Elena has seen her life change since her two sons arrived. She still takes just as much pleasure in long-distance travel, but safety and relaxation have become more important to her.

'Now that I have children, I find it important to live in an environmentally friendly way. When my old car gave up the ghost after the birth of my youngest son, I decided to buy a new one with lower emissions.'

Elena popped into a KBC Brussels branch in order to find out about car insurance. 'The employees at KBC Brussels not only helped me with an insurance policy, but also suggested a green car loan. That was exactly the advice I needed.'

This personal approach is important to Elena. 'When I received a beautiful artwork as a gift from my parents last year, it really meant a lot to me. My relationship manager then found an art insurance policy that covered both the monetary and the emotional value.'

After a few years of working, both Elena and her husband received promotions at work. This gave the family a little more financial breathing space. Money to spend on travelling, but also on planning for later in life.

'Our relationship manager at KBC Brussels took a great deal of time to explore our savings and investment options with us,' explains Elena. 'Together, we decided to start saving for a pension and to save systematically for the children.'

'Brussels is an international city. Its inhabitants' lives often don't stop at the Belgian border. KBC Brussels understands that,'says Elena. 'My credit card is also insured abroad, for example, which means I can go travelling at any time without any worries.'

Elena's sons have itchy feet too. Her oldest son will soon be spending six months in Spain on Erasmus. 'KBC Brussels helped us with the practical organisation, such as fire insurance for his student accommodation,' explains Elena. 'They also gave us a useful tip: to take a pre-paid card. That means he can easily make payments abroad without losing control over his budget.'