World Mangrove Day highlights the essential forests bridging land and sea

Celebrated every year on July 26, World Mangrove Day raises awareness of the ecological, economic, and social importance of mangrove ecosystems. Mangroves form a unique bridge between land and sea, protecting shorelines while supporting a rich diversity of marine and coastal life. Read more

Tausende Euro mehr Rente: Für wen sich freiwillige Einzahlungen in die Rentenkasse wirklich lohnen

 

Stand:25.07.2026, 17:30 Uhr

Von: Giuliana Gospodarek

Freiwillig in die Rentenkasse einzahlen. ©  IMAGO / Christian Ohde

Für Frauen mit Lücken im Rentenkonto kann eine freiwillige Einzahlung tausende Euro mehr Rente bedeuten. Was dabei zu beachten ist und für wen es wirklich sinnvoll ist.

Die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung kennt die meisten als Pflicht. Was wenige wissen: Es gibt auch die Möglichkeit, freiwillig einzuzahlen. Und das kann sich erheblich lohnen.   

Content-Partnerschaft:

Dieser Artikel ist in Zusammenarbeit mit Fortunalista entstanden. Fortunalista ist eine Plattform für Finanzbildung, die Frauen dabei unterstützt, ihre Finanzen selbstbestimmt zu gestalten. Mit einem klaren Verständnis für die Herausforderungen rund um Geld zeigt Fortunalista, wie Frauen mit dem Investment Code ihren Weg in die finanzielle Unabhängigkeit finden.

Besonders für Frauen mit Lücken im Rentenkonto. Frauen, die selbstständig sind. Frauen, die lange in Teilzeit gearbeitet oder pausiert haben. Und Frauen, die kurz vor der Rente noch etwas aufholen möchten.      „Freiwillige Einzahlungen in die Rentenkasse sind eine der direktesten Möglichkeiten, die monatliche Rente zu erhöhen“, sagt Margarethe Honisch, Finanzexpertin und Gründerin von Fortunalista. „Wer die Voraussetzungen kennt, kann eine fundierte Entscheidung treffen.“

Wer freiwillig einzahlen kann

Freiwillige Beiträge in die gesetzliche Rentenversicherung können Menschen zahlen, die nicht pflichtversichert sind oder ihre Pflichtbeiträge aufstocken möchten.   

Rente: Das sind die 15 größten Mythen zur Altersvorsorge

Fotostrecke ansehen

Dazu gehören Selbstständige, die nicht in der gesetzlichen Rentenversicherung pflichtversichert sind, Hausfrauen und Hausmänner ohne eigenes Einkommen, Personen im Ausland mit deutschen Rentenansprüchen und Personen, die die Mindestversicherungszeit von fünf Jahren noch nicht erreicht haben.

Auch Arbeitnehmerinnen können unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen freiwillig über die Pflichtbeiträge hinaus einzahlen.

Zweistündiger Online-Workshop zur Altersvorsorge für Frauen

Im kostenlosen Live-Workshop rechnen Frauen ihre persönliche Rentenlücke direkt selbst aus, nur mit dem Handy und inklusive Inflation und Steuern. SPIEGEL-Bestsellerautorin Margarethe Honisch erklärt verständlich, was die Rentenreform konkret bedeutet und wie sich die Lücke Schritt für Schritt schließen lässt, in jeder Lebensphase und schon ab kleinen Beträgen.
Kostenlos · Live · Für Einsteigerinnen. Anmeldung und Termine unter finanzen.fortunalista.de/kostenloser-renten-workshop-2026. 

Was eine freiwillige Einzahlung bringt

Jeder Beitrag kauft Rentenpunkte. Was ein Rentenpunkt aktuell wert ist: 40,79 Euro monatliche Rente.   Der Mindestbeitrag liegt bei rund 1.346 Euro jährlich, also rund 112 Euro monatlich. Der Höchstbeitrag bei rund 17.578 Euro jährlich.

Was zehn Jahre Mindestbeiträge bedeuten:

• Eingezahlt: rund 13.460 Euro
• Erworbene Rentenpunkte: rund 3,5
• Zusätzliche monatliche Rente: rund 143 Euro
• Über 20 Jahre Rentenbezug: rund 34.320 Euro mehr Rente

Der Rente-Newsletter: Wege in die Frührente

Wichtige Entwicklungen rund um Ihre Rente erhalten Sie wöchentlich am Mittwoch. Eine kurze Registrierung genügt.

