VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits: Best account in 2026?
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(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links)
People between jobs in Switzerland transfer their second pillar to a vested benefits account. It is essential to choose the best vested benefits account.
There are many vested benefits account providers in Switzerland. Unfortunately, there are not many great options. So, it is crucial to choose the best account for your needs.
VIAC and Finpension Vested Benefits are currently the best options available for vested benefits accounts. So, we will see which you should choose!
I compare both options in great detail. We will examine their investment models, fees, and security.
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VIAC Vested Benefits
I have talked many times about VIAC on this blog. They are providing a great pillar in Switzerland. And in May 2020, they also started offering vested benefits accounts.
VIAC is a digital provider. You will use the web application to manage your account online. They also have a mobile application to manage your account if you prefer.
Their vested benefits accounts follow the same philosophy as their third pillar account:
- Low Fees
- High allocation into stocks
- Good diversification
If you want more information, read my review of VIAC vested benefits.
Finpension Vested Benefits
Finpension Vested Benefits started in 2017 as a vested benefits account provider. Finpension Vested Benefits is a second pillar foundation. The foundation’s assets are managed by finpension.
Finpension is a digital provider. You will use the web interface to access and manage your account.
Finpension also has a great third pillar account. You can read my review of Finpension 3a to get an idea of everything this provider provides.
If you want more information, read my complete review of Finpension Vested Benefits.
Investment Models
We start by comparing the investment models of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits.
Both VIAC and Finpension have very similar investment models. They will invest your portfolio in index funds. They are both using cheap, well-diversified index funds. They are using funds of the same quality. I would say that their investment philosophies are both very good.
Both invest in index funds instead of ETFs. Pension funds can access better index funds than us because they can waive most of the fees. So, it does not make sense to invest in ETFs for them.
One difference is that finpension lets you choose between UBS, Credit Suisse, and Swisscanto for your funds. With VIAC, you can choose between Credit Suisse and Swisscanto.
VIAC will rebalance your portfolio once a month if necessary. Finpension will rebalance once a week. This is a very slight advantage for Finpension, but in practice, it should not matter much.
In both cases, this is done for free. And there is no reason to change more often. So this is a good point for both companies.
They both have different sets of default strategies. We can take a look at the default strategies of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits:
- VIAC uses names with the number of stocks in it. For instance, Global 80 is a globally diversified fund with 80% stocks (note that Global 100 has 99% stocks). VIAC has three strategies: Global, Switzerland, and Sustainable.
- Finpension Vested Benefits has the same naming. For instance, Finpension Aktien 100 has 99% stocks, while Aktien 80 has 80%. Finpension also has three groups of strategies: Global, Sustainable, and Switzerland.
VIAC’s default strategies are more polished than Finpension’s. However, both allow you to customize your portfolio in detail, which is where we see the limits of both accounts.
It is also important to mention that Finpension has two vested benefits foundations. This allows you to have two accounts with them and save on taxes when you withdraw money!
Here, there are some significant differences between both. They both allow a high level of customization, but their limits are different.
- Finpension allows 99% in the entire vested benefits account. However, VIAC only allows 99% in stocks in the extra-mandatory part of your vested benefits assets.
- VIAC only lets you invest 60% in foreign currencies (non-CHF) instruments. On the other hand, Finpension Vested Benefits have no limit. This means you could invest 99% of your portfolio in U.S. stocks if you wanted to.
- They have different limits per asset class. For instance, you can only invest 10% in gold at VIAC and 20% with Finpension Vested Benefits. Finpension lets you invest up to 50% in real estate, while VIAC only enables you to invest 30%. Overall, Finpension Vested has higher limits. But these asset classes should not make a large portion of your portfolio anyway.
In light of this, Finpension Vested Benefits offers significantly better vested benefits portfolios! You have a better capacity to invest in foreign currency instruments.
VIAC lets you choose between cash and bonds for the part not invested in stocks. If you opt for cash, you could reduce slightly your fees, but you may reduce your returns depending on the current bond interest rates.
VIAC still offers good conditions compared to all the other vested benefits. However, they do not provide a better account when you compare it with Finpension Vested Benefits.
Fees – VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits
Fees are the only thing you control when you invest in stocks. So, optimizing fees if you invest in the long term is essential. So, we must compare the fees of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits.
