Dirk van de Haar is the managing director of Creneau Middle East, an international design and fit-out company. The Dutchman, 32, who started his career in the hospitality industry, moved to the UAE seven years ago.
Describe your financial journey so far.
My financial journey started at a very young age. I have been working since I was 14, which was quite early in comparison to my peers at that age. I had money to spend and I was very good in my spending habits, always thinking carefully and calculating what was worth the cost of how many hours of work it took to earn my savings. Over the last couple of years I have become more aware that putting thought into saving for the future at an early age is extremely important, so in the last two years I have changed my habits from spending to saving.
Are you a spender or saver?
I have been a spender my entire life, but as soon as I turned 30 I sat down and re-evaluated my spending and saving habits. When I was 21 I said to myself that I will live my life to the fullest and spend my hard-earned money on things and experiences that I enjoy and will create memories until I am 30 and post this will start saving and looking into the future. Luckily this has worked out well for me thus far.
What is your philosophy towards money?
How much we earn, what we do with it, how much we save, our spending habits, individual views and preferences on investing money in different areas are all important elements related to money and each individual has a different viewpoint on these things. I firmly believe that the decisions we make can prove to be a game-changer in our lives in the long run. I’m not saying that a lot of money makes you happier, a lot of people have a lot of money but don’t always make the best decision to use or invest it. I feel it is a vital tool that helps you in different aspects of your life, for now and for the future. We all work very hard for the money we earn, hence to make smart decisions about this hard- earned money is key.
Have you made any financial mistakes along the way?
I wouldn’t say mistake, but perhaps a little lack of awareness. Today when I look back I feel as though I maybe should have saved a little bit when I was younger. That being said, my experiences and life journey are what I value most, so when I look back I am thankful.
If you won Dh1 million, what would you do with it?
I’ve always been interested in real estate in Dubai, so I would definitely look into the property market and seek professional advice to ensure a stable and sound investment.
What has been your best investment?
Our apartment in Amsterdam, most definitely. Owning property in the country I am from and always having a reason to visit home.
Do you plan for the future?
Now that I have started to plan ahead, yes. My plan is to stay in Dubai for a long time and enjoy the tax-free benefits. In the near future I’m hoping I will be able to invest in real estate either in Dubai or in Europe so that home can serve as my pension.
What do you enjoy spending money on?
Being in the food and beverage industry for so long it goes without saying that eating out, trying new places, cuisines and restaurants is my passion by default. I love going for dinner and drinks, there are new places opening in this region almost every day. I’m also a fan of weekend getaways, there are some amazing hotels in Dubai and other emirates that have beautiful rooms, views and facilities that serve as a perfect mini staycation, hence I also spend a lot to go to nice hotels.
halsayegh@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner Canvassed, Par Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)
7.05pm Meydan Cup – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,810m
Winner Dubai Future, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Mouheeb, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
8.15pm Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
9.50pm Meydan Classic – Conditions (TB) $$50,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Topper Bill, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
9.25pm Dubai Sprint – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,200m
Winner Man Of Promise, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
Attacks on Egypt’s long rooted Copts
Egypt’s Copts belong to one of the world’s oldest Christian communities, with Mark the Evangelist credited with founding their church around 300 AD. Orthodox Christians account for the overwhelming majority of Christians in Egypt, with the rest mainly made up of Greek Orthodox, Catholics and Anglicans.
The community accounts for some 10 per cent of Egypt’s 100 million people, with the largest concentrations of Christians found in Cairo, Alexandria and the provinces of Minya and Assiut south of Cairo.
Egypt’s Christians have had a somewhat turbulent history in the Muslim majority Arab nation, with the community occasionally suffering outright persecution but generally living in peace with their Muslim compatriots. But radical Muslims who have first emerged in the 1970s have whipped up anti-Christian sentiments, something that has, in turn, led to an upsurge in attacks against their places of worship, church-linked facilities as well as their businesses and homes.
More recently, ISIS has vowed to go after the Christians, claiming responsibility for a series of attacks against churches packed with worshippers starting December 2016.
The discrimination many Christians complain about and the shift towards religious conservatism by many Egyptian Muslims over the last 50 years have forced hundreds of thousands of Christians to migrate, starting new lives in growing communities in places as far afield as Australia, Canada and the United States.
Here is a look at major attacks against Egypt's Coptic Christians in recent years:
November 2: Masked gunmen riding pickup trucks opened fire on three buses carrying pilgrims to the remote desert monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor south of Cairo, killing 7 and wounding about 20. IS claimed responsibility for the attack.
May 26, 2017: Masked militants riding in three all-terrain cars open fire on a bus carrying pilgrims on their way to the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor, killing 29 and wounding 22. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack.
April 2017: Twin attacks by suicide bombers hit churches in the coastal city of Alexandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta. At least 43 people are killed and scores of worshippers injured in the Palm Sunday attack, which narrowly missed a ceremony presided over by Pope Tawadros II, spiritual leader of Egypt Orthodox Copts, in Alexandria's St. Mark's Cathedral. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks.
February 2017: Hundreds of Egyptian Christians flee their homes in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula, fearing attacks by ISIS. The group's North Sinai affiliate had killed at least seven Coptic Christians in the restive peninsula in less than a month.
December 2016: A bombing at a chapel adjacent to Egypt's main Coptic Christian cathedral in Cairo kills 30 people and wounds dozens during Sunday Mass in one of the deadliest attacks carried out against the religious minority in recent memory. ISIS claimed responsibility.
July 2016: Pope Tawadros II says that since 2013 there were 37 sectarian attacks on Christians in Egypt, nearly one incident a month. A Muslim mob stabs to death a 27-year-old Coptic Christian man, Fam Khalaf, in the central city of Minya over a personal feud.
May 2016: A Muslim mob ransacks and torches seven Christian homes in Minya after rumours spread that a Christian man had an affair with a Muslim woman. The elderly mother of the Christian man was stripped naked and dragged through a street by the mob.
New Year's Eve 2011: A bomb explodes in a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria as worshippers leave after a midnight mass, killing more than 20 people.
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
