PrämienheldFirst separate your savings goal from the risk protection you need. Then compare costs, investment approach, payment terms and the consequences of changes. An attractive illustration alone is not enough for a long-term decision.
What do you need the arrangement to do?
A bank solution uses a pension agreement with a banking foundation; an insurer provides a tied pension insurance contract. Both are forms of pillar 3a. Write down two objectives separately: building capital for later life and protecting against the financial consequences of particular events. Ask which part of each quotation serves which objective. This helps explain what its different costs pay for.
Make costs and flexibility visible
Ask for a clear overview of initial and recurring costs. Discuss what happens if you reduce payments, pause, switch provider or end the arrangement. With insurance, examine the actual surrender values and consequences of contract changes.
| Comparison point | Question for the provider |
|---|---|
| Saving and protection | Which benefit serves which objective? |
| Costs | What are the initial and recurring charges? |
| Flexibility | What happens if payments reduce or I switch? |
| Certainty | Which values are guaranteed and which are scenarios? |
Distinguish an illustration from a promise
Ask for guaranteed benefits and non-binding scenarios to be shown separately. Check which costs are included and what less favourable outcomes would look like. FINMA highlights the importance of costs and transparent illustrations for life insurance products.
Do not replace an existing arrangement hastily
Before switching, request an up-to-date contract overview and the consequences of ending it. Compare realistic options from today onwards. Past costs, future payments, remaining protection and your goals all belong in the assessment.
Your conversation checklist
Tick off what you have prepared. This checklist stays in this page and is not submitted.
Prepared by the Prämienheld editorial team as general orientation. An individual offer and the applicable policy conditions determine actual cover.
Sources consulted:
- BSV: anerkannte Vorsorgeformen / recognised pension arrangements ↗
- FINMA: individual life insurance and surrender values ↗
- FINMA: transparency in life insurance ↗
Provider sources explain their own products; they are not a market-wide comparison or an endorsement of Prämienheld.
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