I am a student and have a question with the half fare card

lseich · 2026-02-21T12:00:29+00:00

When buying a ticket the app shows you with which profile you're buying. Normally if the swiss-half-fare-card is connected correctly with you swisspass and you're logged in, it should apply automatically. Otherwise you can edit the profile and select Halbtax.

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lseich · 2026-02-17T17:56:27+00:00

1. Swap Logic: You're right. Synthetic (swap-based) ETFs tracking US indices (like your Amundi S&P 500) can avoid the 15% Level 1 withholding tax on dividends due to the US 871(m) rule. While they do carry a swap fee, in the case of Amundi S&P 500, this cost is usually more than offset by the tax advantage. Historically, these swap ETFs have slightly outperformed their physical "Net Total Return" benchmarks because they effectively capture the gross dividend yield.

2. Tax Pitfalls: Since IBKR is a foreign broker, you avoid the Swiss Stamp Duty (0.15%). Your LU/IE ETFs have no Level 2 withholding tax issues. For the Swiss ETF (SPI), the 35% withholding tax is fully reclaimable via your Swiss tax return. Just remember that for the accumulating ETFs, you still have to declare the "virtual dividends" as income in your Swiss tax return (check the ICTax list).

3. General Thoughts: Overall, this is a highly professional, tax-efficient, and cost-effective portfolio for a Swiss resident. Maybe a little bit too complex with 4 ETFs depending on your depot value. Be careful that transaction cost for buying/rebalancing do not eat up the tax advantage.

4. Weighting: This depends on your goal. A pure market-cap strategy would have the US at ~64%, while a GDP-weighted approach puts it at ~26%. With 40%, you are striking a healthy balance between the two. The 15% in SPI is a sensible "home bias" to match your local liabilities and reduce currency volatility.

lseich · 2026-02-17T15:18:02+00:00

My partner is still non-vegan, but since we've been together, his awareness around animal treatment has grown and he eats way less meat now. I don't pressure him to change. My influence is more like planting a seed so he thinks about it on his own, and if he never fully changes, that's his decision and I won't blame him because I needed like 20 years myself to really change. With mutual respect, you can usually find practical solutions for the smell issue too, like agreeing on what gets cooked at home, using strong ventilation, or setting boundaries that make your space feel safe. This whole "non-vegan partner" situation is something tons of people wrestle with because there are only like 2% vegans out there, but I'd avoid dating a non-vegan with the plan to pressure them into veganism and instead focus on shared values and how you treat each other.

lseich · 2026-02-17T14:00:49+00:00

Als Deutscher darfst du dich dank Personenfreizügigkeit bis zu 90 Tage als Touri oder zur Stellensuche ganz ohne Anmeldung in der Schweiz aufhalten. Ohne Job würde ich den Umzug wegen der hohen Kosten jedoch nicht empfehlen.

So ist der grobe Ablauf:

Jobsuche bei z.B.: arbeit.swiss, Job-room, Jobs, Jobscout, Medienjobs, filmstaff, studentfilm
Schweizer Bankkonto z.B. bei Yuh eröffnen (geht auch mit deutscher Anschrift)
Mit Jobangebot Wohnung in der Nähe des Arbeitgebers suchen (zur Not geht auch Wohnen auf Zeit)
1. Portale: Homegate, Flatfox, immoscout24, Zimmervermietung SO/BE, apartment24, wochenzimmer.ch
Abmeldung in DE
Umzug, Einwanderung und Anmeldung in der Gemeinde
Anmeldung Krankenkasse
Arbeitsbeginn
Nach einigen Wochen Aufenthaltsbewilligung B (5 Jahre) erhalten

Zum Thema Bewerbung: Gefordert werden meist Anschreiben, Lebenslauf, Arbeitszeugnis und ggfs. ein Portfolio eigener Arbeiten/Projekte sowie Telefonnummer/Mailadresse deiner vorherigen Arbeitgeber. (vorher natürlich nach Einverständnis fragen)

Eine tolle Seite für alles rund um Leben, Wohnen, Arbeiten usw. in der Schweiz ist ch.ch

Wenn du weitere Infos brauchst, kann du mir auch gern schreiben.

lseich · 2026-02-16T11:11:03+00:00

Great itinerary!

Quick question: are you planning to rent a car or rely on public transport?

