Understand the mechanisms.
Your money in Switzerland, explained simply for expats: every mechanism with official figures and real examples.
I'm an expat in Switzerland
- B permit: withholding tax and your pension
- The 3 pillars: AHV, BVG and 3a explained
- Leaving Switzerland: 3a, pension fund, AHV
5 moves worth thousands of francs a year
Where to start with your money in Switzerland: an automatic 3a, an invested 3a, your health insurance deductible, bank fees and deductions. What each move is worth, how long it takes, and what changes if you are taxed at source.
Swiss health insurer: same cover, up to CHF 3'000 difference a year
Every Swiss health insurer covers the same basic care, but premiums vary by up to CHF 3'000 a year. How to compare, the models that lower the premium, the 30 November deadline, and the rules for new arrivals.
Your pension fund certificate line by line: the 5 figures that matter
Your BVG pension certificate line by line: retirement assets, insured salary, conversion rate, death and disability benefits, possible buy-in. What each figure means, what to check, and the German and French terms you will see.
How much do you need to retire in Switzerland? The calculation by salary
What AHV and your pension fund will pay depending on your salary, how much of your income they really replace, the capital you need to build yourself, the levers to close the gap, and what changes if you arrived as an adult.
Buy or rent in Switzerland in 2026: the calculation in 30 seconds
The 5% rule to compare buying and renting, with a calculator, the deposit and income required, the cost of tied-up capital, the end of the imputed rental value, and what a B permit allows you to buy.
Using your pension fund to buy: withdrawal or pledge?
Early withdrawal or pledge of your Swiss pension fund to buy a home: the tax on withdrawal, the pension you lose, the rules and what the bank requires. How to choose.
Retiring at 62 in Switzerland: what it really costs
Retiring at 62 instead of 65: a lower pension fund pension for life, AHV reduced only if you draw it early, bridging capital to finance, AHV contributions that continue. The cost in figures and how to reduce it.
FIRE in Switzerland: aim for 30 to 35 times your spending, not 25
Pension fund locked until 60, wealth tax, AHV to pay without a job, health insurance without an employer: why the Swiss FIRE number exceeds the US rule of 25 times, canton by canton.
Inheritance tax in Switzerland: the rate in every canton, by relationship
Inheritance tax 2026 in the 26 Swiss cantons: spouse, children, parents, siblings, nephews, cohabiting partner, others. Rates from the official FTA calculator, levers to pay less, and what applies to an estate from abroad.
Will I be reclassified as a professional securities dealer?
The 5 conditions of FTA circular no. 36 that guarantee your private investor status, and what happens if you fall outside them: FIRE, unemployment, rebalancing, leverage, derivatives.
Living in France, working in Switzerland: where you pay tax, depending on your canton
Cross-border commuters from France: Geneva and Fribourg tax at source, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Valais, Jura, Bern, Solothurn and Basel let France tax. AHV, pension fund, 40% remote work, Swiss or French health insurance, pillar 3a.
Lump sum or monthly instalments? What the numbers say
A bonus, an inheritance, accumulated savings: invest the sum at once or spread it over several months? What the Vanguard study shows, what spreading costs with a calculator, and how to spread without falling into the timing trap.
The strong franc: what currency costs your investments, and should you hedge?
A global ETF is three quarters in dollars. What the rise of the franc has cost Swiss-based investors since 1987 (SNB and MSCI figures), what hedging costs, what you really control, and what changes if you will retire abroad.
A few years abroad: the gap in your Swiss pension, and how to close it
A few years of work abroad stop your AHV and pension fund contributions. Secondment to stay insured, investing your vested benefits, the deductible buy-in when you return, and what cannot be caught up.
Pillar 3a with a bank or an insurer: what you are not told when you sign
Bank 3a or 3a insurance: the same tax deduction, but not the same freedom or fees. The fixed premium, the surrender value, the death cover, what to do if you have already signed, and what it means if you leave Switzerland.
Pillar 3a: how many accounts to open, and in what order to withdraw them
Why open 3 to 5 pillar 3a accounts: the tax on withdrawal from the FTA calculator (300'000 francs at once or in five), with a calculator by canton, the order of withdrawals, the pension fund trap and what changes if you leave Switzerland.
Declaring your securities for tax: the securities list step by step
How to declare your shares and ETFs on your Swiss tax return: what to declare (wealth, dividends, not capital gains), the securities list step by step, recovering the 35% withholding tax, form DA-1, foreign brokers and taxation at source.
Where to keep your emergency fund in 2026: what really pays when the SNB is at 0%
How much to keep aside, where to put it when the SNB is at 0% (savings account, term deposit, money market fund), the CHF 100'000 deposit guarantee, and why chasing the best rate matters less than investing the surplus.
Swiss shares or the world: what home bias brings, and what it costs
Switzerland is a few percent of the world stock market, but often far more in Swiss-based portfolios. What home bias brings (no currency risk, recoverable withholding tax), what it costs (three stocks make up almost half the SMI) and how to size it.
