a year) with an average balance of €30,000:

• Meesman Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal: 0.4% × €30,000 = €120 fund costs, plus 0.2% × €3,000 = €6 transaction costs. Total €126 a year.
• DEGIRO, ETF in the Core Selection: 12 × €1 = €12 handling fees a year, plus the ETF’s ongoing charges (€30 a year on €30,000 for every 0.1%), before spreads and currency costs.
• DEGIRO, ETF outside the Core Selection on Euronext Amsterdam: 12 × €3 = €36 a year, plus the ETF’s ongoing charges, before spreads and currency costs.

Scenario 2: one lump sum of €20,000, no further contributions

• Meesman Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal: 0.2% × €20,000 = €40 once on purchase, then 0.4% × €20,000 = €80 a year in fund costs.
• DEGIRO, ETF in the Core Selection: €1 once, then the ETF’s ongoing charges (€20 a year on €20,000 for every 0.1%), before spreads and currency costs.

Currency, connectivity or external product and spread costs may apply at DEGIRO. Meesman’s expected dividend-tax advantage, described in the fees section, is not included.

Sustainability-Screened Options

Meesman has two sustainability-related elements. Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal follows MSCI ESG-screened indices with a limited number of exclusions. Aandelen Verantwoorde Toekomst goes further, with climate-based exclusions and a heavier weighting of companies Meesman considers well positioned for the energy transition. Its fund costs are 0.5% a year.

DEGIRO’s ETF Core Selection list includes ETFs from several providers, some of them with ESG or SRI screening. The screening methods differ between funds, so compare the index methodology and the ongoing charges in each fund’s documents. Listing a product type here is not a recommendation.

Accumulating vs Distributing

Meesman’s equity funds reinvest dividends inside the fund once a year, according to Meesman’s fund pages; none of its four funds pays dividends out to you.

At DEGIRO you can choose between:

• accumulating ETFs, which reinvest dividends inside the fund;
• distributing ETFs, which pay dividends into your account. If you want to reinvest, you place a new order and pay the normal transaction fee.

For box 3 the current system looks at the value on 1 January, whichever type you hold. Dividend tax can also be withheld inside a fund; Meesman’s funds and the ETF’s documents explain how that works for each fund.

Currency Risk

Both a Meesman world fund and a world ETF at DEGIRO hold companies that are listed in many currencies. Even if you see the value in euros, exchange rates affect it. Currency fluctuations can impact your returns.

Meesman handles everything inside the fund; you only see values in euros.

At DEGIRO, if you buy a product listed in another currency, AutoFX converts at 0.25%, built into the price. The currency exposure of the underlying companies remains in either case.

Meesman’s bond fund, Obligaties Wereldwijd, hedges its currency risk, according to its fund page.

Opening an Account

Meesman

1. Go to meesman.nl and choose “Rekening openen”. The process is in Dutch.
2. Choose between a Beleggingsrekening and a Pensioenrekening.
3. Verify your identity and link a bank account with an EU bank.
4. Choose your fund or funds.
5. Set up your contribution. The minimum is €50 a month, €600 a year or €10,000 in one go.

Meesman states that opening an account takes a few minutes and costs nothing; you need a scan of your passport or ID card, your BSN and your bank account number. If you do not have a bank account yet, see our best bank accounts for expats guide.

DEGIRO

1. Start on the DEGIRO website; DEGIRO says registration can only be completed in its app, so you need a smartphone.
2. Verify your identity with a photo of your passport or ID card and a selfie.
3. Provide your address, tax details and a bank account.
4. Fund the account from your linked bank account, by iDEAL or by a regular (SEPA) bank transfer.

Depending on the products you want to trade, DEGIRO may ask you to complete an appropriateness test about your knowledge and experience.

Supervision and Structure

DEGIRO: flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, trading under the name DEGIRO, is the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE. flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is primarily supervised by the German financial regulator (BaFin). In the Netherlands, flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch is registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB.

Securities lending at DEGIRO is always opt-in: DEGIRO only lends out securities if you explicitly consent by signing up. If you consider it: investing involves risk of loss. Borrowers may not act in your interest.

Meesman: Meesman states that if it goes bankrupt, all client investments fall outside its estate. The fund page of Aandelen Wereldwijd Totaal states that the fund does not lend out securities.

Neither structure protects you against falling markets.

External source: Belastingdienst — Box 3 — official information on how savings and investments are taxed.