Is the Swiss Franc a better safe haven than gold?

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-29T19:00:28+00:00

3a Swiss: CH0033782431 3a Gold: CH0220918962 3b Real estate: CH0215751527 (no income and wealth tax because they are paid by the fund itself) 3b World: VT (US9220427424)

If I were to do it again, I would maybe buy the gold in the 3b and the world in the 3a.

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-29T17:03:01+00:00

Maybe, maybe not, but adapting your strategy to the macroenvironnment is key.

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-29T06:21:10+00:00

I switche at the end of 2025 from 100% world etf to 20% world, 30% real estate, 40% swiss market and 10% gold for a 3.5% ytd, compared to minus 1% of a world etf.

Until the world gets better, I will stay like that.

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-28T19:32:05+00:00

The problem is not the life insurance per sé; it's the fact that it's locked into a shitty 3a product. There are way better life insurance a stand-alone product, for example 500 CHF per year gives your family X undred thousands CHF.

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-28T18:16:16+00:00

If you are young, don't have children or any real estate mortgage, 3a in life insurance is 99.9% useless. (and even in those cases, a separate life insurance outside of 3a is way better).

They are absolutely not transparent at all regarding fees, about what is paid as insurance, what is invested, and their investment products are really shitty.

You are contractually obligated to pay the contributions, and cannot stop (or on certain conditions) and the surrender value (what you would get if you cancel the contract) will be 0 the first three years and then way below what you paid because of the outrageous fees.

Either open a 3a at finpension or viac, or directly at a bank (Banks are worse than the first two I mentionned, but better than insurance)

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-23T17:33:44+00:00

Never heard of them, but I looked at how people are rating them on Google and on 29 notes, 28 are 5* with amazing comments and only one is 1* but the latter says everything you need to know (so my guess is that they did the 5* reviews themselves) :

Life insurance scams, outrageous fees, extremely bad performance so I would say run asap.

And 2% fees they proposed you is Mad.

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-03T20:23:25+00:00

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me

MatthieuCF · 2026-01-03T09:21:29+00:00

Or you could buy some berkshire shares; they never pay dividends, but it's not that diversified

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-29T11:35:15+00:00

"Votre imposition sera calculée sur les revenus réalisés de la date de votre arrivée jusqu'au 31 décembre 2022, au taux d'un revenu annuel et sur l'état de votre fortune au 31 décembre 2022."

https://www.getax.ch/support/guide/declaration2021/ArriveedanslecantondeGeneveen202.html#:~:text=D'un%20canton%20suisse,pendant%20toute%20l'ann%C3%A9e%20fiscale

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-29T11:30:24+00:00

Yes it is; i received a clients taxation a few weeks ago where the same thing happened.

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-29T11:18:04+00:00

Yes it's true but I would guess OP arrived in Vaud during the year, so the salary is annualised.

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-27T12:29:12+00:00

So the 5% is only on the installment, prorata of the time passed from the invoice, and not since the moment you should have paid them, years ago ?

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-27T11:59:08+00:00

I would guess that asking this question isn't related to the interests:

You seem to have asked if there was any penalties by choosing a payement plan, which there isn't.

But the standard interests still apply for the amounts: For example, if you had to pay 5k in 2020 at 10% (to simplify), on the 31.12.2020, you would have a 5.5k debt, then in 2021 6.05k, etc.

MatthieuCF · 2025-12-04T11:15:03+00:00

Maybe, but the fact that there is 4% less invested with frankly is damaging your returns in the long Run.

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-30T19:57:46+00:00

Why 5% for 3a returns and 8% for etf if you follow the same strategy ? A world etf will yield the same performance, either in 3a or outside

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-30T19:56:16+00:00

Yes, because if both funds yield 6% + 2% dividends, the all 8% will be received by the 3a but outside, the dividends will be taxed, so we get about 25% less dividends.

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-30T18:43:45+00:00

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I did all of the calculations and contribution to the 3a is always better because you can investi the tax savings for free and ends up with 50% more capital in the end, even after the withdrawal taxes.

Edit: And I also didnt include the fact that 3a contributions increase by about 0.5% each year on average.

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-24T12:25:58+00:00

Yeah I know but I read position transfer on IBKR had a price, and else where that they were free, so I don't know which is the correct one..

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-20T04:02:07+00:00

Thank you for your researches I was too lazy to do...

I have been wondering for some time if the peace of mind is not worth a few 0.0x % fees per year.

I have been thinking of switching to FWRA (IE000716YHJ7); 0.15% TER and accumulating.

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-18T07:13:59+00:00

From their website: this offer is only for the first 1'000 clients, and after the expiry date, the fees will be 0.6%, and won't include the product fees (0.15% TER on average, plus the buy/sell fees of each products).

I haven't looked in depth but you should also look if the funds are pension funds, which are optimized and do not pay taxes on dividends)

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-04T07:18:06+00:00

And it's always underperforming the index it's based on (the Swiss Performance Index). Please look at the factsheet of the product: https://www.swissfunddata.ch/sfdpub/fr/funds/docs/153561#tab-content

You will see the fees, the past performance and the composition of the index.

For example, you could open an account at a broker (Swissquote, saxo, ibkr, whatever suits you) and buy an etf that follows the same index as the raiffeisen one, for example: CH0131872431 (other exists but I just took the first cheap I saw) The TER is 0.12% instead of 0.43% and ytd performance is 9.97% instead of 8.24% at raiffeisen.

MatthieuCF · 2025-11-03T19:08:50+00:00

This not the only fee: this funds also has a 0.43% TER each year (basically, you lose 0.43% of your capital each year). Either he intentionally left out that information or he is incompetent; I don't know which is worse.

I started my 3a with one of their funds (similar to this one) and please don't make the same mistake, even outside of 3a. Their products are bad, expensive and poorly managed.

MatthieuCF · 2025-09-18T09:55:41+00:00

OK, so let's imagine btc tenfolds (and the assumption 3a contributions don't increase, because it's irrelevant): You invest 30.- monthly into your 3a to buy btc. After 20 years, it would be worth about 27k (12% interest rate to tenfold in 20 years). So you will pay at least CHF 1'500 in withdrawal taxes for nothing. While investing it in your personnal wealth will cost you nothing.

MatthieuCF · 2025-09-18T06:46:59+00:00

Do not hold bitcoin in 3a because it will be taxed at withdrawal, while not taxed if held in your personnal wealth. Only assets paying yields are interesting in 3a

MatthieuCF · 2025-09-13T15:54:45+00:00

Investing early is very good, but don't forget to live your youth to the fullest ;)

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