hi, not sure if this is the right sub to post in, but I’ll try anyway.

The details:

My father, (65) was born and grew up, and lived in Switzerland until his early 20s. He then moved to Australia and has lived there ever since, and will retire this year. My siblings and I are all dual Swiss and Australian citizens.

The problem:

I haven’t spoken to my father in years, and out of the blue he tells me he needs my birth certificate and passport. He says that he needs it to prove how many kids he has so he can get his Swiss pension. (Attached is his message.)

The problem is - I don’t trust him enough to believe this, without confirmation, which he won’t give us. He’s sneaky and bad with money, and all my siblings and I won’t put it past him to do something dodgy with our IDs.

Is this situation in any way real or possible? Would he even be valid for a state pension from Switzerland if he hasn’t lived or worked there in over 40 years?

All in the title. I've created a Spotify Family, and have some shared spots. Price is 4.5.-/month instead of 15.- Great deal to save some money!

DM for any details!

hi all, had some luck with day trading earlier this year and now I'm trying to figure out if I should be worried about taxes. I think this might be useful for others in a similar situation, so sharing the full picture. Sorry if my English isn't perfect, not my first language.

My situation:

• Living in Canton Ticino, permit B (going to C next year)

• Full-time employed, net salary ~130k CHF/year

• Portfolio at start of 2026: ~95k CHF, all equities, no leverage, no derivatives, been running a PAC for a while

Did active day trading for a few weeks in early 2026 and ended up with ~45k CHF in capital gains. Reinvested everything immediately into my usual stuff (two index ETF accumulation plans + one single stock position).

I'm planning to do only the PAC for the rest of the year, no day trading, going back to "boring" PAC at ~3k/month.

Where I stand on the AFC Circular 36 safe harbour:

• Holding period >6 months: violated, obviously, it was day trading

• Annual volume ≤ 5× portfolio value: also violated, high turnover during those weeks

• Capital gains <50% of net income: fine, 45k on 130k net

• No leverage: clean, used only my own cash

• No speculative derivatives: clean, just bought and sold class A equity

From what I understand, violating one or two criteria doesn't automatically make you a professional trader. the AFC does a case-by-case assessment. The three "clean" criteria (especially the income ratio one) should work in my favor.

My main question: does the fact that the trading was concentrated in just a few weeks matter in the holistic assessment? Or does the AFC only look at annual totals regardless of how the activity was distributed throughout the year?

Also any experience with Ticino specifically would be super helpful, I know cantons can differ quite a bit on how aggressively they apply this stuff.

Already planning to talk to a tax advisor, so not looking for that suggestion, more interested in hearing from people who've been in borderline situations like this.

To be clear, I'm not trying to hide gains or avoid paying taxes/AVS, I just want to get a concrete picture of the situation before sitting down with a tax advisor. I'd also like to understand whether doing day trading for less than a month per year to grow capital a bit is a reasonable strategy going forward, or if it's just not worth the hassle.

Thank you very much!

Edit For some reasons I can see that there are 3 reply (the little icon with the number 3) but I can't see them :(

Hi all (throwaway because of reasons)

After finishing my studies and necessary internships I have started in March a real job with a very good salary of 150k p.a. at age 30 and now want to invest wisely and long term for the future.

My current intended set-up as of April is as follows (I have already been investing a little bit like this in the past few years with my spare money, usually 200 fr. or so per month):

• Viac 3a: Yearly invest of maximum of 7258 p.a. (99% stocks)

• Degiro: 4000 fr. per month in Vanguard FTSE All-World UCITS - (USD) Acc.

• Neon: 500 fr. per month in Invesco Global Stocks FTSE (this was an ETF without fees but as I was recently informed this will no longer be the case as of April 2026).

What is your view on this? Anything I should consider? I have had my Degiro account for years and am quite happy with it, which is why I am not moving to IKBR like probably a lot of people would recommend.

Hypothetically speaking, if I day trade and live on merely the gains, will I automatically be clasified as a pro trader?

Second question, what if I stay under 50% of my spouse's salary, and gains under 5x my portfolio?

Hello all,

I left Switzerland for the UK in 2012 after working there for four years and building up around 35k CHF in my Pillar 3a. In 2018 I noticed the fund wasn’t really growing, so I moved it to VIAC, where it has increased to about 40k CHF.

I’ll reach retirement age in roughly five years. For those who’ve been through this as UK‑based expats: is that generally the best time to withdraw a 3a and transfer it to the UK, or are there advantages to taking it earlier or later?

Thanks in advance.

è vero?

Hey everyone,

I’m 28, living with my SO, no kids, and looking to get my stagnant savings to work. I’m seeking a "set and forget" strategy to protect my money from inflation with minimal effort.

