Keep your living standard

Maintaining your standard of living: Get things on track today, not after retirement

“Thanks to comprehensive financial planning, you can live off your saved assets for longer—and often at a higher level.”

When people hear the word “retirement,” they usually immediately think of relaxation and freedom. The illusion here is that, until you retire, your finances are anything but “relaxed”. What income can you generate from your assets? Or from your pension? Or from any investments you might have? Statistically speaking, many people fail to align their investment horizon with their other life plans. These three expert tips provide some valuable guidance for planning the next phase of your life in a well-informed manner.

Milestones along the path to retirement

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Your own planning responsibilities

The pension system in Switzerland is made up of three pillars that support you in preparing for retirement: state pension (1st pillar, OASI), occupational pension (2nd pillar, PF) and a voluntary private pension (pillar 3a). The system gives you room to maneuver when it comes to saving for retirement, but it does also require a certain amount of responsibility and planning on your part. This is because the three pots must, ideally, be aligned with each other so that they are optimally positioned for withdrawals later in life. If they are not, you risk facing tax disadvantages when you receive your payments or missing opportunities for optimizations.

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The 60% rule for your standard of living

The higher your income, the more important a private pension will be later at enabling you to maintain your standard of living. The reason for this is that the OASI and pension fund pensions mostly cover just 60 percent of your financial needs later in life, and in many cases less than this. Do you know what pension you can expect when you retire? Professional asset and pension planning can help you take on this responsibility for yourself in plenty of time.

The growing importance of pensions: “Take responsibility!”

Pensions from 1st and 2nd pillars = should reach 60% of the most recent salary and enable previous lifestyle to be continued
The higher the income, the greater the gap

Know the tax implications

Retirement is within reach. The last few months or years are essentially business as usual. But do you know what happens when you draw your pension? Do you know what proportion you will receive as pension payments and, if applicable, as a lump sum? Both of these options could have a significant impact on your tax burden. For the average Swiss citizen, pension assets make up around a quarter of their total assets.* So, it is key that you identify the option that works best for you. Here is an example:

^*More specifically, 24% according to a study by the Federal Statistical Office on the financial situation of private households (2014, latest revised version), page 49. (retrieved June 2023)

Free assessment of your retirement situation

Get your retirement and financial plans up to date with advice from our knowledgeable experts. Arrange a free initial consultation* or call us.

Arrange a consultation +41 58 283 64 46

*The initial consultation is suitable for people who have multiple sources of assets, property, and/or pension plans, who wish to assess their overall situation and identify potential optimizations as well as get investment ideas. The duration of the free initial consultation is 60 minutes.

During the initial consultation, we will discuss the following questions with you:

What factors should you consider for early retirement?
How can you optimize your retirement finances?
What retirement benefits can you expect?
What projects and investments are you planning for the future?
What is the best asset structure for your 2nd and 3rd pillar savings?

Our wealth and financial planners

Tobias Vinzent

Head Wealth Planning

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Bettina Rösch

Head Wealth Services CH

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Burak Ak

Head Financial Planning

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+41 58 283 60 05

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We work with you to develop a comprehensive strategy based on your individual entrepreneurial situation as well as your personal wishes and goals.

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Take control of your future standard of living by preparing early. As globally active financial experts, we look after your assets actively and with foresight.

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