The most important fees for your retirement accounts are the management fees. These are the fees you will pay every year on your invested amount. In the long term, these are significantly more than flat fees. But many people ignore them because they are small numbers.
Finpension Vested Benefits has a fixed fee of 0.49% per year. Some of their funds have extra fees (real estate, for instance), but you can choose not to use them, putting the base fee at precisely 0.49% per year.
VIAC has a base administration fee of 0.52%, which is only due on the invested assets. This fee is also capped at 0.40% for the total portfolio. Then, there are some fees for the funds used in each portfolio.
I will take the Global portfolio as an example since this is the portfolio that would suit most people. It has a fee of 0.41%. Since VIAC is a pension fund company, they do not pay TVA, so this is the complete fee.
On top of that, VIAC has some fees for foreign currency exchanges. For this, they pay a 0.75% fee. However, this is optimized between customers. It seems like it should be about a 0.05% fee per year. So, VIAC has a total fee of 0.46% per year.
So, for management fees, VIAC is slightly cheaper than Finpension Vested Benefits. This is a difference of 0.03% per year. If you have 100’000 CHF in your portfolio, this is a difference of 30 CHF per year. Such a difference is likely negligible for most people.
Both companies have other one-time fees. With VIAC, you will pay 300 CHF if you buy a house with the money in your vested benefits account.
With Finpension Vested Benefits, you have a few more one-time fees:
- 400 CHF if you leave Finpension within one year of joining
- 200 CHF for pledging your portfolio
- 500 CHF for withdrawing the money to buy a house
- 500 CHF for withdrawing money while abroad
- 1500 CHF if you do it within one year of joining
So, Finpension Vested Benefits is more expensive for special operations. But in most cases, people will only pay these fees once or even never for some people.
For some people, there is one extra significant difference between the two offers: the domicile of the foundation. If you are retiring in Switzerland, this will not matter to you. But it is important if you plan to leave Switzerland and withdraw your second pillar. The difference is that when you withdraw money from your second pillar account, you will be taxed based on where your assets are managed. If you withdraw in Switzerland, your tax domicile will be used instead.
VIAC is in Basel, and Finpension Vested Benefits is in Schwytz. And Schwytz is the best canton in Switzerland for that. They have the lowest second pillar withholding tax in Switzerland. If you work many years and have a large second pillar amount, this can account for more than 10’000 CHF saved (with about 300’000 CHF) compared to Basel.
So, if you want to withdraw your money abroad, Finpension Vested Benefits will allow you to save a lot of money on withdrawal taxes! But be careful about the 500 CHF fee for withdrawing abroad. This may not make it useful in the case of a small amount.
Sustainable Investing
More and more people want to invest sustainably. This means they want their money to work on companies that work for a better future and not only for profits. So, we can compare the sustainable options of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits.
Both companies offer ways to invest sustainably. With VIAC, you can choose a Sustainable strategy (Sustainable 100, Sustainable 80, …). You can also create your portfolio and choose sustainable funds. They have some Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) funds and some Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) funds.
With Finpension Vested Benefits, you do not have a default strategy with sustainable options. However, you can also opt for a custom portfolio and choose sustainable funds. They have a few ESG funds, but they have fewer choices of sustainable funds than VIAC.
In both cases, you will pay slightly more fees for these portfolios. Indeed, all sustainable funds are more expensive than their non-sustainable equivalent. This will not make an enormous difference, but it is still relevant to realize this.
You can invest sustainably with both VIAC and Finpension Vested Benefits. They each offer sustainable strategies that can change to using sustainable funds.
Safety of your assets
Over the years, you will have much money in your vested benefits. So, it is essential to know that your assets are safe. So, we should compare the safety of your assets between VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits.
In Switzerland, pension accounts are well regulated. They are all under the same law.
Your assets are segregated from the pension foundation for both companies. However, the organization is slightly different.
With VIAC, VIAC is your fund manager. WIR Bank holds your cash assets, and Credit Suisse (or Swisscanto) holds your shares. The foundation in charge of the assets is the WIR Vested Benefits Foundation. If VIAC goes bankrupt, the foundation will find another manager for your assets. If WIR Bank bankrupts, your assets are protected by Swiss law by up to 100’000 CHF in cash. Your shares of funds are held in your name and are safe.
