Get expert advice from a licensed and fully independent broker who literally speaks your language.
Getting insurance means accepting dozens of pages of terms and conditions – all in German. Instead of signing blindly, I help expats understand what they’re actually agreeing to. Because financial protection shouldn’t be about luck – it should come from informed, healthy decisions.
—Max
Contracts and prices shown are exemplary only, by no means recommendations.
With Max as your insurance guide, you’re never alone in navigating the complexities of insurance. Whether you have questions, need assistance with claims, or want to adjust your policies, I’m here for you every step of the way – and at no extra cost to you.
Moreover, no matter the circumstance, your insurance details are conveniently at your fingertips. With my sleek, complimentary app, you’ll always have a tidy overview of your contracts and easy access to essential documents whenever you need them.
Unlike many in the industry, I operate as a fully independent insurance broker. I don’t represent specific companies; instead, I offer access to virtually all products on the market. This unbiased approach guarantees that your insurance solution is tailored precisely to your requirements.
In all modesty and humbleness, I am convinced I do offer something very few advisors can: professional, independent insurance advice in your own language from the vantage point of a person who is an expat himself. I know the challenges firsthand and have built a business around making the German insurance system and its solutions human, understandable and accessible for other internationals.
Here are some of the things you can expect when working with me:
*Most insurance products in Germany already include a broker’s commission – whether you work with a professional or not. With Max, you get that service, clarity, and peace of mind without paying anything extra. (→ See: What exactly is an insurance broker?)
Insurance brokers are insurance intermediaries who legally stand on the side of the customer. It’s their task to inform clients about possibly overlooked financial risks, to provide professional consultation when needed and to tailor an insurance solution which is based on a client’s actual (documented) needs and wishes. Similar to lawyers or tax consultants, they can only become active for their clients after having been given an explicit mandate. Insurance brokers are independant – as opposed to insurance representatives who work for one or multiple insurance companies – and are legally required to serve in their clients’ best interest. Most importantly, insurance brokers actually carry full legal liability for their consultations, recommendations and solutions they mediate.
The broker’s job doesn’t end after an insurance solution has been provided. He or she remains at the client’s disposal for questions, assistance and necessary future contract adaptations. As such, he or she acts as a portfolio manager taking care of all of his clients’ insurance needs.
The insurance broker is usually not paid directly by the client but rather by insurance companies after mediating a certain contract. The broker’s legal liability to act in the client’s best interest ensures that the mediated products don’t exceed actual needs and wishes. The client does NOT pay a higher fee compared to getting the contract directly with the insurance company or via online comparison portals. This remuneration method ensures that the client is under no time constraint when it comes to finding and preparing the right solution.
Becoming an insurance broker in Germany requires passing a theoretical exam based on a three-year curriculum as well as a practical exam in front of a jury. On top of that, the broker is a mandatory member of a German Chamber of Commerce (IHK), who issues the registration number and acts as a control body. All aspiring brokers are subject to a thorough European-wide background check involving their finances and criminal records among others.
The German insurance market is highly complex. To ensure top-quality consulting services in insurance, I focus solely on insurance consulting myself.
However, thanks to cross-sector experience and strong partnerships with other highly-skilled service providers, Max is also able to offer expats expert support across nearly all relevant financial areas – from insurance and financial planning to investment and German real estate.
I specialise in helping expats navigate the complex world of German Private Health Insurance (PKV) – with personal, multilingual advice and a strong focus on understanding, personal and long-term support.
Outside of PKV, thanks to my experience across the board, I can assist you with most of your insurance needs in Germany as well as connect you with trusted experts for investments, real estate, or more complex needs.
To be fair, there aren’t many finance-related topics I wouldn’t be able to help with, either through my own expertise or via my extended network of specialists in the sector.
Simply fill in the contact form to specify what you are looking for and get in touch for free.
Unfortunately, compared to the rest of Europe, Germany performs very poorly when it comes to the prospect of retiring with dignity.
The German Federal Pension Insurance Scheme itself has meanwhile issued a warning that citizens can only count on the pension system so far as it provides some additional funds for retirement, adding that the main source of retirement income is to be secured through private contracts such as pension insurance.