When the stock market falls: the reflexes that protect you, and those that cost
Crash, correction, a 20% fall: what past falls of the global index show, the reflexes that protect your money, those that cost a lot, and what Switzerland changes (no tax on gains, no deduction for losses).
Robo-advisors: what digital wealth management costs, and for whom it is worth it
True Wealth, Selma, VIAC Invest, Swissquote Invest Easy: what digital wealth management costs, the gap with an ETF bought yourself over 20 years, with a calculator, and for whom it is worth the price.
End of 2026: 7 things to do before 31 December
3a, pension fund buy-in, health insurer, deductible, AHV, deductible expenses: the 7 things to do before the end of 2026 in Switzerland, with the deadlines, what each one is worth, and what changes if you are taxed at source.
AHV pension 2026 and 2027: how much you will get if you started in Switzerland late
AHV pension 2026 and 2027 for expats: how much you get after 10, 20 or 30 years in Switzerland, why years abroad are not lost, the 5-year catch-up, the rule for a non-working spouse, and how to fill the gap.
Health insurance deductible: CHF 300 or CHF 2'500? The threshold that decides
Swiss health insurance deductible of CHF 300 or CHF 2'500: the threshold of medical costs that decides, a calculator with your costs, the profiles, the deadline of 30 November, and the 3-month rule for new arrivals.
Leaving Switzerland: your 3a, pension fund and AHV, in the right order
Leaving Switzerland: your 3a can be withdrawn in full, your pension fund depends on your destination (EU or rest of the world), and the tax on withdrawal depends on the foundation's canton. What happens to your AHV, and the order of the steps.
Investing your 3a: where to open it, and what fees cost you
Where to open an invested pillar 3a: the fees of finpension, VIAC, frankly and the banks compared, what one point of fees costs over 30 years, how many portfolios to open and how to move an old 3a. With the expat specifics.
Your first stock market purchase in Switzerland, in 5 steps
From zero to your first ETF in Switzerland: open an account with an online broker, transfer the money, choose the ETF, place the order and declare your securities. The 5 steps, in order, for residents and expats.
B permit: withholding tax, pensions, and what happens to your money if you leave
B permit: withholding tax, ordinary assessment, AHV and pension rights, 3a, and how to get the tax on your pension money back if you leave Switzerland.
The 3 Swiss pillars: AHV, BVG and 3a, with the 2026 and 2027 figures
AHV, pension fund and 3a: who pays, what you will receive, and why the first two pillars rarely reach the 60% of your salary they aim for. With an expat example.
Pension fund buy-in: how much tax you save, and the 3-year rule
A pension fund buy-in is 100% tax deductible, with no annual cap: the state often gives back a quarter to a third. Net gain, the 3-year rule and the right timing.
The risk of not investing: CHF 25'600 of purchasing power lost in 20 years
CHF 100'000 left in a savings account for 20 years lose about a quarter of their purchasing power with 2% inflation. The calculation, compared with a portfolio, and why volatility is a different kind of risk.
Swissquote, Interactive Brokers or your bank: which costs less in 2026?
Trading fees, stamp duty, custody and currency exchange: Swissquote, Interactive Brokers and a traditional bank compared for an investor living in Switzerland, with the cost over 10 years.
ETFs in Switzerland: what they really cost, and how to choose them
Choosing an ETF from Switzerland in 3 criteria, what it really costs (TER, stamp duty, brokerage), and what changes between Irish or US domicile, accumulating or distributing.
Starting 10 years earlier: almost twice the capital, for the same effort
With the same monthly effort, starting to invest at 30 rather than 40 gives almost twice as much capital at 65. The calculation, the pillar 3a version, and what weighs as much as age.
Investing in Switzerland: no capital gains tax, and how to pay less on the rest
In Switzerland, your stock market gains are not taxed, but your dividends and wealth are. What is taxed, the 5 legal ways to pay less, and the fees that matter more than tax.
Swiss tax deductions 2026: the 11 items and their official amounts
The 11 deductions for Swiss federal income tax in 2026 with the FTA's official amounts: commuting, meals, professional expenses, training, childcare, insurance, interest, maintenance, BVG buy-in, medical costs and donations.
Asset allocation: up to CHF 410'000 of difference over 25 years
Cautious, balanced or 100% equities: over 25 years, your split between equities, bonds and cash changes your wealth far more than the choice of securities. The figures, the crashes and the role of your pension fund.
Pillar 3a: CHF 7'258 in 2026, CHF 7'373 from 2027
Pillar 3a limit: CHF 7'258 in 2026, CHF 7'373 in 2027 for employees. What you save depending on your canton, the real deadline, several accounts and catch-up contributions.
BVG conversion rate 2026: how much pension for your capital
BVG conversion rate 2026: the formula from capital to pension, the legal 6.8% against the real median of 5.1%, and a calculator with your own figures.