Finpension Vested Benefits is the actual foundation in charge of the assets. finpension is the asset manager. If finpension fails, the foundation will find a new asset manager for your assets. And if the bank holding your assets fails, your shares are in your name, and your cash is insured for up to 100’000 CHF.
With Finpension Vested Benefits and VIAC, your assets are as safe as they can be in Switzerland. They have the same level of safety.
Short-term vested benefits
Sometimes, you need a vested benefits account for the short term. For instance, if you are between jobs. In this case, it does not make sense to invest in the stock market because you will have to sell everything to move back to the pension fund of your new employer.
In this case, you have to be more conservative. If you plan to go back to work in the next few years (ideally less probably), you likely want to keep your vested benefits in cash.
Both of these providers are equal and let you keep your vested benefits account in cash.
Technical Security
We can also compare the technical security of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits.
In both cases, there is very little you can do from the account. Security is slightly less important than a bank account since you cannot withdraw money from the application. However, the application still contains much of your data, and your portfolio could be changed, so you cannot neglect security either.
Both accounts are very similarly protected. First, all the connections are encrypted. Then, they both use second-factor authentication (2FA) on your phone. They will send you an SMS code to confirm your identity. But they are doing it differently:
- Finpension will always ask for your second factor when you log in. Also, Finpension supports proper authenticators instead of only SMS, which can be spoofed.
- VIAC will only request your second factor when you do a major action like modifying your information or portfolio.
Both approaches have pros and cons. However, I prefer writing my second factor every single time. That way, my personal information is protected from someone having my password.
So, Finpension’s security is better than VIAC’s. But this is a slight difference. Both companies have sound security for your money.
Summary – VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits
Here is a summary of the main points of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits:
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Best vested benefits account
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5.0
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4.5
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Security:
Good
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Good
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- Invest 99% in stocks
- Very good investment strategy
- High investment in foreign currency
- Very low management fees
- Great customization
- Best fund domicile for withdrawing abroad
- Cannot invest directly in cash
- Invest 99% in stocks
- Very good investment strategy
- Good for sustainable investing
- Limited to 60% foreign currencies
- Limited customization
- Suboptimal for withdrawing abroad
In most cases, Finpension Vested Benefits offers a better vested benefits account:
- Finpension Vested Benefits lets you invest more in stocks.
- VIAC has slightly lower management fees.
- Finpension Vested Benefits lets you invest more in foreign currency instruments.
- Finpension has two foundations, so you can have two accounts.
- VIAC has low fees for special operations like pledging.
- Finpension Vested Benefits is better if you withdraw money outside Switzerland.
- VIAC is slightly better for sustainable investing.
Finpension Vested Benefits will be a better fit for most people.
Conclusion
Finpension Vested Benefits is the best account in Switzerland.
Use the FEYKV5 code to get 25 CHF in your account!
- Invest 99% in stocks
So, we conclude this comparison of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits. Finpension Vested Benefits is the best vested benefits account available in Switzerland in 2026. They have several advantages over VIAC:
- Finpension Vested Benefits lets you invest more in stocks and foreign stocks, which is great for diversification.
- They have two foundations.
- They have a better tax domicile (if you withdraw from abroad).
VIAC is still a great vested benefits account compared to other alternatives. But compared to Finpension Vested Benefits, it falls short!
If you would like to learn more about Finpension, you can read my interview with finpension’s CEO, Beat Buhlmann. They also offer the best third pillar in Switzerland.
So, that concludes our comparison of VIAC vs Finpension Vested Benefits. If you have any experience with one of them, I would love to hear about it!
More reading
Yuh 3a Review 2026 – Pros & Cons
Yuh 3a. Read our review of the Yuh 3a pillar. We analyze the 0.50% fee, the investment strategy, and how it compares to VIAC and Finpension.
How to Open a VIAC Third Pillar in a Few Easy Steps
Find out how to open a VIAC third pillar in a few easy steps and how to transfer your existing third pillar to your new account.
Freya 3a Review 2026 – Discontinued
Freya 3a is a new sustainable third pillar available in Switzerland, aiming at being easy, affordable and sustainable, we see how it fares!
Learn easy ways to optimize your finances and save thousands in Switzerland with our exclusive e-book. Learn about the most cost-effective financial services tailored for savvy residents and expats!
