More than almost any other industry, the tattoo and piercing scene is strongly characterized by, let’s say, free spirits who value living in the here and now, doing their “thing” in their very own way. They often live by the motto: “Live fast, die young!”. That’s what makes this industry so charming.
But what happens if the “die young” doesn’t work out as planned? Herbert Hoffmann, one of the pioneers of the German tattoo scene, was impoverished in his old age. His gravestone could only be erected thanks to donations. Samy Streckenbach also lived on welfare for the last few years of his life. He too could only be buried properly with the help of donations. For those who are interested: in one of his last interviews, he talks about his “retirement”(interview).
And these colleagues were neither lazy nor badly booked. Quite the opposite: they were absolute greats in their day. Now you can say: “They had a great life!”. And who wants to think about tomorrow when the sun is shining today? And if it’s raining today, twice as much, right?
Interviews with those affected
But what does it look like when you find yourself in this situation at some point, whether through age or accident/illness? We therefore asked veterans in the industry. As this topic is very personal and sensitive, the answers from the interviews are given here under pseudonyms.
Fortunately, we have actually found some colleagues who have made good provisions, surprisingly even very conservatively, with voluntary contributions to statutory pension insurance, property purchases and/or one or two life insurance policies. But we also spoke to colleagues who have nothing of the sort:
Without pension provision
Toni, 59: “I just lived in luxury … and then in the future on Harz 4. The way I lived was great. But when I had money, I should have bought an apartment or two instead of just splashing out the cash. When I think about the past, it often brings tears to my eyes. You get a bit sentimental in old age. Now I’m looking to start a new business, buying/selling, whatever. And if you get ill, buy a 44 and that’s it. As long as I can, I don’t have another chance. At the age of 70, I’ll take the revolver after all. You ask what I would do differently today? Well, I think I’ve just fucked up.”
Chris, 67: “I’m already a pensioner, have voluntarily paid in the lowest rate and get €350 a month. Not enough, of course, and I’ll have to work as long as I can – until I start shaking. I’d like to be a pensioner now – tattooing isn’t really fun anymore. So much has changed! My girlfriend, we’ve been together for 26 years, unfortunately doesn’t have a pension either. When we were doing well, I told her she didn’t need to work. There’s enough money for two of us. I moved a lot with my business (4-5 times). I should have kept the studios and put someone in there, but I’m not a businessman. And buying an apartment or a house? I started tattooing too late for that (at 43). I didn’t need to buy anything then. I thought to myself that I’d be dead by the time it was paid off. I’m just not a businessman…”
With retirement provision
I don’t know about you, but the sentence that stuck with me was: “I’d like to be a pensioner”. And that’s also what those who have a pension plan said back to me: “You can’t make any great leaps, but it’s enough for a carefree retirement. I can do what I like to do and I’m really happy about that!” Or “I love tattooing and only do it when I feel like it. When I’m not, I play with my grandchildren or walk the dog.”
What you like to do is different for everyone: motorcycling, family, traveling, … What they all have in common is that they have all chosen a pension plan that forces them to save (state pension, property). And almost everyone said: “I should have bought another property. It would be paid for today and I could live a little better.”
Additional advantages
Incidentally, as already mentioned, the statutory pension has the advantage that it is also disability insurance. This means that you are also covered if you are no longer able to work as a tattoo artist due to an accident or illness.
And on the subject of real estate: “When we were younger, we let it rip: we lived in 270 m² of the cottage ourselves and only rented out a small part. Now that the children are out of the house, we don’t need that anymore and have separated off a large part and also rented it out.” A retirement plan that can be fun even when saving.
It is also important to choose a pension plan whose value increases with inflation. After all, €2,000 a month in living costs today will be €4,000 in 30 years’ time and a gross amount of around €5,400 (yes, you will also have to pay tax on your pension income). If you retire at 65 and have an average life expectancy of ~80 years, that adds up to around €1.3 million, just to live on!
Your own studio as a provision
Some people have also done this: when they get older, they transfer the studio to a younger employee for a certain monthly rent. However, this only works for larger studios that are still running well. Here it is important to provide for new blood and a “breath of fresh air” in good time.
Correct health insurance
Michaela, widow: “Definitely take out health insurance and make sure that it covers everything that can happen to you! We chose a good health insurance plan including long-term care insurance (Allianz) and paid €10 a month more so that it wouldn’t get more expensive in old age. I now pay around €350 a month for my private health and long-term care insurance.”
The reference to the “right” health insurance is important. Because things were different for another colleague who had cancer. Rudi: “My former boss also had cancer and was privately insured. This was problematic because he always had to pay for the expensive treatments (several thousand euros each) in advance. There were also disputes between the insurance company and the university hospital regarding the billing method, which meant he didn’t get any money back from the insurance company for a long time. He also never knew whether he would get it back at all. Fortunately, he had disability insurance. He was able to cover the running costs (studio and private) with this and the rent for his studio space.”
Gunter, 63: “I’ve stuck with statutory health insurance. It’s a bit more expensive when you’re young, but later in life, when you don’t have as much, it’s much cheaper (around €250 a month). A colleague of mine took out private insurance at a low price and now pays €800 a month.”
This is an important point that you should bear in mind. If you fall ill (e.g. cancer or an accident) and are unable to work for a longer period of time, the private health insurance contributions will remain the same, while the statutory health insurance contributions will be adjusted to your income and become cheaper.
Michaela, widow: “My husband battled cancer for over two years and had over 50 chemo treatments. It went like this: he went into hospital for a day and was back in the studio the next day doing tattoos, sometimes with an oxygen machine. The €500 per month from the care insurance (care level 1) really helped, but of course it wasn’t enough. Fortunately, it wasn’t a problem for him, because he lived for his work and his studio.”
Permanent position
You have solid all-round protection if you work as an employee rather than self-employed. Sure, there’s less cash left over at the end of the month, but as the example of Michi, 63, shows: “Frank, one of my tattoo artists (he works for me on a permanent basis), recently had a serious accident with a ruptured lung. He had to have two operations, two intensive care units and so on, and was out of work for a few weeks. At least he didn’t have to worry about his rent and so on, as he naturally continued to receive his salary. And I just send in the sick note and get 70% of it back from the KV.” By the way, this not only works for your tattoo artists and piercers, but also for you as a studio owner (see our info mail “What to do when nothing works?”).
Yours
