Retirement Planning in Switzerland: A Checklist by Age
What to do in your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s to reach retirement with enough money.
6 min read · Retirement & Pensions
Good retirement planning is a series of small steps. Here is a checklist for each decade.
In your 20s and 30s
- Open a pillar 3a account and pay in every year.
- Check your pension fund certificate and compare plans when changing jobs.
- Build an emergency fund before investing.
- Expected monthly AHVCHF 2’300 · 41 %
- Expected monthly pension fundCHF 2’500 · 45 %
- Monthly gapCHF 800 · 14 %
Example with default values. Open the calculator →
In your 40s
- Estimate your retirement income using your AHV statement and fund certificate.
- Consider voluntary buy-ins if you have a gap.
- Check your life and disability cover once children arrive.
In your 50s
- Plan whether you want a pension, a lump sum or both.
- Decide your target retirement age and test early retirement scenarios.
- Open several 3a accounts to stagger withdrawals.
In your early 60s
- Announce capital withdrawals on time.
- Register for AHV about four months before your reference age.
- Think about whether to defer or draw AHV early.
- Review your health insurance, wealth tax and canton.
Use the retirement gap calculator at each stage to see whether you are on track.