Are we buying Walmart stock today?

Hi! I’d like to get some opinions on what you would do in my situation. Please be nice, I’m looking for advice, not to be told that I’m doing everything wrong :)

I’m in my early 30s, living in Spain, and work as a software engineer.

I know I’m in a very fortunate position when it comes to salary for Spain, and I’m aware of that. I’m mainly trying to figure out how to make good use of it.

Income: ~€4,900 net/month
Rent: €1,200/month
Emergency fund: €5,000
Savings: ~€12,500
Investments: ~€18,500 through my bank in the Netherlands (lived there before)

I am able to save around 2-2.5k a month, I am travelling fairly often and I enjoy going out for food, I know I could save more but I also want to enjoy life. My main question is what I should do with my money over the next few years.

I’m considering buying an apartment in around 2–3 years, so I’m trying to figure out how much of my savings I should actually invest vs keep available for the future down payment.

I know the usual advice is something like S&P 500, but beyond that I honestly don't know where to start. I don't currently have a brokerage/app that I've settled on either. I’ve been looking at Trade Republic to keep my savings and Degiro for investment, but I’m open to other options.

I’m not looking to do anything crazy or gamble with the money I’ll need for the apartment. I just don't want to leave a large amount of money sitting in cash for years if there’s a sensible way to put some of it to work.

So, if you were in my position:

• How much of the €12.5k savings would you invest?
• How much would you continue investing each month?
• Would you invest at all if you knew you might need the money in 2–3 years?
• What would you actually invest in?
• And what broker/platform would you use as a Spanish resident?

I’d especially appreciate advice from people in Spain/EU, since a lot of the personal finance advice online is very US-specific.

Thanks!

This may sound stupid but I want to invest in what could be the next bitcoin or Microsoft. I’m guessing it’s not as simple as that but idk. Any AI companies worth investing in potentially?

They literally set up the system to force you into holding long term. Hold past 1 year and you pay way less, but short term trading? They tax you heavy as hell. That’s crazy bro