September 2026
08Sep

Switzerland. Retirement Planning: High Expectations for Benefits in Old Age

How much does one need to live on in retirement? For the sixth time, the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, in collaboration with VorsorgeDIALOG, examined the financial and retirement planning knowledge of the Swiss working population. This year’s focus was on the expectations of actively insured individuals regarding retirement planning. The study focused on the level of retirement benefits deemed necessary from the insured individuals’ perspective, the preferred method of receiving retirement funds, and their assessment and...

September 8, 2026
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August 2026
07Aug

Just one-quarter of Swiss believe old-age pension will be secure in 20 years

Expected pension benefits have fallen by 16% since 2002, equivalent to a reduction of CHF12,260 ($15,140) a year for an employee earning CHF120,000. The main reason for this decline is the sharp reduction in benefits paid out under the second pillar, which consists of occupational pension plans, whilst the state old-age pension has increased. Meanwhile, public distrust of the old-age pension system is growing, and the majority of the population continues to oppose raising the retirement age. The report published...

August 7, 2026
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May 2026
29May

Agency Costs Beyond Corporations: Evidence from Pension Funds

By Clemens Böhlen This paper examines the role of agency costs in pension fund performance. Grounded in corporate agency theory, it exploits institutional variation in a unique dataset on the Swiss pension system to assess how differences in monitoring incentives affect investment outcomes. Specifically, I examine the role of the sponsoring company and show that multi-employer funds underperform institutionally comparable single-employer funds by 25-31 basis points per year, in line with weaker governance incentives. Consistent with corporate agency theory, these...

May 29, 2026
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February 2026
06Feb

Swiss Serenity Launches Free Second Pillar Asset Search Tool

Swiss Serenity has launched a free asset search tool that facilitates access to second pillar asset information. This search service allows every Swiss citizen to verify whether they have dispersed or forgotten occupational pension assets by following a simplified process. This tool addresses a real administrative need: according to the Central Office 2nd Pillar, billions of francs in pension assets remain unclaimed in Switzerland, often due to employer changes or periods of professional inactivity. Context: Dispersed and Forgotten Assets Many Swiss citizens have second pillar...

February 6, 2026
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January 2026
19Jan

Swiss Life Holding AG: How a 165-Year Incumbent Is Rebuilding Wealth and Retirement for a Volatile Age

The New Urgency of Swiss Life Holding AG Retirement planning used to be boring. Then zero interest rates, inflation spikes, housing crises, and fragmented work lives turned it into a high?stakes puzzle that most people are failing to solve. In Europe, where demographic aging is accelerating and public pension systems are under strain, that puzzle is now an existential problem for households and a structural challenge for governments. Swiss Life Holding AG sits right at the center of that storm. Officially,...

January 19, 2026
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14Jan

Swiss regulator flags ‘acute’ systemic risks at multi-employer pension funds

Switzerland’s occupational pension supervisor, the Oberaufsichtskommission Berufliche Vorsorge (OAK BV), is tightening oversight of pension funds exposed to systemic risks that could undermine their financial stability. In a note circulated in December, the authority set out instructions contained in directive W-01/2025, which entered into force on 1 January. The directive requires cantonal and regional supervisory authorities to carry out a comprehensive assessment of financial and non-financial risks for the pension funds under their supervision. OAK BV now expects a “structured assessment...

January 14, 2026
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September 2025
30Sep

Swiss pension fund defends oil and gas exposure despite political pushback

Pensionskasse des Kantons Schwyz (PKSZ), the CHF3bn (€3.2bn) pension fund of the Swiss canton of Schwyz, will continue to invest in oil and gas companies – including those operating in authoritarian regimes – arguing that greening the portfolio would damage returns. The canton’s government has rejected a motion tabled by members of the Social Democratic Party (SP) to amend the law governing the fund’s investments, which would have introduced sustainability criteria and excluded fossil fuel holdings. The executive council, led by...

September 30, 2025
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09Sep

Swiss pension funds warned on equity, bond concentration risks

Swiss pension funds are facing rising concentration risks in domestic and global equities, bonds, and regional exposures, particularly the US, according to the Pensionskassen-Jahrbuch 2025 report published by consultancy PPCmetrics. The study shows that around two-thirds (67.5%) of total pension assets of CHF859bn (€921bn) are invested in bonds and equities. The remaining 32.5% is allocated to real estate, alternatives and infrastructure. Within fixed income, an average 24.2% of total assets are invested in bonds denominated in Swiss francs, and just under 12% in...

September 9, 2025
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July 2025
29Jul

Why do many Swiss people choose to emigrate in old age?

Having worked their entire lives, paying into the system and forgoing vacations, some Swiss are shocked to discover they can't afford life in Switzerland after retirement. More and more retirees are choosing to leave their homeland – not in search of adventure, but out of sheer necessity. "After working hard for so many years, pensioners are being pushed to the margins of society. When it comes to its own people, I no longer see Switzerland as a social country." State pensions...

July 29, 2025
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June 2025
24Jun

Pension funds and monetary policy: Between burden and opportunity – WTW

On June 19, 2025, the Swiss National Bank (SNB) lowered its policy rate by 0.25 percentage points to 0.0%. This marks the second rate cut this year (fifth since June last year) and signals that the SNB is once again reacting more actively to cooling inflation and ongoing upward pressure on the Swiss franc. SNB President Martin Schlegel cited the subdued inflation outlook—current projections for the year are just 0.2%—as well as a globally uncertain environment. At the same time, the...

June 24, 2025
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