Swisscanto VBF solutions

Your cantonal bank pension advisor will be happy to provide you with further information on our solutions.

What is a vested benefits account?

Contributions to the pension fund

In Switzerland, as an employee you are insured with a pension fund as of a minimum annual salary.

You pay monthly contributions into the pension fund. They are deducted directly from your salary. Your employer also participates and pays at least the same amount of contributions into your account.

Vested benefits solution

If you are no longer affiliated with a pension fund, the money must be transferred to a vested benefits account at a vested benefits institution of your choice.

Object of the pension fund

As is the case with pension funds, the money in your vested benefits account is intended for the third period of life. When you reach retirement age, the capital will be transferred to you as a one-time payment. As a rule, early payment to your private account is not provided for.

Early payment

The law provides for early cash payment in certain exceptional circumstances (e.g. when you take up a self-employee activity, for promotion of home ownership). Your vested benefits institution will be pleased to inform you.

Pension Fund Regulations Swisscanto VBF

Pension Fund Regulations Swisscanto VBF

Important

Generally, your pension fund credit remains in a so-called "pension cycle", which means that the money cannot be paid out into your private account. Instead, it is transferred to your next employer’s pension fund.

Good to know

If you are insured by a new pension fund, by law you must transfer the credit from your vested benefits account to your new pension fund to the greatest extent possible.
In contrast to pension funds, vested benefits foundations often allow for you to invest your money in retirement funds in order to increase your income – this is the case for the Swisscanto Vested Benefits Foundation and its "Investment Saving" product.

Inform your foundation directly if you change your place of residence.

Securities savings with the Swisscanto VBF

What is securities savings?

With securities savings, part or all of your pension assets are invested in investment groups or retirement funds. These groups are subject to the strict rules and regulations set down in Art. 53 et seq. of the Ordinance on Occupational Old-Age, Survivors' and Invalidity Pension Provision – also known as OPO 2. Securities savings is an attractive alternative to nominal-value investments and offers the opportunity to earn higher returns.

What options do we offer?

Who can opt for securities savings?

Securities savings is an option available to all policy holders who live in Switzerland. For further details, please consult the Swisscanto Vested Benefits Foundation’s securities savings regulations, which can be found on our home page under "Legal documents".

Pension Fund Regulations Swisscanto VBF

Pension Fund Regulations Swisscanto VBF

When is securities savings a sensible choice?

By law, you are obliged to transfer your pension assets to your new employee benefit institution. As that also applies to the
portion of your pension assets invested in securities savings, those assets have to be liquidated before they can be transferred. That is why we recommend securities savings especially in cases where a long investment horizon is likely.

What advantages does securities savings offer?

What fees are charged with securities savings?

With securities savings, the foundation charges an annual fee of 0.6% on the account balance. That includes the cost of managing the securities (0.15%) as well as the cost of the services provided by the cantonal banks (0.45%). The fee component for the service of the cantonal bank may vary among the cantonal banks’ retirement funds. These fees are set out in the appendix to the cost regulations.

Rules on Costs Swisscanto VBF

Rules on Costs Swisscanto VBF

TER costs

Who can you get advice from if you are interested in securities savings?

Swisscanto Investment Foundation (SwC IF)

In matters related to securities savings, we at the Swisscanto Vested Benefits Foundation work together with the Swisscanto Investment Foundation one of Switzerland’s largest and best-known investment foundations. Its task is to collectively manage the assets entrusted to it by over 900 Swiss pension funds and employee benefit institutions. Investment foundations form part of the 2nd pillar, meaning that, as an investor, you can rely on their strict compliance with the OPO 2 regulations governing the investment of pension assets.

Cantonal bank funds

Some of our partner cantonal banks also offer the possibility of investing in their own retirement funds in the field of securities-based saving. The retirement funds were designed for use in the 2nd pillar, meaning that, as an investor, you can rely on their strict compliance with the OPO 2 regulations governing the investment of pension assets.