Not a guru.
Just someone who reads before writing
I run this blog because finance content in French often swings between condescension and marketing. I aim for a third space: long-form articles, honest vocabulary, no personalised advice. No algorithm, no ads — one letter a week, at most.
Where I come from
short bioA path, not a manifesto.
No big credentials. No fund to manage. Just a long-standing habit of reading prospectuses, debugging spreadsheets, and writing things down.
nicolas.finance — blog & newsletter
One long article roughly each week, in French and English. Static site, hosted in Europe, no third-party tracker.
tech & data, day job
Years spent close to numbers and systems — enough to be suspicious of dashboards built to flatter and reports written to sell.
reading, mostly
Markets in 2008, Bitcoin around 2014, the rest from books, papers and a lot of mistakes. None of it gives me authority to advise anyone — only to write carefully.
Editorial principles
/principlesRead before writing
If an article relies on a prospectus, I read it cover to cover. Sources linked at the bottom of every piece.
Education before speculation
Understand how a product works, not which one to buy. No personalised advice is possible here — and none will be given.
No hype, no FOMO
I won't write "this will moon". I'd rather miss a hot take than push a bad one. A boring article is fine.
Own uncertainty
When I don't know, I say so. When I'm uncertain, I explain why. Confidence shouldn't be louder than evidence.
Show the mistakes
Corrections are dated and visible. No silent rewrites. If I got something wrong, you'll see it.
French and English, both honest
When an English term has no honest French equivalent, I keep the English and explain it. The glossary exists for that.
Independence, conflicts, money
/honest.mdThis blog sells nothing and buys no visibility. Transparency replaces what regulation doesn't cover — here is exactly what I take, what I refuse, and what I disclose.
Affiliate links are flagged, never hidden
When I recommend a broker or a book, I prefer a direct link. If a partnership exists, you see the [lien affilié] badge before the click — never after. Full list on the affiliation page.
The newsletter and the blog are free
No paywall, no exclusive tier, no "premium" content held hostage. RSS works. Email works.
No sponsored posts, ever
No "guest article" from a brand. No placement. No paid op-ed. If someone offers money to "talk about their project", the answer is no — regardless of the amount.
No personalised investment advice
I'm not a registered investment advisor and I don't want to be. Articles are public educational content, valid for nobody in particular. See the disclaimer.
Frequently asked
faqQ1Will you give me personalised advice?›
No. I don't hold the regulated status to do so, and I don't want to. Everything here is public, educational, and applies to nobody specifically.
For a tailored opinion on your situation, see a registered advisor and check their license number — it's public.
Q2Why no comment section?›
Too much noise, too much moderation, too much tracking. Useful reactions reach me by email — I read every reply and integrate good points into the article when relevant (with permission).
Q3Do you publish your sources?›
Always. Every article ends with a sources section. When a link rots, I keep the name and the date I consulted it.
Q4How do I suggest a topic?›
By email, in two sentences. If the angle is useful, I'll queue it. No promises on dates — the backlog is long.
Q5What about YouTube, Twitter/X, TikTok?›
Short formats and finance rarely produce anything honest. I prefer 12 minutes of reading to 60 seconds of vertical video. The newsletter and RSS are the only official channels.
Q6Under what license?›
Text is published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — reuse it freely, cite the source, and keep it non-commercial. See the legal notice for the rest.
Colophon · contact
/meta$ cat colophon.md
$ cat contact.vcf
One letter, when it's worth writing. Free, no noise.
The newsletter is the only official channel — a few minutes of reading, a long article in link, no more than once a week. RSS works too, and the bill is on me: no problem.