Mit Klick auf den Button "Zum Newsletter anmelden" stimme ich den Datenschutzbestimmungen und dem Erhalt weiterer Medienangebote zu.

Was das bedeutet: Aus 13.460 Euro Einzahlung werden über 20 Jahre 34.320 Euro mehr Rente. Das entspricht einer impliziten Rendite von rund 4 bis 5 Prozent jährlich, risikolos und staatlich garantiert.

Wann es sich lohnt

Freiwillige Einzahlungen lohnen sich besonders in drei Situationen:   

1. Wer die Mindestversicherungszeit von fünf Jahren noch nicht erreicht hat. Ohne diese Mindestzeit gibt es überhaupt keine gesetzliche Rente. Wer nah an dieser Grenze ist, sollte prüfen, ob wenige freiwillige Beiträge den Anspruch sichern.
2. Wer kurz vor dem Rentenalter steht und noch erhebliche Lücken hat. Was mit freiwilligen Beiträgen kurz vor der Rente einzahlt wird, wirkt sofort auf die Rentenberechnung.
3. Wer eine sehr sichere, risikolose Anlage sucht und die Rendite des Aktienmarkts nicht möchte oder braucht.

Wann es sich nicht lohnt

Freiwillige Einzahlungen in die Rentenkasse sind nicht immer die beste Option.   oder mehr Jahre bis zur Rente hat, erzielt mit einem breit gestreuten ETF historisch eine deutlich höhere Rendite als mit freiwilligen Rentenbeiträgen. Das Geld arbeitet im Depot langfristig effektiver.

Wer außerdem unsicher ist, ob er die Voraussetzungen für eine volle Rentenleistung erreicht, oder wer plant, ins Ausland zu ziehen, sollte die Situation individuell prüfen.

„Freiwillige Rentenbeiträge sind kein Allheilmittel“, betont Margarethe Honisch. „Sie sind ein sinnvolles Instrument für bestimmte Situationen. Wer weiß, wann sie passen, nutzt sie gezielt.“

I’m curious about the German character ß. What is the history of the letter ß and how is it pronounced?

 

Josiah Greenbrier

 · 

The letter ß (called an Eszett in German) is simply another way of writing ss and on its own is pronounced the same as ss.

A single s in German is typically pronounced like a z in English, whereas ss is always pronounced like the English s. Hence they use ss to make it clear which sound is to be used. It used to be that ß and ss were virtually interchangeable.

However, since the spelling reforms of recent years, the letter ß is no longer just a replacement for ss, it also affects the sound of the vowel preceding it. If a word is spelled with the Eszett, then the vowel is a long vowel; otherwise, it is a short vowel.

The letter combines the two forms of the letter s into one. It’s almost forgotten and not used anymore, but there is a second form of the letter s that was used in both English and German, called the “long s”.

[1]

 It was used to replace the first instance of an s in a syllable or word. Hence the word sense would have been written ſense. You see the long s in older printed texts, and it is often confused with an f. It even shows up in the US Bill of Rights:

So if you combine the two — ſs — you get ß. This kind of joining of two letterforms into a new letterform is called a ligature. Normally a ligature (like those for fi or fl) is considered to be a new letterform, but not a new letter in its own right. However, in German, it did indeed evolve into a separate letter.

In fact people with ß or ss in their names get pretty annoyed if you get it wrong in their name. Strauß and Strauss or Groß and Gross are considered different spellings, whatever their pronunciation.

Confusingly, the German name Eszett literally means “s z”, that is, the letter s and letter z. This is because the phoneme ss was also often written sz in older German texts, and the original form of the ß letter did indeed combine the long s with a z. It first appeared sometime in the 15th century, and the ss form of the letter eventually won out while the Eszett name was kept. (It is also called a scharfes S, literally a “sharp S”.)

You do, however, sometimes still see versions of the ß that are true sz ligatures. One example, oddly enough, is Berlin street signs, which use their own unique font.

Street sign for Friedrichstraße in Berlin. Note the different shape of the ß letter that combines a long s and a z.