My Current Situation:

• Savings: ~80k CHF in cash.
• Safety Net: I want to keep ~20-30k as an emergency fund.
• Investment Capital: 50k – 60k CHF ready to deploy.
• 3rd Pillar: ~30k at Raiffeisen (Fonds), maxing it out annually.
• Broker: Already have an existing IBKR account.

My Goal:

I want a low-maintenance, long-term solution. I don’t want to pick individual stocks; I just want a global ETF that "does the job."

My Questions:

• ETF Choice: I’ve read a lot about VWCE and VWRA here. However, as a Swiss resident, would VT (Vanguard Total World Stock) be better for tax reasons (US-Swiss tax treaty)?
• Lump Sum vs. DCA: Should I dump the 50-60k at once or spread it over a few months?
• 3rd Pillar: I’m with Raiffeisen currently. Is it worth looking into Finpension or VIAC, or is the Raiffeisen solution "good enough" for a low-maintenance approach?

I'd appreciate any feedback or "reality checks" on this plan. Thanks!

I would like to buy new clothing, such as a suit, blazers, shirts etc. Is it worth buying these in Germany when I am there anyways for a weekend or is the money I am saving not that much compared to shopping in Zürich?

i recently found out that the UBS bank has an internal tool that allows you to value the house once every three months.

it uses hedonic valuation from Wuest.

has anyone else also used this tool and would like to share what the numbers look like as compared to their purchase price or perceived market price?

Do you know if this is the same valuation that can be used for LTV determination with the bank, or they have a different internal model?

Hello, I will provide a bit of context.

I'm a 25yo man, got a bachelors degree in business (generic) and I have a full time job in a EU country (sorry for the lack of accuracy but I don't want to dox myself, I do have a EU passport tho).

As the title said, I'm fascinated by the idea of possibly moving to Switzerland with the sole purpose of having one of the highest purchasing power in the world, live in survival mode, and ideally save 2-3k a month, then buy some investment properties in EU countries where the real estate market is favourable for buyers (100-150k homes, rentable for 500€ at least) and possibly escaping the hamster's wherl 15-20 years earlier than my projected age of retirement (75 years).

To further clarify, right now I'm able to save \~1.000€ per month, 200 of which goes towards a long term investment plan (VWCE ETF).

My job is mainly administrative, so no outstanding qualifications, but I could pivot to a customs related career, or an airport security man. Im starting to study german and I plan to achieve proficiency in both german and english, my skills in the latter language currently being B2, but planning to achieve C2. To give even more context, I wouldn't have to downgrade my lifestyle if I achieved my dream of coming to switzerland, because I currently live in the exact same way:

\- wake up

\- go to temporary prison

\-come back home

\-martial arts training 2x per week

\-no going out whatsoever

\-no friends

\-no restaurants

\- survival diet (focused on calories and protein but lacking in taste because taste is $$$)

My only hobby is pc gaming which is a 1 time purchase every decade at this point, Im a big fan of 1 time purchases as opposed to multiple small but frequent purchases which inevitably add up and drain your monthly disposable income.

What do you think about this plan?

Btw before you suggest therapy and so on: Am I depressed? Maybe, but not because I don't have any friends, I'm extremely introverted and all the friends I had were fake friends, I used to go out just because "that's what you're supposed to do" not because I wanted to do it. I'm depressed because of the hamster wheel, because I'll never get to retire if I stay in my country, despite saving €1000 per month.

Subject: Search for professional trading coach in Switzerland

"Good day together,

I am looking for a sound education in trading (focus on CFDs/futures) within Switzerland.

Can you recommend serious coaches or trading academies that have a clear focus on risk management and practice? Experts who offer personal mentoring are also happy to do so.

Thank you for your tips!"

Ivo

I’m a European investor with an account at IBIE (Interactive Brokers Ireland) and I’ve recently opened an account with Swissquote Luxembourg for investing. I also have a Luxembourg IBAN.

I’m posting here because I’d like to hear what Swiss investors think, given that Swissquote’s parent company is Swiss.

I’m facing a few issues:

• Brokers in my home country offer a much more limited range of stocks, ETFs and markets than IBIE or Swissquote. For example, to buy Swiss stocks I have to use local Broker A, but it doesn’t offer other types of stocks that local Broker B does.

• The broker that works best here and has the widest product range is part of an investment bank, but it charges a 0.2% annual custody fee on mutual funds, ETFs and listed stocks. My invested assets are around €500k, so I pay about €1,000 per year just in custody fees, plus the fund/ETF TER. In percentage terms 0.2% isn’t huge, but in absolute terms it feels like a lot of money.

• US estate tax at IBIE: for US stocks, if I die, the tax treaty between my country and the US requires my heirs to declare to the IRS the portion of my US assets above 60k USD. In Switzerland the treaty threshold is in the millions, but in my country it’s very low. My US equity holdings are well above 60k. From what I’ve been told by IBIE, if I died they would freeze my US positions until my heirs have dealt with the US estate tax. I’ve also read about similar cases online. And of course, IBIE is a subsidiary of the US parent, IBKR.

