Luis Alberto Iglesias, consultant: “Save and invest; it can change your life”

“Save and invest, and don’t look back; it could change your life,” said consultant Luis Alberto Iglesias during a career series for master’s students at the University of Navarra, where he explained how to successfully invest their first paycheck.

The Value School consultant opened the session with a thought-provoking question: “How can inflation in Spain be different from that in Italy or Germany if we share the same currency? It should be the same money for everyone.” Luis Alberto Iglesias explained the effects of inflation and how, year after year, it erodes our economic well-being if we don’t mitigate its impact on our personal finances.

“Generally speaking, we save in the worst possible way,” he said, backing up his point with data on Spanish household savings rates. With that in mind, he offered the students this advice: “Look for an account that generates returns and a fixed-term deposit. This is your first line of defense: it should, at the very least, keep pace with inflation.”

“Start planning for your retirement and your future now,” emphasized Iglesias, who noted that by the time the students who are starting their first jobs this year reach the end of their working lives, retirement pensions will be insufficient, and cuts and changes will remain inevitable.

“Most people thought that saving was simply a matter of income minus expenses equals what you can save each month, but in reality, saving comes before spending and should happen without us even noticing,” concluded Iglesias. “Save and invest. That way, you can invest to protect and build your future.”

The session with Luis Alberto Iglesias concluded the career series, during which students explored leadership in times of crisis, professional development, talent recruitment, and personal finance management.