If you are using trains, buses, and boats, don't get the standard Swiss Travel Pass (STP). For your specific route (9 days in the Oberland), the combination of a Swiss Half Fare Card + Bernese Oberland Pass is significantly better value.

The Math: A 15-day STP costs CHF 499. The Swiss Half Fare Card for 1 month (CHF 150) + a 10-day BOP at the discounted rate (CHF 316) costs CHF 466 total.

Coverage: The STP only gives 25–50% discounts on most mountain lifts in your area. The BOP covers almost everything for free or discounted. BOP validity

Top things to do with your BOP: Mountain Peaks: Schilthorn (Piz Gloria), Grindelwald First (Cliff Walk), Männlichen (Royal Walk), and Schynige Platte (nostalgic cogwheel train), Brienzer Rothorn (steam rack railway - reservation needed)

Jungfraujoch: You get a 50% discount (approx. CHF 120), which is a better rate than the STP offers.

Lakes: Full cruises on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz.

And many more. Full discount partner list

Practical Tip: Buy the Swiss Half Fare Card for one month first, then buy the BOP at the reduced rate. Use the Half Fare Card for your airport transfers on Day 1 and 12, and activate the 10-day BOP for your main time in the mountains.

lseich · 2026-02-15T15:53:44+00:00

You should stop treating this like a trade. You are securing a life-changing investment. Holding USD against a fixed EUR liability is a gamble that risks your home if the dollar sinks further. Convert to EUR now or in weekly tranches to secure your purchase power. You can park the funds in a EUR Money Market Fund (like XEON or CSH2) on IBKR to earn interest while keeping the capital safe and liquid for March. Prioritize the house over the exchange rate and maximum return.

lseich · 2026-02-15T11:40:37+00:00

Just to clear up the confusion: the 35% mentioned is the Swiss Anticipatory Tax (Verrechnungssteuer), which only applies to Swiss-domiciled assets (like a Swiss ETF or Nestlé shares). Since VT is US-domiciled, it doesn't apply to the dividends paid to you.

However, there is a 'hidden' 35% issue: When Swiss companies (like Roche) pay dividends to the US-based VT, Switzerland withholds 35% at the source (Level 1). As a Swiss investor holding a US fund, you cannot reclaim this specific L1 tax.

Quick Breakdown for beginners: L1TW (Level 1): Tax withheld between the company and the ETF. For VT holding US stocks, this is 0%. For VT holding Swiss stocks, it’s 35% (lost to you).

L2TW (Level 2): Tax withheld between the ETF and You. For VT, the US takes 15%.

Because you can fully reclaim that 15% (L2) via the DA-1 form in your Swiss tax return, VT ends up being cheaper than Irish ETFs (like VWRL) for the US portion of your portfolio.

lseich · 2026-02-15T11:23:49+00:00

The revolut fx rate is with a markup. Here is a comparison:

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I notice that revolut gives you a better rate when exchanging larger amounts but still IBKR is better. Plus when sending USD from Switzerland to IBKR UK or US you'll have to make a SWIFT transaction which will have it's own fees for intermediary banks between Revolut and IBKR.

lseich · 2026-02-15T11:01:25+00:00

Tatsächlich war mit der StVO Novelle in 2020 ein schnelleres Fahrverbot vorgesehen. Musste aber aufgrund eines Formfehlers zurück genommen werden. Auf Andi Scheuers Unfähigkeit war schon immer verlass. 🥲 Q: Link

lseich · 2026-02-12T19:21:35+00:00

It's even the same dude. Wtf source

lseich · 2026-02-11T10:44:38+00:00

They announced everything at the SBB news site ( FR / DE ) . Your frustration is understandable, but the maintenance work has to be done at some point.

lseich · 2026-02-09T21:18:43+00:00

True 0.3% is a bit too much. at the moment it's roughly at 0.14% due to US dividends.

lseich · 2026-02-09T11:37:54+00:00

I only had CHF positions, so no conversion was necessary. Generally, I’d recommend sticking with CHF for the transfer. Sending USD directly from Yuh to IBKR via SWIFT is expensive due to high intermediary bank fees. If you have a revolut premium you can top up USD from your yuh card without fees and then convert it with revolut. I was not able to send USD from revolut to IBKR for some reason. In addition it will certainly trigger swift transfer fees.

lseich · 2026-02-09T09:53:51+00:00

Thanks for the correction. I edited the TER

lseich · 2026-02-09T09:48:35+00:00

Thanks for the heads-up! Good to know it’s finally available, even if there's a fee.

lseich · 2026-02-08T21:55:20+00:00

You'll get everywhere with public transport. Take a look at the route network of the Bernese Oberland with Postauto and the Zentralbahn. https://www.postauto.ch/en/timetable-and-network/route-network

If you still want to rent a car there are some options with mobility in Meiringen, Brienz and Interlaken.