Another oddity of the letter ß is that it is actually only used in lower case. If a word is capitalized, then the ß is normally replaced by a capital SS. So groß is normally written in all caps as GROSS, which actually violates the spelling rule I mentioned above — technically groß and gross should be pronounced slightly differently (with a long or short vowel). On occasion you may see people use SZ instead of SS to make it clear that a ß was meant.

Hence there has been some effort to introduce a new capital ß. It looks like this: ẞ

[2]

However, while there is a Unicode space for it that was added in 2017, the capital version is not as yet included in many fonts. Thus it is not yet very commonly seen in German texts.

Another peculiarity is that while the ß is standard in High German as spoken in Germany and Austria, it is not in Switzerland or Liechtenstein.

Footnotes

[1] Long s - Wikipedia

[2] Capital ẞ - Wikipedia

WORRYING HAS NEVER HELPED ANYONE

 

By Mindanao Daily News -July 25, 20260223

Worrying does not solve problems, but practical steps like focusing on what you can control, deep breathing, and writing down your thoughts can help you feel better. Research shows that most of the things we worry about never actually happen. 

The truth is, obviously I have problems too. Everyone does.

“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.” said already author Dale Carnegie. Then proceed to improve on the worst.” Carnegie believed that by accepting the worst-case scenario, one can find peace. Once you’ve mentally prepared for the worst, any other outcome is a pleasant surprise. This perspective shift can drastically reduce the weight of worry.

“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.” says a  Swedish Proverb.

Some feelings of worry can be healthy, pushing us to find solutions to real and present problems. However, chronic worry, even about things out of our control, can severely impact our mental health.

The German poet Rainer Maria Rilke put it well: “Life is not even close to being as logically consistent as our worries; it has many more unexpected ideas and many more facts than we do.” Worrying is pointless not only because it rarely makes things better, but also because you’re rarely ever worried about the right thing!

We hardly count our blessings. We enjoy counting our crosses. Instead of gains, we count our losses. We don’t have to do all that counting – computers do it for us. Information is easily had.

Facebook to and fro, back and forth, there and back – how many posts and comments have been posted already with sadness, loneliness, boredom strikes, problems, worries … .

Just remember this: Opportunity doesn’t just knock – it jiggles the door-knob. and “your social media online-friend” – the warrior is with you day and night, at every corner, following your every step. Complaining and grumbling are good excuses, right?

Seniors may experience more anxiety-inducing situations than younger adults, and they may not have as many resources for support. Some people may notice that their anxious thoughts get stronger or more frequent with age, but anxiety is a treatable mental health disorder.

Is social media bad for us? Four billion people, around 50% of the world’s population, use online social media – and we’re spending an average of two hours every day sharing, liking, tweeting and updating on these platforms, according to some reports. That breaks down to around half a million tweets and Snapchat photos shared every minute. Stress, mood, anxiety, depression, sleep (or better non-sleep), self-esteem – Overall, social media’s effects on well-being are ambiguous, according to a paper written last year by researchers from the Netherlands. However, they suggested there is clearer evidence for the impact on one group of people: social media has a more negative effect on the well-being of those who are more socially isolated.

The whole world is an awful place filled with dreadful and horrible negativism. Yes, I confess, I’m also surrounded by many worriers who put their fears into me. Politicians, i.e., many times love to search for some grave alarm that will cause individuals to abandon their separate concerns and act in concert, so that politicians can wield the baton. Calls to fatal struggles and fights are forever being sounded.

The overbearing person, who tyrannizes the weak, who wants to domineer and to bluster, is simply nothing else than a worrier, who claims to be a friend. But he isn’t. Really not! The bullying of fellow citizens by means of dread and fright has been going on since Paleolithic times. The night wolf is eating the moon. Give me silver and I’ll make him spit out.

Well, when will we start counting our courage and not our fears, or enjoy instead of our woe? Worrying itself is pointless.Of course, no society has achieved perfect rules of law, never-ending education or unique responsible governments. Let’s seek out the worries but avoid the warriors, because they try to avoid liberty.

Worry, that sense of insecurity, unease, and fear over what negative events may happen – as unrealistic as these concerns may be – is one of the most unpleasant emotions that you can experience as a human being. It is also one of the most common. While everyone has worried at some point, many people suffer from chronic worrying in the form of anxiety. In Australia alone, 2 million people will suffer from anxiety in any one year.

