Five youths of the Thinknetwork of Youth Marketeers entered into debate with Princess Maxima at the ING head office. As honorary president of the platform ‘Wiser in Financial Matters’ (Wijzer in Geldzaken), she is very much interested in how youths deal with money. “I think it’s great that she can find the time to talk to us about it,” says Rens. “She was very enthusiastic and approachable,” according to Annelies.
A third of the students think it’s normal to borrow money during their studies. In many cases it’s even a necessity. Students who take out a loan finish their studies with an average debt of 15,000 Euros. “I don’t think we should just agree to every price that is on a price tag,” Rayke tells Maxima. “Try to shop for a whole week, you’ll be off a lot cheaper than if you’re going to the supermarket every day.
The students also informed the princess about how ‘ridiculously expensive’ it is to rent a room and buy study books. “We used to be able to buy a beer for a guilder, but now a Euro almost doesn’t cut it,” was one of the other complaints. Nick Jeu, the General Manager of ING in the Netherlands, stressed that the students cannot exaggerate too much. He indicated that one of them had the latest iPhone. “I’m still saving for that one,” Jue smiled.
