Natalia is 67 and came to Germany in the late 1990s with a degree in biology and a folder of references that did not translate into recognition. Her husband, a musician, found irregular work; she moved between cleaning jobs, kitchen shifts, and brief contracts that began and ended without building a pension record. The couple…

I am a self-employed professional who also collaborates with various organizations to diversify my income and create a better life for my son and family who depend on me. As a single mother, my journey has demanded resilience, adaptability, and strong financial discipline. I began working immediately after high school, taking on financial responsibilities at…

Elke is 68, a retired physician who once ran a well-regarded private practice. Her rooms were modern, her equipment up-to-date, her patient relationships strong. From the outside, it looked like a model of professional success. Inside the balance sheet, pressures accumulated: substantial loan-financed investments, a long, rigid lease, and later, changes to reimbursement rules that…