If you worry often, you’re far from alone. In fact, it may comfort you to know that many of us tend to worry about the same issues. All of those anxieties and stressors that may plague your life also affect a huge chunk of the rest of the world as well.

Melanie Greenberg, Ph.D., is a practicing psychologist, author, speaker, and life/business coach, with more than 20 years of experience as a clinician, professor, and researcher. She says:” One of the most helpful things you can do instead of worrying is problem-solving. Problem-solving means defining the problem in a way that you can do something about it (e.g., “How do I prepare for a possible loss of income?” or “How can I learn to accept that my ex has moved on?”). Once you have a defined problem, you can generate some possible solutions and think through the likely consequences of each (e.g., “What is most likely to happen if I do X?”). Finally, you can implement your favorite solution, whether it involves taking action, discussing the situation, finding out more information, or working to accept something you cannot change”.

The problem is, it doesn’t work. Thinking about all the things that could go wrong doesn’t make life any more predictable. You may feel safer when you’re worrying, but it’s just an illusion. Focusing on worst-case scenarios will only keep you from enjoying the good things you have in the present.

Take a mindful relaxation break. If your worries and negative thought patterns feel inescapable, it may be time to switch up your routine. 

If you are still worrying right now about something, try to read Jeremiah 29:10-14 or Revelation 21:1-8, just to mention these two. It works.

LIFE CHANGES DRAMATICALLY

 by Klaus  Döring

Being in online classes while teaching but in the daily home office, I experienced a total change when it comes to the digital body language:  cues you send – or don't send. Writer David Robson gets to the point in a nutshell: "Online, as in real-life, it's not just what you say – but how you say it".

Think about the last work email that you sent. Did its sentences end with full stops or exclamation marks, or did you forgo punctuation altogether? Was it peppered with emoji – or plain text? And was your response prompt, or did you have to apologise for the time it had taken to reply?

Now, consider your last Zoom call. Did you check your phone or email at least once during the meeting? And did you pause to be sure that the other speaker had finished? Or did you find yourself frequently interrupting their sentences, as you failed to take into account the slight delays in the connection?

According to the leadership expert Erica Dhawan, these are all examples of our “digital body language” – a concept that serves as the title of her new book. Like our in-person physical body language, digital body language concerns the subtle cues that signal things like our mood or engagement, and change the meaning of the words we say – be it in text, on the phone or in a video call.

Following David Robson, it is needless to say, the rise of remote working has only made these issues more urgent, but psychologists have long known that digital communication is ripe for misunderstanding.
So, what can be done? It’s indeed a question of mindfulness, so that we can be sure that our digital body language is intentional and appropriate to the situation at hand.

Do you like emojis?!? Well, first consider written communication, starting with the use of emoji and punctuation marks, like the exclamation point. Stylists may sneer, but many people (and include me in!) argue that they often help to clarify the meanings of the words themselves, much in the same way as a nodding head or a smirk in person. Whether you’re signalling urgency or excitement with ALL CAPS, impatience and irritation with an “?!?” or mutual appreciation with a fist-bump emoji, you are helping your text to convey the feelings you would have embodied in person.

It took me almost a whole year, but right now allow me to tell you: don’t feel shy about adopting these more informal digital cues, where appropriate – and be aware that others may well be expecting them.

Broadly, your use of punctuation and emojis are part of a bigger set of cues that will establish the tone of your exchanges – whether they feel formal or informal, enthusiastic or bored. Other signals will include your greetings (whether you include a friendly “Hello” at the start of the message or simply dive straight in), and your sign off (an emotionally distant “Regards” versus an enthusiastic “Thanks!”).

Honestly, sometimes I'm really getting tired of video calls and zoom meetings. They present their own unique problems. Your body language, manners and level of engagement on video-chat platforms can influence how colleagues see you and interpret your message. Even during my online teaching, I observed some students being absent-minded or even not being dressed well.

Whatever medium you use, you should remain conscious of two factors – trust and power – in all your interactions. These ratings will be subjective, of course, but if you sense there is a clear gap on either of these dimensions, you need to be more cautious.

In the past, the handshake, the smile and the smile gave us many well trusted signals,– but in online communication, our gratitude is often less apparent, or may not be expressed at all. Measures to remedy this could be as simple as sending a follow-up email, after a virtual meeting, to make it clear that you valued someone’s input, or cc’ing a junior colleague on an email to a client, acknowledging the role they played in a project. We can’t just assume that our colleagues will know how much we value them.