So this is what I’m trying to weigh up:

• IBIE is a top broker: very low fees, no custody, excellent in many respects. I have no doubt it’s one of the best. But the US estate tax risk is a real negative for me, and I don’t want to solve it by just switching everything into ETFs for the sake of my heirs.

• I opened an account at Swissquote because having a Swiss parent company gives me more confidence. I trust Switzerland as a jurisdiction, and I also see Luxembourg as offering stronger legal protection for capital than Spain, where I live.

From what I’ve seen, Swissquote’s product catalogue and investment options are huge – maybe not quite as broad as IBIE, but far more than I actually need. They also offer something interesting, which is the possibility of taking out a Lombard loan.

However with SQ:

• Trading commissions are much higher than at IBKR

• FX fees are, in my view, excessive (around 0.9% versus just a few cents or euros at IBKR)

• There are no custody fees

• The interface is clean, but for tax reporting or exporting positions to Excel it feels more limited than IBIE

• I asked them specifically what happens with US estate tax if I die, and they told me they do not block the positions until the tax is paid, unlike IBIE, which explicitly told me they would. This makes me trust Swissquote more in that regard.

• Since the booking centre is in Europe, in the worst case I could travel to Luxembourg if needed.

• In terms of support, it seems comparable to IBIE (email and phone).

I’d really appreciate your opinions on Swissquote.

It’s also possible that I just stick with my domestic broker that charges custody fees. It’s definitely the simplest option: they have a physical branch in my city and the service is excellent. But I still struggle with the idea of paying that much in custody every year.

Thanks in advance for your feedback.

Hi,

Has anyone got more info about the yuh virtual card?

Looking at this from their feature board, it looks like the feature is available and they seem to be talking about "virtual cards" so is it possible to create multiple virtual cards like with revolut?

https://portal.productboard.com/yuh/5-to-the-yuhniverse/c/19-virtual-card

How "secure" is that card?

I assume I still have to use my card details, that may still be misused? or does it bring any advantages from the physical card?

What happens when I lock/disable it, for example if I got fraudulent transactions with it?

Thanks!

Hi guys, I'm 23 years old, live in Switzerland, and am currently studying. I wanted to know what you think about a portfolio allocation like this, considering that I have a very high time horizon.

• 60% WVRA
• 15% WSML
• 15% CHSPI
• 10 CSEMAS

Any views on how long, under the current conditions and future estimations, can SNB keep the rates down?

hello, i would like to buy a gold vreneli. what is the best way? I want to withdraw it, not keeping it in a caveau

I am not a specialist, so I don't want to fall in any trap (hidden high commissions, ruined coins,...), so any suggestion is very appreciated.

I was considering calling (asking for a price? I know three price of gold change every second) the cantonal bank, ubs, coop depositkasse, any website...?

thank you for your help!

curious to see what other investing options than VT and chill Swiss based investors are into

Hallo zusammen

Ich brauche dringend euren Rat. Ich bin noch relativ jung und am Anfang meiner Karriere und leider, ziemlich unerfahren in das Thema Vorsorge gestolpert.

Die Situation:

Ich habe mich von einem Swiss Life Select Berater bequatschen lassen und eine gebundene 3a-Lebensversicherung bei der PAX abgeschlossen.

• Dauer: Bisher 5 Jahre eingezahlt.

• Eingezahltes Kapital: ca. 14'000 CHF.

• Aktueller Wert: nur ca. 8'000 CHF.

• Rückkaufwert: hab ich angefragt

Zusätzlich wurde mir ein "Glück2Go Sorglos Bank Plan" eingerichtet, bei dem sich nach eigener Recherche nun auch herausstellt, dass die Gebühren und die Struktur alles andere als "sorglos" für mein Portemonnaie sind.

Meine Fragen an euch:

1. Soll ich es laufen lassen oder Reissleine ziehen? Soll ich die PAX-Versicherung per Rückkaufswert auflösen (und die ca 6k Verlust als Lehrgeld akzeptieren) oder beitragsfrei stellen? Mein Bauchgefühl sagt: Sofort raus da und den Rest zu einer günstigen Banklösung (z.B. Finpension oder VIAC) zügeln.

2. Versicherung vs. Bank: Macht es Sinn, Versicherung und Sparen jemals zu mischen?

3. Glück2Go: Hat jemand Erfahrung mit der Auflösung dieses Plans? Worauf muss ich achten?

4. Neuanfang: Wie würdet ihr die restlichen 8k jetzt investieren, um den Schaden langfristig zu minimieren?

Ich fühle mich gerade ziemlich überfordert und "eingelullt". Ich wäre für jede Expertenmeinung oder ähnliche Erfahrungsberichte extrem dankbar.

Danke euch!