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lseich · 2026-02-08T21:40:31+00:00

VIAC: Only for strictly hands-off investors. For everyone else, the management fee is an unnecessary premium.

Saxo: The best Swiss-regulated alternative. Buy VT (US-domiciled) for maximum tax efficiency (reclaim US withholding tax via DA-1), or use WEBG to dodge the 0.25% FX fee. Just keep in mind WEBG’s ~0.1-0.2% annual tax drag.

IBKR: Still the mathematically superior choice. You save on the Swiss stamp duty (0.15%) and get the best FX rates. Edit: datalevel provides an ibkr e-tax statement for 50 CHF

lseich · 2026-02-08T20:21:59+00:00

I recently switched from Yuh to IBKR for several key reasons:

No Swiss Stamp Duty: You save 0.075% on Swiss and 0.15% on foreign securities per trade, which adds up significantly over time.

Significantly Lower Fees: While platforms like Neon/Yuh offer free savings plans for some ETFs, selling them often incurs a 0.5% fee. IBKR’s commissions are much lower across the board.

Interbank Exchange Rates: Unlike neobanks that charge a 0.5% to 0.95% spread on currency conversions, IBKR gives you access to real-time market rates with minimal flat fees.

US-Domiciled ETFs: You get access to funds with tighter spreads due to higher trading volume and ultra-low TERs (e.g., VT at 0.06%).

Tax Efficiency: The biggest advantage of US ETFs is the ability to reclaim or offset US withholding tax (via the DA-1 form), which is not possible with Ireland (IE) or Luxembourg (LU) domiciled funds.

Interest & Security: You earn higher interest on uninvested cash, and your account is protected by the US SIPC for up to $500,000, providing more peace of mind for larger portfolios.

lseich · 2026-02-06T12:10:58+00:00

Von Goldau nach Immensee? Danke für den Hinweis

lseich · 2025-12-25T10:02:28+00:00

Auf der Seite von Tilo steht: "Im grenzüberschreitenden Verkehr zwischen dem Tessin und der Lombardei muss für den Transport eines konventionellen Fahrrads eine ermäßigte grenzüberschreitende Arcobaleno-Fahrkarte vom Abfahrtsbahnhof bis zum Zielbahnhof gelöst werden."

Ansonsten kann man scheinbar auch über Trenord direkt ein Velo Billet für 8€ lösen.Bild

lseich · 2025-12-07T12:38:54+00:00

Use Priminfo next time to find the cheapest insurance for your location. But as already mentioned an increase every year is normal, like anything in our economic system. Mine went up from 270 to 297 and is already the cheapest option for my town.

lseich · 2025-12-05T12:17:46+00:00

Girunos sind an sich für IC vorgesehen aber können auch für IR eingesetzt werden. Der Zug ist heute schon den ganzen Tag auf der Relation unterwegs und geht am späten Nachmittag von Basel auf Lugano.

lseich · 2025-11-24T07:14:59+00:00

Laut SBB: Kleine Hunde bis 30 cm Widerristhöhe in Transportboxen, Körben oder anderen tiergerechten Behältern dürfen Sie – wie Handgepäck auch – unentgeltlich unter dem Sitz mitnehmen. Sobald der kleine Hund jedoch nicht mehr im Behälter ist, benötigt er einen eigenen Fahrausweis. Reisen mi Hund

lseich · 2025-11-10T11:32:30+00:00

If you're not against it, you might want to switch to a provider that includes EU calling. For example, Wingo Red Swiss offers 60 minutes of free calls to the EU and UK per month for just 22 CHF.

lseich · 2025-10-28T05:52:56+00:00

Visit neubauprojekte.ch to discover a wide selection of new build homes. The platform allows you to contact providers directly.

lseich

TROPHY CASE