Erica Dhawan’s book Digital Body Language, is out now from St Martin’s Press. I learned a lot from her, especially perfecting our digital body language will take practice – but a few moments of thought each day may save hours of anxiety and confusion in the days and weeks ahead.

Since the pandemic, employees are leaving the workforce or switching jobs in droves. For many, employers have played a big part in why they're walking away. It's another big change in our business world. Read more about my thoughts in my next column here at this corner.

 

Peso hits all-time low of ₱61.847 per US dollar

The peso sank to a fresh record low against the United States (US) dollar on Friday, weighed down by escalating import burdens, global energy cost pressures, and persistent demand for foreign currency. The local currency closed at ₱61.847 per US dollar on July 24. Read more

Wenn Du kein Deutsch-Muttersprachler bist: Was war das Schwierigste an der deutschen Grammatik, woran Du beim Lernen lange geknabbert hast?

 

By Kayla De Leon

 

Eigentlich muss ich über diese Fragen sehr lachen, weil es so schwierig ist, nur eine Sache zu erklären! Also hier ist eine kurze Liste:

• Die erste Herausforderung, die ich gefunden habe, waren die Substantivgeschlechter. Ich habe darüber schon geschrieben aber dieses Konzept war wirklich schwer zu lernen. Ehrlich gesagt habe ich noch Schwierigkeit und ich vergesse oft, ob ein Substantiv "der," "die" oder "das" ist.
• Eine andere ist die Wort-Struktur. Warum müssen die Verben herumtanzen?? Warum können sie nicht an einem Ort bleiben?? Immer wenn ich 3 Verben in einem Satz verwenden, muss ich ein bisschen Zeit nehmen, um nachzudenken, wo die Verben liegen müssten. Und lass mich nicht von trennbare Verben! Ich kann nicht zählen, wie oft ich einen Satz falsch gesagt habe, weil ich vergessen habe, ein Verb zu zerhacken.
• Präpositionen, die Akkusativ oder Dativ sind. Ich singe immer noch den Donauwalzer in meinem Kopf, wenn ich Präpositionen verwenden muss. Es ist eine hilfreiche Gedächtnishilfe, die Dativ-Präpositionen in dieser Melodie zu singen. Es ist aber total peinlich, immer wenn ich vergesse, es leise zu singen.

• Die blöde haben gegen sein, wenn es um Bewegung geht. Ich bin sicher, dass viele Leute bemerkt haben, dass ich diesen Fehler oft in meinen Artikel auf Quora gemacht habe. Mann muss "sein" benutzen, immer wenn es mit Bewegung gibt. Ansonsten muss er "haben" benutzen. In den meisten Fällen vergesse ich das.
• Adjektivendungen. Oh Gott, mein Zimmer war mit Post-Its mit Tabellen mit Adjektivendungen bedeckt, als ich das studiert habe. Ich muss noch nachdenken, immer wenn ich Adjektive benutze.
• Das Präteritum. Ich hasse dieses Konzept wirklich, weil es so schwierig ist, um auswendig zu lernen! Am meisten verwende ich das Partizip Perfekt, da es einfacher ist, aber das Präteritum ist wichtig, um die Tagesschau zu verstehen. Ich schaue die Tagesschau, um mein Deutsch zu verbessern, obwohl es schwierig ist, weil sie oft Präteritum benutzen.

Die sind alle Dinge, die mir im Moment einfallen aber vielleicht werde ich diese Antwort irgendwann bearbeiten, je mehr ich Deutsch lerne.

Verstehen Sie mich bitte nicht falsch. Ich beschwere mich viel über Deutsch und es gibt viele Dinge über die Sprache, dass ich schwierig oder nervig oder sogar blöde finde. Ich glaube aber, dass ich Stockholm Syndrome habe und ich habe mich in die Sprache verliebt, die mich sehr nervt.

Zurzeit lerne ich Deutsch (B1/B2 CEFR), deshalb kann ich noch viele Fehler machen. Ich möchte in keinem meiner Artikel Böswilligkeit oder Schaden verbreiten und ich freue mich über Korrekturen, Vorschläge und Kritik an meinem Schreiben. Über meine Erfahrungen schreibe ich auch in meinem Blog, Kayla Auf Denglisch