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

Life situations: Planning for retirement

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.

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.