Raising awareness about this pressing issue and helping to prevent old-age poverty by getting expats who stay in Germany for the long run the right pension contract is thus one of my key assignments.
In about 90% of cases, you are not charged for my services.
Usually, people contact me with an explicit wish to get consulting about a specific topic before taking out a fitting insurance. In those cases, I get paid directly by insurance companies for brokering their products (without working for them – my legal status remains independent). This commission is already included in the insurance premium. This is because the commission is part of the insurance product’s price make-up. This is normal in Germany. There should thus not be a considerable (or any) price difference between a contract brokered by me and one contracted online or via other brokers or representatives – while you do enjoy all the benefits of working with me (see: What are the key advantages of working with Max?).
In cases where no commission is earned (e.g. after multiple consultations, someone decides that a certain insurance solution is not what they need or want – which can be perfectly senseful outcome of consultation) or when commissions are clawed back by the insurance company (e.g. because of premature cancellation), depending on the circumstances, I charge by the hour, subject to a mutually signed remuneration agreement before the start of the process (so no surprises – ever).
I consider this to be fair on both sides: If my time, energy and support are paid by the insurance company, you don’t pay me. If, however, my time, energy and support otherwise remain unremunerated, you pay a transparently communicated and mutually signed hourly service fee. What makes it even fairer: if you’re uninsurable or only insurable against heavy terms (e.g. a 50% risk surcharge), I cap your financial risk at four hours – even if I worked much longer. Hence, if you’re serious about getting the necessary financial protection, your risk remains totally planable, fair and most of the time free of extra cost as – again – I do not invoice you at all if I can get you coverage.
There are also certain insurance solutions which are by themselves commission-free. For these, I charge a consultation fee and/or an ongoing remuneration. If that is the case, this remuneration agreement is also explicitly communicated and regulated via separate agreement.
Firstly, I personally deeply regret the fact that the word “commission” generally has a bad reputation. The value added by the instance enabling the transfer of a certain product from producer to customer is naturally rewarded in every field – no questions asked. Be it the items you buy in the supermarket, the car you get from the car dealer, the food you get from the waiter – the list goes on and on.
Yet, in a field as complex as insurance, in which the broker needs to be highly trained and qualified in order to actually “translate” the product to the consumer in the first place, for which that broker takes full legal liability on top of that, many seem to find paying a commission misplaced.
Very regretful indeed, because tell me, who would be able to afford paying 150-300 euros per hour upfront – as one would do for any other professional with the same level of expertise e.g. a lawyer, tax consultant, notary, interpreter, etc.? Exactly, only the wealthy.
Everyone needs insurance, arguably the not so wealthy even more so than the wealthy. Hence, I see many added benefits to a commission-based system, notably that everyone has access and that there are no time constraints – I will take the time I need in order to help my clients – most of the time independently of remuneration (see: How do I know how much Max’ services will cost me?).
So why trust me?
Max for sure is my long-term project, my life’s work if you will. In this day and age, one bad review can cancel out a hundred good ones. Add to that the legal minefield I work in with the high level of liability that I bear as well as the fact that I do believe that you reap what you sow (call it karma if you will), there can be only one incentive: to help as best as I can, as diligently as I can.
I have expertise in most areas of the German insurance universe (aka jungle), but not all. In order to specialise, for example in Private Health Insurance (PKV), as I do, I need to compromise on other fields.
In cases in which specific demands surpass areas of expertise, I gladly activate my rich network of experts so that my clients can enjoy the best possible consulting and service in all areas.
Yes, I do offer solutions for expats with established businesses in Germany or who are building up their business or self-employment.
It barely gets any more independent than this. As an insurance broker, I am mandated by law to function as an impartial intermediary. I do not hold shares in any specific companies that could potentially compromise my independence. Moreover, unlike the majority of brokers or representatives, I operate entirely free from any sales quotas.
What’s more, I do not, in any way, engage in any kind of network marketing activities, I do not have or look for (sales) partners, do not plan on doing so in the future and wish to clearly distantiate myself from these kind of activities. Max for sure is about me, Max, offering his clients the best possible insurance consulting, coverage and service.