In the findependent app under pillar 3a, click on «Pay in». There you can create your personal transfer order with just a few clicks to transfer your 3a assets to findependent. 

All you have to do then is print out the prepared transfer order, sign it, and send it by mail to your previous retirement savings foundation. We’ll handle the rest in the background for you.

As soon as you’ve downloaded our app and completed the opening process, your personal dashboard will be right there waiting for you. 

Simply click on the «Pay in» button for your desired pillar 3a portfolio to display your payment details and your personal QR deposit slip. This allows you to transfer money conveniently to your pillar 3a from any Swiss bank. 

Our tip: Set up a monthly standing order. This way, your money flows regularly into your 3a investment solution, and we invest it for you fully automatically in the background. By making regular deposits, you benefit from the so-called cost-average effect. Market fluctuations are smoothed out effortlessly for you over time. Retirement planning couldn’t be easier. 

Every Swiss franc you invest flows directly into the independent findependent 3a retirement savings foundation. It manages your 3a assets and is legally strictly separated from Findependent AG. 

Should push come to shove and findependent, the account-holding Hypothekarbank Lenzburg, or the custodian bank ZKB run into trouble, several protection mechanisms exist depending on who goes bankrupt: Your cash balance at Hypothekarbank Lenzburg is treated preferentially up to 100’000 francs via the bankruptcy privilege. Important: Only 1% of your invested sum is held as cash balance. And your index funds at ZKB? They count as special assets. That means: They belong solely to you and remain completely untouched even in the event of bank insolvency. If Findependent AG gets into financial difficulty, your pillar 3a assets are not affected at all thanks to the legal separation between Findependent AG and the findependent 3a retirement savings foundation. 

So you enjoy the full freedom of a modern investment with the same strong protection as with any traditional Swiss bank. 

Your deposits into pillar 3a are completely voluntary. Unlike rigid insurance models, you stay fully flexible with our investment solutions. 

You pay in exactly when and as much as it suits your life and your budget right now. And if you ever want to skip a year or pause, it won't cost you a thing.

Yes, absolutely! With us, you can manage up to five different portfolios at the same time. You can add another portfolio directly in the app within just a few seconds. 

This is specifically clever for your future: When you retire, you can withdraw your portfolios in stages rather than all at once. Staggered withdrawals actually make a lot of sense, as you can potentially save a lot on taxes by taking tax progression stages into account. Read more about it here.

In pillar 3a, index funds have a few small but subtle advantages over ETFs. They have a positive impact on your net return. 

• No Stock exchange fees & stamp duties.

• With the specialized pension index funds we use, we can reclaim foreign withholding taxes on dividends and interest. With classic ETFs, this unfortunately doesn't work in private pensions or only to a very limited extent. 

• Minimal management costs: The investment products of the so-called «Zero-Fee Class» in the standard strategies have effective ETF costs (TER) of 0.0 % (only exception: the Swiss real estate fund). Together with the management fees of 0.29 %, findependent is thus among the most affordable providers in Switzerland. 

• No currency conversion fees: With the index funds used, there are no fees for exchanging foreign currencies. 

Yes, the app transparently shows you how many Swiss francs you have already paid in this year and how much you are still allowed to pay in until the legal maximum amount is reached. 

If you accidentally pay in too much, we will notice it. We will automatically send the difference exceeding the annual maximum back to you. 

But heads up: If you’ve already made deposits with other retirement savings foundations in the same year, the app obviously won’t know about them. Simply add those amounts yourself so you don’t accidentally shoot past the maximum at the end. 

An important note for the end of the year: Please make your deposits for the current year by December 29th at the latest. This allows us to guarantee that the deposit is credited in the current year and that you can deduct it from your taxes as usual. 

No. After opening, you decide completely independently when the right moment is for you. Your pillar 3a only starts once your first Swiss franc is paid in – and before that, findependent doesn't cost you anything. 

Even after that, you can cancel at any time and transfer your balance to another 3a provider. To do so, click on «Withdraw» in the app and then select »Transfer». We will sell your investments on the following weekly trading day. 

The money will arrive with your new 3a provider a maximum of 10 business days after receiving your transfer order – usually even faster. We don't charge you anything for this transfer.  

Pillar 3a is your ultimate classic if you want to save tax cleverly and treat your future self at the same time. 

It is quite possible that the normal pension from OASI and pension fund will not be enough for us in old age. With pillar 3a, you take your private pension provision into your own hands. Because this money is tied and therefore firmly reserved for your future, you won't even be tempted to spend it spontaneously today. 

Plus, if you are saving long-term and specifically to purchase owner-occupied property, Pillar 3a can make a lot of sense. 

You can find even more information on why it makes sense to pay into your pillar 3a in our blog post.