Get Your FREE Swiss Money-Saving Guide
Hi Baptiste
Thanks for all the great advice you provide!
I have a question regarding Finpension vs. VIAC for vested benefits while between jobs.
I will soon leave my current job and pension fund while looking for a new position. I expect (and hope!) to find a new job within 1–2 years, possibly sooner. Based on your articles, I understand that in such a short time horizon, you generally recommend keeping the vested benefits in cash rather than investing them.
My current pension fund is split into two accounts (mandatory and non-mandatory parts), which I understand can be advantageous from a tax perspective at withdrawal.
You do not recommend Finpension for the short term due to the early withdrawal fee if the money is transferred out within a year. However, VIAC does not allow splitting the assets into two separate vested benefits accounts, meaning my currently separated assets would be merged into one account.
Looking at the long term and assuming a theoretical scenario where I could keep two separate accounts until retirement, would it still make sense to choose Finpension despite the potential early withdrawal fee? In other words, could the long-term tax advantage of maintaining two accounts outweigh the short-term withdrawal fee risk? What is your take on this?
I hope this makes sense — I’m trying to weigh short-term costs against long-term tax efficiency.
Thanks again!
Kind regards
Madeleine
Hi Madeleine
That’s a good question.
I don’t know exactly how it works if you transfer your two parts (mandatory and extra-mandatory) to VIAC and then back to another pension fund. I would expect that you still have two parts. The new pension would have to compute based on your salary what is the mandatory and what is the extra mandatory part.
In a pension fund, there is no advantage to having a mandatory and an extra mandatory part, this is just by law that the two parts are separated
Where it becomes interesting is if you can split it into two vested benefits account (or into two different pension funds) so that you can withdraw in two different years.
Hi Baptiste,
Thanks for your reply!
Just to clarify one important point: my mandatory and extra-mandatory parts are currently held in two separate vested benefits accounts/funds — not just separated internally for accounting purposes. Sorry, I may not have made that clear.
VIAC has confirmed that if I transfer both parts to them, coming from two separate funds, they will be merged into one single vested benefits account.
So my dilemma is the following:
• If I choose VIAC, I avoid the short-term early withdrawal fee, but it seems I permanently lose the current split into two accounts/funds.
• If I choose Finpension, I can preserve the two separate vested benefits accounts, but I may pay the early withdrawal fee if I find a new job within a year.
Given this, would it make sense to accept the potential short-term fee at Finpension in order to preserve the ability to withdraw in two different years in the future? Or is that optimization irrelevant if I expect to rejoin a pension fund within 1–2 years?
Thanks again for your thoughts!
Thanks for the clarification; it makes more sense now :)
Then, yes, you want to keep these two separate for sure. In this case, they will be merged with VIAC indeed, no doubt.
The question remains: what are you going to do when you find a job? If you are going to transfer both parts, they will become one part again in your pension fund? Or are you planning to transfer only one part? The optimization only matters at withdrawal time. You want to spread the withdrawals at retirement.
If you are only going to transfer one half to your new employer, then you could transfer one part to Finpension and keep it there and one part to VIAC for safekeeping until you have a new job.
Thank you very much Baptiste! :)
Hello Baptiste,
I have 2 vested benefits accounts and one is in Finpension. I was sure that when I made customized strategy I have chosen CSIF (CH) III Equity World ex CH Blue – Pension Fund Plus ZB (99%). However, now I see 2 different positions: UBS (CH) Index Fund 3 – Equities World ex CH NSL I-X-acc (87%) and wisscanto (CH) IPF I Index Equity Fund World ex CH NT CHF (12%). I wonder why it has been spread differently but also why I cant find CSIF Pension Fund Plus ZB anymore. Has it been removed? Thank you lots! Iza
Hi Iza
I believe that Finpension is moving away from Credit Suisse funds since UBS is replacing them with its own fund. So, I guess they took the most comparable option to replace the chosen CSIF (from Credit Suisse) fund.
If you look into the fund list from finpension, there are only two Credit Suisse funds left; others have gone.
But that’s only my theory; if you want to be sure, you will have to ask Finpension.
Hi Baptiste,
Thanks for the great post.
