Spring clean for your pension: How to optimise 3a & vested benefits in 60 minutes

March is not only the time for spring cleaning, but also for your financial check-up. Many digitally active people have multiple accounts, apps and portfolios. But when it comes to pensions, things are often rather chaotic.

With these 5 steps, you can bring order to your pension arrangements:

Step 1: Get an overview

Create an inventory list:

• How many 3a accounts do you have?

• What is the current balance in each account?

• Is your 3a invested or sitting in a savings account?

• Is there any “forgotten” vested benefits money somewhere?

Step 2: Split 3a accounts strategically

Lump-sum withdrawals are taxed progressively in Switzerland. Anyone withdrawing CHF 300,000 in one year pays significantly more tax than if the withdrawals are staggered over several years.

Rule of thumb: Open a new 3a account once a balance of around CHF 50,000–70,000 per account is reached.

Step 3: Vested benefits return check – are you already investing?

After a job change, vested benefits often end up with the Substitute Occupational Benefit Institution at the minimum interest rate. You can submit a search request directly here: Search procedure | LOB Guarantee Fund 

With an investment horizon of more than 10 years, an appropriate equity allocation should be considered.

Step 4: Compare fees & performance

Many older pension policies come with high initial costs and non-transparent fees. Modern solutions are often more cost-efficient, more transparent and can be managed digitally.

Step 5: Check the beneficiary designation

Are the right people registered? This should be reviewed regularly, particularly for cohabiting partners or patchwork families.

One hour that pays off

A pension check often takes less than an hour, but in the long term it can make a difference of several tens of thousands of francs. Contact us today. We support you from step 1 onwards with our expertise and experience.