Retirement Archives - The Poor Swiss

Early retiree in Switzerland – Dror’s Story

By Baptiste WichtRetirement, Switzerland

Most of the time, when we hear stories of early retirees, they are all living in countries where the cost of living is much lower than in Switzerland. But recently, I have had the chance to interview an early retiree in Switzerland!

Dror has retired in Switzerland in 2021 at the age of 46. His story is very interesting, in that he is one of the first early retirees I have had the chance to talk with.

Without further ado, here is the story of Dror Allouche, an early retiree in Switzerland!

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Your retirement benefits after your death

By Baptiste WichtRetirement

On this blog, I have talked at length about the retirement system of Switzerland, the so-called three pillars. However, I have not covered in detail what would happen to these different parts in the event of your death.

Even though this is a subject that most people prefer to avoid, it is an important subject. Indeed, you want to be sure that people who depend on you will be covered if this happens. And it is also essential to know about that in some special situations.

And it is also important to cover what happens before retirement age and after retirement since this will vary.

So, in this article, we will cover what will happen to each of the three pillars in the event of your death.

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Freya 3a Review (Discontinued)- Pros & Cons

By Baptiste WichtRetirement, Investing, Switzerland

Update: Freya is discontinued as of the end of 2021!

Using the third pillar in Switzerland is a great way to save money on your taxes. However, it is not always easy to choose a third pillar provider since there are many of them, and new ones are regularly coming.

Freya 3a is a new third pillar available in Switzerland. They aim to provide sustainable investments for the third pillar, and they claim that they are doing differently than the existing third pillars and at a reasonable price.

This Freya 3a Review will show what Freya 3a is, its fees and strategies, and how it compares with other third pillars. At the end of the article, you will know whether you should use Freya 3a for your retirement money.

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What is a 1e pension plan (pillar 1e)?

By Baptiste WichtRetirement

I have talked in detail about the retirement system in Switzerland, the so-called three pillars. However, I have not yet talked about a not well-known part of this system: 1e pension plans.

In this article, I want to cover in detail 1e pension plans. These pension plans are sometimes called pillar 1e. We will see what it is all about, who can profit from it, and more!

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Should You Contribute to Your Second Pillar in 2022?

By Baptiste WichtInvesting, Financial Independence, Retirement, Switzerland

In Switzerland, you can make a voluntary contribution to your second pillar. These contributions come with some tax advantages since you can deduct that from your income. Therefore, you have a return equal to your marginal tax rate. And this return is almost instant.

However, the money is then blocked into the second pillar. And the returns on that blocked money have been very low in recent years. Finally, you can only withdraw the money from your second pillar if you retire, buy a house, or start a company.

Many people ask whether they should contribute money to their second pillar or continue investing in stocks. In this article, I answer this important question.

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What is the best third pillar in Switzerland for 2022?

By Baptiste WichtInvesting, Retirement

In Switzerland, contributing to your third pillar is one of the best ways to save on taxes. I recommend everybody to contribute to their third pillar.

But contributing to your third pillar is not enough. You should invest the money in your third pillar. That means you have to pick the best third pillar for your money. Since there are many options, it may be difficult to choose the best third pillar for your needs.

So, this article is here to help you! We see how to choose the best third pillar!

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VIAC Review 2022 – Excellent third pillar in Switzerland

By Baptiste WichtInvesting, Retirement, Switzerland

There are many third pillar providers in Switzerland. Some of them are good, but most of them are too expensive. You do not want to waste your retirement bank on fees. Therefore, you need to choose the best third pillar provider.

In 2018, VIAC started on the market of third pillars. VIAC is the first mobile third pillar. And they are really interesting! VIAC has very low fees and lets you invest up to 97% exposure in stocks. It is significantly better than what I have found before in other third-pillar providers.

In this article, I do an in-depth review of VIAC! Among other things, we will look at the investing strategies and the fees of this service.

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Your Marginal Tax Rate and all you need to know about it

By Baptiste WichtEarn, Retirement, Switzerland

Your marginal tax rate is an important metric. But it is also a complex and misunderstood concept. Many beliefs about the marginal tax rates are wrong.

So, in this article, I want to clear out as much as possible regarding the subject. By the end, you will know how to estimate your marginal tax rate and what it means.

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VIAC vs Finpension 3a – Which is the best third pillar for 2022?

By Baptiste WichtRetirement, Switzerland

Until the end of 2020, VIAC was unchallenged as the best third pillar in Switzerland. And then came Finpension 3a, another great third pillar offer.

I have already made reviews of these two excellent services. But we also need to compare VIAC vs Finpension 3a in detail to see which is the best third pillar in Switzerland?

In this article, I compare VIAC vs Finpension 3a in detail. We see their investing strategies, fees, and everything you need to know to choose!

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Swiss Deposit Insurance – When a Bank Bankrupts

By Baptiste WichtRetirement, Switzerland

We have talked a lot about Swiss Banks on this blog. But we have not yet talked in detail as to what happens to your money if one Swiss Bank defaults (bankrupts).

In that case, there is a special deposit insurance for the customers of the failed bank. Even though Swiss banks are reputed very safe, they are not infallible. It is essential for customers what would happen to their bank account balance if their bank goes bankrupt.

In this article, we will cover this deposit insurance in all its details and see what people can do about that.

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