I just opened a vested pension account with Finpension. Can you recommend a suitable fund structure for me to follow? I have been following your 80VT and 20% CH stock allocation with Interactive Broker and was hoping you could share something similar for a vested benefits account? Apologies if you already shared this somewhere else, I couldn’t find it.
Hi Des
I am glad you liked it!
The finpension global 100 portfolio is quite decent to get started, but it will get you at 40% Swiss shares.
If you really want to lower it down to 20%, you can create a custom portfolio with the same funds, but change the allocation (reduce both Swiss funds to 10% and increase the world fund to 40%).
If you want to reduce hedging, the best way is to use a single world fund (remove the NTH and allocates to the NT).
Thanks a lot for your detailed response! 🙂
What’s your view on the following allocation, considering that my IB portfolio is roughly VT (60%), CHSPI (20%), and DGRO (20%)?
Finpension
70% Swisscanto (CH) IPF I Index Equity Fund World ex CH NT CHF
10% Swisscanto (CH) IPF I Index Equity Fund Small Cap World ex CH NT CHF
10% Swisscanto (CH) Index Equity Fund Switzerland Total (I) NT CHF
9% Swisscanto (CH) Index Equity Fund Emerging Markets NT CHF
It’s very VT-like, which I personally like, but do you think this is too risky for a vested benefits portfolio?
Or would something with a heavier Swiss tilt (e.g., closer to 40% CH like the Global 100 default) make more sense from a pension-fund perspective?
Thanks again for your time! 🙌
I think it’s really nice and close to something I would do myself.
Obviously, it’s quite volatile, and you need to do that only if your risk profile and investment horizon allows it.
Hi Baptiste, following up on this again, and based on your most recent post about the vested benefits account…
I am currently in between jobs and not sure how long that could last ( 3 months so far… ) is it ok to invest my vested benefits account into :
– 70% Swisscanto (CH) IPF I Index Equity Fund World ex CH NT CHF
– 10% Swisscanto (CH) IPF I Index Equity Fund Small Cap World ex CH NT CHF
– 10% Swisscanto (CH) Index Equity Fund Switzerland Total (I) NT CHF
– 9% Swisscanto (CH) Index Equity Fund Emerging Markets NT CHF
Does this make sense? or should i keep it as cash then see where im at in 3 more months ?
Thanks for your time.
Hi Des
I would not recommend investing in stocks for less than the long term. If you plan to move that money again to your new employer’s pension fund, then cash is likely the best solution.
Stocks do not perform well in the short term: What is long-term investing?
Hi Baptiste,
Thank you for this super helpful advice. I have mandatory and extra-mandatory vested benefits with VIAC for over a year. I also have two pillar 3 accounts with them.
For tax optimization, I am considering splitting the VB between VIAC and Finpension. I would be grateful for your advice on:
1. My goal is maximize long term (10+yr) growth for the VB. I understand that mandatory VB needs to be redeposit into new employer’s pension plan. However, extra-mandatory can be kept in VB account(s). Is my understanding correct and am I missing anything?
2. how many VB accounts are permitted in Switzerland?
3. What are the implications and costs to consider for transfering some amount out of VIAC VB account into Finpension?
Thanks so much,
V
Hi Vin,
1) I am not entirely sure. My understanding is that the total must be transferred.
2) There is no limit. Some cantons have a limit on over many years you can stagger them.
3) The problem here is that you cannot split out an account. You can transfer an entire account from VIAC to FP and it should be free but they will not let you split it.
Hi Baptiste,
I am wondering if you know what is actually best when leaving the country (CH)?
Should I ask for payout of second pillar before leaving the country or should I rather opt for payout from abroad after leaving CH? In which case are the taxes lower?
Thanks a lot for your advice.
My best
Ana
Hi Ana
It’s very difficult to know. In some cases, you will not be able to do a full withdrawal (depends on the country). If you withdraw before leaving, you will pay taxes on your residency canton. If you withdraw from abroad, this will be done based on the foundation’s domicile. And of course, if you withdraw in the future, you will pay the taxes on larger amounts (assuming good stock market returns). So, it’s fairly difficult to know what’s best. Depending on where you go, you may also have to pay taxes in the country itself, which may complicate the matter further. I don’t have a rule of thumb, sorry.
All good Baptiste.
I will try to investigate further. If I learn something useful, I will gladly share.
Thanks a lot for your kind support.
My best
Ana